It always helps to know the trade value of the players on your roster. One can never tell for certain without putting out feelers in your individual leagues, but here’s some examples of recent swaps witnessed by the Tracker. New York Post receives: Brian Westbrook, Vince Young
Detroit Free Press receives: Warrick Dunn, Carson Palmer
Comments: May seem one-sided in favor of the Post, but this is a 6-point pass TD league, so Palmer’s value is higher than in basic leagues that score four points per TD. This deal was made in Week 6, when Westbrook was gimpy. The Post was in dire need of a solid RB.
Mikes Den receives: Marshawn Lynch
Feinds R Us receives: Matt Schaub, Laurence Maroney
Comments: Feinds seems to get the better of this deal, but it a glaring example of how Lynch is overvalued and Maroney undervalued. The FT belives Maroney will fare better than Lynch down the stretch, meaning Feinds got an upgrade at RB and a decent backup QB to boot.
Fiddy Sense receives: Marvin Harrison
Team colantuono receives: Wes Welker
Comments: Fiddy Sense is an FT team. The original proposal from Team Cola sent us a couple of spare parts in addition to Welker, but our roster was stocked, so we couldn’t take them in. We’re not down on Welker by any means. The only reason this move was made is because we like Harrison slightly better, and we had the depth at WR to take that chance.
Pawtucket Pot Roasts receives: Kenny Watson, Drew Brees
Jeter Drinks Wine Coolers receives: Marion Barber, Wes Welker
Comments: This borders on veto bad. Jeter wins in a walk, with a solid second RB option and a breakout WR. Pot Roasts gets only a banged-up backup RB and a disappointing QB. Even if Brees turns it around, this deal was one-sided. A good example of why it pays to shop big names, even when they’re down.
Shoguns of Harlem receive: Maurice Jones-Drew
Last Minute Decision receives: Calvin Johnson
Comments: The Shoguns are an FT team, and we think we did well here. Calvin is a rookie in an offense with plenty of options. MJD still has a bit of an upside, and we needed an RB, thanks to Travis Henry’s impending suspension and the drop-off of Lamont Jordan.
Shotgun Justice receives: Marvin Harrison
Title Seekers receive: Lee Evans
Comments: Deal was made when Harrison was sidelined and soon after Trent Edwards took over at QB for the Bills. Still doesn’t make a lot of sense.
And here’s the doosey of the week, a three-team deal in our 14-team office keeper league:
Get Out! receives: Matt Schaub (from Ditka), Cedric Benson (from Ditka), Andre Johnson (from Ditka), Greg Olson (from Slingshots), and a 3rd-round pick (from Ditka)
Angry Neighbors w/ Slingshots receive: DeShaun Foster (from Get Out!), Alge Crumpler (from Get Out!)
Hurricane Ditka receives: Matt Hasselbeck (from Get Out!), Shaun Alexander (from Get Out!), Lee Evans (from Slingshots)
A secondary deal followed:
Get Out! receives: 3rd-round pick
Financial Panthers receive: Marques Colston
Comments: Panthers make out OK, getting a solid WR, despite his disappointing season, at a low cost. Get Outs! obviously is playing for next season, accumulating a pair of 3rd-round picks, plus the Schaub-Johnson connection. Ditka gets immediate help with Hasselbeck and Alexander, who the FT believes will both improve upon their numbers so far this year. The Slingshots (that’s us here at the FT), we upgraded from a bad backup WR to a bad backup RB. But Foster helps fill the void having lost DeShawn Wynn.