2013 Fantasy Football: 5 Players You Should Try to Trade For

5 Players to Trade For

As we reach the halfway mark in the Fantasy season, things start to get a little more serious. The jokes and chirping between friends stay the same but on the inside we all start to sweat a little more. Sundays don’t just bring joy; they now bring stress as well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the best kind of stress one could ever hope to experience and I love every second of it, but it’s stress nonetheless. As I mentioned last week, the wins are becoming a little more crucial for many of us at this stage because before we know it we’ll be jockeying for position and some will be fighting just to make it into the playoffs.

It’s important to consider making some moves right now. The waiver-wire is completely depleted in most leagues so the only real option is to make a trade if you’re looking to shake things up. Trades are often hard to put together because there seems to be a phenomenon that exists whereby many people assume that any trade they get offered is a rip-off. Of course, many trade offers are, but not all of them! If you try to trade a player who you believe has equal value to the player you’re trying to acquire, with your idea being that their arrows are pointing in different directions, there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s not a shady move; it’s a smart move. There’s a big difference between that and sending someone an offer that’s clearly completely bogus, with the hope that they’ll accept it before realizing how ridiculous it is.

If you really want to make a trade, that’s not the way to get it done. As I mentioned before, the key is trading away players you believe are headed downwards for players you think are on the rise when they have equal value. In other words, before the guy you’re trying to trade for has his breakout game and the one you’re trying to get rid of posts a dud. Players’ values can change in a flash and if you want a Fantasy championship you have to be proactive. It’s very much like trading stocks – when you truly believe your stock’s value has peaked it’s time to get rid of it, not take a wait-and-see approach. Sell high, buy low. You might hate me for stating the obvious in so many words but too often I watch guys wait too long and miss their opportunities. Every now and then, it’s important to get a reminder of even the most common sense ideas.

With that in mind, here are five players I believe are worth targeting in trades before their value goes up in the near future:

5. Lamar Miller

Lamar Miller was on everyone’s breakout-radar during the offseason. Many people were expecting him to take hold of his backfield at the very beginning of the season and never look back, but it hasn’t gone according to plan. He’s been stuck in a time-share with plodding teammate Daniel Thomas, despite the fact that Miller’s obviously the superior talent. It appears the coaches might finally be coming to their senses. However, as his snap-count was starting to increase before the team’s bye-week. If he continues to play well, he’ll assume the featured-back role that should have been his from the start and his value will go way up. The cat’s out of the bag and everyone now knows that Thomas stinks. Wait, didn’t we know that already?

4. Jermichael Finley

Jermichael Finley had a solid start to the season, scoring a touchdown in each of his first two games. He hasn’t done all that much in recent weeks but he’s still getting a handful of targets from Aaron Rodgers and he’s likely about to get plenty more coming his way. Randall Cobb was placed on short-term I.R. earlier in the week and James Jones is dealing with a sprained PCL. So all of a sudden one of the strongest passing attacks in the league is low on options. Jordy Nelson is sure to get the brunt of Rodgers’ looks but he can’t do it by himself. Finley should be very heavily involved in the passing game going forward.

3. Eddie Lacy

Like Finley, Eddie Lacy will be assuming a larger role on offense due to all the injuries the team is dealing with. He’s starting to get a lot of carries – he has 46 in his last two games – and with the passing game now having some question marks the team is likely to feed him the ball as much as he’s prepared to take it. He’s getting better each week and he rushed for a career-high 120 yards last game. He’s a strong candidate to break out in the very near future.

2. Rob Gronkowski

The dramatic saga is finally over as Rob Gronkowski is expected to make his season debut this week. It’s possible he’ll be eased in his first week back but he’ll be full-steam ahead by his next game. Tom Brady has been praying for his return, having struggled to find consistent success with his current weapons. The team is near the bottom of the league in red zone scoring and it just so happens that Gronk is a red zone specialist – he has a mind-blowing 38 touchdowns in 43 career games. If the guy who owns him in your pool is skeptical, pounce immediately. He’ll be Brady’s favorite target the second he steps onto the field.

1. Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III has been a major letdown this season when you consider the bar he set for himself a year ago. He’s posted three mediocre Fantasy totals in a row so his value isn’t going to be any lower than it is right now. He stated earlier this week that he plans to start running more, which is going to vastly increase his value if he stays true to his word. Coach Mike Shanahan agreed that he needs to run more and has given him a green light to take off, so his production is about to go way up. If he stays healthy and polishes his passing just a little, we might see some monster lines like the ones he put up last season.

5 Players to Trade For

As we reach the halfway mark in the Fantasy season, things start to get a little more serious. The jokes and chirping between friends stay the same but on the inside we all start to sweat a little more. Sundays don’t just bring joy; they now bring stress as well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the best kind of stress one could ever hope to experience and I love every second of it, but it’s stress nonetheless. As I mentioned last week, the wins are becoming a little more crucial for many of us at this stage because before we know it we’ll be jockeying for position and some will be fighting just to make it into the playoffs.

It’s important to consider making some moves right now. The waiver-wire is completely depleted in most leagues so the only real option is to make a trade if you’re looking to shake things up. Trades are often hard to put together because there seems to be a phenomenon that exists whereby many people assume that any trade they get offered is a rip-off. Of course, many trade offers are, but not all of them! If you try to trade a player who you believe has equal value to the player you’re trying to acquire, with your idea being that their arrows are pointing in different directions, there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s not a shady move; it’s a smart move. There’s a big difference between that and sending someone an offer that’s clearly completely bogus, with the hope that they’ll accept it before realizing how ridiculous it is.

If you really want to make a trade, that’s not the way to get it done. As I mentioned before, the key is trading away players you believe are headed downwards for players you think are on the rise when they have equal value. In other words, before the guy you’re trying to trade for has his breakout game and the one you’re trying to get rid of posts a dud. Players’ values can change in a flash and if you want a Fantasy championship you have to be proactive. It’s very much like trading stocks – when you truly believe your stock’s value has peaked it’s time to get rid of it, not take a wait-and-see approach. Sell high, buy low. You might hate me for stating the obvious in so many words but too often I watch guys wait too long and miss their opportunities. Every now and then, it’s important to get a reminder of even the most common sense ideas.

With that in mind, here are five players I believe are worth targeting in trades before their value goes up in the near future:

5. Lamar Miller

Lamar Miller was on everyone’s breakout-radar during the offseason. Many people were expecting him to take hold of his backfield at the very beginning of the season and never look back, but it hasn’t gone according to plan. He’s been stuck in a time-share with plodding teammate Daniel Thomas, despite the fact that Miller’s obviously the superior talent. It appears the coaches might finally be coming to their senses. However, as his snap-count was starting to increase before the team’s bye-week. If he continues to play well, he’ll assume the featured-back role that should have been his from the start and his value will go way up. The cat’s out of the bag and everyone now knows that Thomas stinks. Wait, didn’t we know that already?

4. Jermichael Finley

Jermichael Finley had a solid start to the season, scoring a touchdown in each of his first two games. He hasn’t done all that much in recent weeks but he’s still getting a handful of targets from Aaron Rodgers and he’s likely about to get plenty more coming his way. Randall Cobb was placed on short-term I.R. earlier in the week and James Jones is dealing with a sprained PCL. So all of a sudden one of the strongest passing attacks in the league is low on options. Jordy Nelson is sure to get the brunt of Rodgers’ looks but he can’t do it by himself. Finley should be very heavily involved in the passing game going forward.

3. Eddie Lacy

Like Finley, Eddie Lacy will be assuming a larger role on offense due to all the injuries the team is dealing with. He’s starting to get a lot of carries – he has 46 in his last two games – and with the passing game now having some question marks the team is likely to feed him the ball as much as he’s prepared to take it. He’s getting better each week and he rushed for a career-high 120 yards last game. He’s a strong candidate to break out in the very near future.

2. Rob Gronkowski

The dramatic saga is finally over as Rob Gronkowski is expected to make his season debut this week. It’s possible he’ll be eased in his first week back but he’ll be full-steam ahead by his next game. Tom Brady has been praying for his return, having struggled to find consistent success with his current weapons. The team is near the bottom of the league in red zone scoring and it just so happens that Gronk is a red zone specialist – he has a mind-blowing 38 touchdowns in 43 career games. If the guy who owns him in your pool is skeptical, pounce immediately. He’ll be Brady’s favorite target the second he steps onto the field.

1. Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III has been a major letdown this season when you consider the bar he set for himself a year ago. He’s posted three mediocre Fantasy totals in a row so his value isn’t going to be any lower than it is right now. He stated earlier this week that he plans to start running more, which is going to vastly increase his value if he stays true to his word. Coach Mike Shanahan agreed that he needs to run more and has given him a green light to take off, so his production is about to go way up. If he stays healthy and polishes his passing just a little, we might see some monster lines like the ones he put up last season.