Fantasy Football question

If it's inappropriate to post about Fantasy Football here please tell me where I should be posting about it and I'll delete this thread immediately...


12-team h2h $3,500 winner-take-all league, start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DST
3 divisions, four playoff spots (3 division winners, 1 wildcard)
My team (6-4, 1 game division lead):

QB: Mark Brunell, Ben Roethlisberger, Chris Simms
RB: Tiki Barber, Antowain Smith, Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, Cadillac Williams
WR: Donald Driver, Hines Ward, Jimmy Smith
TE: Chris Cooley
K: Lawrence Tynes
DST: Bears

Do I need to make a trade and what area do I need to improve? NOTE: My league has a strict trade approval process. I'm not looking to make a blockbuster here, rather improve my depth for playoff time (I'm only 1 game ahead in my division, but the other teams in my division aren't that strong either). Who should I target to improve my depth best utilizing the depth I have already?

There's one team that I've been going back and forth with all year with offers, but never got a deal we could both agree on. He happens to have the best record in the league (8-2). Here's his roster:

QB: Marc Bulger, Jeff Garcia
RB: J.J. Arrington, Ronnie Brown, Mewelde Moore, LaDainian Tomlinson
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Torry Holt, Darrell Jackson, Chad Johnson
TE: Jerramy Stevens
K: Neil Rackers
DST: Bucs, Lions

What would be a good offer that will best improve my team that he'd accept (he's pretty stingy, but so am I)? Any and all insight is greatly appreciated.

here (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=sportevents)

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here (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=sportevents)

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thanks

[legend42]

I don't know if fantasy questions belong here either, but...

First, I can't believe you're winning with that team (I'm guessing defenses are valued in your league). But you really don't have much to trade. I think you need to worry less about improving your depth, and more about optimizing your matchups for the playoffs.

Which weeks are your playoffs, 15 & 16? Then look for the best matchups in those weeks (i.e. RBs playing HOU, BUF, STL, etc. QBs & WRs vs. SF, KC, MIN, etc.) and trade for those players, even if you give up overall value.

Yes, you might cost yourself a regular season game and miss the playoffs, but if it's winner-take-all I think you need to take that chance and hope you can hold your one game lead. If you do make the playoffs, you should be sitting pretty.

[Punker]

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I can't believe you're winning with that team...you really don't have much to trade

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This is a highly competitive, deep league. My first round draft pick was Culpepper, and I had to trade him off after 3 weeks for Cadillac who has fallen off the face of the earth. I've scored the most points in a week 3 different times. I'm also lucky to be in a relatively weak division.

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know if fantasy questions belong here either, but...

First, I can't believe you're winning with that team (I'm guessing defenses are valued in your league). But you really don't have much to trade. I think you need to worry less about improving your depth, and more about optimizing your matchups for the playoffs.

Which weeks are your playoffs, 15 & 16? Then look for the best matchups in those weeks (i.e. RBs playing HOU, BUF, STL, etc. QBs & WRs vs. SF, KC, MIN, etc.) and trade for those players, even if you give up overall value.

Yes, you might cost yourself a regular season game and miss the playoffs, but if it's winner-take-all I think you need to take that chance and hope you can hold your one game lead. If you do make the playoffs, you should be sitting pretty.

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Thanks for your advice. RBs are the most valuable in this league (as in most leagues) and that's probably the strongest part of my team. Do you think I should put Barber/Westbrook on the market to improve my QB/WR or should I package weaker players? If I'm ever offered a trade, one of the first things I look at is the targeted players' Week 15 & 16 matchups, can't emphasize that enough.

[lastchance]

WR is fine, you're not going to get a signifigant upgrade at QB any time soon.

I'd stay put.

[Punker]

The point remains...there's not really anything you have to offer him that would be of any use to him.

[z32fanatic]

Cadillac/Westbrook and Jimmy Smith for any of his top 3 receivers. Your only depth is that you have 4 starting RBs, trade one of them for an upgrade at WR. He only has 1 reliable RB, so give him another one and take one of his WR.

[Punker]

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you have 4 starting RBs,

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RB: Tiki Barber, Antowain Smith, Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, Cadillac Williams

Tiki, yes
Westbrook, yes

The others: no. Smith and Staley are in committees at best, and Cadillac is really fading hard. He has exactly 2 startworthy RBs.

[MarkL444]

with the amount of variance in fantasy football and the fact that some of the best players may sit during the playoff weeks i think that a winner take all league is piss poor

The team I've been trying to trade with just offered me Chad Johnson and Mewelde Moore for Tiki or Westbrook. I'm pretty sure I can get a better deal than that, but can you come up with a good counter offer? Maybe I do this with Westbrook (although it would be painful for me)?


EDIT: Is Driver & Cadillac for Fitzgerald & Arrington a smart offer?

Another team just offered me:

Deion Branch for Cadillac Williams

My team's RBs & WRs:
RB: Tiki Barber, Duce Staley, Cadillac Williams, Brian Westbrook
WR: Donald Driver, Jimmy Smith, Hines Ward

His RBs & WRs:
RB: Tatum Bell, Chris Brown, Kevin Jones, Thomas Jones, Adrian Peterson
WR: Anquan Boldin, Deion Branch, Santana Moss, Steve Smith

I'd rather get Boldin than Branch b/c the Cardinals have much better matchups than the Patriots do in Week 15 & 16 (playoff time), but with the trade deadline looming, should I bite on this offer?