2023 TRADE STATUS UPDATE

THE UPDATE IS..... There is nothing to update. Per usual.

We are three weeks into the 2023 Fantasy Season and if there is one thing I can say about our league, it’s our consistency. I have never seen a league that puts out so few trade offers. The only thing that is scarcer than the trade offers is the lack of response that accompanies the trade proposals that get sent. I understand everyone in this league did such a wonderful job drafting their teams that no upgrades are needed. That shows with the lack of activity on the waiver wire each week. Since all of you have these huge blind spots when it comes to your rosters, I will offer my own objective critique of each roster. (Yes, I know that you don’t get enough of that each week with my rankings.)

Let’s look at each team based on 3 Tiers:

I. The Favorites

Stick Rock – Yes, I know Rocky has never made a draft mistake in his life. We should all be willing to trade one of our keepers for a player he drafted in the 18th round. But injuries are starting to pile up. Burrow’s calf injury seems to be lingering. Ekeler can’t seem to stay on the field with a persistent ankle injury. I know he thinks Kareem Hunt is the answer, but the only question he solves is “who was a really good RB 3 years ago that all 32 teams passed on this off-season.” This team looks to be set at the RB and WR positions with plenty of depth. But they could use an upgrade at QB and TE. Rocky could offer the De’Andre’s in a trade (Swift or Hopkins). That should be enough to upgrade the roster.

Wrath of Kahn – I look at this roster and I just don’t get it. They’re ranked #1, they’re 2-0 and are scoring at a good clip. But outside of Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and (maybe) Justin Herbert, is there anyone you trust on a week-to-week basis? Fields looks like the 2nd half of last season was an aberration. Davis, Robinson and White are inconsistent and Breece Hall does not get enough touches to trust in the starting lineup. I don’t think there are any moves for Jim to make, so his best bet is to ride this gravy train till the end and hope he gets through the playoffs injury-free. Maybe… maybe he can trade back-up TE Hurst for some RB or WR depth.

II. The Challengers

Mel Kipers BA – Pete’s team is 0-2 coming out of the gate, but he has lost 2 close games. The gamble at QB (Deshaun Watson) looks like a bust right now as he looks more like the QB we saw last year with Cleveland than the one that played for the Texans. The receivers look good too. RB could be a problem as there is no consistent scoring threat after Derrick Henry. Upgrades to QB2 and RB2 are needed. Fortunately there is plenty of WR depth (London, JSN and Sutton) that can be used to snag a running back or two. Back-up TE Sam LaPorta could also be a chip if he can continue to build on his early success.

Springfield Flanders - The QB situation isn’t pretty, but it looks like it could work. Goff and Purdy take a lot of shots downfield and will score enough to stay competitive. The receivers (Diggs/Brown/Chase) are elite and TE Waller has stayed on the field so far. The RBs on the other hand are a problem. Najee Harris and Dameon Pierce are becoming forgotten men on their own teams. Alvin Kamara is coming back from suspension, but he hasn’t been a reliable option for 2 years now. I’m not sure if there is a move to be made here. Glenn could trade one of his three big-time WRs in return for a stud RB. But trades like that never get made in-season. Backup WRs like Jakobi Meyers or waiver wire pickup Josh Reynolds could be used, but I doubt either would return an RB that would make a difference. Just sit tight and hope one of the RBs on the roster improves.

’69 Olds – This is an easy one. They are in dire need of RB help. Vikings have given up on Mattison and the Rams did the same with Akers. Now Akers gets traded to the Vikings so they can share a backfield. IF, and it’s a big IF, Cooper Kupp can return when his IR stint is up, Ray would have some WR depth to trade from with Aiyuk or Watson being used for an upgrade. Otherwise, this team will only go as far as Hurts and Mahomes can take them.

Milford Football Team – A 2-0 start and decent scoring output through the first 2 weeks aside, there looks to be some cracks on this roster. QB-Josh Allen, RB-CMC and TE-Andrews are solid and there are a lot of really, really good WRs. But… who is the one plug and play WR stud on this roster? Evans is off to a hot start, but Baker Mayfield is his QB. Same for Nico Collins. He’s been awesome but his QB stinks. Calvin Ridley had a great 1st game and an invisible 2nd. Garrett Wilson look poised to have a breakout season that lasted all of 4 plays until Aaron Rodgers tore his achilles tendon. So what’s the bold move here? Trade Garret Wilson for a top 20 WR that has a better QB that can help win this year. Keep an eye on Jared’s team. If he falls to far behind he could trade one of his top 20 WRs.

Skoal Bandits – The Bandits are a team on the rise and have the depth to make a late season run. RB is set with game breaking talent Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs while the receivers are solid (Olave/Higgins/Lockett). The QB2 spot needs an upgrade as neither Kenny Pickett nor Mac Jones look like they can be productive fantasy players. RBs Zack Moss/Dalvin Cook and WRs Pittman/Moore could be used for an upgrade.

III. It’s now or never.

Black Ghostbusters – I made it a point to totally disregard the TE position during the draft. There were only 3 TE’s worth wasting a draft pick on and they were all long gone by the time I was ready to pick one. The result? I have started a guy I plucked off the scrap heap who is the TE21. The obvious need here is a TE. Looking at that strategy on its own, you might think it was a miscalculation. But while one un-named team was busy grabbing 3 TEs in rounds 11, 12 and 18, I was building RB, WR and QB depth. (Ok, it was Craig. Craig drafted 3 TEs, none of which has scored more than 8 points than my scrap heap pickup). If anyone is looking for a trade, I can offer a QB (Prescott or Love), some decent RB3/Flex help (Javonte Williams, Isaiah Pacheco, Jerome Ford) or WR2/WR3 contributors (DJ Moore, Chris Goodwin, Zay Flowers).

Peeping Tomlins – I know they are 2-0 and I like the pieces on this roster. But they don’t score a ton of points and the external rankings are not impressed. The injury to Nick Chubb was a blow, but Kenneth Walker, Joe Mixon and Kyren Williams is still a better RB trio than most teams have. Devonta Smith and DK Metcalf are solid at WR and Rookie QB Anthony Richardson looks like the real deal, although I doubt he can stay healthy for an entire season. Jared could use an upgrade at QB as Stroud and Richardson are already banged up. He has TE (Hurst and Kincaid) depth to deal as well as some good, young WRs on his bench (Addison, Pickens and Atwell)

Dark Helmet – Somebody might need to do a welfare check on Dan. Nobody has heard from him since the draft and he has only had one transaction since the start of the season. The injuries are already piling up with Saquon Barkley out for a few weeks and Miles Sanders, Amari Cooper and OBJ are nursing injuries. There are some players here that can help a contender, especially Running Backs. Tyler Allgeier, Gus Edwards and Miles Sanders would be an upgrade for a lot of teams. Dan could use a WR in return.