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Tim Williams - AccuScore Analyst
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“People spend money they don’t have, to buy things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t care about.”

-Will Smith

While it’s no Mark Twain quote, and probably won’t be featured in any quote books, the above quote by the artist formerly known as “The Fresh Prince” is one of my favorites. We’re in a time where the real life market is crashing, and while I’m no economist, I can’t help but think it is due to the confusion between “wants” and “needs”.

Plenty of people thought they “needed” the big house on the hill, or a new Mercedes, figuring they could squeeze it in to their budget while the economy was good, while not thinking ahead to a time when the economy was bad. The “need” for these flashy amenities is usually fueled by public perception that says no successful person drives around in a 1998 Ford Ranger, and no successful couple settles for a two bedroom, one and a half bathroom house. People “needed” bigger houses, and “needed” flashy cars, and unfortunately they either couldn’t afford it, or sacrificed some real “needs” for what really was a “want”.

The truth is that if the Ford Ranger runs, there’s no need to upgrade, and if you’re only going to sleep in one bedroom, there’s no need for more, with the exception of a guest bedroom. The same rules apply to fantasy football trades. You’ve got Roddy White, the equivalent of the 1998 Ford Ranger. He’s not flashy, he’s not in high demand, and you are always worried that he will just stop working one day. You may think about browsing the lot of new cars, looking for a nice Mercedes like Reggie Wayne or Brandon Marshall. The problem is that you don’t really “need” these options. You have a perfectly good wide receiver, just not a big, flashy name receiver.

Going back to the opening quote, people spend money they don’t have, to buy things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t care about. You’re not going to get Reggie Wayne for Roddy White straight up, which means you’re going to have to include more in the deal, potentially cutting in to your running back depth for this slight upgrade. In other words, you’re spending money you don’t have to buy something you don’t need. As for the people you don’t care about? They’re the people who say you can’t have a successful fantasy football team with Roddy White as one of your starting wide receivers.

If you’ve got White on your team you’re either a contender with depth that shouldn’t be spent on this type of upgrade, or you’re not a contender, in which case you probably don’t have much depth, and don’t need to be spending what you do have on this roster spot, which is perfectly fine. When trading, it is important to analyze your “needs” and figure out which is a “need” and which is a “want”. I’m not saying Roddy White is better than Reggie Wayne, but he’s certainly close, he’s a top fantasy wide receiver, and he’s probably not an area of “need” on your roster. He’s the 1998 Ford Ranger that still runs fine. You may not get a lot of longing looks, but the fantasy championship he will drive you to is the same as money in the bank.

Guys I’m trading for

Chris Johnson – I’m still trading for Chris Johnson. His upcoming schedule looks great. Kansas City this weekend, Indianapolis next weekend, and Green Bay in two weeks, all poor running defenses this season. If you’re a contender, he plays Houston in week 15, which could help propel you to the finals of your league.

Joseph Addai – Addai is out for two to four weeks, which could put some fantasy owners in a bind. It could also mean Addai will now come at a discounted price if you are in position to stash him on your bench for the playoffs. I’m targeting all of the Addai owners with losing records in my league and seeing if they will part with the struggling, and injured running back for the price of an Edgerrin James, Thomas Jones, or even Larry Johnson level running back.

Roddy White – He’s currently the third ranked receiver in fantasy football, with only Larry Fitzgerald and Greg Jennings scoring more points. If you don’t have him he will probably come at a discounted rate, as most owners don’t consider him at the same level as a Reggie Wayne or a Terrell Owens. You could spend a fortune on those guys, or you could go the cheap route with White, and get the same results.

Anquan Boldin – There’s the injury factor to consider, and there’s also the bye week for Arizona. It looks like Boldin will return next week, which makes now the final opportunity to buy low on him. Even while missing time he’s number six in fantasy points scored for receivers, and is in the same class as top performers like Jennings, Wayne, and his teammate Fitzgerald.

Matt Schaub – He’s probably a backup on most rosters, which means a decent offer will land him. His remaining schedule looks good enough to make him a starter. He plays Detroit, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and the Raiders in week 17. The only down weeks on the schedule are Baltimore in week 10, and Tennessee in week 16. He’s a starter in every other week, with several possibilities for monster performances.

Guys I’m dealing

Brett Favre – Take out his six touchdown and one interception game against the Cardinals, and Favre has thrown seven touchdowns and five interceptions this season, only topping the 200 yard mark on one occasion. Favre has decent matchups in week seven and eight, taking on the Raiders and Chiefs, so it’s likely he puts up solid numbers this weekend. If you can’t deal him this week, don’t try to force it, and wait until he puts up a better performance than last weekend against the Bengals. However, I’d deal him straight up for Schaub, or even Jason Campbell, who I’m sold on as being legit.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Carson Palmer is injured, the Bengals running game is a joke, and Houshmandzadeh seems to be the only receiver who cares about his performance on the field. He’s managed to put up solid numbers so far, but with Palmer’s injury status unknown, I don’t trust him over the next few weeks, or even for the rest of the season with the disaster the Bengals have been.

DeSean Jackson – Jackson has certainly made a big impact to a lot of fantasy teams, and is a decent number two option. However, with Brian Westbrook injured, and Donovan McNabb’s health always a risk, Jackson loses some of his value. I’d see if I could deal him straight up for Roddy White, as I think White will have better numbers the remainder of the season.

Thomas Jones – Jones had an easy matchup against the Bengals, and destroyed them for 25 fantasy points. That’s ten more fantasy points than he scored in the previous three games, and only six fewer points than he had for the season, heading in to that game. Don’t expect those kind of numbers from Jones every week, especially with Brett Favre wanting to carry the team on his back.

Donovan McNabb – Here is the issue with McNabb. It’s not that he’s a bad quarterback. If I have him on my team, and I do in a few leagues, I’m starting him. The problem is that he’s injury prone, missing 14 games in the last three seasons. I’ve got him and Jay Cutler in one of my leagues, so I’m fine if he goes down, but in another league my only starting option is McNabb, and I’m not comfortable with that risk.

Deals of the Week

This past weekend I bought low on Anquan Boldin, sending Ryan Grant and T.J. Houshmandzadeh for Boldin and Chris Johnson. The owner couldn’t really wait for Boldin to return, and needed a running back as Johnson was on a bye week. I had Steve Smith and Donald Driver ready to go in my wide receiver position, and I took a gamble with Ricky Williams in my flex spot, which paid off. The timing of the deal was great, as Joseph Addai went down the next day, giving me an immediate replacement in Johnson, with a solid group of receivers that includes Smith, Boldin, Driver, and Eddie Royal.