Prying away a Top TE (1 Viewer)

[DolphinsFanAlways]

Maybe the other owners in my league are just tough or maybe I'm just not giving up enough value for them.

I wanted to see if anyone has been able to trade for any of the top TE's and what they had to give up. More importantly in a required TE league, since the value would differ considerably if no TE is required.

I've been targeting only the top 4 or 5.

Gates, who I would never get, he is by far the TOP DOG and would be going for well over what I could give up

Witten (offered CJ or Jennings and Lamal Lewis)

Gonzalez

Winslow (Iv'e offered Jennings and Jamal Lewis, to the guy who needs a RB and WR and got laughed at)

Dallas Clark (I've had an offer for Jennings, may be my best bet)

 

[SSOG]

In TE-required leagues, I feel Antonio Gates (the "stud") is worth as much as a stud WR (top-6 or so). The #2/3/4 TEs (Witten, Gonzo, Winslow, imo) have value comparable to WRs in the WR12-20 range.

Then again, I just saw someone trade Gates and Bruce in dynasty for... Patrick Crayton and Justin Fargas, so maybe your best bet is to just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks.

 

[Gravedigger]

Tried getting Gates or Winslow last week. I was offering a choice of Portis, Jones-Drew, Gore, and tried sweetening it with Harrison if he ever comes back.

No dice. Neither owner bit.

Not certain if they felt Gates/Winslow was worth that, or if they didnt' want to give me a decent TE due to me appearing strong at this point.

 

[Boulder Toads]

In TE-required leagues, I feel Antonio Gates (the "stud") is worth as much as a stud WR (top-6 or so). The #2/3/4 TEs (Witten, Gonzo, Winslow, imo) have value comparable to WRs in the WR12-20 range.Then again, I just saw someone trade Gates and Bruce in dynasty for... Patrick Crayton and Justin Fargas, so maybe your best bet is to just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks.

Agree with the value assessment for Gates, and just wanted to say that I also saw Gates go cheaper than I thought he would in a TE-required dynasty:Gates for Chatman + Stallworth The Gates owner also had Winslow, so he was dealing from a position of depth, but STILL you'd think Gates would go for more. I wouldn't let him go without getting a top-10 WR or RB in a TE required league.

 

[SSOG]

Tried getting Gates or Winslow last week. I was offering a choice of Portis, Jones-Drew, Gore, and tried sweetening it with Harrison if he ever comes back.No dice. Neither owner bit.Not certain if they felt Gates/Winslow was worth that, or if they didnt' want to give me a decent TE due to me appearing strong at this point.

I think Portis is a pretty good comp for Gates. If I had depth at TE and a need at RB, I'd make that deal. If I had depth at RB and nobody behind Gates at TE, I wouldn't. If you threw Harrison in as a sweetener, I'd be very tempted, regardless of how deep I was at RB or TE.

 

[southeastjerome]

In my league Gates and S. Smith were dealt for Colston and Maroney.

 

[TxBuckeye]

Tried getting Gates or Winslow last week. I was offering a choice of Portis, Jones-Drew, Gore, and tried sweetening it with Harrison if he ever comes back.No dice. Neither owner bit.Not certain if they felt Gates/Winslow was worth that, or if they didnt' want to give me a decent TE due to me appearing strong at this point.

I think Portis is a pretty good comp for Gates. If I had depth at TE and a need at RB, I'd make that deal. If I had depth at RB and nobody behind Gates at TE, I wouldn't. If you threw Harrison in as a sweetener, I'd be very tempted, regardless of how deep I was at RB or TE.

I disagree. A lot. Gates is a huge upgrade over just about any TE. There are a ton of RBs that will score the same as Portis. And that's the problem with getting one of these guys. They outscore their opponents TEs by a huge margin week in and week out. The players mentioned here as trade bait don't.

 

[MCguidance]

This makes me laugh because I have Gates and no one would TAKE him in the early part of the year. I offered him in numerous deals and was shot down, oft times hearing: TEs aren't worth that much. Whatever. They say the best deals are sometimes the ones you never make. Rings true for me this season.

 

[theJCdude]

It all depends on the timing, and I am afraid your time might be up, with all the bye weeks almost over. I tried and tried to get Winslow off this guy who also had Clark, many times. But during a bye week 2 of his RBs were off, so I offered Fred Taylor for Winslow and the guy did it!!!!! I couldn't believe it! He has got to be kicking himself right now, as Clark might not play this weekend.

Timing is everything.

 

[Alberta Clipper]

I traded L Johnson to get Gates this week.

TE required / Keep 3 league.

 

[chuk333]

Three weeks ago during Gonzo's bye I got him for Santonio Holmes from a team that had Gonzo and Dallas Clark.

 

[The Duff Man]

12 team dynasty with unique rules. Receiving yards are worth double passing yards. Start 2 QBs.

In the off season I gave up Hasselbeck, Turner and two second round picks for Gates. He leads all TEs with 868 points. For comparison the #6 TE has 527 points, the #12 TE has 360 points.

Most times you have to give studs to get studs and those who don't see the elite TEs as studs are missing an important part of FF.

 

[Patoons]

12 team dynasty-PPR

Offered Chad Johnson/D.Clark for Gates/08 1st... no dice.

 

[dparker713]

I just traded Portis and Fitz for Winslow and Wayne. Guys RBs have been decimated and he really need the RB. Didnt hurt that Portis just put up a monster game, but the deal probably would have been made even if he'd only had a good game this past week.

 

[ATRAIN56]

I have Shockey/Vernon/Owen Danials in one league and cant give one away

 

[Hit-em]

I just traded Chris Henry from Cinci for Dallas Clark ....I'll take that all day long !

 

[Leo2228]

I just traded D Clark for Matt Hasselbeck . I all ready have Jason Witten but needed a Qb my other QB is Griese. Witten is a Stud. any TE that can run like he did last week after that hit with no helmet

 

[Koya]

TE's are unique in fantasy football. They are overlooked on draft day and hold little value early on. However once the season sets in, when you have a handful of TEs that are clearly of great value to their owners, it is very hard to replace that production from the waiver wire. Because of the lack of "top tier gamebreaking" talent, it is very difficult to pry a Gates (especially) or Clark/Winslow away because in almost every case the owner trading that player away is going to be significantly weaker at the TE position so you are asking them to get weaker at TE to gain somewhere else with few options re: depth or Waiver Wire to replace the lost production.

 

[the_Truth]

Maybe the other owners in my league are just tough or maybe I'm just not giving up enough value for them.I wanted to see if anyone has been able to trade for any of the top TE's and what they had to give up. More importantly in a required TE league, since the value would differ considerably if no TE is required.I've been targeting only the top 4 or 5.Gates, who I would never get, he is by far the TOP DOG and would be going for well over what I could give upWitten (offered CJ or Jennings and Lamal Lewis)GonzalezWinslow (Iv'e offered Jennings and Jamal Lewis, to the guy who needs a RB and WR and got laughed at)Dallas Clark (I've had an offer for Jennings, may be my best bet)

I had ridiculous RB depth and no TE, so I traded Portis/Jacobs for SJax/Winslow a couple weeks ago.

 

[The Great Snook]

TE's are unique in fantasy football. They are overlooked on draft day and hold little value early on. However once the season sets in, when you have a handful of TEs that are clearly of great value to their owners, it is very hard to replace that production from the waiver wire. Because of the lack of "top tier gamebreaking" talent, it is very difficult to pry a Gates (especially) or Clark/Winslow away because in almost every case the owner trading that player away is going to be significantly weaker at the TE position so you are asking them to get weaker at TE to gain somewhere else with few options re: depth or Waiver Wire to replace the lost production.

Well said. In one of my leagues the teams that consistantly would wait until the last two rounds to pick up at TE finally got the votes to abolish the position. The league is weaker because of it.

 

[Koya]

TE's are unique in fantasy football. They are overlooked on draft day and hold little value early on. However once the season sets in, when you have a handful of TEs that are clearly of great value to their owners, it is very hard to replace that production from the waiver wire. Because of the lack of "top tier gamebreaking" talent, it is very difficult to pry a Gates (especially) or Clark/Winslow away because in almost every case the owner trading that player away is going to be significantly weaker at the TE position so you are asking them to get weaker at TE to gain somewhere else with few options re: depth or Waiver Wire to replace the lost production.

Well said. In one of my leagues the teams that consistantly would wait until the last two rounds to pick up at TE finally got the votes to abolish the position. The league is weaker because of it.

To make matters even more difficult, the fact remains that TE's not only slide in the draft, but the position is probably the least understood by fantasy owners. The result in past years is you almost ALWAYS have a chance to get a Cooley, or a Heap (early in his career, now he is overated and injured all the time) in the last couple rounds. This year we had Dallas Clark and Owen Daniels available very late in the draft. However, if you pick wrong or a guy gets injured, the longer you wait to try and trade for a top TE the more difficult you will find the process... and often impossible. To get a top TE, you really need to find a team that has a GLARING hole at RB or QB if its a two QB league or someone that has rare depth at the position - i.e. Heath Miller on the bench.

 

[DolphinsFanAlways]

TE's are unique in fantasy football. They are overlooked on draft day and hold little value early on. However once the season sets in, when you have a handful of TEs that are clearly of great value to their owners, it is very hard to replace that production from the waiver wire. Because of the lack of "top tier gamebreaking" talent, it is very difficult to pry a Gates (especially) or Clark/Winslow away because in almost every case the owner trading that player away is going to be significantly weaker at the TE position so you are asking them to get weaker at TE to gain somewhere else with few options re: depth or Waiver Wire to replace the lost production.

Well said. In one of my leagues the teams that consistantly would wait until the last two rounds to pick up at TE finally got the votes to abolish the position. The league is weaker because of it.

This was very well said. This is the first year that I didn't spend at our auction for a top TE and I am feeling the pain. I took a chance on my 2 sleepers (McMichaal and Martin) and TE is now the one position I am weak at.

 

[Holy Schneikes]

I have Shockey/Vernon/Owen Danials in one league and cant give one away

In points/game in standard scoring those guys are ranked #10, #13, and #15. Perhaps your problem is simply that you think of them as "stud" TEs (as per the OP) when they are really bad starters/backup fantasy TEs. Neither Shockey or Daniels has scored 10 points in any game this season.

 

[Bad_Mo]

Wringing hands in a meniacal fashion after drafting Winslow in the 11th round. muuuuuuhaaaaahaaaaahaaaaa

 

[Pictus Cat]

Offered TO/Davis/Heap for Gates in keep 3 PPR. No interest.

Drafted Witten in the 8th round.

 

[BusterTBronco]

Absolutely stole Witten a few days ago. All it cost me was Engram and Curry.

 

[FFChick32]

I just traded away my TE sweetie Witten for Favre.....Favre was the other guy's back-up, believe it or not, and I had E Manning who was not going to take me to the champoinship....I am tied for first, record-wise, but lacking in points, so I had to take the QB upgrade...it sure did hurt, though.....have G Olsen and someone just dumped Heap, who I snagged, so we'll see if I made the right call.....also trying now to get Gonzo, since I have depth at RB, but so far, the owner's not biting.....

 

[SSOG]

Tried getting Gates or Winslow last week. I was offering a choice of Portis, Jones-Drew, Gore, and tried sweetening it with Harrison if he ever comes back.No dice. Neither owner bit.Not certain if they felt Gates/Winslow was worth that, or if they didnt' want to give me a decent TE due to me appearing strong at this point.

I think Portis is a pretty good comp for Gates. If I had depth at TE and a need at RB, I'd make that deal. If I had depth at RB and nobody behind Gates at TE, I wouldn't. If you threw Harrison in as a sweetener, I'd be very tempted, regardless of how deep I was at RB or TE.

I disagree. A lot. Gates is a huge upgrade over just about any TE. There are a ton of RBs that will score the same as Portis. And that's the problem with getting one of these guys. They outscore their opponents TEs by a huge margin week in and week out. The players mentioned here as trade bait don't.

Just search some of the preseason threads and you'll find that there wasn't a single more outspoken advocate on the value of Antonio Gates than I was. With that said, Clinton Portis is the 6th best RB in fantasy football right now. There's a reason why there are always 8-12 RBs taken in the first round of every fantasy draft- and that reason is that top-10 RBs are worth more than pretty much any other fantasy commodity.If you want to compare their scoring to that of their peers, then Portis is 15th in the NFL in VBD, while Gates is 11th. They're separated by 7 points. As I said, I think they're very comparable players so far, and adding Harrison to the mix just tilts it in favor of Portis.As for Gates being head and shoulders above the rest of the TEs... he's outscored Witten by 3 points to date. He's outscored Gonzo by 10, Dallas Clark by 17, and Winslow by 20. I don't think it's at all unreasonable to expect that someone might have both Gates and Dallas Clark (I do in one of my leagues)- in that instance, trading Gates for Portis makes a TON of sense. Having a top TE is an advantage, and having Gates is a bigger advantage than having any other top TE, but it's not like that advantage can't be made up elsewhere.

 

[Gravedigger]

Tried getting Gates or Winslow last week. I was offering a choice of Portis, Jones-Drew, Gore, and tried sweetening it with Harrison if he ever comes back.No dice. Neither owner bit.Not certain if they felt Gates/Winslow was worth that, or if they didnt' want to give me a decent TE due to me appearing strong at this point.

I think Portis is a pretty good comp for Gates. If I had depth at TE and a need at RB, I'd make that deal. If I had depth at RB and nobody behind Gates at TE, I wouldn't. If you threw Harrison in as a sweetener, I'd be very tempted, regardless of how deep I was at RB or TE.

I disagree. A lot. Gates is a huge upgrade over just about any TE. There are a ton of RBs that will score the same as Portis. And that's the problem with getting one of these guys. They outscore their opponents TEs by a huge margin week in and week out. The players mentioned here as trade bait don't.

Just search some of the preseason threads and you'll find that there wasn't a single more outspoken advocate on the value of Antonio Gates than I was. With that said, Clinton Portis is the 6th best RB in fantasy football right now. There's a reason why there are always 8-12 RBs taken in the first round of every fantasy draft- and that reason is that top-10 RBs are worth more than pretty much any other fantasy commodity.If you want to compare their scoring to that of their peers, then Portis is 15th in the NFL in VBD, while Gates is 11th. They're separated by 7 points. As I said, I think they're very comparable players so far, and adding Harrison to the mix just tilts it in favor of Portis.As for Gates being head and shoulders above the rest of the TEs... he's outscored Witten by 3 points to date. He's outscored Gonzo by 10, Dallas Clark by 17, and Winslow by 20. I don't think it's at all unreasonable to expect that someone might have both Gates and Dallas Clark (I do in one of my leagues)- in that instance, trading Gates for Portis makes a TON of sense. Having a top TE is an advantage, and having Gates is a bigger advantage than having any other top TE, but it's not like that advantage can't be made up elsewhere.

SSOG, I felt the same way. The only things that might scare folks about Portis is his play-off schedule (which is why I'm not afraid to ditch him). It was not as though I wasn't sending my TE back to him. I have Cooley (again, playing for washington, has a nasty play-off schedule). That's also the reason I gave the option of Gore. He's doing poorly, but has a solid play-off schedule.In recent years, since the TE position has been really exploding of late, I have to agree that a TE can put you in the play-offs if the rest of your team is above mediocre. I understand wanting to hold on. After all, it was a high draft pick you spent on them.But, seriously, if a Gates/Winslow owner is currently in the bottom half of his league and doesn't spend their TE to get a more balanced team, then the only one he's hurting is himself. If Gates doesn't have you in play-off position, then you need better starters elsewhere and it's likely the only way you'll get it is by dishing him. I mention this because I suspect the deal-breaker was the fact that I'm currently in first and my biggest weakness is at TE. Making me stronger isn't in most people's best interest...except if you are on the cusp and need a RB just to make it to the play-offs. Which, IMO, was the case here or I wouldn't have sent the offer.

 

[The Man Who Met Andy Griffith]

Year in and year out, stud TE's are undervalued in FF.

I agree that if you have two stud TE's (given the ADP this year, that probably means Witten + Gates/Winslow/Gonzo), it makes sense to trade one. But trading away a stud TE for a decent WR just doesn't make sense, and teams that bothered to draft TE's high already know this.

Here are the YTD values of the top TE's, and the comparable WR's and RB's, all from pro football reference.

Gates: 51

Witten: 48

Gonzo: 41

Witten: 40

WR's in that range:

Welker (WR4): 47

TO (WR5): 46

Burress: 41

Wayne: 40

RB's in that range:

Portis (RB6): 44

Barber (RB7): 43

Lynch (RB7): 43

McGahee (RB8): 39

Moreover, I think VBD underestimates the value of TE's, because if you are weak at RB there is at least a chance that you can find a stud on the waiver wire due to injury, but it is virtually impossible to find a waiver wire stud at TE this late in the season.

 

[Psychopav]

Maybe the other owners in my league are just tough or maybe I'm just not giving up enough value for them.I wanted to see if anyone has been able to trade for any of the top TE's and what they had to give up. More importantly in a required TE league, since the value would differ considerably if no TE is required.I've been targeting only the top 4 or 5.Gates, who I would never get, he is by far the TOP DOG and would be going for well over what I could give upWitten (offered CJ or Jennings and Lamal Lewis)GonzalezWinslow (Iv'e offered Jennings and Jamal Lewis, to the guy who needs a RB and WR and got laughed at)Dallas Clark (I've had an offer for Jennings, may be my best bet)

I traded Clark for Jennings, next year round 2 pick, and Crumpler.Dynasty league, TE required, my other TE is Winslow.

 

[wudaben]

We play in a 12 team auction league and the top 2-3 tight ends will usually be purchased for a heavy price but after that you can usually get one for next to nothing. I usually try to spend a little extra to get two 3-6 range TEs because as the year goes on there is always a couple teams who desperately need one and I can usually double or triple my value. For instance.... A Shockey, Cooley, Dallas Clark type TE that costs in the $5-7 range can usually bring a top 10-15 WR who usually costs in the $20-30 range on draft day.

 

[Brother Mouzone]

8-1 in a must start TE league with Desmond Clark!

Getting a top 5 TE is not synonymous with succeeding in FF. The points can be made up by drafting a better wr2/3 or rb2/3. IMO.

-personally like the wr/te position as apposed to the must start te.

 

[moose162]

I got Witten and Jamal Lewis 2 weeks ago for Big Ben. Took a lot of negotiating however.

 

[PranksterJD]

To add my couple of cents in here....

I grabbed Gates and a 2008 2nd rounder three weeks ago in my dynasty for Vernon Davis, Bowe, and DeAngelo. Davis wasn't back from injury yet, and I'm in my championship run, so I felt like I had to do it, but also had some serious buyers remorse after.

I agree with others that having a stud TE isn't a requirement for winning, but Gates's 92/2 the week after I got him gave me a win, so it certainly helps.

 

[NoCheese]

Nabbed Gonzalez and Stokley in a 12 team, TE mandatory redraft for Heap, Javon, and Hackett

 

[Mikey16x]

I just grabbed Gates this week and I already have Kellen Winslow... in my league you have to start 3 WR... 1 TE then the last position is a W/T... so from now on im rolling with gates and winslow with gates at my W/T..

The trade in general was a package deal... it was M Harrison, Jamal Lewis and Adalius Thomas for Gates and W. Witherspoon... im very deep at RB... and with the recent injuries to harrison he's becoming useless considering my league doesnt have an IR... so all in all the trade is jamal lewis for gates and witherspoon for adalius.. i win.