Stud QBs, Playoffs, Trade Deadlines and Tough Decisions (1 Viewer)

[satch]

With trade deadlines approaching, the ff owner with nice QB depth has a tough decision to make. Do you trade one of your QBs to a playoff hopeful team, and upgrade somewhere else?

For example, some owners have a QB duo of Palmer/Kitna, Manning/Roeth, Romo/Anderson, etc. Does the owner trade one of those QBs to a playoff hopeful team for an nice uprgrade at another position? In most leagues you can only start one QB, so rather than having points wasted on the bench, you could turn them into points on the scoreboard, possibly difference making points. The downside is you go into the playoffs with a ton riding on that 1 QB and a lower quality backup. It's a risky strategy, but one that must be considered.

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch? Say you've currently got Roeth/Kitna. Do you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else and grab Batch, committing to Pittsburgh's offense down the stretch? Pitts playoff sched is very tough, (NE, JAX, StL, BALT). Does that matter? Or would you, in that situation, keep both Ben & Kitna, using them interchangebly throughout the playoffs and not upgrade somewhere else?

 

[bcover27]

With trade deadlines approaching, the ff owner with nice QB depth has a tough decision to make. Do you trade one of your QBs to a playoff hopeful team, and upgrade somewhere else?

For example, some owners have a QB duo of Palmer/Kitna, Manning/Roeth, Romo/Anderson, etc. Does the owner trade one of those QBs to a playoff hopeful team for an nice uprgrade at another position? In most leagues you can only start one QB, so rather than having points wasted on the bench, you could turn them into points on the scoreboard, possibly difference making points. The downside is you go into the playoffs with a ton riding on that 1 QB and a lower quality backup. It's a risky strategy, but one that must be considered.

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch? Say you've currently got Roeth/Kitna. Do you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else and grab Batch, committing to Pittsburgh's offense down the stretch? Pitts playoff sched is very tough, (NE, JAX, StL, BALT). Does that matter? Or would you, in that situation, keep both Ben & Kitna, using them interchangebly throughout the playoffs and not upgrade somewhere else?

The best solution would be to trade your backup QB to a team that has solid upgrade to the position you need, a QB need, and a less than stellar team. I would hate ending up facing the guy I traded away in the Super Bowl and having him come up big.... for example I just traded Roethlisberger and Benson for Palmer and Deangelo Williams to a team that is barely alive in the playoff race and doesn't have a whole lot else... Grabbing Palmer's playoff matchups, pairing him with CJ and Chris Henry and unloading two guys who have less than stellar playoff schedules should be the type of deal you're targeting as the Trade Deadline looms.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

With trade deadlines approaching, the ff owner with nice QB depth has a tough decision to make. Do you trade one of your QBs to a playoff hopeful team, and upgrade somewhere else?

For example, some owners have a QB duo of Palmer/Kitna, Manning/Roeth, Romo/Anderson, etc. Does the owner trade one of those QBs to a playoff hopeful team for an nice uprgrade at another position? In most leagues you can only start one QB, so rather than having points wasted on the bench, you could turn them into points on the scoreboard, possibly difference making points. The downside is you go into the playoffs with a ton riding on that 1 QB and a lower quality backup. It's a risky strategy, but one that must be considered.

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch? Say you've currently got Roeth/Kitna. Do you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else and grab Batch, committing to Pittsburgh's offense down the stretch? Pitts playoff sched is very tough, (NE, JAX, StL, BALT). Does that matter? Or would you, in that situation, keep both Ben & Kitna, using them interchangebly throughout the playoffs and not upgrade somewhere else?

With bye weeks over, yes you make the trade and make your starting lineup the strongest it can be and you roll the dice. Having a 2nd QB that has trade value on your bench at this time doesn't help anyone but your opponent.Palmer/Kitna Trade Kitna as their schedule is tougher

Manning/Roth Team is banged up and you'll get more for the name while Roth will produce

Romo/Anderson Very tough but I'd trade Romo here. Make sure you get something but IF and I say IF Dallas beats Green Bay and they end up with homefield advantage, Romo and Co. will probably get rested eventually where Cleveland looks to be fighting to the death to week 17.

 

[satch]

How much do matchups play into it? Say you have 2 good QBS, and their good/bad matchups align perfectly giving you a great QB option each week in the playoffs? You sacrifice the upgrade via trade, but you assure yourself a great QB each week in the playoffs. A bad QB matchup in the playoffs could bump you right out. Plus, if you leave yourself with only one quality Qb, you're one injury away from being knocked out of the playoffs. Might not be worth the upgrade at the other position, but I guess it depends on the upgrade.

 

[satch]

With trade deadlines approaching, the ff owner with nice QB depth has a tough decision to make. Do you trade one of your QBs to a playoff hopeful team, and upgrade somewhere else?

For example, some owners have a QB duo of Palmer/Kitna, Manning/Roeth, Romo/Anderson, etc. Does the owner trade one of those QBs to a playoff hopeful team for an nice uprgrade at another position? In most leagues you can only start one QB, so rather than having points wasted on the bench, you could turn them into points on the scoreboard, possibly difference making points. The downside is you go into the playoffs with a ton riding on that 1 QB and a lower quality backup. It's a risky strategy, but one that must be considered.

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch? Say you've currently got Roeth/Kitna. Do you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else and grab Batch, committing to Pittsburgh's offense down the stretch? Pitts playoff sched is very tough, (NE, JAX, StL, BALT). Does that matter? Or would you, in that situation, keep both Ben & Kitna, using them interchangebly throughout the playoffs and not upgrade somewhere else?

With bye weeks over, yes you make the trade and make your starting lineup the strongest it can be and you roll the dice. Having a 2nd QB that has trade value on your bench at this time doesn't help anyone but your opponent.Palmer/Kitna Trade Kitna as their schedule is tougher

Manning/Roth Team is banged up and you'll get more for the name while Roth will produce

Romo/Anderson Very tough but I'd trade Romo here. Make sure you get something but IF and I say IF Dallas beats Green Bay and they end up with homefield advantage, Romo and Co. will probably get rested eventually where Cleveland looks to be fighting to the death to week 17.

So the fact that Roeth is looking at @NE, @JAX, StL, @BALT doesn't factor in?

 

[thehornet]

With trade deadlines approaching, the ff owner with nice QB depth has a tough decision to make. Do you trade one of your QBs to a playoff hopeful team, and upgrade somewhere else?

For example, some owners have a QB duo of Palmer/Kitna, Manning/Roeth, Romo/Anderson, etc. Does the owner trade one of those QBs to a playoff hopeful team for an nice uprgrade at another position? In most leagues you can only start one QB, so rather than having points wasted on the bench, you could turn them into points on the scoreboard, possibly difference making points. The downside is you go into the playoffs with a ton riding on that 1 QB and a lower quality backup. It's a risky strategy, but one that must be considered.

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch? Say you've currently got Roeth/Kitna. Do you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else and grab Batch, committing to Pittsburgh's offense down the stretch? Pitts playoff sched is very tough, (NE, JAX, StL, BALT). Does that matter? Or would you, in that situation, keep both Ben & Kitna, using them interchangebly throughout the playoffs and not upgrade somewhere else?

With bye weeks over, yes you make the trade and make your starting lineup the strongest it can be and you roll the dice. Having a 2nd QB that has trade value on your bench at this time doesn't help anyone but your opponent.Palmer/Kitna Trade Kitna as their schedule is tougher

Manning/Roth Team is banged up and you'll get more for the name while Roth will produce

Romo/Anderson Very tough but I'd trade Romo here. Make sure you get something but IF and I say IF Dallas beats Green Bay and they end up with homefield advantage, Romo and Co. will probably get rested eventually where Cleveland looks to be fighting to the death to week 17.

So the fact that Roeth is looking at @NE, @JAX, StL, @BALT doesn't factor in?

save ne, all thre of those d's can and will be thrown on.

 

[Resident A]

Be careful with this unless you can land another capable backup QB in the deal or off the WW.

I had McNabb & Kitna last year & was the top team in my league. I traded Kitna off for WR help to solidify my Title Run. McNabb went down w/ a torn ACL the next day & ruined it for me.

I was unable to get Garcia off the WW, & nobody would trade with me. So I was stuck w/ garbage like Garrard, Frye, & rookie Cutler as my QBBC choices for the playoff weeks. It was my team's downfall.

 

[satch]

Be careful with this unless you can land another capable backup QB in the deal or off the WW.

I had McNabb & Kitna last year & was the top team in my league. I traded Kitna off for WR help to solidify my Title Run. McNabb went down w/ a torn ACL the next day & ruined it for me.

I was unable to get Garcia off the WW, & nobody would trade with me. So I was stuck w/ garbage like Garrard, Frye, & rookie Cutler as my QBBC choices for the playoff weeks. It was my team's downfall.

I mentioned the injury risk in an earlier post. It's a tough call because you could trade your backup QB that you most likely won't use for a nice upgrade/position player that you will use. It's usable points vs unusable points. But, you really put yourself out on a limb. Another scenario is where you have 2 good QBs like Ben/Kitna, so you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else, and pick up Batch. Batch is a good backup QB who, in the worst case scenario where Ben gets hurt, could be a capable replacement and not too drastic of a drop off, and that's the worst case scenario.

 

[gheemony]

How much do matchups play into it? Say you have 2 good QBS, and their good/bad matchups align perfectly giving you a great QB option each week in the playoffs? You sacrifice the upgrade via trade, but you assure yourself a great QB each week in the playoffs. A bad QB matchup in the playoffs could bump you right out. Plus, if you leave yourself with only one quality Qb, you're one injury away from being knocked out of the playoffs. Might not be worth the upgrade at the other position, but I guess it depends on the upgrade.

Depends on where you started. I am QBBC guy during the draft, so I am in the position of wanting a good pair of QBs with good matchups and would not trade one to rely solely on the other. For example, I have Roeth and Hasslebeck and would not trade one to upgrade at another position because they complement each other well. And, I don't want to risk trading one away and having the other get hurt.You need put your team in one category or another: (1) strong contender or (2) darkhorser sleeper. If I am in category 1, I keep depth at each position to address a potential injury or slump. If I am really deep at a position, then I will try to improve my starting lineup, but I won't leave my bench empty.If I am in category 2, I will try to trade and get a stud starting lineup, pray for no injuries, and then pull off some upsets.

 

[MCguidance]

Just for some perspective on what people are offering: Grant is my RB3 so I was looking to unload. But someone offered me Schaub for him...I think I will stay put even though I need a QB (and his decent machup). I would rather play Grant and Boller this week than Schaub and have no depth.

 

[[scooter]]

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch?

Ummmmm................what year is this?

 

[SuperJohn96]

In the playoffs, poor play from a QB can just kill you.

I am always leery of gambling by trading away my depth at that position.

I've seen guys have their QBs go down and then they are bounced because the QBs available are garbage.

I always strive to fill my best starting lineup plus 1 good QB #2...depth can be sacrificed at the RB/WR/TE positions, but not QB, unless maybe you have an ironman like Favre...

 

[Judge Smails]

I built depth all year at several positions. At one point had Romo, Ben and Bulger (off the wire) at QB, had 4 quality RB's, and good WR's. With byes being gone, I'm going for the jugular and have traded away most of my depth to form a killer starting lineup. If I stay healthy, I don't think anyone can beat me.

By tomorrow morning, I should be starting Romo, Addai, Parker, Braylon Edwards, Chad Johnson and Wes Welker. My receivers especially have UNBELIEVABLE matchups weeks 14-16. I do have to stay healthy though, as Galloway is probably my best depth on the bench. I have Davenport backing Parker, but not much else (Graham). 2 weeks ago I had Addai, Parker, MJD and Chatman. But I went after Edwards and Welker to get mean for the playoffs. If Romo gets injured, I'm rolling with the likes of Garrard. But a lot of the owners who have stud QB's (Brady/Manning/Palmer) are in the same boat. Our Ben owner has depth, but the rest of us are screwed with an injury. Tough to have great starters AND great backups. My philosophy is I'm trying to get top 5 guys at all positions if possible. I think I'm there now - just need to stay healthy. As seen on other posts, I've forgone scrub type depth to also get killer defenses (carrying 4 now on a 14 player roster). Playing 49rs 3X, Raiders, Falcons, etc. Defenses alone should score me 20-30 points a week!

 

[satch]

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch?

Ummmmm................what year is this?

First of all, I think I speak for pretty much everybody when I say that any post that starts with "Ummmmm..." is instantly annoying and childish, and therefore lacks any credibility whatsoever. Secondly, yours is the only post in this entire thread that adds no value or insight, and it's posts like yours that are ruining the Shark Pool. Lastly, I think I know what the point of your post was supposed to be, but I'll wait until you figure out how to talk like a big boy before I address it.

 

[Bri]

With trade deadlines approaching, the ff owner with nice QB depth has a tough decision to make. Do you trade one of your QBs to a playoff hopeful team, and upgrade somewhere else?

For example, some owners have a QB duo of Palmer/Kitna, Manning/Roeth, Romo/Anderson, etc. Does the owner trade one of those QBs to a playoff hopeful team for an nice uprgrade at another position? In most leagues you can only start one QB, so rather than having points wasted on the bench, you could turn them into points on the scoreboard, possibly difference making points. The downside is you go into the playoffs with a ton riding on that 1 QB and a lower quality backup. It's a risky strategy, but one that must be considered.

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch? Say you've currently got Roeth/Kitna. Do you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else and grab Batch, committing to Pittsburgh's offense down the stretch? Pitts playoff sched is very tough, (NE, JAX, StL, BALT). Does that matter? Or would you, in that situation, keep both Ben & Kitna, using them interchangebly throughout the playoffs and not upgrade somewhere else?

Apparently I think differently here. (Use Roth/Kitna as example) I don't see why Kitna would be worth significantly more now than in the offseason and that, I think, is something to keep in mind. You trade away Kitna then Roth sits due to big division lead, clinched etc. Then what? Pretending you can predict game outcomes is a trap, don't go there. Did you think the Colts would have lost 2 in a row? Jags would have a shot at the division with Gray in at QB? It's a trap and....be careful.The only new value might be Sorgi or Cassel or Batch. Assuming a deep roster, you drop some not so good player and take a chance, the most minimal risk you can take. Your 3rd QB, you might not play Cassel, but you'll be infuriated if Roth throws for 150 and he throws for 300 and you play against him.

Minimal risk trying to predict who will win with the last player on your team...fine. Prominent player? no way

If you are in win now mode then win now. Don't pretend you know how to win this year AND next year with some trade either.

One type move I think is grrrr but it is a wise one I often see made is to analyze your opponents and who they might pickup. For example, recently with bye weeks done I had 2 roster spots I could use. I noticed my probable playoff opponent may need a QB. I grabbed Boller and Clemens. I have Brady and Cassell already and probably have no need for two BUT now there is literally no starting QBs available and the trade deadline is about to pass. These type of moves are somewhat not nice but you've gotta do it if you see you can with no risk at all to your starters and key backups.

 

[Wu-banger]

Love this strategy......

I would aim to trade the backup QB to a team with a lesser shot at making the playoffs. This way the move does not come back to haunt you.

I recently traded Anderson (Big Ben is my starter who I can keep next year for a 10th rd pick) for essentially WR Tory Holt.

I'm 9-1 and locked up my division and 1st round bye. Love Holt's potential to finish the season strong.

The weird thing about this league is that the top 8 QB's all reside on 4 teams (each team must carry 2 QB's) .... some teams are in the playoff hunt , some are not ..

BUT I'm the only one who dealt a QB at the deadline and think the other owners are insane for not doing so.

 

[Wadsworth]

This is the time of year where the powerful teams should be looking to set their playoff rosters. Certainly trading depth for a better starting line up is part of that. In the example given by the OP, he's trading a good back up QB for a better starter at another position. I do this almost every year as I frequently play QBBC and have an extra heading into the playoffs. One of the problems with this kind of play is concerns about QB depth, which gets to my pet peeve. So many fantasy owners seem to have a major problem with having 3 QB on roster at any point in the season. They'll roster 6 or sometimes more RBs with no worries, but anything over 2 QBs is madness. Even if you don't play QBBC but have 2 quality QBs, it can be a good idea to get a third earlier in the season so you can trade one of your top 2 later. If you leave that QB3 in free agency it make it less likely someone will need to trade for your QB2 and you'll have more concerns about depth. So yet, it's a good idea to trade depth for a better starting line up at this point in the season, but it's an even better idea to have planned to do so for the entire season and adjusted your roster accordingly.

 

[LILB811]

I had Hasselbeck, Bulger, and D. Anderson on my roster until last night. Shipped off Hasselbeck and Roy Williams for TJ and Kevin Jones (more of a keeper option). I have Chad also but felt it was worth the risk with such a favorable playoff schedule.

This type of strategy is exactly what I tried to do. Found an owner with a weaker team, and I probably made the other team better than it was considering the RB depth on that team. At the same time, I feel I really was able to bolster my roster for the playoffs and that championship run (which is the key here) by using this method.

Many times, a team that is right around the playoff bubble will be doing anything possible to get in. These are the teams you should target because they will most likely not be looking at playoff matchups, as they may never even get there. To those teams, the next 3 weeks may be more important than the following three weeks. Take advantage.

 

[kentric]

I would trade away a second QB.

I had both Palmer and Brees and since I really like Palmer's playoff schedule I traded away Brees along with Kevin Jones for Adrian Peterson this past Saturday. Didn't quite work out how I'd planned, but I'm still likely going to make the playoffs.

 

[turleyfan]

Damn, I hadn't thought about this, but my money league team is sitting pretty for a playoff spot, and I have both Roethlisberger and Romo. Perhaps there is some value to be gained there...

 

[Sack-Religious]

Trading depth to shore up a position of weakness is a great strategy, if you can find takers.

I have both those QB's and couldn't find any takers.

My TE is Heath Miller, and while he's solid I wanted to upgrade to an elite TE like Gates, Witten, Gonzo, KWII. I offered two QB-starved teams Ben and Heath Miller for Witten in one deal and Gonzo in another and was turned down. I offered Miller and Brandon Marshall or Lee Evans to a team with weak WR's for Winslow and was shot down. I can see why they'd turn down the offers, and more than one owner indicated that they were happy sticking with their current rosters looking toward to the playoffs. Most of the teams I was looking to trade with look to be playoff teams, so perhaps my league isn't indicative of yours. If you have a team with a player you want that's on the outside looking in, you might be able to pacakge your depth to upgrade at another position, but it's really league-dependent, IMO.

 

[satch]

Damn, I hadn't thought about this, but my money league team is sitting pretty for a playoff spot, and I have both Roethlisberger and Romo. Perhaps there is some value to be gained there...

You have to consider it. I'm sure theres an owner in your league who'd love either Ben or Romo, and you could probably pull off something like Ben & a WR2 for a WR1, especially to an owner with depth at WR. Maybe you could upgrade at TE? The things is, you have to decide who you're going to put your season on the line with. Big Ben or Tony Romo? And, you have to accept the fact that there's a lot of football still to be played, and a minor injury, or a game or 2 missed, will have a drastic impact on your team. Say you trade Ben and roll with Romo. Next week, Romo pulls up lame after scrambling, tweaks his hammy. Dallas decides to play it safe for the rest of the regular season and let Romo take his time healing for the playoffs. You're stuck with Rex Grossman as your QB for the playoffs. Wouldn't it be nice to have Big Ben back? Also, there's the possibility of a guy like Romo being rested for the last game or two. Romo may not even have to play week 16/17, which for some is the Super Bowl. It would suck to get to the Super Bowl and have to start Grossman. Again, it would be nice to have Big Ben to use in that situation.Many factors to consider, including how much of an upgrade you'll make by trading away your quality backup QB. A major upgrade might be worth it, whereas a slight upgrade might not.

 

[J R]

With trade deadlines approaching, the ff owner with nice QB depth has a tough decision to make. Do you trade one of your QBs to a playoff hopeful team, and upgrade somewhere else?

For example, some owners have a QB duo of Palmer/Kitna, Manning/Roeth, Romo/Anderson, etc. Does the owner trade one of those QBs to a playoff hopeful team for an nice uprgrade at another position? In most leagues you can only start one QB, so rather than having points wasted on the bench, you could turn them into points on the scoreboard, possibly difference making points. The downside is you go into the playoffs with a ton riding on that 1 QB and a lower quality backup. It's a risky strategy, but one that must be considered.

Does it matter if your QB is a guy like Roethlisberger, who has a capable backup in Batch? Say you've currently got Roeth/Kitna. Do you trade Kitna, upgrade somewhere else and grab Batch, committing to Pittsburgh's offense down the stretch? Pitts playoff sched is very tough, (NE, JAX, StL, BALT). Does that matter? Or would you, in that situation, keep both Ben & Kitna, using them interchangebly throughout the playoffs and not upgrade somewhere else?

Apparently I think differently here. (Use Roth/Kitna as example) I don't see why Kitna would be worth significantly more now than in the offseason and that, I think, is something to keep in mind. You trade away Kitna then Roth sits due to big division lead, clinched etc. Then what? Pretending you can predict game outcomes is a trap, don't go there. Did you think the Colts would have lost 2 in a row? Jags would have a shot at the division with Gray in at QB? It's a trap and....be careful.The only new value might be Sorgi or Cassel or Batch. Assuming a deep roster, you drop some not so good player and take a chance, the most minimal risk you can take. Your 3rd QB, you might not play Cassel, but you'll be infuriated if Roth throws for 150 and he throws for 300 and you play against him.

Minimal risk trying to predict who will win with the last player on your team...fine. Prominent player? no way

If you are in win now mode then win now. Don't pretend you know how to win this year AND next year with some trade either.

Nice post. "Pretending you can predict game outcomes is a trap" should be a maxim for all fantasy football players.