Anatomy of a trade

I was going to blog later this week about what to do underperforming studs. One fellow football owner helped solve my problem by proposing a trade for him.

The player in question is Calvin Johnson. He proposed a 1-for-1 deal, with him sending Rashard Mendenhall. I accepted.

Like most trades, this deal was made from having excess at a position. I had two WRs (Vincent Jackson and Roddy White) who were outperforming 'Megatron'. Steve had an excess at RBs (Ronnie Brown, Pierre Thomas and Tim Hightower), but did not have someone with WR1 talent (Donald Driver comes the closest for him).

Wide receivers are coveted in our 12-team league because we have two flex positions (RB/WR and WR/TE), and we reward each reception with 0.3 points. While I have Cedric Benson and the Cowboys' duo of Marion Barber and Tashard Choice, I've been looking to add a quality RB. I worry slightly about Benson's ability to hold up under what will be his most touches in a season and more about Barber's effectiveness due to his quad injury. Given the depth of the league and the quality of the owners, I've been unable to find someone on the waiver wire (I've had a fairly low priority based on my record and points scored).

So why make the deal? Johnson's hip and knee injuries have me worried; he's not a sure thing to play this week, even coming off a bye week. And of course, Johnson plays for the Lions. I've got a decent set of lesser WRs that I can use in my other flex (Nate Washington, Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan), and it's easier to find a WR to use in a matchup play than a RB.

Mendenhall is not without issues. He is on bye this week, though I wasn't confident of starting Johnson in one of my flex spots anyways. The second-year back has had to deal with a knee injury and has fumbled twice in two weeks. And the traditional run-heavy Steelers have been passing more this season.

Still, when in doubt, I tend to pull the trigger on a trade. Making a deal sends a signal to other owners that you're open to moving players (this will be my league-high third trade) and, like I've posted before, it's just more fun trading. In this case, I think it's a win-win for both.