NBD - Week 6 Review C

In this post I'll be reviewing the game between Matt Haller and Michael Toobin, but before I do I'd like to take a minute to discuss this weekend's trade between them, and Haller's trade-happy season in general.

First of all, let me say that I'm pleased as punch to see as many trades as we have in the league this year. Historically, people have been pretty stingy with trades in this league and most of us are reluctant to pull the trigger for fear of looking stupid (and perhaps even for fear of being mocked in this space). Haller has demonstrated no such reluctance this year. Let's look at each one:
1) Traded Fred Jackson to DeYoung for Philip Rivers and Knowshon Moreno.
Even if this had been a straight-up Jackson-for-Moreno trade, Haller would have gotten the better end of it. Since the trade, Jackson has averaged 6.6 points per game, while Moreno has averaged 10.3. And the first week of that period (the only week Haller had him before trading him away) was his biggest. Philip Rivers' 16.6 points per game were Haller's real target in the trade, and he got them essentially for nothing.

2) Traded Knowshon Moreno and Jay Cutler for Trent Edwards and Calvin Johnson
This one is certainly less of a winner for Haller. Cutler must have seemed expendable with Rivers on the roster, but Cutler has actually been out-performing Rivers since this trade occured. The prize of this trade for Haller was Calvin Johnson, and he did score 15 points in his first week on his new team, but he hasn't really played since, suffering an injury early in his next game. Moreno hasn't been a huge loss, averaging 8.8 points per game since he was traded but Trent Edwards is basically nothing, so Haller has yet to see any value from losing Cutler.

3) Traded Brandon Jacobs and Steve Smith (CAR) for DeAngelo Williams and Vincent Jackson
This is the trade that happened this weekend. I received notification around 4:50 on Sunday, which means it was probably accepted a little while earlier, and presumably proposed before the Week 6 games started. So first let's look at what the owners knew going into it, going position by position. At running back, Brandon Jacobs was averaging 8.7 points per game, while Williams was averaging 10.1. Not a huge difference, but certainly an advantage for Haller, who was gaining roughly a point and a half per game. At wide reciever, we had Smith, averaging 7 points per game, traded for Jackson, averaging 12.3. Again, an advantage for Haller, and this time a significant one (over 5 points per game). What could have induced Michael Toobin to willfully make his team worse? Was it New York Giants homerism for Brandon Jacobs? Nostalgia for 2007, when he had Steve Smith on his roster? Or maybe it was a belief that Jacobs and Smith had done the worst they could do to start the season, and were due for an upswing, while Williams would continue to suck. If what we've seen since is any indication, he was dead wrong. Jacobs ran for all of 33 yards against the Saints, and Smith had such an awful day - continuing his awful season - that in post-game interviews he claimed he felt he was "no longer an asset to the team." Yikes.
Now, I don't really believe in vetoing trades unless there is something egregious like a) one owner being ignorant of an injury or supsension to one of the traded players, b) an experienced owner taking advantage of someone new to fantasy - not an issue in our league, or c) some sort of collusion or unethical agreement between the owners. I wouldn't necessarily put that last one past Haller, but Michael Toobin has always seemed honorable and respectable to me, despite his loathsome religious beliefs. In general, though, I think everyone has the right to try to make their team better if they believe that a trade will accomplish that. But I did give some thought to vetoing this one because it seemed so one-sided, and I know at least one owner who did veto. Obviously, the trade has gone through, so most people didn't feel the same way, but I believe I speak for the entire league when I say: Michael, what the fuck were you thinking?!? I think we're owed some explanation.

On to the games...

Burke City Giants (147) defeat Globo de Aire Mi Equipo (70)
If Michael Toobin did, indeed, significantly worsen his team, at least his last week of dominance was a strong one. DeAngelo Williams, in a failed last-ditch attempt to impress his 1st-place owner, went nuts with 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns (29 pts). But he was not even the high scorer for his team, as Randy Moss (31) re-gained his 2007 form and Wes Welker (27) followed close behind. If Michael is looking for bright sides in the wake of his woeful trade, the re-emergence of those Patriot receivers would be it, though I believe that'll prove to be more the aberration than the rule. Also re-living past success was Steve Slaton (19), who had his best outing of the 2009 campaign. Unless Jacobs improves and Ahmad Bradshaw dies, he'll need to continue that type of work to keep the Burke City run game afloat. There isn't much to say about Haller's team this week other than to note that Sidney Rice (18) led them in scoring and they're on their eighth team name in six weeks. If you think you don't get this one because you don't speak Spanish, rest easy: I understand every word and I still don't know what it's about. The basic translation would be "Hot-Air Balloon My Team." This is a reference to the balloon boy out in Colorado, somehow, maybe? Possibly meant to suggest the team is "on the rise?" I don't get it.

Smegma Amuse Bouche (112) defeats Deuceburger (103)
Papkin is really riding the Steelers to victory this year. I can't recall another fantasy team that's been so heavily invested in the success of one NFL team. But with the Steelers O-line and running game faltering, aligning yourself with the Pittsburgh passing game is not a bad strategy. Ben Roethlisberger (23), Hines Ward (22) and Heath Miller (14) led both the Steelers and the Smegma to wins this weekend. Brian Westbrook (14) helped out with his biggest game of the year, and Hakeem Nicks (17) managed to do some damage in the Saints' thwomping of the Giants. Deuceburger was pretty much the same old story: big days for Schaub (31) and Adrian Peterson (17), but not enough else to get a victory. Jonathan Stewart (15) had a nice day, but Manning needed a monster night from Darren Sproles (6) on Monday to get by Papkin, and it didn't happen. Last week I was watching a soccer game on Fox Sports Español, and after it was over I left the channel on and found myself watching their NFL wrap-up show. Recapping the Chargers Week 5 game, they referred to Sproles (pronounced: "Sprou-ells") as "chiquito, pero feroz!" This week, he was certainly chiquito, not very feroz.