Certain things you know by now I like to write about: Fantasy football trades and Homeland (with a little bit of Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead sprinkled in sometimes). However I've actually found a way for them to meet and boy is it a fun place to be. Is it Nirvana? Close. And I mean the spiritual enlightenment place, of course - although Nirvana Unplugged is one of the top three acoustic albums of all-time. And of course my favorite song on it is "The Man Who Sold The World" which brings us back to trading so we've come full circle. Namaste.
Waiver wire: WRs catching on
Michael Fabiano's Week 9 waiver wire list has a distinct wide receiver flavor, starting with Terrance Williams. More ...
1: Number of players you can start in fantasy that play for the Kansas City Chiefs. Push. It's amazing that an 8-0 team can spawn just one fantasy-worthy starter (Jamaal Charles). But this is reality. Don't fall for Alex Smith throwing his first TD pass since Week 4, there's no one else you can put in your lineup and expect to do well for you. Dexter McCluster is more a curiosity than anything, but forget about Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery and anyone else. But it's not just the Chiefs…
1: Number of pass-catchers you can start on the Detroit Lions. Push. This is even more amazing than the Chiefs. Matthew Stafford can have 300- and 400-yard games, and the only guy on the receiving end of his throws you can start is Calvin Johnson. Stafford's averaging over 266 passing yards per game, which you would think would be enough to have ONE other guy be fantasy relevant, but nope. He goes for 488 and only Johnson had more than six fantasy points. Reggie Bush averages over 40 yards receiving but he's a running back, so he doesn't count. Don't go crazy over figuring out if Kris Durham or Brandon Pettigrew is worth a whirl in your lineup. They just don't do enough unless you're in a PPR league ... and then Durham is a spot-start.
10: Number of quarterbacks I'd start over Tom Brady on a weekly basis.Over. At some point we have to start asking the question if it's Tom Brady and the Patriots offense and not the injuries/slow start. After eight games you are who you are, and Brady and the Patriots aren't the fantasy machines they once were. Remember, Brady only became a great fantasy quarterback after they got Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Before that, Brady was a Troy Aikman-type player who won games and was great on the field but wasn't a high-end fantasy starter. The QBs I would start every week over Brady are: Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Andrew Luck, Tony Romo, Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson. Plus, you have to throw Andy Dalton on that list. Brady has become the lowest of the low-end No. 1 fantasy quarterbacks and you're even starting others I haven't mentioned over him if they have great matchups (Jake Locker, Terrelle Pryor).
50%: Chance I make a trade in our experts league this week. Over. My new favorite pastime is making trade offers on my tablet while Dana scenes are on during Homeland. Usually I can get in at least two, sometimes three if I know it's a scene that she's going to cry in. My needs are, in order: a tight end and a solid number two WR. For the next couple of weeks I'll give you one big piece of advice on how to make a good fantasy trade. The first is this: You have to trade from a position of strength or it won't help you at all. If you have depth, don't be afraid to overpay. If you have four good WRs and the person you want to trade with wants two of them for the RB you covet, then you do it if that's going to put you over the top and get the trade done. After all, how many WRs can you play a week? If you're not losing full-time starters, what does it matter? It's almost as if you're getting the RB you need for free or very little cost. Yes, you may be giving someone else two players they need, but for you, if they're on your bench they're not helping you anyway.
70%: Chance I would trade away Knowshon Moreno between now and the trade deadline in my league if I owned him. Over. What? That's heresy! Moreno has been a top-10 fantasy running back all season long! He's running and catching passes, he's who he was supposed to be coming out of Georgia! Yes he is all of that. I'm not disputing. However -- and it's a big Marisa-Tomei-My-Cousin-Vinny-however -- he hasn't played in more than eight games in a season since 2010. He's injury-prone. Guys who are suddenly asked to carry the load after years of not doing so will eventually break down - and it happened to him last season as well. And guess what? We just passed Week 8. He's still getting goal-line touches, but his rushing yards are slowly decreasing. You can sell high on him now and get a ton back in return. Every week past this point you're just hoping he stays healthy. It's a tough decision to make, but he'd bring you a king's ransom.
Jason Smith writes fantasy and other pith for nfl.com. You can see him as the host of NFL Fantasy Live that airs Sunday through Friday on NFL Network at 5pmET/2pmPT and also at 1amET/10pmPT. Listen to him on the NFL Fantasy Live podcast available at nfl.com and on itunes. Reach out to him on Google plus or Twitter @howaboutafresca, and listen to his Fantasy Podcast with Michael Fabiano and Elliot Harrison every week on nfl.com. He only asks you never bring up when the Jets play poorly.