Questions
Alexander Schoifet
Question on Trade Proposal
I have Le'veon Bell in a 16 team league to preface thisThe Trade:
Brandon Marshall and DeAngelo Williams (I recieve)
Jordan Matthews (I lose)
I guess this boils down to how much worse Brandon Marhsall is than Jordan Matthews. Williams can help me not go 0-2 before Le'Veon comes back (my current starting backs are Spiller and Tre Mason). Tre may not even play week 1 so I'm hurting.
But how much will it hurt me in the long run?
Brandon Marshall is, most likely, still Brandon Marshall. Just because he plays for the Jets does not mean he has lost all of the skill that made him drafted as a Top 5 WR last year. I think his new team, plus his injuries last year, are the two biggest contributors to him basically being an afterthought this year. I personally think it's crazy...I don't value him as a Top 5 WR this year, but I'm happy to take him as a WR3 or 4, knowing full well he will most likely outplay his current ADP, because I think he's going to have a pretty decent year. The QB situation is not much of a downgrade. Frankly, I think the only way in which its an actual, tangible downgrade is that Jay Cutler rarely makes reads...he has his target in mind and just wings it. So in situations in CHI where Marshall may not have been open and gotten the target anyways, those might go away a bit. But otherwise, I don't see any huge difference between Cutler and Fitzpatrick/Geno as far as being able to feed Marshall the ball. As far as the rest of the Jets offense goes...I mean, the run game isn't going to be all-world or anything, but teams will have to respect it, and Decker is at least enough of a threat that Marshall can't just always be double-teamed. I actually think their offense is better this year than people are giving them credit for.
Please don't mistake all of that information, though, as a reason I like Marshall more than Matthews. I don't. I think owning Eagles this year is going to be VERY fruitful. Bradford, so far, has displayed near perfect ability to do exactly what Chip wants his system QB's to do, and I think the rest of the skill position players in that offense are going to be big beneficiaries of that. It's a high powered offense, and while I think Matthews may struggle with inconsistency from time to time, I think he's going to be a pretty solid breakout player this year.
Summing up (sorry for the long response), this then becomes an issue of how important trying to win your first two games are. Starting 0-2 is always a bummer, but there's a reason Bell went from being the #3-5 RB when his suspension was 3 games, to being the #1-2 back once it got lowered to two games....losing two games isn't going to kill you. Now, losing your first two games in a row (presuming that's what even happens if you don't make this trade) puts your back against the wall, but the basic principle still applies...losing two games doesn't mean your season is over. I can't really make the call for you...I'm waffling back and forth myself on whether or not I would do it...but hopefully some of this information can help you make your decision.
Other thoughts: having Bell's handcuff could end up paying off. Does he have any other RB's he's willing to deal that fit in this trade? What RBs are current available on Waivers?