Opinion Corner: Time to shake up your team?

As you stare at your roster and projected points for the week, ask yourself if you’ll find the answers to your problems on your bench? Are your draft day picks and the leftovers that were picked up off waivers really going to bring home the championship?

For most of us, the answer is no. The only solution is to go into the war room and make some deals.

We are five weeks in, and if your record has your team somewhere in the bottom of the standings like the Cleveland Browns, it’s time for your roster to receive a major makeover via trades.

If your record isn’t where you want it to be, chances are you’re players aren’t performing the way you hoped they would. If you’re in this predicament, you probably can’t make a move for superstars, so you’ll have to go for consistent performers who are available for a cheap deal.

I would never have suggested drafting Reggie Bush, but he is currently in the top 20 of the league when it comes to fantasy production (non PPR leagues) and shouldn’t cost you too much.

Bush has had only one solid performance in the last three weeks, but his performance last Sunday against the Bengals is evidence of his ability to put up numbers against average defenses. The remainder of the Dolphins schedule is quite favorable for Bush and should help out those managers who are desperate for a new RB on their roster.

Another running back whose stock has been declining recently is Maurice Jones-Drew. It’d be an understatement to say that his last two outings were disappointing.

He’s only had one great game and this must disappoint Jones-Drew owners. Try to cash in on this disappointment and put together a deal that his owners can’t refuse. Study their rosters and see what you can do to make it difficult for them to reject your offer.

Like Bush, Jones-Drew’s schedule provides him with an opportunity to have big games and save your season.

If it’s a tight end you’re looking for, how about sending a trade proposal for Owen Daniels? He came into the season with very low fantasy projections and depending on whose bench he’s on, could be a relatively easy target.

Daniels has had touchdowns in three consecutive games and has been Matt Schaub’s number one target the last few weeks.

One of the most traded players this year on www.fantasymoves.com has been DeSean Jackson.

Jackson has had only two games that make him worth targeting, and this is one of the reasons he might be easy to trade for. There is huge upside for Jackson.

He struggled against the tough pass defenses of Pittsburgh and Arizona, but those matchups are now in the past. The remainder of the fantasy schedule for Jackson is a decent one and he should be targeted if you need to upgrade your wide receivers.

Once again, the bye weeks have some of us with big names sitting on our bench and these holes need to be filled.

For those of you who will be going to the waiver wire to replace Cam Newton, consider Christian Ponder, Kevin Kolb, or Ben Roethlisberger (for those of you in a league of 10, or eight).

Ponder travels to Washington where the Redskins defense will allow Adrian Peterson to get back on track and Ponder to have a strong game. Sticking with this game, if you need to replace Jimmy Graham while he’s on his bye, go for Kyle Rudolph who already has four touchdowns.

Kevin Kolb is at home against the Bills as the Cardinals look to bounce back from their first loss. With the injury to Ryan Williams, and LaRod Stephens-Howling having been unable to prove that he’s an every down back, Kolb should be going to the air more.

I’ll try not to pick on the Bills defense next week, but they make it so easy. Just ask anyone who took my advice last week to start Alex Smith this past Sunday.

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers kick off the week tonight against the Titans who have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns so far. With Rashard Mendenhall back, defenses will have to respect the Steelers running game once again which should open up some more room for Big Ben.

As far as who to sit this week, bench Ahmad Bradshaw. Yes, the same Bradshaw who had 200 yards last Sunday. The 49ers run defense is the primary reason for this decision.

Revenge is the other reason. The 49ers and head coach Jim Harbaugh are as tough as they come and last year’s playoff loss is still fresh in their minds.

Tony Romo should also be on the bench. Some would argue that his five interceptions last game is a motivating factor for Romo and the Cowboys, but getting motivated and executing are two totally different things. The Ravens are at home and Romo should throw at least one TD pass to a Raven.

For more advice on who to start, or trade advice, visit the website www.fantasymoves.com, or email one of our trade mediators at moves@fantasymoves.com.

Jessy Sandhu is the founder of www.fantasymoves.com. Follow him on Twitter: @FantasyMoves

Tags: sports, football, fantasy