Opinion Corner: Time to make tough decisions

With another week in the books, fantasy leagues are a step closer to the playoffs. Whether you’re sitting pretty at the top of the standings, or panicking somewhere around the playoff cutoff line, it’s time to make some tough decisions.

For those that are likely to make the playoffs, now is not the time to sit back and relax. Check out the matchups your starters have during your playoff weeks.

If there’s a player, or two, that you’re not comfortable with heading into the playoffs, this might be the right time to make a move. Find a stressed out manager looking to sneak into the playoffs, and send a trade request. If they’re one, or two, games out of a playoff spot, there’s a great chance they’re willing to make a move.

We at Fantasy Moves are seeing trade requests increase each week and that’s because the list of names on the waiver wire just can’t cut it in our leagues.

Fantasy owners must manage efficiently, don’t just sit around hoping players like Benjarvus Green-Ellis will start to produce more. Package them up and send a request, there’s desperate managers in every league, or managers who have Andrew Luck on their bench and are fighting to get into the dance, chances are that you have another quarterback on your roster as Luck’s pre-draft rankings wasn’t very high. Why not ship Luck away as his stock is at an all-time high. You should be able to pick up two players that you can insert into your starting lineup if you find a manager who’s desperate to improve their quarterback.

For those that are looking for a tight end, Brandon Meyers has been lighting up the fantasy scoreboard the last few weeks. With the Raiders struggling, and Darren McFadden injured, Carson Palmer will have to continue to go to the air, and Meyers will continue to get an opportunity to put up big numbers.

This is the final week for teams on byes and this week we have big name running backs sitting out this Sunday.

For managers out there looking to replace Adrian Petersen, Marshawn Lynch, and Chris Johnson hopefully you have reliable backups on your bench

A running back that should definitely be targeted this week is Marcel Reece. The Raiders travel to New Orleans, and although their defense has improved the last few weeks, Reece will rack up yards.

Carson Palmer continues to check the ball down to his running backs regularly and this will allow Reece to gain yards on the ground and in the air. Last week against the Ravens, Reece had seven receptions for 56 yards and had 13 carries.

C.J. Spiller is in line for a big game as well as Fred Jackson is out with an injury. In fact, Spiller should be targeted by all managers who are headed into the playoffs as Jackson could miss multiple games. You want to ensure that you have all positions covered in case of injuries in these last few weeks.

Another running back I’d look to this week is Mikel Leshoure. The Lions backs have been producing more the last few weeks and the Lions will need to continue this as their pass happy offense was too predictable in the first few weeks of the season.

A wide receiver that should be starting this week is Reggie Wayne. Not many receivers have had the pleasure of working with two great quarterbacks, but Wayne has been able to do just that. Wayne should have a big game against the Patriots as should Luck. Both are safe starts this week.

Now, many of you have been picking up Danario Alexander of the San Diego Chargers this week. True, he had a big game against Tampa Bay, but do you really want to gamble on him at this stage of the season? Start him if you’re desperate at wide receiver. If you’re not struggling at the wide receiver position, wait to see if Philip Rivers looks his away again. Alexander could just be the next Kevin Ogletree.

A few big name wide receivers that you might want to sit this week are Brandon Marshall and A.J. Green. Although these two have been giving defenses a nightmare as double teams and a number of different zone schemes have proved to be ineffective against them, they might not produce this week.

At the moment, Cutler’s status is uncertain. If he is unable to go, sit Marshall, as Jason Campbell will have a difficult night against the 49ers.

Now, A.J. Green owners might not agree with me here, but Green is in line to have an average game. The Bengals travel to Kansas City, where the Chiefs have given up only the 18th-most fantasy points to receivers, and I believe this is a week that Green’s teammates have big games to help lead the Bengals to victory.

I would also sit Pittsburgh Steelers receivers if Big Ben were unable to play. Byron Leftwich may have been able to help his team to victory against the Chiefs, but don’t expect big things from him against their rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

There are a few managers in every league that are looking for a quarterback as Eli Manning is on a bye and there were a number of quarterbacks who were injured last week.

Carson Palmer should be picked up and starting this week. He’s had a couple of strong games the past few weeks and is in line to have another big one this week. The Raiders should struggle against the Saints offense, but Palmer should have success against their defense.

Sticking with the Raiders, Denarius Moore is a great start at wide receiver. If you’re looking to replace Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, or Percy Harvin this week, look no further than Moore who has pulled in a touchdown in five of the last seven games.

Besides an increase in trades, we at Fantasy Moves are also receiving an increase in fantasy leagues registering with us this late in the season.

It is usually when teams are eliminated from playoff contention that managers start to trade with friends to help increase their friend’s chance of winning. “Insider trading” during fantasy leagues is all too common when teams have no chance of success.

To ensure late season trades don’t ruin your league, register for free with fantasymoves.com, where trade mediators ensure all fair trades are accepted and unfair trades rejected.

Send your start ‘em, or sit ‘em, and trade questions to moves@fantasymoves.com

Jessy Sandhu is the founder of Fantasy Moves. Follow him on Twitter @FantasyMoves.

Tags: sports, football