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Dump ’em or keep ’em, that is the question

The Pigskin Pundit
Special to the Post Independent

The path to successful fantasy football requires contribution from every roster spot, especially those supposed super stars drafted in the early rounds.

Every season produces a new crop of up-and-comers as well as its share of falling stars. The trick is determining whether or not a player is truly falling or just mired in a midseason slump.

RBs like Ricky Williams of Miami were drafted as the cornerstone of thousands of fantasy teams but they simply have not lived up expectations.



As the fantasy playoffs approach, owners face difficult decisions. Do they keep their first-round flops and hope they return to form or trade them for lesser known, yet productive players?

It takes guts to trade a stud like Williams, but the wise owner never gets attached to his players. Instead, he looks to the future, locates the best deal and pulls the trigger.



Not every stumbling star needs to be traded, but there comes a time when the phone stops ringing, the trade offers dry up and you’re left with a hole in your lineup with no way to fill it.

If you own one of these guys, here’s some food for thought.

Trade ’em

Ricky Williams-RB, Miami: Faces Baltimore and Dallas over next 3 weeks.

Eddie George-RB, Tennessee: Favorable schedule, but just no gas left in the tank.

Keep ’em

Plaxico Burress-WR, Pittsburgh: Extremely favorable schedule and QB Tommy Maddox is starting to come around.

Donovan McNabb-QB, Philly: Thumb is healing and the Eagles still in the playoff hunt.

Ask the Pundit

Pundit: I drafted Indy WR Marvin Harrison with my first pick and got his QB, Peyton Manning in the second round.

Our league pays out for the weekly high point team so this combination was great for me in Week 4 and 5. This same combo seems to work against me about half the time and that’s whenever they stink it up.

Obviously, if Manning has a poor outing, Harrison follows suit. I have the opportunity to trade either of these guys away for an adequate replacement, but I love those weeks when they light it up. Which is the right way to go?

” TimBob-Hadley, Minn.

TimBob: The answer depends largely on your league’s rules and playoff format. Some leagues simply go on year-end point totals to crown a champion. If that’s the case, keep the combo together. However, most leagues have a trade deadline and a playoff system that eliminates fantasy teams as the NFL regular season plays out. If this describes your league, go right up to the trade deadline and then make an effort to trade Manning and not Harrison. Although these combinations are great for setting scoring records, they also can kill a playoff run with one bad outing.

Diversification is the key so look for a QB who has a favorable December schedule and target that guy using Manning as bait. Harrison is an elite WR so keeping him is a must.

” The Pigskin Pundit

Question for the Pundit? Send it to PigskinPundit@hotmail.com.


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