Fantasy files: The Dealmaker

My dynasty league is slipping, and I know why. In years past as I prepared for the annual rookie draft, I cursed my fellow owners for their multiple trades as I had to organize the draft picks as a result. There were at least a dozen deals and in one case a single draft pick changed hands three times, returning to the original owner.

This year was different. I looked and saw that there were a paltry three trades involving rookie picks. In a dynasty league, the only way to acquire new talent is through the rookie draft, free agency, and waivers during the year. The pool is as deep as a quarter on its side for running backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers if you don't count the rookie draft. If you find yourself short in these positions, you have to deal.

I got an offer, or a tentative offer, from my suddenly Tampa Bay Lightening-obsessed friend Brian. He wanted Josh Freeman. Funny enough, in our rookie draft two years ago I had pick 2.08 and he traded up to get ahead of me in the draft. I assumed that he, as a Bucs fan, was going for Freeman. He took Kenny Britt, and we had crossed obsessed fan streams as I ended up with Freeman. I wasn't exactly bowled over by Freeman, as I considered him the 8th best QB in the Big 12 his junior year. He grew up a lot in a year.

Did I mention the offer? Brian was smart enough to pick Mike Vick off waivers in the last year of his prison term, and before last year offered him to me as a joke for practically nothing. I passed. Something clicked as he offered me Vick plus extra considerations for Freeman.

At first glance, Vick plus anything for Freeman seems like a bounty. Vick was the number three overall scorer in our league. Anyone ranked that high is usually not for sale. Then again, Freeman was number eight, scoring about 2.5 fewer points per game. He was born in 1988, so he will not turn 30 until after the 2017 season. Vick will be 31 before this season starts, and he might have five more years in the league. With that in mind, Freeman's worth more than Vick.

I made a trade offer. I have Romo and the Vick/Romo combo platter seems good enough to get me by for the next three years. It's hard to project much further than that. Whether Brian bites and the rookie picks I'm trying to get out of him lead to productive guys, well, that's another gamble altogether.