Trade winds begin to blow?
There are two pending trade deadlines that might be of interest to you if you are getting ready for a deep run in the JSFL playoffs, or if you are loading up draft picks for the 2027 season.
The first trade deadline that might impact several teams is the NFL trade deadline that is less than two weeks away (1 p.m. PST on Tuesday, November 10). One major trade piece was moved on Tuesday as the Seattle Seahawks grabbed Pro Bowl offensive guard Quenton Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts to bolster its struggling running game. Maybe that is good news for holders of Seattle running backs?
Nelson is not the big name on the Colts’ roster that is being rumored to be on the move. That is RB Jonathan Taylor (Beaters) who is being rumored to be the topic of trade discussions with Seattle, Washington, New Orleans, Denver and Minnesota.
The trade talk about Taylor moving made Colts’ backup rookie RB Seth McGowan a prime waiver-wire grab (and Matt Pringle obliged by grabbing him Wednesday morning). Other potential trade targets are Jacksonville WR Brian Thomas Jr. (free agent). Good fits for BTJ are Kansas City, Pittsburgh and San Francisco (Go Niners!).
Other offensive standouts potentially on the move in the next two weeks are Browns’ WR Jerry Jeudy and Colts’ WR Josh Downs (both are JSFL free agents).
The other trade deadline on the horizon is the JSFL deadline at noon December 4. With an 0-7 start, Jordan is the first team owner likely to trigger a fire sale to gather a few extra picks for next August. While he has suffered a dreadful start, Jordan, surprisingly, is still only four games out of a playoff spot because any one of five teams in the Silent Division are mathematically still in it.
Despite WTNE’s inability to score many points this season (dead last in the league with 491 points, the only team that has not topped 500 points yet), Jordan still has some interesting pieces to use as trade bait. How would QB Dak Prescott look in your team colors. Jordan also has RB Saquon Barkley, WR Drake London, tight end Tyler Warren and the Baltimore and San Francisco defenses. His likely keeper next season, unless someone makes a whopper of an offer, looks to be WR Justin Jefferson.
Along with the brewing trade rumors, the JSFL slate has three terrific prime-time matchups of its own this week with spreads of less than 6 points, including two “pick-ems.” The two games topping the slate is the points bonanza that is shaping up between the Del Mar Packers and the Hermosa Recliners, as both are estimated for 102 points, and the Invaiders and Rangers, who are both estimated for 95-point performances. The second-tightest spread is the 6-point estimate between the Tirades and Spread Beaters.
Let’s quit the talking, and get it on.
NFL Schedule
As we prep for the end of the second month of our season, we have four more NFL teams relaxing at the beach and the golf course this week. There are a couple of significant absences this week that will cripple Ron’s Tirades as the San Francisco 49ers will be sidelined along with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants.
The action kicks off tonight with the Carolina Panthers traveling to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. Thankfully, the European games take a break this week. The Sunday Night game features the Philadelphia Eagles (yawn) visiting the Washington Commanders. The slate winds up Monday with the Chicago Bears taking on the Seahawks in the Pacific Northwest.
The scoring matchups we like this week are the Cardinals at Dallas (a 54.5 combined-point total), Baltimore at Buffalo (53.5 combined points), Minnesota at Detroit (46.5 combined points), and Carolina at Green Bay (48.5 combined points).
'Byemaggeddon' Looms
If you have not scrolled ahead three weeks, you might want to stop reading now, look at your roster in Week 11, and see the potential carnage that awaits.Each season, the NFL schedule makers give us the high, hard one once a year with a potential
"byemaggeddon," when six teams get a week off.
But the six NFL teams that are sidelined in mid-November -- the Rams, Falcons, Packers, Seahawks, Patriots and Browns (this is the one exception) -- host some of the top fantasy starters at each position in our league. When I first looked a few weeks back, half of my roster, at the time, was idle that week and I had no way to field a starting roster. It helps explain some of the goofier waiver-wire moves (and the accompanying volume) I have made in the last week or two.
The shopping list of sidelined starters that week are RBs Kyren Williams (Packers), Bijan Robinson (Invaiders), and Josh Jacobs (Recliners), and WRs Puca Nacua (Band Aids), Drake London (WTNE), Christian Watson (Tirades), Jason Smith-Njigba (Who Dey), and QBs Drake Maye (Spread Beaters).
Game of the Week
Packers (5-2) vs. Recliners (2-5), pick ‘em: On paper, the 5-2 Packers, you would think, would have an easy time with the 2-5 Recliners. But, not so fast. The stats geeks have this pegged for 102 points on each side of the ledger. The Packers come into this one favored at five of the nine starting positions with QB Jayden Daniels at home to the Eagles, both RBs with James Cook III at home to Baltimore and Kyren Williams at home to the Chargers, WR Matthew Golden at home to Carolina and kicker Chase McLaughlin (Tampa Bay). The Recliners get the nod at the other four starting positions: WR Zay Flowers at Buffalo, tight end Brock Bowers at the Jets, flex WR Ja’Marr Chase at home to the Titans, and the Cowboys defense at home to Arizona. Jeff has red “questionable” tags on two players – Golden and WR DeVonta Smith. If the past few weeks have been any indicator, the Recliners have tended to underperform, but Chris got a shot in the arm with the return of RB Josh Jacobs last week from the commissioner’s list. The Swami still thinks Jeff finds a way to the win column. Take the Pack and 1.
Best of the Rest
Invaiders (4-3) vs. Rangers (3-4), pick ‘em: For those keeping tabs, this is a battle for the Silent Division lead. A Rangers win knots the division lead between the two teams. An Invaider win opens a two-game edge with seven games to go in the regular season. ESPN, as of Wednesday evening, has this one as a statistical tie (both teams estimated for 95 points). Both teams get positional edges at four spots. The Invaiders get the nod with QB Trevor Lawrence at home to the Colts, RB Bijan Robinson at Tampa Bay, tight end Trey McBride at Dallas and the Jaguars defense. The Rangers are favored with RB Chuba Hubbard at Green Bay, WR CeeDee Lamb at home to Arizona, flex WR Amon-Ra St. Brown at home to the Vikings, and kicker Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh).
The Swami likes the way the Rangers have been playing in recent weeks and thinks John will find a way to tie for the division lead. Take the Rangers and 1.
Tirades (3-4) vs. Beaters (2-5), Beaters favored by 6:
The San Francisco bye cripples the Tirades this week as Ron loses his starting QB (Brock Purdy) and RB Christian McCaffrey. The loss of Purdy might be a blessing in disguise as it gives Ron freedom to let Caleb Williams cook as a starter (unfortunately, he gets the start on the road against the brutal Seattle defense). The Beaters come into this one with positional advantages at four of the nine starting slots. He gets the edge at QB with Drake Maye at Miami, WR Parker Washington at home to the Colts, flex WR Rashee Rice (carrying a red “questionable” tag) at Denver and kicker Spencer Shrader (Colts) at Jacksonville. The Tirades get the nod at two spots – RB Derrick Henry (a former Beater stalwart) at Buffalo and WR Christian Watson at home to Carolina.
The Swami believes the loss of the 49ers this week mojo is too much for the Tirades to overcome. Take the Beaters and 2.
Who Dey (5-2) vs. Gerbils (6-1), Gerbils favored by 19: This is another battle for a division lead. A win by Who Dey would make at least a two-team tie atop the Shit Talkers division. A Gerbils’ win puts Who Dey behind the eight ball despite a great start. Matty will need some major miracles at a lot of positions as Chuck is heavily favored at six of the nine starting positions. The Gerbils are expected to make hay at both RBs with Jahmyr Gibbs at home to the Vikings and Kenneth Walker III at Denver, flex RB Jaylen Warren at home to Cleveland, the Rams defense against the Chargers and kicker Trey Smack (Green Bay). Who Dey gets three positional advantages starting with QB Josh Burrow at home to the Titans and both WRs as Jaxon Smith-Njigba is at home to Chicago and Tetairoa McMillan is at Green Bay.
The Swami thinks the Gerbils find their 7th win. Take the Gerbils and 10.
Dog of the Week
Band Aids (5-2) vs. WTNE (0-7), Band Aids favored by 22: We have been doing these previews for several years now and I can’t recall a time when a team has carried positional edges at seven of the nine starting spots. This is one of those times as Bob’s Band Aids come into this one as heavy favorites at nearly every spot in the lineup. He is favored at QB with Josh Allen at home to Baltimore, both RBs with Javonte Williams at home to the Cardinals and Tony Pollard (fresh off three TDs last week) at the Bengals, both WRs as Puka Nacua is at home to the Chargers, Garrett Wilson is at home to Las Vegas, the Steelers defense against Cleveland and kicker Brandon Aubrey (Dallas).
Jordan gets a positional edge only at flex as WR Justin Jefferson is at Detroit. The tight ends (Tucker Kraft for Bob and Tyler Warren for Jordan) are a push.
The Swami thinks Bob will get his 6th win in this one. Take the Band Aids and 15.
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