RosterWatch Trades of the Week
Mike Loyko- Rosterwatch.com Head of Scouting (Follow On Twitter)

Trades of the week is back by popular demand. Many of our readers are debating over trade offers or trade proposals as they try to improve their teams. Five weeks into the season and there have been some very disappointing performances from highly ranked preseason players like Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden and even Calvin Johnson.

For every bust their has been a breakout star such as Stevan Ridley (I told you so), Alfred Morris, Andrew Luck or even Brian Hartline. Which players should you try to pick up this week and which player should you try to sell?

Here are some actual trades (or trade offers) from our readers, and my perspective on the impact of the moves.

Should I give up Calvin Johnson to get BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Hakeem Nicks and either Torrey Smith or Dwayne Bowe?

I am always a big fan of trading an elite player and getting two or three good players back in return.

Calvin Johnson has started slower than anticipated this season, only recording one touchdown reception thus far. That won’t last, CJ is about to bust out in a big way. However if you are able to get a viable #2 or high-end #3 RB and two WR1s in return for Johnson, then I would be all for it.

Nicks is about to get healthy and Dwayne Bowe is currently the 8th ranked WR in Yahoo Standard Scoring leagues. While I am not a huge BenJarvus Green-Ellis guy, the Bengals have no other options at RB, and he will get the majority or work.  

Nicks is in a offense where they throw the ball all the time. We have seen Ramses Barden, Domenik Hixon and even Reuben Randle have big games while filling in for Nicks. When he is back healthy he is going to be a monster. If you feel like the owner you’re dealing with is desperate, go back and see if you can get a better RB than BJGE. Otherwise, go ahead and pull the trigger.

I am considering trading Michael Vick and Dennis Pitta for Matthew Stafford in my .75 PPR league. My other Tight Ends are Aaron Hernandez and Kyle Rudolph. What do you think?

Run, don’t walk run to pull the trigger on this trade.

Dennis Pitta is your third best tight end. Aaron Hernandez is very close to returning, which means that you will never use Pitta. Hernandez is a PPR beast, giving away Pitta doesn’t make me think twice. This trade essentially becomes Michael Vick for Matthew Stafford.

While Michael Vick could occasionally win you a matchup with a monster performance, he can’t be trusted on a week to week basis. Matthew Stafford is in an offense where he is allowed to throw the ball 40-50 times a game. He will throw his share of interceptions, but his yardage and touchdown totals cancel out those picks.

Pull the trigger on this quickly before the owner reconsiders. If you are the one proposing it, I would think you are going to have to give up more than Vick and Pitta to get Stafford.

I’m struggling to figure out if I should trade Jamaal Charles and AJ Green for Darren McFadden and Roddy White. Thoughts?

This one is a pretty even trade.

With that being said I am not trading Jamaal Charles or AJ Green right now. You would be giving up the #1 ranked RB and the #1 ranked WR to get McFadden who has yet to show the same ability in his new blocking system and Roddy White. Roddy White has been the most reliable fantasy WR over the last two seasons, but AJ Green is on another level right now.

Green has been targeted 56 times, which is tied for 4th in the NFL, and Cincinnati doesn’t have any other WRs suited to taking away his production. With Roddy White, you have to be concerned week to week that Julio Jones will eat into his.

Matt Ryan has shown a tendency to target one WR on the majority of his drop backs from game to game. The second part of the trade, Charles for McFadden would have been an even swap at the beginning of the season.

But, with Jamaal Charles regaining his 2010 form and Darren McFadden struggling, there’s noway I am trading Charles away at this point. You have two of the best fantasy players, at two of the most important positions. Sit tight and let them do their thing.

I have Julio Jones and Stevan Ridley. I offered both of those players to another owner in my Standard Scoring League for Calvin Johnson and DeMarco Murray. Should I feel good about this if the trade is accepted?

Now that is an even trade offer.

I love Julio Jones, but he has been very inconsistent up to this point in the season. Jones’ point total has been reliant on scoring touchdowns, and he hasn’t made a big play since week one. Stevan Ridley is the 9th-ranked fantasy player right now according to Yahoo and is 4th in the NFL with 490 yards rushing. Ridley also has over 100 carries, meaning he is a legit fantasy running back going forward.

Many people are worried that with Ridley fumbling the football at the end of the Broncos game, that he will be back in the doghouse.  I don’t believe that. Ridley has shown too much ability and has been too much a part of the offense to just cast aside. His carries maybe limited for a quarter or a half vs. Seattle, but Bill Belichick is about winning football games and Ridley gives him the best shot.

Calvin Johnson will morph into Megatron-a giant, defense-killing transformer again very soon.

DeMarco Murray has been inconsistent thus far, but I like RBs that have no backfield competition and Murray has very little in Dallas. I also love the fact that Johnson and Murray have already had their bye weeks, so you can just plug them into your lineup every week. This is an fair trade for both teams and can justify either side making the deal.

I am in desperate need for Running Backs. I have Drew Brees for my QB and am going to try to trade him for a package that includes running backs. I have Alex Smith on my bench and there are some other decent QB on the waiver wire. Who should I try to target for Brees?

You should be able to get a very good running back or even a package including a good running back for Brees. I would figure out which teams in you league are in desperate need for a QB and then be aggressive.

If I was trading Drew Brees right now (especially in a 6 point passing TD league) I would be targeting a player such as Trent Richardson, LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch or a package featuring a RB such as Matt Forte or Ryan Mathews.

Whatever you do make sure you get that elite RB back in return. You have a great trade chip in Brees if you are willing to start Alex Smith the rest of the season, make sure you get what you are looking for back in return. If you can’t get a top RB right now, just be patient and let Brees keep putting up numbers like last week. Someone will bite.

I’m thinking about trading Calvin Johnson for Trent Richardson and Reggie Wayne. Should I do it?

This one is a no brainer. I would pull the trigger immediately.

I love Trent Richardson as much as any other fantasy football running back going forward. I would consider trading Calvin Johnson for Trent Richardson straight up, so if the owner is willing to throw in Reggie Wayne as well, do it NOW.

Reggie Wayne will continue to get loads and loads of targets in the Colts pass oriented offense. He already had his bye week, so he can fill the hole vacated by Calvin Johnson the rest of the season. Richardson is a beast and will make up for the loss of Calvin Johnson easily.

I’m in a .5 PPR league. I want to trade Rob Gronkowski and Torrey Smith for LeSean McCoy.

If the owner is willing to part with LeSean McCoy for that package then do it.

McCoy is off to a slower start than last season, thanks in large part to the high turnover percentage of the Eagles offense. Rob Gronkowski is off to a slower start as well, but with Aaron Hernandez about to be back, the coverage should lighten up on Gronkowski.

When Hernandez went down, the Patriots shifted to a run heavy offense. But, with Hernandez coming back this week (hopefully) I expect to see the Patriots start to spread it around again. Gronkowski is still going to catch 10-12 touchdowns, but I am also in favor of acquiring legit RB1s no matter what the cost.

Should I trade Maurice Jones-Drew and Antonio Gates for Stevan Ridley, Pierre Thomas and Michael Crabtree?

At first glance I wanted to say no, because MJD is the best player in the deal, but after looking at it closer I would consider it.

Antonio Gates has been dreadful, he has to be considered one of the biggest fantasy busts through five weeks. If you have another viable TE, then I am all for moving Gates. Maurice Jones-Drew and Stevan Ridley isn’t as lopsided as it may seem.

Ridley is in the ideal fantasy situation. A high powered offense, that runs a lot of plays and he gets the majority of the carries/goal line work. While MJD is reliable he is in a pathetic offense that struggles week in and week out.

I also like that you get Michael Crabtree in this deal. He is starting to show off why he was a top ten pick and is emerging as the #1 WR in San Francisco. I might lean towards keeping MJD to see if you can get even more for him, but the deal isn’t as bad as it may seem.