WFL Weekly 5 - Week 4: Trading to Trade
Trading. It really is such an interesting concept. I give you this, and you give me that in return. Or in some cases, I give you this, you give that to him, he gives this to me while also giving that to you, and he gives this to some other guy, and we all go home happy with something. I think. Over this past week we saw The Great Trade: a massive deal between 4 GMs that unequivocally changed the landscape of the WFL not only this season, but perhaps for future seasons as well (See here for more details). And while hopefully each of those four brave souls are happy with the way their teams look right now, why is trading the phenomenon that it is. At its core, through trading you are giving away something YOU first gave value by taking it as your own. But somewhere along the way, you feel like you can do better. The luster has worn off something you picked, and now you are moving on to the next shiny new thing. In fantasy football, the trade currency is real NFL players. In order to trade these guys in the first place, you had to have found them desirable at first for yourself, either through the draft, free agency, or even another trade. And all those good feelings you have about those players? You make sure that your fellow GMs know them too so it makes it easier to trade them away. There is a backwards logic to trading, in that the same players you are hyping up to give away, you don't want yourself. If you like him so much, why not keep him? How ethical is trading? Are you compromising your morals by trading your players away? You are after all giving up on a human being, in order to fit the vision you have for your team. What does that say about you? Are you running from a challenge? Have you lost the faith you had in yourself, the same person who picked these players not so long ago? Views on trading in the WFL take many different forms. There are those who spend every waking (and perhaps sleeping) thought on trading. There are others who trade, simply to trade. And there are others who would rather leave the league altogether, than be confronted with even the possibility a trade offer hitting their inbox. To finish up this thoughtful exercise and journey into the art of trading, let's talk that second group: those who may be trading just to trade. Oftentimes with trades such as The Great Trade, it is impossible to even determine "a winner". And how could you? Who even wins a trade in which each team sees half their roster different than it was five minutes ago. The answer is those who trade to trade. Heed this warning before it's too late: keep your distance from the trade to traders. They just might turn you into one themselves.
Oh uhhh yeah. WFL Weekly.
Well without further ado… Let's rock n roll
Biggest Winner:
KRAFT YAC & CHEESE (Drew) - Drew did not come to mess around this year. Coming off a gut clenching loss to his Commissioner successor Andy, no one would have been shocked if KRAFT YAC & CHEESE took an L against the number one team in the league This is a call for help & Parker. Instead, they marched into their matchup and handily took care of business, scoring 172 points and blowing out Parker's squad despite a good ending total from them as well. The big knock on Drew's team going into the week was the sluggish start from his QB and WR stack: Jalen Hurts & AJ Brown. Well, all they did was score a combined nearly 58 points. Jordan Mason and Nico Collins shined in their games, Chris Olave and De'Von Achane were more than solid, and Drew saw only two players score in the single digits. The league's most prolific scoring attack is showing no sign of slowing down as of now, but a matchup with Hall of Fame Youtuber has been known to put an end to winning streaks and happiness before, so this week will be another big test for KRAFT YAC & CHEESE. Make it through this one unscathed and we could see big things in the future for Drew and his squad.
Other Winners:
Worse than WHL (Jeremias) - While a victory over division rival Golden Boys last week was nice, this placement has a lot more to do with that Worse than WHL gained through The Great Trade, than it does with their most recent performance. Already sporting a top flight and supercharged rookie Running Back in Jonathan Taylor & Cam Skattebo respectively. Jeremias only decided to created arguably the most impressive foursome of RBs the league has ever seen. Following the aforementioned Taylor and Skattebo are new additions Christian McCaffrey and Quinshon Judkins. That is pretty good. If this team's WRs can start to figure it out and make the best out of their bad situations (most notably Brian Thomas having to live life with Trevor Lawrence as his QB), we might not only see Jere move past the semi-finals, but achieve greater glory as well.
Wake and Baker Co. (Jonah) - Other teams have seen their names in here a lot due to their high scoring totals to start the year, but it's time we start talking about Wake and Baker Co. as one of the top fantasy football offenses in the WFL. Quietly sitting at a close 2nd place in Points For, Jonah's squad has seen a consistent effort across the board from the players in his starting lineup, with players like Jahmyr Gibbs, Justin Herbert, and a collection of other high flying RBs putting in some serious work. Seemingly the fantasy football equivalent to the saying "always the bridesmaid, never the bride", is this finally Jonah's year? He's got the talent to do it, but he'll have to hope he doesn't trade himself out of contention as well.
Biggest Loser:
Marvin's Room (Jack) - Welp. The championship hangover is real. Things could be tossed up to a fluke in Week One against The Bang Bros; it was some some tough luck in Week Two against Hall of Fame Youtuber; but things reached a depressing low in Week Three against Fuhuluhtoogans. There was no fight, no passion, and most importantly: no points scored for a team that desperately needed them. Other league members have called Marvin's Room one of the strongest rosters in the league, but yet here they stand at 0-3. Franchise cornerstone Derrick Henry has been a shell of himself ever since Week One ended, Jayden Daniels is banged up, Marvin Harrison is struggling to find any positivity, and the TE situation always seems to see the wrong guy starting. With the highest Points Allowed in the league and undoubtedly one of the league's toughest opening 5 games of the season schedule, this team has not been given any grace. But plain and simple, they have fallen short of expectations. Is this just an unlucky streak or something more? We sat down with the GM, Jack, to discuss what he feels has gone wrong thus far, and if he feels he has the team to turn things around. He told us "It's been a tough few weeks over here for our staff and our players. Obviously expectations are high going into the season for each team in this league. But when it comes to the rosters that step foot into our building each and every year, we don't just 'expect to succeed'. The bar is set at competing for championships. I think we have talent in the building that wants to win, knows how to win, and can win, I just have to put them in the position to do so. If there is one thing I can assure you of going forward, regardless of those little numbers next to the Marvin's Room name in the standings, this group will give you hell every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday, and make you earn your victories. I know nothing but all gas and no brakes right now. Will we crash and burn, or find our names up in lights? Let's find out."
Other Losers:
Hall of Fame Youtuber (Fabian) - How quickly a team's outlook can change. Going into Week 3, Hall of Fame Youtuber had earned two massive wins to put them seemingly in the front runners group for that elusive WFL Championship. And yet with the chance to go 2-0 in the first slate of divisional games, Fab's squad effectively laid an egg. 97.16 points is not good. Malik Nabers, Chase Brown, Travis Kelce, and others simply put up very mediocre performances that created a hole, that not even the smartest of TikTok fantasy football minds could have gotten him out of. Falling to 6th place is spooky, but playing a red hot KRAFT YAC & CHEESE is certainly another. Is a better week in the horizon?
Those not involved in The Great Trade - This week saw one without question the biggest trade in not only WFL History, but combined league history as well. With 13 players changing hands on 4 teams, other GMs were likely left confused on who they were playing seeing completely new lineups hit their matchup screens. And while the GMs who were in The Great Trade certainly felt like they hit the big time, what about those other GMs who weren't involved? Many expressed their disappointment with not being involved in the transaction, and one anonymous GM even went so far as to say he was "hurt" by not receiving any invitation to join the trade talks. "I was awake and ready to trade. I guess they just weren't interested in trading with me." 8 other teams were not involved in The Great Trade, and each of them (except those who have imposed a self embargo on trading), would have likely welcomed an invite to the Trade Party.
Perhaps the Commissioner had something to do with those who didn't receive invitations…
Donuts! (Sponsored by Tough Cookie Inc.):
Donut production may be less plentiful than last season's impressive numbers, but it sure is consistent thus far. Two donuts have been given out each week, for a total of six thus far. The WFL Bakery & Tough Cookie Inc. are ready to crank up production, and will be ready for the inevitable disaster week from the WFL. A congratulations to Alejandro and I ❤️ Ohio for this being their first week off the Donut list! While we admire you making healthy choices for your team, we sincerely hope you relapse and we see you again here soon!
🍩 CeeDee Lamb (Take us to Valhalla Lamar) - Do you see what I CeeDee? I certainly saw Andy's top draft pick go down with a pretty ugly ankle injury early in his game against the Bears. And thus, we did not CeeDee point total go up for Mr. Lamb past the donut he started with.
🍩 Parker Romo (Came) - Daniel has been pretty good at picking kickers this season across different leagues, often finding hidden gems that have give him a boost. Or at least when he decides to start one. Unfortunately for him, Parker Romo was not the wisest of choices, as he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn this past Sunday. Back to the drawing board bucko.
Ale’s Trade to Trade Analysis:
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Trade to Trade Week 4, oh boy. The seismic shift caused by a 3 team trade rattled not only the group chat, but also rattled the keyboard of this very Macbook. We are going to save our words for the league busting trade till the end, and go over some of the news that may have fallen under the radar.
Golden Boys gets Jordan Addison, KRAFT YAC & CHEESE gets Calvin Ridley.
- I will just go out and say it, 100%, textbook, Trade to Trade. As mentioned by Papa Jack, this a low risk trade, and while here at TTTHQ we side with the Golden Boys, we are scratching our heads on how this was conspired. Addison returns from suspension, and it is currently unknown how good he COULD be, but we DO KNOW that Ridley has been uninspiring all year. It's a toss up, but we like the Golden Boys splitting up the Titans duo on his team and taking a chance on a talented stud. 10/10 Trade to Trade
Worse Than WHL gets DJ Moore & Bhayshul Tuten, I ❤️ Ohio gets Wan'Dale Robinson and Blake Corum
- Ale won the trade
Marvin's Room gets Michael Pittman and Wan'Dale Robinson, I ❤️ Ohio gets Chubba Hubbard and Jerry Jeudy
Take Us To Valhalla gets Saquon Barkley, Jamarr Chase, Travis Etienne (lol), Alec Pierce, Tank Bigsby - Fuhuluhtoogans gets Cooper Kupp, Torterra McMillan, Ashton Jeanty, DJ Moore - Worse Than WHL gets CMAC, Brian Robinson Jr, Quinshon Judkins - Wake and Baker Co. gets Keenan Allen
Trade to Trade came about as a thought in the mind of one WFL Manager in 2024. Watching the so-called “Trade Committee” throw out offers like they were UnderDog Fantasy tweets (health updates, some veteran took Wednesday off again, prob Mike Evans) this manager reached out to Chief Editor Jack Reid for a way to put his thoughts into words on the largest fantasy newsletter in the country. This trade is unprecedented, potentially league changing, and realistically, just a way for managers to get the sweet sweet dopamine of the “Text Jack” text. Let's Unpack.
- We break this trade down here at TTTHQ based on need. Andy had a rough week in the injury department, losing 2 bonafide W''s to ailments that may sideline them for weeks. One of them has a medical expert as team owner, and the other, of old age, is suffering from an injury of the soft tissue variety. We applaud this manager for coming out of Week 3 being the neediest team in the WR department, to now securing one of the most stacked rosters in existence. Jeremias, seeming that he could not stop sending “DON'T LOOK ALE” texts, was all-the-more excited to get his guy Quinshon. We applaud him for that grab, Quinshon looks like a stud in the making. (Do we think jeremias desperately needed this trade? Absolutely not. Can't fault a man for wanting the sweet notification of Yahoo “Trade Accepted” though).
- Now to who won, certainly Andy. If Andy can overcome the next several weeks of absence from CD and Mike Evans (barring no more future injuries), this lineup is one of the greatest ever constructed. Missing only the luck of the fantasy cosmos from Fabian, and we could all but guarantee a championship run here. Jeremias comes in a close 2nd, obtaining his true goal of Quinshon and having the most stacked RB room in the WFL. His WR's, to be completely honest, are led by a Jaguar with “hurting” wrists. Whatever that means. I would hate to be a Jag too. Let's not forget about manager of the Fuhuluhtoogan squad, Eric. While he may be overshadowed by the “leaders” of the Trade Committee, departing from a receiver whose QB is literally Browning his pants, to now having secure WR1's, we like where Eric is looking going forward.
Trade To Trade: 10/10: Andy Eric won, Jere lost.
Papa’s Picks:
WFL Weekly Game of the Week: Marvin's Room (Jack) vs. Wake and Baker Co. (Jonah)
- One of the league's most storied rivalries takes center stage this week in a must-see matchup. Their team names may be different, and the players on the rosters may change, but the hype for a battle between Jonah and Jack will never die. These two teams maybe be going in opposite directions, but one look at the start power on both sides tells you any outcome is possible. We had the chance to catch up with both GMs ahead of a pivotal Week 4, and they both were ready to rumble. Speaking with Marvin's Room GM Jack, he told us "Obviously any time we get a chance to go against Wake and Baker Co., it's a date both Jonah and I likely circle on our calendars. Add divisional bragging rights, and things just get even more interesting. My team always has a little extra in the tank for this game, but there's a desperation to win from my guys that I haven't seen in quite some time. Plain and simple, we don't just want to win. We NEED to win." Wake and Baker Co.'s GM, Jonah, took the calculated approach during our questioning, telling us "We at Wake and Baker Co. are looking forward to a nailbiter matchup with Marvin's Room. The TNF game included 25% of all the starters in our matchup, and the (always accurate) Yahoo stats indicate that neither team has the edge going into the Sunday slate. As always, this rivalry between two managers - with an extensive fantasy football history - will be absolute cinema for the rest of the league to behold." At the end of this week there WILL be fireworks. We just have to find out who they're for.
Upset Watch of the Week: Golden Boys (Johnny) vs. Take us to Valhalla Lamar (Andy)
- We hit the nail right on the head last week when we called Drew vs Parker as the sneaky upset watch of the week; let's see if we can create some magic again. You've gotta think that this might just be Johnny's best opportunity yet at getting his first win. While Take us to Valhalla Lamar has certainly been great, and had a knack for winning close games this season, they also just lost top WRs CeeDee Lamb & Mike Evans to injuries for a few weeks. Andy did his best to remedy the situation through The Great Trade, but a lot of new faces that aren't as sure things could have some trouble adjusting to their new home. On the other side of things, Golden Boys have some new pieces of their own and have grown stronger on paper each week. Could this be the opportunity Johnny has been looking for to get win number one? Or will the Commissioner conjure some more late week magic to continue his perfect start?
Predictions: (Last Week's results: 5-1 😎
12-6 overall)
#7 I ❤️ Ohio (Alejandro) ✅ vs #10 Came (Daniel)
#2 This is a call for help (Parker) vs. #8 The Bang Bros (Andres) ✅
#9 Fuhuluhtoogans (Eric) vs. #5 Worse than WHL (Jeremias) ✅
#12 Golden Boys (Johnny) vs. #1 Take us to Valhalla Lamar (Andy) ✅
#4 KRAFT YAC & CHEESE (Drew) ✅ vs. #6 Hall of Fame Youtuber (Fabian)
#11 Marvin's Room (Jack) ✅ vs #3 Wake and Baker Co. (Jonah)
Divisional Standings
(Divisional Record in parentheses)
Cummish Division
#1 Take us to Valhalla Lamar (Andy): 3-0 (2-0)
#4 KRAFT YAC & CHEESE (Drew): 2-1 (1-1)
#10 Came (Daniel): 1-2 (0-2)
33176+ Division
#3 Wake and Baker Co. (Jonah): 2-1 (1-0)
#8 The Bang Bros (Andres): 1-2 (1-1)
#11 Marvin's Room (Jack): 0-3 (0-1)
sybau Division
#6 Hall of Fame Youtuber (Fabian): 2-1 (0-1)
#7 I ❤️ Ohio (Alejandro): 2-1 (2-0)
#9 Fuhuluhtoogans (Eric): 1-2 (0-1)
Trade2Trade Division
#2 This is a call for help (Parker): 2-1 (2-0)
#5 Worse than WHL (Jeremias): 2-1 (1-1)
#12 Golden Boys (Johnny): 0-3 (0-2)
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The only good luck that we here at WFL Weekly wish you, is good luck with injuries. Everything else is up to the higher powers.
*Note from the Editor*: Big thank you to Andy & Drew on the WFL Weekly Website team, you guys rock.