So You Had a Bad Trade?
… ‘Cause you had a bad trade
You’re taking one down
You sold off a stud just to turn it around
You say you don’t know
You tell me, “don’t lie”
You work at a smile, and you go for a ride
You had a bad trade
The comments don’t lie
You’re getting roasted in the chats, and you really don’t mind
You had a bad trade
You had a bad trade
If you are here looking for actionable advice, I regret to inform you that you have come to the wrong place. Please exit from the rear, thank you.
I made a bad fantasy football trade. In a single quarterback, full point per reception, redraft league, I traded Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase for Josh Allen and Drake London. This is not a trade that I would normally make, nor one that I would ever recommend to others. I can promise if somebody asked me if they should make this trade, one hundred percent of the time my answer would be no. I decided to take a big risk and trust in my convictions and make a trade I know that 99% of fantasy football fanatics would not make.
So why would I make such a reactionary trade if I know it’s terrible? First, I don’t generally like to bet on injuries, but all reports indicate Joe Burrow re-aggravated his calf injury and with the Cincinnati Bengals now breathlessly searching for backup quarterbacks, even kicking the tires on AJ McCarron, the possibility that Burrow misses time is becoming stronger. My team is currently 1-1. The opponent that I traded Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase to is 0-2. Why does that matter? If Burrow were to miss 2-4 weeks, or even if he does play but at a substandard level as we’ve seen through this season, Burrow and Chase collectively could tank my season.
The only thing harder than trading them away for healthy assets I still like, would have been continuing to roster them knowing if they play, they have to be in my starting lineup. If I start the season 1-5, historically there is very little chance of my team making the fantasy playoffs. By the time Burrow and Chase regain form, it may be too late for my fantasy football team. Unloading that issue on an 0-2 owner makes it less likely that they can stash Burrow/Chase while also making the playoffs, so it’s not like I turned some undefeated team into an impossible juggernaut.
Ultimately, none of those justifications matter. What matters is my conviction on the players I acquired (namely Josh Allen). What also matters though, is the response that I’ve gotten. Fantasy football is supposed to be fun and it’s supposed to be about community. Regardless of what you think of my trade, running to the comments to insult my intelligence is not only laughable, it’s the problem with modern media. I could put out a hundred articles with a 70% or more hit rate of being accurate. However, when I make what could be viewed as a genuine mistake, there are literally 100’s of degenerates waiting to roast me in the comments, driving engagement on these types of posts through the roof. If you’re lamenting the ‘hot take Twittersphere’ but are also actively running to comment sections to yell at analysts how dumb you think they are, you’re directly contributing to the very thing you claim to hate.
I wrote this article a week ago and wasn’t quite sure how to end it. Yet here we are, another week of an underperforming Burrow and Chase and miraculously I have gone from idiot to savant. Josh Allen scored more fantasy points in one game than Burrow has all season. The fact is, I could have just as easily been wrong. Both I and the manager I traded with are 1-3. Fantasy football is a fickle beast. It’s all about risks, having fun, enjoying the community and yes, also winning. However, if you’ve let yourself devolve into a troll in the 2nd floor girl’s bathroom, there is still time to change. You don’t need to turn to the darkside. There is room for you here.
