Fantasy Football Headset 2020; What I'd Trade (Cluckin and Coin)
[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]
Right before the start of the fantasy football season our league saw an arms race like no year before and Cluckin and Coin were right at the center of it. Both traded two 1st round picks for a player and both have not gotten returns for their stud trade. Because of that these two teams, who were part of a preseason top four that were expected to be championship favorites, have fallen short of expectations.
Cluckin has regularly been on the doorstep, owning his division and threatening but ultimately falling short. Because he has regularly locked up the two seed he has been ultra aggressive when it comes to trades, very rarely having a first round pick in the draft. This year it looks like it's starting to catch up with his team.
The core of Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, Tyler Lockett and Zach Ertz has been good enough to keep him competitive. However, the trade this year for Leonard Fournette, and last year for Devonta Freeman cost him premiere picks and have not worked out. David Johnson was a key to his early success and fell off but he got lucky with a bounce back this season. He swapped D.J. Chark for Melvin Gordon in the offseason to add some RB depth as well.
Cluckin deserves credit for still getting some decent players without 1st round picks. He drafted Hollywood Brown last season and Brandon Aiyuk this season. The problem is besides Jared Goff there's not really much on his bench to help out with byes and injuries. And this year he has not had luck. Freeman and Fournette haven't done much, Ertz has been a disappointment and is now hurt along with Melvin Gordon. That is why he has gotten off to a 2-4 start.
Cluckin doesn't have a 1st or 3rd round pick for 2021 and has traded his 2022 1st rounder as well and so his team is kind of stuck at the moment. 2020 is a weird fantasy football season and he's at the mercy of the season. It's unlikely the Packers will lay an egg like they did this past week, and they already had their bye, so that big three will be key to him trying to right the ship but his options seem a bit limited. He has been aggressive most seasons so it wouldn't shock me to see him try and get some depth, but mostly I think you're just waiting and hope you can right the ship and get healthy if you sneak in to the playoffs.
Coin is the gold standard of our dynasty league. He has three championships in the four years of existence and was in the top four (losing to the eventual winner) the one season he didn't win. Coin made the big trade of two 1st round picks, Calvin Ridley and Preston Williams for Saquon Barkley. (He also traded Fournette to Cluckin for his two 1st rounders). That trade stings this year with Barkley going down early and Ridley looking like a superstar, but Barkley is still a stud going forward.
Coin did get his 1st in 2021 back by trading some WR (John Brown the only notable one) and that looks like a smart move with him sitting at 2-4. The other trade he made was a 2021 2nd and 2022 3rd with Drew Lock for Josh Allen. Allen has tailed off the last few weeks but he looked the lock up another young star for more security, but the top team in the league has just had bacd luck.
Julian Edelman has only had one game and Mike Evans has been up and down. Losing Barkley has required him to count on James White (who just came back) and Jerrick McKinnon for his running backs behind Zeke. Chark also hasn't be the star he was last season for fantasy football. That's the bad luck that has put his team in the hole early.
However, this team isn't going anywhere. Coin has Diontae Johnson and Scotty Miller and drafted J.K. Dobbins, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Denzel Mims, Quintez Cephus and Cole Kmet. Coin started with the strongest roster and has regularly drafted well to continue to give himself pieces to trade and reload his roster. Even with the bad luck he still has one of the best rosters in the league.
A 2-4 start would shake any owner but for me the choice is easy, you trade from the fringes and run it back next season. He got his 1st round pick back and could have a really good 1st round pick from Cluckin if he can't right the season. With the lack of assets for Cluckin to improve his team for next season also that 2022 1st round pick could be interesting also. Coin doesn't have a 2nd or 3rd pick in the next two drafts, but still has enough draft ammo and deep enough roster that this year will probably just be a hiccup. Worth noting also, Coin has regularly traded some players in the off season that won't make his roster cuts for mid round picks that he has used well. Something to watch in the off season with a loaded roster.














