Week 5: The Great Trade Recession
You ever watch one of those old Westerns where the cowboy rolls into a once-bustling frontier town? The kind of place that used to hum with energy — swinging saloon doors creaking open every few minutes, poker chips clinking on tables, a piano playing in the corner, and some grizzled outlaw yelling “another round!” before getting tossed through a window by the sheriff. You can almost smell the whiskey, the gunpowder, and the desperation.
But now, when that same cowboy rides through, there’s nothing left but wind, dust, and regret. The wooden signs creak on their hinges. The saloon is boarded up. The poker tables are covered in cobwebs. The old piano sits silent, one key broken, like it’s holding a grudge against the universe. And rolling down Main Street — right where the good folks used to haggle, hustle, and faceoff in a gunslinging showdown — there’s only one lonely tumbleweed dragging its way across the dirt road.
That, my friends, is the JNIC trade market in 2025.
There was a time when this league felt like Dodge City, Kansas on payday. You’d log into the app and see notifications flying: trade offers sent, counters made, vetoes debated, and side deals negotiated like backroom bourbon trades during the Prohibition era. Every manager was a gunslinger — quick on the draw, always ready to make a move. Sometimes it worked out. Sometimes you got shot in the foot. But damn, it was alive. The saloon lights were on, the tables were full, and business was booming.
Now? The streets are empty. The wells have dried up. The shopkeepers (that’s you guys) have locked the doors and posted “Closed for the Season” signs on their rosters. Every now and then, someone like Dunc or Steve pokes their head out, squints at the sun, and wonders if it’s safe to barter again — but then they see the ghost of Lance’s Justin Jefferson trade haunting the street and retreat back inside.
We’ve become a ghost town, boys. And as your commissioner, the self-appointed sheriff of this dusty league, I’m here to say it’s time to rebuild Dodge City once again.
The Diagnosis: How We Got Here
I learned from my wife: any good doctor has to first look at the history of the ailment before offering up any potential treatment. So I went back the last 7 years, starting from when Dunc entered the league, to look at the numbers. And just as I thought, the numbers bear out my assumptions: Here are the cold, hard facts.
2019: 11 total trades
2020: 15 trades (the year we peaked — the “stimulus era”)
2021: 11 trades
2022: 13 trades
2023: 8 trades
2024: 4 trades
2025 (so far): 2 trades. Two.
And if you look specifically at Week 5 checkpoints through the years: 8 → 7 → 7 → 7 → 7 → 5 → 2.
That’s not a trend line — that’s a death spiral.
It’s not just that we’re trading less. It’s that we’ve become risk-averse to the point of paralysis. Somewhere along the way, this league stopped being a fantasy market and became a fantasy museum. Everyone’s just staring at their players, admiring them behind glass, afraid to touch anything for fear of breaking it.
And if I’m being honest, part of that is on me.
I created a culture of fear. I laughed at Zayn when he traded CJ2K to CJ back in Year 1. I mocked Lance when he sent me Larry Fitzgerald before a single down was played. I doubled down on Mr. Miller again for that unforgivable Jefferson-for-James Cook/Devin Singletary swap (the trade so bad it should be in the Smithsonian under “Cautionary Tales”). And the following year, I buried Tone when he shipped off Amon-Ra for Cook like he was trading a Picasso for a Pokémon card.
So what happened? The league adapted. You guys learned: “If I trade and it goes wrong, I’ll end up in the Commissioner’s Review Hall of Shame.” So now, you all sit there in silence, your fingers hovering over the “Propose Trade” button like it’s a nuclear launch code.
We went from Deal or No Deal to No Deal. Ever.
The Cost of Playing Scared
But here’s the truth: not trading might protect your pride, but it also guarantees mediocrity. The fantasy season is a living organism. Injuries happen. Roles change. Trends shift. Yet most of you are sailing into icebergs like that stringed quartet in the Titanic movie: with everyone running around like chickens with their head cut off, the violinist whispered to his quartet, “just keep playing the hits boys. Nothing is wrong here. We’ll be fine.” They literally “went down with the ship.”
Let me break this down:
Not trading = no upside.
You can’t win a fantasy championship without adapting. You’re not building a dynasty team; you’re managing chaos week to week. Refusing to trade is like refusing to make substitutions in soccer — admirable loyalty, sure, but eventually, your striker collapses from exhaustion while the other team’s already on their fifth fresh leg.The draft isn’t destiny.
Every year, people act like their draft was written by Moses on stone tablets. Shit, I was once that guy, saying to myself “I can’t trade LeVeon Bell, he was my keeper!” Brother, he’s averaging 4.7 points. You’re treating a slumping RB3 like a generational talent because of what you paid for him. Yesterday’s price is not today’s price.Going down with the ship is not heroic.
I get it. Nobody wants to be the guy who made a trade that backfired. But there’s nothing noble about drowning gracefully. This isn’t Titanic — nobody’s giving you posthumous awards for loyalty. The fantasy gods reward risk-takers, not stubborn sailors.
The Opportunity: The Case for Chaos
Let me be crystal clear — trades are the lifeblood of a healthy league. They’re the storylines, the what-ifs, the turning points that make each season unforgettable. I can go back to almost every year in our league’s history and provide you with a trade that we could spend hours going back and forth about who got the best of the exchange. We not only need to continue that, but we need to see much more of it.
Without trades, the league becomes predictable. With trades, every week becomes a potential headline.
We have a rare opportunity to shake things up, to resurrect that energy that made our group chat light up like a Christmas tree on trade deadline day. The way I see it, there are two kinds of managers in fantasy football: those who adjust when they realize their team’s not it. And those who pretend it’s all going according to plan.
Guess which ones win championships? Again, taking a look back, I noticed that of our 15 champions, 11 made a trade at some point during their championship season. Drafting a quality roster is only ⅓ of the journey towards a championship. Waiver wire pickups and trades make up the remaining road towards the championship destination.
New Trade Ideals: The JNIC Principles of Player Commerce
So, in the spirit of rejuvenating this trade market, I’m proposing a new code — a kind of “Trade Manifesto” — for all JNIC owners to live by.
1. One Man’s Bench Is Another Man’s Treasure
Every year there are teams hoarding talent like they’re saving for the apocalypse. Meanwhile, others are starting guys who belong in the waiver wire witness protection program. Look at the rosters this season — Steve, Mel, Willie, Dunc — these guys are deep.
If you’re struggling at WR1 or RB2, look at their benches. There’s a good chance they’re sitting on your missing puzzle piece. And they might be open to a fair deal if you make a compelling offer. Remember: it’s not about winning the trade in theory — it’s about winning your next matchup.
2. The 8-Point Principle
Fantasy matchups are won in the margins. You don’t need an extra superstar; you need a guy who won’t get you 2.3 points while your opponent’s flex drops 12. That 8-10 point player — the steady contributor, the unsung hero — can be the difference between a win and a loss.
You’re not building an All-Pro roster; you’re trying to grind out wins week to week. Don’t underestimate the value of “boring consistency.”
3. In Fantasy, Three Quarters Can Sometimes Equal One Dollar
Sometimes, it’s smarter to trade one “elite” player for multiple solid contributors. Depth matters. Three 9-point players can sometimes be better than one 20-point boom-bust guy. Especially with bye weeks, injuries, and random Thursday Night disasters.
Stop treating your top guy like a hostage you can’t negotiate with. If flipping him balances your team, that’s a win.
4. The All-In Gambit
Here’s where I channel my inner casino philosophy. I once found myself in St. Maarten at a hole-in-the-wall casino, down to my last $100 of the night after a brutal run of double-downs gone wrong. Rod taps me on my shoulder and says, “C’mon bro, let’s go.” But instead of walking away, I went all in. Boom — blackjack … I kept going, and within ten minutes, I turned that $100 into $1,800.
Sometimes, when you’re down in fantasy, you gotta embrace that same energy. You already know what happens if you do nothing — you keep losing. So make the big swing. Trade the guy everyone says you shouldn’t. Package your depth. Be bold. The fantasy gods love a gambler.
Scared money don’t make no money.
5. Emotional Detachment is a Superpower
You drafted these guys. You watched Hard Knocks. You listened to the podcasts. You feel like you know your players. But this isn’t friendship — it’s business. You can’t build a championship roster if you’re emotionally attached to every player.
You need to think like a GM, not a fan. When Belichick traded Randy Moss, he didn’t blink. When Shanahan sat Ayuik, he didn’t lose sleep. You can’t win a ring if your heart is running your roster.
6. Think in Market Value, Not Name Value
This is one of the biggest trade blind spots in our league. Players aren’t defined by their name. They’re defined by their output. If you’re trying to trade for a guy, don’t overpay for the brand. And if you’re trying to offload someone, be realistic — no one’s giving you a current blue-chipper for a bum with an All-Pro name (AJ ain’t AJ if he’s playing like BS).
Name value doesn’t win championships. Production does.
7. Be the GM You Complain You Don’t Have
As a former Cowboys fan, I have long envied the Eagles having Howie Roseman at the helm. While I’m sitting here watching Jerry Jones blink when he could’ve drafted Randy Moss because “he had off-the-field issues”, trade Amari Cooper for a 5th-round pick, trade a first, second, sixth, and seventh round pick for Roy Williams, trade two first round picks for Joey Galloway, turn his back when he could’ve signed Derrick Henry (who wanted to be a Cowboy) and trade away a generational talent in Micah Parsons for pennies on the dollar, I look north at Howie Roseman and witnessed him steal Saquon Barkley from the Giants on national television like a professional klepto, trade for AJ Brown (the old AJ, not this AJ), trade up in the draft to get Jalen Hurts, trade up in the draft to get Jalen Carter, and sign a no-name LB-turned-All-Pro in Zack Baun, bartering his way to 3 Super Bowl appearances in the last 8 years. This guy knows how to wheel and deal his way to glory. Be that GM in this league. Don’t sit back wishing you had a better roster. Go make one. Be proactive. Send offers. Start conversations. Play chess, not checkers.
The Call to Action
We’ve got to bring trading back to the forefront of JNIC culture. That’s part of what made this league special. We’re not just a fantasy league; we’re a 15-year saga of banter, betrayal, redemption, and glory. But right now, we’re stuck in neutral.
So here’s the challenge: Between now and the trade deadline, I want to see some trades go down. Not panic trades; smart, balanced, creative ones. Deals that make both sides better … or at least more interesting.
If you’re 3-2, 2-3, 1-4 … or CJ — it’s time. Don’t wait until you’re mathematically eliminated. Make your moves now.
Because history tells us something undeniable: The managers who make timely, smart trades are the ones still alive come December.
The Final Word
Let me close with this: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. And right now, this league is full of people repeating the same habits week after week, waiting for a miracle.
Maybe this is the season we change that. Maybe this is the year we bring the fun trades back.
Trades aren’t just about roster balance — they’re about engagement, drama, narrative, and hope. They make this league come alive. And as your commissioner, I’ll say it loud for the people in the back: The trade block is open. The phones are on. The time is now.
Let’s stop being spectators and start being GMs again.
Because scared money don’t make no money — and scared managers don’t win championships.
