NLL Insider

Honestly, who doesn’t like a good old school Eddie Murphy reference? I dare you to find the man (the non-gender version) that hasn’t collapsed onto the ground in stitches after watching/listening to Delirious.

Anyway, Axel Foley aside, there are very few diamonds in the rough remaining in the free agent pool. It’s now time to hit up your neighborhood Trade Center and make some moves - especially if you find yourself crawling into Week 4 of fantasy.

In Week 5 of my column (the Jan. 31st edition), I suggested taking advantage of opponents’ infatuation with a certain player or team, and executing a deal that leaves them in shambles. This is still the case.

But if that doesn’t work for whatever reason - I can’t imagine why - start looking at ways to improve your roster based on the results of some of the other players in your league.

For example, a guy that is (0-3) is going to be much more apt to make a trade to get that goose egg off the board than someone who is (3-0). They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

On the other hand, someone still undefeated might take a risk or two knowing that they have that buffer. So be sure to examine all options before you simply give your players away.

Next, you need to do you best to put together a package deal.

Unless two players have almost identical stats and/or upsides (think Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey), there’s a good chance that the person you are propositioning isn’t out looking to get screwed in a straight up deal. On top of that, per NLL fantasy rules, you must operate in a quid pro quo format - one for one, three for three, etc.

So realistically speaking, target the player you want and then add someone else from their roster that you can either drop, or tuck away on your bench, and package a deal that might strike your opponent’s fancy.

However, do not, I repeat DO NOT, put all your eggs in one basket! Sure, I love John Grant, Jr. too. But not only is he off to a rough start (if such a thing is even possible), betting the farm on him, or any other individual, would just be silly.

One player does not a team make - just ask Kobe Bryant. Even MJ needed a quality supporting cast before he won his first of six rings.

THE INSIDERS LEAGUE:

The contenders have really started to separate themselves from the pretenders in our league.

I (2-1) got my second dub in a drubbing of Bob Chavez (1-2), 16-8, the ‘fro (Ted Jenner) (1-2) got win No. 1 over Shanny (0-3), 19-3, and John Jiloty (2-1) fell to Chris Hall (2-1), 17-13.

And in what should have been the game of the week, Paul Tutka has shockingly risen to (3-0) after the disembowelment - thank you Sideshow Bob - of Lauren Ward’s (2-1) formerly undefeated Check Republic, 27-9!

I would have thought that a match between two undefeated titans would have been much closer. Let’s hope, for the sake of the fans, that this Friday’s meeting between Colorado (5-0) and Philadelphia (3-0) is more of a game.

However, there has been a trading frenzy since Tuesday because of the actions of the currently perfect Tutka. And the results are a sea change on his roster.

First he unloaded Dan Teat and Mike Hominuck to Jenner for Dean Hill and Delby Powless. Personally, I think Jenner got the better of King Tut in this one.

From there, he traded Dan Carey, Callum Crawford and Jamie Rooney to me for Shawn Williams, Kaleb Toth and Jamie Shewchuk. I’m a huge Carey fan and was willing to part ways with Williams and underachievers Toth and Shewchuk to take stock in Crawford and Rooney. At this point, this is a pretty even trade, but time will tell who got the better deal¦Me!

Finally, he sent Powless packing with Shawn Evans to Chavez for Aaron Wilson and Ben Prepchuk. How is this not terribly lopsided, for Chavez? Wilson is a great player that has underperformed and Evans, be it coming off a career game, is a Top-20 scorer in the league. Prepchuk hasn’t even scored 4 goals in 4 games, while Powless is tied for ninth in the league in assists (18).

In all honesty, I think that Tutka actually got a little worse based on all of these trades. I’m a big believer in the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra. So I can’t quite wrap my head around all of the moves. If nothing else, at least he gave me something to write about.

BEST SMACK TALK OF THE WEEK:
Jenner actually had the best jab this week. Unfortunately for him, it was on himself after he divulged that he drinks London Fogs - Earl Grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla flavoring. So I cooked this little side by side up.

For those of you who don’t know who the other guys is, that’s the late jazz singer Mel Torme, commonly known as “The Velvet Fog.” I think I can even see the resemblance! Yeah right - Jenner wishes.

This joke was actually first made at the end of January, but has come up a few more times since then. Ted Jenner is “The London Fog.”

Of course, we could always just call him what they refer to this drink as at the local Starbucks, a Vanilla Tea Misto. You make the call. Friggin’ Canadians!

THE STUDS:

(To tune) On with the show, this is it!

Jeff Zywicki (SJS): (5, 3) vs. CHI
The league’s top scorer makes his second straight appearance in this section of my column, and third in six weeks. With 41 points (22, 19) through 6 games, Zywicki is averaging a whopping 6.83 points-per-game! This guy is looking unstoppable! An all-star for sure.

Shawn Evans (ROC): (4, 3) vs. TOR
This week’s NLL Offensive Player of the Week scored all of his goals, including the game-winner in the fourth period, as part of a 10-goal run in the Knighthawks‘ comeback over the Rock. On one of the most talented offenses in the league, which has sputtered a bit all season, he is a guy that you have to account for on every play.

DUDS:

So far, it seems that each week, after I call a few guys out in this section, they turn it around that week and get it done in the points department. So I guess if you see the name of a player on your roster on this list, perhaps expect the tide to briefly turn.

Kaleb Toth (CGY):
After an explosive start with 12 points (5, 7) through the ‘Necks first 3 games, Toth has flamed out a bit, going (0, 4) through the next 2. I foresee him stepping back up for the still Kelusky-less team, but not sure if he’ll ever reach the level of expectation for him this season.

The entire Toronto Rock Offense:
Talk about your colossal meltdowns, their loss to Rochester over the weekend put a spotlight on this massive weakness. Now with Coach Glenn Clark back on the bench after the suspension, look for this side of the ball to improve. But 4 goals in 60 minutes of play! This isn’t hockey. They’ll need to retool quite a bit if they expect to compete for a playoff spot in the difficult East.

START ‘EM:

Craig Point (MIN): (4, 5) vs. New York
On the unexpectedly undefeated Swarm team, the rookie is 2 points off of Andy Secore’s team lead of 35 points - (13, 20) for 33 points. Honestly, many felt that Point was the most game ready out of all the players in the draft, but this is a bit ridiculous. Producing his finest game of the season so far, and the best game of his short NLL career, Point earned his second consecutive league Rookie of the Week nod, to make that three outta’ eight weeks. I think it is time for me to backtrack and say he is now the frontrunner in the Rookie of the Year sweepstakes.

Ryan Powell (POR): (4, 1) vs. Colorado, (1, 5) vs. Minnesota: (5, 6) 11 points
After stringing together two solid efforts in a row, be it they were both close losses to two undefeated teams (what a brutal schedule!), the middle Powell gets the Fixler seal of approval to go ahead and start. He has 25 points (9, 16) through 6 games and has been able to find a way to pull the bread in the basket when Dan Dawson and Derek Malawsky have stumbled.

SIT ‘EM:

Cory Bomberry (BUF): (1, 4) vs. Calgary, (1, 0) vs. New York
I’m not saying that this guy isn’t getting it done for his team, but at 16 points (6, 10) through 6 games, he is just off his career 48.5 points-per-season average. Perhaps the 12-year vet is starting to show a little bit of his age at 31. But as a guy that definitely had high expectations of him this season - I drafted him - especially with the injuries to other key offensive weapons for the Bandits, I’m a little disappointed in his output so far, and he’s been riding the pine all season.

Jason Clark (CHI): (0, 5) vs. San Jose
Clark has gotten off to a solid start, but has only been able to find the back of the net himself 2 times in 4 games. Assists are great…but not nearly as important as goals in fantasy. He’s on pace to surpass his 41 helpers from a season ago with a projected 48, but his goals-per-game has slipped a little, with only a 50-50 shot that he’ll hit twine on any given night.

PICKUPS OF THE WEEK:

Matt Brown (COL): (3, 3) vs. POR
The Sting transplant finally made a name for himself on the Mammoth roster in his second game played. The injury to Brian Langtry aided him getting him some PT, so that puts some question into if he’ll even see the field once Langtry is back. In the meantime, pick him up, and then worse case scenario, drop him. But this performance will definitely justify the Colorado management in thinking about having him play again very soon.

Frank Resetarits (SJS): (4, 1) vs. CHI
The Entry Draft’s fifth overall selection finally put his name in the paper in a big way with the performance against the team that could have drafted in that spot before trading the pick to the Stealth. How’d that work out for them? This is only his first strong performance of the season, but I expect several more to come. If he’s a free agent in your league, or available for a small price via trade, be sure to snipe him up.

CLOSING NOTES:

E-mail me at nllfantasyinsider@nllinsider.com with questions, comments, etc. Please include your name and location because the best e-mails will be published next week. And while you’re at it, go rent Coming to America!

See you next Thursday!

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