I needed space on my roster.
I had Breece Hall and Adonai Mitchell coming back from IR, and guys on waivers I wanted to take a chance on. Keeping everyone wasn't really an option. On October 21, I traded Rome Odunze, KC Concepcion and Adonai Mitchell for Ladd McConkey. No picks or FAAB were involved.
I wanted Ladd, but I also wanted the two roster spots a three-for-one trade would open up.
Rome was playing. The points weren't there.
Rome's playing time wasn't the problem. By Weeks 5 and 6, he was playing almost every offensive snap. The production wasn't following.
Here's his first six weeks, with points from my full-PPR league:
- Week 1: 48% of snaps, three targets, two catches for 52 yards. 7.2 points.
- Week 2: 84% of snaps, four targets, three catches for 43 yards. 7.3 points.
- Week 3: 85% of snaps, six targets, three catches for 44 yards. 7.4 points.
- Week 4: 89% of snaps, seven targets, six catches for 94 yards. 15.4 points.
- Week 5: 99% of snaps, nine targets, three catches for 40 yards and a lost fumble. 5.0 points.
- Week 6: 96% of snaps, four targets, three catches for 39 yards. 6.9 points.
That's five single-digit games in six weeks, with no touchdowns.
The targets did improve before Week 6, so it wouldn't be fair to say he never got opportunities. Nine targets in Week 5 is a game I'd normally want. It just didn't turn into much.
Chicago also has Luther Burden and Colston Loveland to feed, in an offense that leans toward the run. Playing nearly every snap doesn't automatically make Rome the first option.
He felt like more of a known quantity to me. Not someone who could never improve, but someone I was comfortable moving rather than continuing to wait on the same role.
KC was the piece I had to give up
KC had potential. I wasn't treating him like someone with no value.
I just wasn't that excited about Cleveland's offense or its quarterback play, and I didn't have a bunch of other interesting pieces to offer. He was part of the price of getting Ladd.
Adonai was the toss-in.
Douglas is the kind of chance I want to keep taking
Caleb Douglas was already on my roster before the trade went through. The trade didn't make that specific pickup possible. He's an example of why I wanted room to keep making moves.
In his first game, he played 91% of Miami's offensive snaps and caught five of seven targets for 94 yards. In his second, he played 86% and caught two of three targets for 19 yards.
So it wasn't quite the 95% snap share I remembered, but he was already playing a major role. A rookie getting that much playing time is interesting to me.
Two games don't prove he's going to break out. I just want more opportunities to find someone who does. I don't need every pickup to work.
KC was one of those upside bets too. I chose to give up that one and keep looking for others.
The bet on Ladd
My read is that injuries explain a lot of Ladd's disappointing results. He was dealing with a foot injury, then left Week 6 with a concussion after only eight offensive snaps.
That doesn't make the Chargers offense good. I don't think it is. I'm betting more on Ladd getting healthy than on the offense suddenly becoming something different.
He still has to recover and produce. This isn't a trade I'm calling a win before that happens.
The way I see it, I gave up Rome, KC and Adonai for Ladd and two open roster spots. What I do with those spots matters too.