If you haven’t heard, Chiefs RB Larry Johnson pleaded guilty on Friday to two counts of disturbing the peace and he will now get two years probation. This might trigger an eventual NFL suspension, but this might just be the start of Johnson’s problems in the world of fantasy football. The Chiefs are now going after Johnson’s guaranteed money, which obviously is going to upset the running back. Johnson and the Chiefs have a grievance hearing scheduled for Wednesday – The Chiefs claim that Johnson’s one-game suspension last season for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy was a breach of contract and the Chiefs think that this frees them from having to pay Johnson $3.75 million in guarantees. According to some sources, if the Chiefs win the grievance, Johnson could be released. If he isn’t released, for whatever reason, there is good reason to think that Johnson won’t be happy in 2009 and fantasy worlds could be looking at a possible RBBC in Kansas City.
If you own L.J., clearly it is time to start testing the trade waters. Don’t sell extremely low, as fantasy owners would be better off holding onto L.J. and hoping for the best versus shipping him off for a 1.08 2009 rookie selection. So what’s the best way to attack an L.J. trade in dynasty formats?
The solution is simple — Attack other players that are also on the decline, like Reggie Bush. Yea, I realize Bush comes with his own risks, but you’re not going to land an obvious stud using L.J. — He turns 30 this season and he is in an extremely messy situation. If you can land a Bush-type, I say jump on it without hesitation.
There are a couple threads on our Fantasy Football Forums where some fantasy owners are looking to trade Johnson, and Bush is just one of the names popping up. Who are some other players to attack? How about Braylon Edwards or Ronnie Brown? Both are on the decline, but both are players we believe in for 2009 and beyond. Two other players, that could cost you more than just L.J., include Joseph Addai and Darren McFadden. It would be borderline foolish to surrender either Addai or McFadden straight up for Johnson, but two-for-one type trades can often get deals done — Add a wide receiver that you can do away with and see if you can mask Johnson’s risk. What does that mean? Well, often times someone will say no to a trade like Larry Johnson for Joseph Addai, but if you can package in a Carson Palmer-type or Jerricho Cotchery-type (that you don’t need), fantasy owners will often feel that the move is less risky. If a fantasy owner is helping two starting spots, like if Palmer now becomes the owner’s starting fantasy quarterback, the risks involved in the trade seem smaller to that fantasy owner. Use this tactic to your advantage and get rid of L.J. now while you still can!
Post any comments or trades that you may have made involving Larry Johnson!!!
I recently moved LJ and Josh Morgan to get another disgruntled Johnson in Ocho Cinco and Ahmad Bradshaw.
Even if LJ gets released, I can’t see another team signing him until after the draft due to his looming suspension.
Although that is a lateral move in the “trouble” department, I think Ocho Cinco can still produce. I also like Bradshaw a lot. Decent side step if you have the RB depth and you needed a WR!
No doubt LJ is a mess off the field and who knows what to expect from that potential pass-happy offense this year yet why can’t he bounce back? The guy has a ton of talent and only has 1,200 carries in his career. People like LT have 2,600 and even somebody like Thomas Jones has about 800 carries more than LJ. When LJ played last year, he had great games and looked really good on the field. I even like Jamaal Charles a lot yet is a sub-200 pound RB really going to steal carries from LJ? Based on talent alone and ignoring age, there aren’t fifteen or twenty running backs better than him in the league. I think it’s a joke that people have RBs like Ryan Grant and Kevin Smith ranked ahead of him. Just because the Chiefs were horrible last year doesn’t mean LJ should retire and hopefully he’s motivated this offseason since clearly he’s gotten killed in the media and rightfully so.
I had plenty of RB depth with Gore, Addai, Lynch, PT, and DMac ahead of LJ and I needed some proven WR depth due to Marshall’s looming suspension.
Good comments so far, Xtremers!
I’m going to put my advice to work and in our 2009 FFX1 Dynasty Expert League, I’m going to try and dump Larry Johnson. Here is our roster:
Tony Romo, Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, Larry Johnson, Chester Taylor, Darren Sproles, Marques Colston, Chad Ocho Cinco, Lance Moore…
View All Rosters Here!
Ok, so less than 24 hours later, I put our advice to the test and made a lateral move that got rid of LJ at max value.
Read About Our Trade Here.