This post is inspired by a trade offer I received yesterday.  A trade offer of the kind that I have received so many times during my years of fantasy football, and a trade offer that I sure will be similar to one that you will receive in the future.

The basic premise of the Duds For Stud trade offer is simple.  A member of your league offers you two or possibly three of his bench players for one of your regular starters.  Wow you say.  What a deal.  With one trade I can strengthen my bench to the point that I can finally get rid of (insert name of current bum player here).  Sounds like a winner.

Wrong.  Let's look at this another way.  If you owned say a brand new, BMW or Mercedes Benz and I offered you two used Chevy Cobalts for it, would you accept?  No.  And the reason is simple.  You can only drive only car at a time, and if you're only driving one, you want that one to be a BMW.  Who doesn't.  The same rule applies for fantasy football.  It doesn't do you any good, to ever strengthen your bench at the expense of your starters.  Your bench players can't win you a head-to-head matchup.  Only your starters can do that.

This may sound self explanatory, and it is.  But you would be amazed how tempting an offer of this kind can be.  Especially so, when one of those two players you've been offered is a member of the all-hype rookie class, or the ex-great ready for a comeback, or something along those lines.  But be strong and your fantasy football team will be better for it in the future.