TOP 10 PIECES OF FANTASY FOOTBALL TRADE BAIT

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

Ignoring, at least, the players that are now hurt for the year. You might have heard about them, and the unspeakable tragedy that is the season end for... Nate Burleson. Let's get to the targets!

10. Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams. Anyone that watched the Rams game against the Eagles would want absolutely no part of this team anymore, and with Orlando Pace leaving the game early, Jackson's owners may be tempted to pull the cord. If you can get him for a Week One Wonder -- say, Atlanta's Michael Turner -- it's time to roll the dice and trade up. (And yes, you can safely add Marc Bulger to the list, too.)

9. Clinton Portis, RB, Washington Redskins. A similar story to Jackson, in that Portis looks to be the best part of a bad team. Portis still got 84 yards in the loss to the Giants, but touchdowns may be down, and the schedule looks troublesome. At least Portis catches passes, making him somewhat useful when playing from behind.

8. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts. It's unlikely that Peyton's owner is willing to move him after just one game, but you never know, and it's not like there's no cause for worry here, with center Jeff Saturday having injury woes. They also play in the AFC South, the second best division in football, and if Joseph Addai is hurt, Manning isn't going to be Manning. The odds are with you on a rebound, but his owners may be feeling gun shy.

7. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars. One bad week? Not necessarily, given that they also lost two more offensive linemen to injury, making three on the year. He'll be better soon, but it's hard to see how he's going to be everything you wanted.

6. Lawrence Maroney, RB, New England Patriots. If anything, Tom Brady's injury helps him a little, since it will mean more carries... but Bill Belichick has been shortchanging fantasy owners on touches to the RBs for years now, and the backups here are going to vulture him hard. It's unlikely that you will be able to move him for the value you drafted him for, given the Brady downgrade, but he's looking like nothing more than the glorified part of a timeshare.

5. Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees threw for a ton of yards last week, and his top wideout got very little of it. If you can somehow convince his owners that Jeremy Shockey, David Patten and Devery Henderson are going to make him just the best part of a committee, go for it.

4. Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals. I wanted no part of him before the draft due to the presence of troublesome elements (Chris Henry, come on down!), and last week's turd against the Ravens won't help matters. Better times are coming, but really good times? Not so much.

3. Santonio Holmes, WR, and Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers. Both rising stars on many draft boards, but without love in last week's blowout against the Texans. If you deal for either, you are counting on Willie Parker not being a red zone force all year, and Hines Ward getting nicked up and/or covered more... in other words, reasonably good bets. It also doesn't hurt that the Steelers suddenly look like the only great team in the AFC.

2. DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles. Every part of his game against the Rams exuded cool. From the punt returns that helped the Eagles win the time of possession battle to the studied presence he had when catching balls in traffic, he was the embodiment of a #1 wideout, and the answer to Eagle Fan's prayers. So why move him? Because rookies are rookies, and he just can't get the same number of looks with Reggie Brown coming back this week, and Kevin Curtis next month... or can he? You're probably better off finding the Eagle Fan in your league and going for the sure thing, but he's the stuff that league wins are made of.

1. Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears. He gave his owners 141 total yards of offense with a touchdown in their shocking win over the Colts, and the schedule doesn't look bad at all. If you're confident enough, he's even got three home games during the head to head playoff weeks, and it's not like anyone really thinks he'll be poached by Kevin Jones or Adrian Peterson. He's also not exactly a little scatback (6'-2", 216), and just looked great. You'll have to pay a premium to get him, and it might be worth it.