TRADES 11, 12, and 13: The Hill Valley Shuffle

Heading into week seven, Hill Valley spun off three trades in an attempt to recalibrate their roster; Two with Saskatoon. Both teams still lost this week and have dropped below .500 on the year, to 3-4 and 2-5 respectively; Lets examine the ramifications of the moves more closely:

Hill Valley acquires:
RB Lamar Miller

QB Eli Manning

Saskatoon acquires:
RB Pierre Thomas

CB Kyle Fuller

This trade saw the McFlys acquire a RB on the rise in Lamar Miller- they gave up a serviceable RB in Pierre Thomas, but get an obvious upgrade (even before Thomas went down with injury) at the position. They give up rookie CB Kyle Fuller, who was a difference maker in week two and three but has been a milder presence since: a startable commodity at the league's most volatile position, but not a weekly weapon. QB Eli Manning was dropped for QB Carson Palmer before kickoff- a fateful move that undermined this trade's value for one week.

Hill Valley acquires:
RB Montee Ball

LB Von Miller

Pawnee acquires:
RB Ronnie Hillman

WR Jarvis Landry

LB Patrick Willis

After acquiring Miller, the McFlys deemed Ronnie Hillman expendable and moved him for RB Montee Ball. Ball's injury has an indeterminate timetable, and Hillman's prowess in the vacuum he left makes the situation opaque: There is no guarantee Ball will wrest his plowshare back from Hillman, if and when he returns. Flipside, Hill Valley got a healthy stud LB for an injured stud LB, in acquiring Miller for Willis. They play different positions- Willis, when healthy, has a higher floor, but Miller is one of the most electric pass rushers in the league, and has scored a sack in every game since the opener- and two sacks in three straight games. With Willis on the shelf for an undisclosed amount of time, this was a solid get for a team in need of wins. WR Jarvis Landry is turning into a reliable WR4, with a pinch of consistency and a dash of upside he is a flex play to feel good about.

Hill Valley acquires:

CB Cortez Allen

Saskatoon acquires:

LB Mychal Kendricks

The McFlys had clutched Kendricks tightly since he flashed early brilliance- but he's been out over a month. The Sasquatch have to be hoping for an imminent return here, as the other stud LB they recently acquired, Paul Posluszny, was one and done- a big game that ended in a major injury. The thing about acquiring CBs is that you're paying for past performance, with no guarantee of future returns: So much about ball hawking is context and opportunity. Cortez Allen had back to back gamebreakers in weeks 4 and 5, so the potential is there.