Talkin' 'Bout Trades 2012: Vol. 1

Well, we have our first trade of the 2012 season, boys, so let's take a closer look.

Panthers WR Steve Smith

Saints RB Darren Sproles

Star of David Akers (Adam) has traded WR Steve Smith to I Got Gronkchitis!!! (Marc) in exchange for RB Darren Sproles.

Who Gets What?

In Sproles, Star of David Akers gets a RB who is part of quite a committee down in New Orleans, including Pierre Thomas (already owned by Adam) and Mark Ingram. Thankfully, Sproles has his own unique skill set, and Drew Brees loves to find him in the short passing game, and whenever Sproles gets his hands on the ball, he has a chance to go the distance. He may not get many carries (Sproles had 0 carries in Week 1, in which the Saints were playing catch-up with RG3 and the Redskins the entire game), but he will get plenty of touches as the season goes on, making him a nice low-end #2 RB/solid FLEX play. 

I Got Gronkchitis!!! adds a stellar WR to his roster in Steve Smith, the Panthers' best option through the air. The clear-cut favorite of QB Cam Newton in 2011, Steve Smith has already put up a 100-yard receiving effort in the first week of the season. Does Newton put up the passing numbers he did in his rookie campaign? Maybe he gets close. Either way, Smith will be on the receiving end of the vast majority of Cam's passes, and that bodes well for Marc, who needed some help at WR. 

Final Analysis

Already having a stellar WR core (Brandon Marshall, Larry Fitzgerald, Victor Cruz, and Percy Harvin), Adam has traded Smith to address a need at the RB2 spot. Darren Sproles has racked up 11.50 points to date, and he is projected to get 139.22 the rest of the way. 

By trading Sproles for Smith, Marc has turned one of his 9 RBs (that's right, NINE) into a low-end #1 WR. Smith becomes the top WR option on a team "led" by Torrey Smith, Stevie Johnson, and Michael Crabtree, and he is projected to accumulate 144.61 points the rest of the way. 

I don't think either player produces like they did in 2011, but both players will have solid seasons, and each owner has addressed an area of need and upgraded his roster. This trade benefits each team, and that's what fantasy football trades are all about. 

Verdict: Push (I know, way to be controversial, right?)

What are your thoughts?