ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which big-name player will or should be traded before next week's deadline?
DAVID DOREY
The Bears are already looking toward next season and rebuilding the team. That makes 30-year-old Matt Forte expendable since he’s only got a year or two left in him. He has a very cap friendly salary this year at around $7 million and he’s a free agent next year anyway.
Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.
JOSHUA SIMMONS
A player I would like to see traded to a new team is Khiry Robinson. Now in his third season with the Saints, the West Texas A&M product has compiled eight touchdowns in spot duty. Clearly his current team hasn't factored Khiry into their longer term plans, as evidenced by the guaranteed money they invested in Mark Ingram and C.J. Spiller last spring. Robinson has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he can hang at the NFL level, and would flourish elsewhere if given a legitimate chance.
Simmons has been a contributor for FantasySharks.com since 2007. His responsibilities include dynasty rankings, weekly projections-driven content and staff representation in various leagues.
ALAN SATTERLEE
It may seem obvious, but Steve Smith should be traded as the Ravens are 1-6. Smith is playing absolutely exceptional again this season. Through six games Smith is nearly averaging 100 yards per game (98 to be exact). It would be so amazing if he came back to Charlotte and finished his career as a Panther. He really would make them a very strong Super Bowl contender (and they are all already). Smith though says he won't welcome a trade. Maybe something can be worked out. The city here would be on absolute fire. Come on Smitty, you and Dave Goettleman work something out and come back! Smith eventually will get into the NFL Hall of Fame, especially closing out so elite as well. Smith is now 11th all-time with 13,850 yards. This weekend -- Smith needs just 49 yards to pass Cris Carter and move into 10th-place all-time.
Satterlee is a co-owner and senior writer for Dynasty Football Warehouse. DFW is comprehensive site covering dynasty, redraft, IDP and Daily formats. DFW has a large writing crew with many people from the DFW community contributing to the insights and discussion. Alan is also the Fantasy Football Insider for the Charlotte Observer and is syndicated in a few other newspapers in the southeast.
IAN ALLAN
I don’t expect there will be any notable trades. They’re rare. Matt Forte is a great old running back in a contract year, but I don’t see a contending team making a move for him. I don’t see the fit. It would be neat to see the Cowboys bring him in, but I don’t think they’re interested in getting into mortgaging their future. Colin Kaepernick and Sam Bradford will be at new addresses next year. I would love to see what Chip Kelly might do with Kaepernick in that offense. But those are issues that realistically will be dealt with in the offseason. If the Eagles want to bring in Kaepernick for a look, it will occur next spring. If any veteran moves to a new teams, I suppose Anquan Boldin or Steve Smith would make the most sense. They’re pass catchers at the end of their career, and I suppose they could help a receiver-needy contender. But I will be surprised if either of those guys gets moved.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
If I were the Broncos, I'd be kicking the tires on a veteran tight end from a losing team. Do the Bears really need Martellus Bennett long term? Is Vernon Davis part of the Niners rebuilding? Owen Daniels is at the end of his career, and Denver badly needs another option to diversity its passing game (and some blocking help would be nice, too).
Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 20 years and writing about it for 17. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.
SAM HENDRICKS
It all comes down to winning teams looking for that extra "lift" to help them with a playoff run or a losing team trying to jettison a vet who does not fit or costs too much. RG3 needs a change of scenery bad but his contract pretty much negates any chance of that happening. A far more realistic trade could occur when Miami decides to ditch WR Greg Jennings. They will look for a future draft pick and remove a player who does not exactly fit into the young receiver setup the Dolphins have. Jennings could help a team in need of a experienced receiver who still has a little left in the tank. Matt Forte and Vernon Davis are other candidates but Jennings is the best bet for a new home.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013. Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.
ANDY RICHARDSON
Carolina needs to make a move. How awesome would it be if they brought in Calvin Johnson? I know it won't happen, but it's fun to think about. More realistically, a lesser yet still capable veteran along the lines of Anquan Boldin, although I am not sure that would really be worth it for them. I assume the Bears wouldn't actually trade Alshon Jeffery, who really ought to be part of the rebuild, but it's a rumor that has been out there. Probably there won't be any trades; it's hard to get a new player up to speed quickly. In-season trades of Percy Harvin and Randy Moss didn't really work out. But I hope some teams with championship aspirations are at least thinking about it.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.