Just a few weeks ago, Vincent Jackson was viewed as one of the elite wide receivers in the world of fantasy football. That was before Jackson was suspended for an additonal three weeks (bringing his total suspension to six weeks) and had a potential trade blocked by the San Diego Chargers. Unfortunately, it wasn't before many fantasy leagues held their drafts for 2010, putting managers in the uncomfortable position of owning Jackson, a comodoty whose fantasy value has reached rock bottom.
Most recently, Jackson's fantasy value has taken a further plunge as all 32 teams in the NFL have finalized their rosters for the season. With T.J. Houshmandzadeh accepting a minimum contract to play with the Ravens, how much interest can their possibly be for Jackson at this point, and with the Chargers blocking any attempt to be traded, does it even matter? Further, the Chargers' acquisition of Patrick Crayton shows that they are prepared to move on without Jackson and likely will not give in to his contract demands, and let's face it, in the unspectacular AFC West, the Chargers don't exactly need Jackson to win the division.
So yes, all signs indicate that Jackson will continue his holdout, will not get the contract he is seeking from the Chargers, and will not get traded. But make no mistake, trading Jackson now would be a mistake. Here are the reasons why you should keep V.J. if you have him, and might even want to consider trading for him if you don't.
Jackson will play weeks 10-16 this season. If he doesn't, he will not accrue another year towards free-agency, and that would be a disaster for him. Additionally, Jackson will have every incentive to play hard in those games, as they will be his only chance to make a case for deserving a bigger contract before the 2011 season. If you can keep your fantasy team aimed at the playoffs until Jackson's return, you will be rewarded with a clear WR1 who not only will play hard, but will be healthy. Even if Jackson is superfluous to your stellar receiving corps at that point, he will still fetch you more on the trade market later in the season with other fantasy managers in need of a healthy wide receiver than he could possibly fetch you now. On the other hand, if you wide receivers look week, trading Jackson won't get get you enough to make a significant improvement. Instead, actively pursue a free agent gem; they're out there. And, who knows... Jackson might just give in and come back to the playing field before week 10. He's lost just about all his leverage at this point.
The most basic rule of stock investment also holds true for fantasy player investment: buy low, sell high. Now is the time to sit on your hands. Now is the time to wait and see.
TOMORROW'S POST: Week 1 Matchup
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