Viva Murillo!

When making trades, you should remember "Fight Club." The first rule of Fight Club is that you do not talk about fight club. It's also the second rule; it's that important. Well, trading is almost as simple:

The first rule of trading is that there are no rules. That's also rule number two and three.

It would insult your intelligence to try and pretend there and hard and fast rules to trading. That wouldn't make any sense, no matter what anyone says. Trading involves individuals with different personalities in a variety of situations. There's no way one particular method is going to work most of the time. Aside from not being a jerk, you can pretty much try whatever you think will work in your favor. Part of league dynamics is dealing with different owners who may or may not be willing to help you improve your team. That's part of the fun, really.

Still, it's worth discussing for a moment, because we're at that part of the season where some teams need to string together some wins. If you have one of them, the waiver wire alone probably won't provide everything you need to right the ship. That means you have to look for a trading partner who can help you get those wins. I don't consider the following advice adhering to any rules; they're just things that might not seem intuitive but could help you get something done. But that's as far as it goes. Always remember the first rule of trading.

Trade with the best teams. I know it makes sense to find another owner who needs something and work together to help each other out. But those teams are as desperate as you are. They need a spark and they want something great for their players -- just like you. And like you, they probably over-value what they have. It might be difficult to find something that works for both parties.

But a top team is in a different situation. If they're 7-0 or 6-1, they already have an eye toward the playoffs. They're looking at weeks 15 and 16 and trying to set themselves up as strongly as possible in those weeks. That's where you come in. A lesser player with a great schedule might be more valuable to those owners, and they might part with some of their depth in order to get those favorable match-ups. They also might be interested in ditching some players with poor playoff match-ups, enabling you to get more value for your guys.

Now, the downside is that you end up with players that don't look as promising during the playoff weeks. Well, so what? At this point you don't have the luxury of worrying about week 15 and 16. You just have to get there and worry about it later. Right now, all you care about is weeks 8-14. When I have a top team I'm definitely willing to make a trade I wouldn't make in week 3 based strictly on the playoff match-up. Since you and the other owner have different goals, you value players differently -- and that can work to your advantage.

Tout the guys without byes. If you trade with someone who also needs some wins, offer guys already past their bye and ask for guys who still have a bye coming up. I know that might sound silly because you get them for one less week. But Patriots, Vikings and Texans can be very valuable to you, even if you get one fewer game. I think some owners overweigh the importance of byes, and it might help you get a deal done that brings you a superior player. It's a risk, but if it pans out you get better performance for six weeks. That's better than a lesser performer for seven, although not everyone sees it that way. Take advantage of that.

I'm not saying those tips will get a deal done, but like I said -- there are no rules. At this point in the season, you need to try whatever might work. Hopefully the net result is a couple extra wins and a playoff berth. Good luck this week.

You can reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.

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