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Each week we’ll take a look at the top trade targets for each position. Trade targets can be any player at any time throughout the season. The objective (when possible) is to “buy low” and “sell high” acquiring and getting rid of players as they are hitting their peak or before they lose their value. This article will become extra handy once bye-weeks kick off next month.
Did I miss a key trade target for this week? Comment below.
Buy “Low”
Quarterback: Russell Wilson (DEN) – Call me crazy, but Denver has to correct this, no? I get it, Russ has been dreadful with only two touchdowns on the season and heat on his Head Coach already. He’s also 6th in passing yards and 13th in pass attempts, so per usual, his efficiency is there. Jerry Jeudy did have a quick scare Sunday vs. HOU, but his X-rays came back negative and he should be fine. Courtland Sutton may not be the clear No. 1 WR with Jeudy healthy, but that only helps Wilson. Either Nathaniel Hackett will work this out, or he’ll be fired after next week. When Wilson finds his groove, this offense should be nice. Get in while you can. Wilson had tons of pre-season hype. It won’t take much to make him untouchable in trade markets.
Running Back: Tony Pollard (DAL) – Pollard should already be on your roster as a later round “handcuff” at least. For those of you that gambled on Zeke, you better have drafted Pollard too. Pollard won’t be cheap, but he’s most likely not a starting RB for most rosters at this point. However, he looks to be the best back in Big D and will see an increased workload as Zeke fades and the Cowboys rely on the run without Dak Prescott. Pollard is RB20 in PPR, but has seen the least amount of carries (just 15!) among those Top 20 RBs. He does however have the 5th most receiving yards of that group. Zeke is currently RB45 on 10 more carries than Pollard. Zeke has 12 PPR fantasy points. Pollard has 24. I know it’s early, but when you watch the two it’s not close. Pollard is the A- option to Zeke right now, but he’ll soon be the clear RB1 in Dallas. He’s most likely the “cheapest” he’ll be this season, but not for long.
Wide Receiver: Tee Higgins (CIN) – Currently WR38, this might be the only chance you have to scoop what should be a high-end WR2 by the season’s end. Higgins was WR13 in PPR fantasy points per game last season taking a backseat to Ja’Marr Chase. Higgins saw only two targets in Week 1 before a concussion made him leave the game. He cleared protocol in Week 2 though and had 10 targets and a touchdown. All eyes are on Chase and for good reason, but that means Higgins gets a CB2 on him which is usually a mismatch. Higgins is a WR1 on most other NFL teams in my opinion. Joe Burrow is second in pass attempts and the Bengals have to fix this sack problem, right? T-Higgy is one of my favorite WRs in the league and quietly one of the best weekly options as a WR2. If he hovers around 16 PPRFPPG like last year, he’ll be a huge addition to your fantasy roster.
Tight End: Kyle Pitts (ATL) – TE32, I know. Four total receptions and no touchdowns, I’ve noticed. Exactly two catches for 19 yards in each game so far, crazy huh? He’s been triple-teamed in the Redzone and Marcus Mariota has done a great job of finding the open options. That said, Head Coach Arthur Smith acknowledged that they need to design plays to get Pitts the ball in open space and within the Redzone. He was the 4th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for goodness sake. Some analysts (*cough* me *cough*) may or may not have had him as a TE1 overall candidate by season’s end. That may be tough to achieve, but he should get more involved and I expect that to happen as early as this week vs. Seattle. Pitts will cost more than you want to pay based on name value alone, but if it doesn’t break the bank, or you have an early stud overachieving his ADP that you can sell high, I’d absolutely target Pitts. His talent may already be the best at the position. I’ll bank on that long term. Worth a conversation with the Pitts manager at least. If he puts up another dud vs. the Seahawks he’ll either be a “bust” candidate or even cheaper. I’ll risk it. I want him on my team.
Sell “High”
Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) – This should be a no-brainer, but I’ll write this anyway. Tua was QB2 in Week 2 with an absurd 469 yards and SIX passing touchdowns. He was QB20 in Week 1 though. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are both Top 4 fantasy WRs heading into Week 3. They’ll both continue to carry Tua’s production and should each have great seasons with their game-breaking speed and the Shanahan offense in full effect. That said, I would try to trade Tua for a number of quarterbacks right now that I expect to improve and/or be much more consistent options the rest of the season. If you’re greedy, try Justin Herbert. This is the only week you might pull this off, so DO IT! Tua broke the system this week and caught the eyes of everyone with Miami’s comeback win over Baltimore. Herbert should have beaten the Chiefs, but the storyline there is that he threw a pick to lose the game and fractured ribs in the process. Herbert might miss a game, maybe. However, I expect him to throw for 300/3 weekly with 400/4 upside. Tua will most likely be boom/bust and when the NFL starts playing the Dolphins like they did the Chiefs last year with multiple high safeties, crossing-routes aren’t going to blow up the stat sheet. Cheaper options would be Russell Wilson (I know, it’s coming), Tom Brady (same), Joe Burrow (leads the NFL in sacks at QB, but also 2nd in pass attempts), or even Kyler Murray.
Running Back: Michael Carter (NYJ) – There’s an argument that Carter might be a “buy-low” and I respect that. However, after seeing the switch in workload, snap share and production in Week 2 vs. a stout front seven in Cleveland, I’d rather cash in on whatever perceived hype Carter might have right now and go get Breece Hall who nobody seems to be talking about. In Week 1, Carter had 17 touches for 100 total yards (5.9 YPC). Hall had 12 touches for 61 total yards (5.1 YPC). In Week 2, Carter had 12 touches for 50 total yards (4.1 YPC). Hall had eight touches for 60 total yards and a score (7.5 YPC). This is clearly a committee for now, but once Hall gets ramped up to 60% snap percentage like Carter it should turn the tide. We may be looking at a Melvin Gordon / Javonte Williams situation from last year, but assuming both backs would be bench stashes right now anyway, give me the potential of Hall. I’ll wait it out for cheap.
Wide Receiver: D.J. Moore (CAR) – This may not even be a thing because I’m not sure too many people consider him a “high” candidate right now, but if you can move him on name value and residual pre-season hype, please do. Sure, he could catch his stride with Baker Mayfield, but so far it’s been a joke. Moore has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL since entering, but Carolina refuses to force-feed him the ball. He has identical stat lines in both weeks this season but did score last week. 3/43 on six targets each week isn’t going to cut it. The Panthers have run the second-fewest plays per game this season behind only the Seahawks and Bears. The Panthers are 13 plays per game behind their 2021 pace… and Christian McCaffery is healthy (as of this article). I love Moore and wish him to escape the paws of this horrendously run team, but until that happens try to swap him out for a lower name with a better weekly floor and upside. Try Rashod Bateman, Marquise Brown, Curtis Samuel or even Michael Thomas or Keenan Allen (currently injured).
Tight End: Zach Ertz (ARI) – Sell “high” tight ends are tough because if they’re not a household name, then they’re hard to move and if they’re a stud you probably shouldn’t move them anyway. That said, I’ll throw Ertz in the mix. 32 years old and growing weaponry surrounding him. Kyler Murray has done a nice job of targeting Ertz since he joined the team last season. However, Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore (when healthy), the emergence of Greg Dortch and eventually DeAndre Hopkins (suspended four more games) will be tough to compete with long term. Not to mention a strong run game with James Conner (when healthy). Ertz scored in Week 1, but only had four targets. He had 11 targets in Week 2, but Hopkins and Moore were out and Conner got hurt. Again, I’m not saying dump Ertz. It’s hard enough to find a quality TE from week to week and you could certainly do worse than Ertz, but perhaps take a look at Gerald Everett, Pat Freiermuth or even Logan Thomas. You may be able to sneak a deep-depth piece in with these guys too. Maybe even Isaiah McKenzie, Ty-Davis Price or Garrett Wilson.
