If you read my column on a regular basis, you that I love to trade fantasy football players. There is no way to strengthen your roster more quickly then to pull off a great trade. But who’s hot in the trade market? Heading into Week 6 of the fantasy football season, this is your market report.
The hottest position to trade right now is wide receivers. Cooper Kupp, who returned from IR last week, is flying back and forth between managers in fantasy leagues. Kupp, the 2021 fantasy points leader, caught eight of 12 targets for 118 yards and had 19.8 PPR points against Philadelphia.
Fantasy managers who had held Kupp for more than a month were surely delighted with Kupp’s performance on Sunday. Some were hoping to sell high, with Kupp traded for the likes of Devante Adams and Bijan Robinson. He was also in a number of 2-for-1 and even 3-for-1 deals.
While I was interested in Kupp’s coming-out party, I was more interested to see how Matthew Stafford’s favorite target would impact rookie sensation Puka Nacua. The impact in Week 5 was minimal. Nacua caught seven of 11 targets for 71 yards and a touchdown. He had 20.1 PPR points.
With that assurance, I decided to test the market and wound up trading for Nacua on Monday. I parted company with another rookie sensation, Bijan Robinson, to acquire Nacua. But I also received David Montgomery. To say that I was happy with this trade is an understatement.
Robinson, who is averaging 16.4 FP per game, was another hot item with very high trade volume this week. He was traded for Kupp in one Yahoo league, but most of the trades were multi-player trades. One fascinating trade was Robinson and T.J. Hockenson for Christian McCaffrey.
Another high-profile player who made his season debut on Sunday was Jonathan Taylor. The Colts running back, with a three-year, $42 million contract extension in hand, was all smiles as he took the field. But unlike Kupp, Taylor had a quiet return with only seven touches and 4.4 FP.
The lackluster return certainly didn’t tamp down Taylor’s trading volume, but his market value varied. One manager traded him for Alexander Mattison. I know which end of that deal I like. Another manager traded Taylor for Breece Hall. He was also in numerous multi-player deals.
In my market research, I was surprised to find how high trading volume was at the tight end position. Top-ranked tight end Travis Kelce was traded a lot, with more multi-player deals than straight one-for-one trades. I did notice that one manager traded Kelce for Montgomery.
Hockenson, Mark Andrews, rookie breakout Sam LaPorta and Darren Waller were all experiencing heavy trading volume this week in Yahoo Leagues. I traded Terry McLaurin for Waller two weeks ago and was glad to have Waller’s 16.6 FP in my lineup in Sunday’s game.
The position with the lowest trading volume was quarterback, with little trading activity. It seems like fantasy managers are happy with their quarterbacks. Joe Burrow, who had his first good game of the season in Week 5, was the hot item. Most of the Burrow trades were package deals.
What follows is my recommendations on who to trade for and who to trade away. The caveat here is that everyone’s needs are different. If you need a wide receiver and are deep in running backs, you’re likely to trade a running back for a wide receiver. Or, it could be the opposite.
TRADE FOR SAQUON BARKLEY
The New York Giants running back may return for a Sunday night game in Buffalo. If so, it’s likely that he will be eased back into the lineup. If this is the case, or if he just has a bad game, make an offer. I traded DeAndre Hopkins and Dameon Pierce for Barkley in my home league.
TRADE FOR TONY POLLARD
Coming off two single-digit fantasy games, there’s an opportunity to buy low on the Cowboys running back. If you can, try to acquire him before the Monday night game kicks off against the Los Angeles Chargers. This is a soft matchup, and I expect to see Pollard return to form here.
TRADE AWAY DERRICK HENRY
The 29-year-old running back has earned a reputation as the best running back between the tackles in football. Trade him on that reputation. He rushed for only 43 yards last Sunday, and has been in a time share with rookie Tyjae Spears recently. Cut your losses and move Henry.
TRADE AWAY KYREN WILLIAMS
The Los Angeles Rams’ running back dealt with injuries in his rookie year but vaulted over Cam Akers to take the starting job in 2023. He’s averaging 17.9 fantasy points per game this season, but his role in the passing game vanished Sunday with the return of target hog Cooper Kupp.
TRADE FOR JAYLEN WADDLE
Pundits wondered if Waddle could still be a WR1 after Tyreek Hill arrived in Miami last year. While Hill finished No. 3 in PPR points in 2022, Waddle was seventh. This year, Waddle is 47th, and his manager in your league may be selling. Try offering up Nico Collins or Jakobi Meyers.
TRADE FOR TEE HIGGINS
If you think Waddle’s numbers are bad, check out Higgins. He’s WR64 in 2023 after finishing 2022 as WR18. He was out for week 5 with fractured ribs, but might make it back this week to a Cincinnati team that seems to be figuring it out. You might get him even cheaper than Waddle.
TRADE AWAY D.J. MOORE
The Bears alpha receiver has scored five touchdowns and averaged almost 30 PPR points the past three weeks. Maybe Moore and Justin Fields have figured it out, but my guess is that Moore has played his best games in 2023. Why not seee if you can trade Moore for CeeDee Lamb.
TRADE AWAY JAKOBI MEYERS
If you have the Raiders receiver rostered, it’s likely you picked him up off the waiver wire. After two 20-plus fantasy games, it might be hard to trade him away. But keep in mind that Meyers was WR29 the past two seasons. Listen to the regression voice in your head and trade him now.
TRADE FOR DARREN WALLER
It’s been a rough year for Waller, who is averaging fewer than 10 FP per game. But he enjoyed his first double-digit target game with the Giants last week, scoring 16.6 FP without a touchdown. In fact, Waller hasn’t had a touchdown all season. Trade an overachiever like Meyers for him now.
TRADE AWAY SAM LAPORTA
Travis Kelce is not the No. 1 tight end in fantasy football. It this Lions rookie (Kelce is second). Here’s the thing. LaPorta, who is averaging 14.4 FP, is also averaging only 6.2 targets per game. LaPorta is going to come back to earth, so let it happen on someone else’s fantasy team.
Thomas L. Seltzer, AKA Doubting Thomas, writes about baseball and football for CreativeSports. Be sure to follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasLSeltzer1.
