RADIO
A wild Week 3 is behind us and fantasy football rosters are starting to take shape. Nothing is certain yet, but it is becoming apparent if your team is a powerhouse or if you need to make some trades to get there.
Either way, we are always looking to improve our teams. And each week I will be writing this article and bringing you some trade targets to help improve your rosters. In addition to players to target in trades, I also discuss players to trade away or avoid.
Before we get into Week 4’s trade targets, let’s recap the suggestions from last week’s column.
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Week 3 Recap
Simply put, the Denver Broncos offense is still bad. Javonte Williams continues to impress with the ball in his hands, but he surrendered more snaps last week to Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone. 20 opportunities for Williams is nothing to scoff at, though, and is enough to get the job done for fantasy purposes. A potential get-right game against the Las Vegas Raiders is on tap for Williams and the Broncos in Week 4, so don’t give up hope if you made a deal to acquire him. Through three weeks, the Raiders have given up the third-most PPR fantasy points to running backs.
You have to be thrilled if you added CeeDee Lamb to your squad before Monday Night Football. He did have an egregious drop in the second quarter that could have resulted in a 50-yard score, but he made up for it by finishing with 87 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. Lamb saw double-digit targets for the third consecutive game, a feat only he and Diontae Johnson have accomplished this season. After this showing, and with Dak Prescott (thumb) targeting a Week 5 return, it is likely too late to buy Lamb if you didn’t already.
That's No. 1 WR CeeDee Lamb.
My goodness. pic.twitter.com/OVqZdVT7yV
— Joey Hayden (@_joeyhayden) September 27, 2022
Clyde Edwards-Helaire found the end zone in Week 3, but the peripherals show that he is still overachieving for fantasy with his current usage. CEH was out-snapped by Jerick McKinnon yet again in a close contest with the Colts. He was effective as a pass-catcher but did not record a single rushing yard on seven carries. If anything, the touchdown gives fantasy managers another opportunity to sell high this week.
Lamar Jackson is an early front-runner for league MVP, but the unfortunate truth is that he can score five touchdowns and 40+ fantasy points any week without Rashod Bateman doing much of anything. Bateman was great for fantasy in the first two weeks of the season despite seeing a limited number of targets because he was able to score on big plays. The offense runs through Jackson and Mark Andrews right now, so Bateman’s explosive fantasy weeks will come inconsistently. Hopefully, you capitalized on his hot start.
Onto Week 4! Let’s discuss the players to trade for and the players to trade away with their current fantasy value in mind.
Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-1, but the credit is mostly due to their defense that has allowed just 27 total points in three weeks. Tom Brady has struggled to produce with his wide receiver corps crippled by injury. Chris Godwin (hamstring) is highly questionable to suit up in Week 4, and although Julio Jones (knee) is expected back, he is 33-years-old and has been hampered by numerous ailments for the past three seasons.
Russell Gage stepped up in Week 3, but Mike Evans will be Brady’s go-to guy as he returns from a one-game suspension. Evans turned seven targets into five receptions, 71 yards, and a touchdown in Week 1 with Godwin and Jones active to start the game and managed three receptions for 61 yards before being ejected in the fourth quarter of Week 2. Neither of these performances was likely enough to make Evans an untouchable asset, and his fantasy managers already had to make plans to be without him last week.
As the only healthy receiver with an actual rapport with Brady, Evans should be peppered with targets and will have the opportunity to score plenty of touchdowns, something he excels at.
Mike Evans has 27 receiving touchdowns over the last two years and nobody cares
— Russell Clay (@RussellJClay) January 11, 2022
Even if the receiver room eventually returns to full strength, Evans will be fine as he finished as the WR9 last season in PPR scoring with Godwin, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski all producing.
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon had a true breakout season in 2021, finishing as a top-five running back in PPR scoring. He is yet to score a touchdown in 2022 but there are plenty of things to be encouraged by.
Mixon has seen an average of 6.7 targets per game to begin the season, which ranks fourth amongst all running backs. He saw a career-high in targets back in 2018, and even then, he averaged just 3.9 per contest. Mixon’s target share could decline a bit throughout this year and he can still easily post the best receiving season of his career.
RB Leaders in Routes Run:
1. Saquon Barkey (90)
2. Joe Mixon (87)
3. Devin Singletary (84)
4. Jonathan Taylor (81)
5. Leonard Fournette (79)
6. Darrel Henderson (74)
7. Austin Ekeler (70)
7. Michael Carter (70)
9. Aaron Jones (68)
9. D'Andre Swift (68)— Alex Caruso (@AlexCaruso) September 27, 2022
The opportunities have been there, but Mixon was remarkably disappointing for fantasy in a great matchup against the Jets in Week 3. He did injure his ankle late in the game, allowing Samaje Perine to get some run, but Perine found the end zone in the first quarter with a healthy Joe Mixon on the sideline. There is nothing worse than watching a backup running back score a touchdown while spelling your top-24 overall draft pick. Such is fantasy football.
Mixon still saw 12 carries and seven targets before hurting his ankle, though, so the volume persisted. Another positive takeaway for Mixon from the Bengals’ 27-12 victory over the Jets is that the offense finally started to click. Joe Burrow struggled in the first two games but looked like himself again in Week 3.
Cleared to play in Week 4, Mixon will continue to be utilized as Cincinnati’s featured back on the ground and through the air. The matchup against Miami could bode well for him too, as the Dolphins just allowed Devin Singletary to catch nine of 11 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Rookie sensation Garrett Wilson has looked excellent to start his career and currently ranks top-10 in the league in wide receiver targets. We have seen so many rookie wideouts explode over the past few seasons that it is easy to see Wilson's ceiling without acknowledging his floor.
His floor is just more crucial for fantasy at the moment.
Joe Flacco has been under center for the first three weeks and has attempted over 50 passes per game. This is great for New York’s offensive weapons, no doubt, but things could change drastically with second-year signal caller Zach Wilson expected to reclaim the starting job in Week 4.
The Jets will likely continue to trail their opponents throughout the season, so game scripts should remain favorable. But let’s not forget that this team allowed a league-leading 29.6 points per game in 2021, yet Zach Wilson never attempted more than 42 passes in a game.
Perhaps Zach Wilson will be unleashed this year, but it’s important to remember what Garrett Wilson himself said when explaining the difference between the Jets’ two quarterbacks.
I asked Garrett Wilson the difference between catching passes from Joe Flacco compared to Zach Wilson:
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) August 15, 2022
Garrett Wilson’s future looks incredibly bright and his dynasty fantasy football value cannot be understated. In a normal redraft league, however, there are too many questions surrounding the Zach Wilson-led Jets to not package him with another asset for a definitive upgrade.
Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons
Allow me to begin with a disclaimer: this could look like a really bad take for the next few weeks.
Patterson is the fantasy RB6 heading into Week 4 after finishing as the RB9 last season, so this isn't just an anomaly. He is a good player, but there are some red flags to be aware of.
First, he is 31-years-old and in his 10th NFL season. Sure, he was not a running back to start his career, but he still played a fair amount of snaps as a receiver and returned plenty of kicks before his time in Atlanta. His body started to break down towards the end of 2021 and Falcons head coach Arthur Smith stated that Patterson's workload was being managed. There's no reason to expect anything different this season as the team is 1-2 and will most likely not be competing for a playoff spot.
Rookie running back Tyler Allgeier has seen his snap count increase the past two weeks with Damien Williams (ribs) on injured reserve. It should be anticipated for Allgeier to see his role in the offense expand as the season goes on, especially if the Falcons aren't winning games and want to rest Patterson a bit. And who knows what happens when Williams returns given the backfield splits before he went down in Week 1.
Falcons RB snap count before the Damien Williams injury
Damien Williams 7
Cordarrelle Patterson 4
Avery Williams 1— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) September 11, 2022
If Atlanta is bad enough, they could even make a switch at quarterback and see what they have in rookie Desmond Ridder.
Patterson may be productive for the beginning portion of the season, but there are long-term concerns that could make him unreliable as the fantasy playoffs near. Considering you probably drafted him as your third or fourth running back, you should be able to afford to trade Patterson in a package deal for a huge upgrade.
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