RADIO
The first third of the 2022 season is in the books. Bye weeks are now in full swing and your bench is probably filled with injured players. Trade rumors swirl around the league as November rapidly approaches.
Just like NFL teams looking to make a run at a title, it's time for you to make some trades to fortify your fantasy squad. There are plenty of overachieving players to capitalize on and many punching below their weight that can be obtained at a discount.
As I do every Wednesday, I will get into my favorite players to trade for and away before Week 7 kicks off. Let's first recap the immediate impact of last week's recommendations.
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Last Week's Recap
Not every trade will pan out right away. With that being said, only one suggestion from last week’s column was a hit in Week 6.
Travis Etienne out-snapped James Robinson for the third consecutive week and recorded his second straight game of over 100 yards from scrimmage. It was painful to see JaMycal Hasty scamper for a 61-yard touchdown and Trevor Lawrence score at the goal line twice, but Etienne was still productive for fantasy and averaged 8.6 yards per carry. It’s only a matter of time before Etienne gets a taste of the end zone, so I’d still advise trying to trade for him now.
George Pickens disappointed with his six targets as it was Chase Claypool that stole the show in the Steelers’ shocking win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Mike Tomlin seems to think Kenny Pickett has a chance to suit up in Week 7, so hopefully, Pickens can bounce back with the quarterback he has shown a ton of chemistry with.
Both sell-high candidates from last week proved me wrong, at least for now.
Gabe Davis came through with a big play once again, but I still don’t mind the idea of capitalizing on his current value. He hasn’t topped four receptions once this season, so while he’ll always have a chance at a long touchdown with Josh Allen at the helm, there are going to be down games in the future.
GABE DAVIS LOVES THE ENDZONE🔥
pic.twitter.com/Zk3m1j8JNX— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 16, 2022
Dalvin Cook had a strange week, but the results were positive and the Vikings put him on the field for his highest snap percentage of the season. He only handled 13 carries, but one went for a 53-yard score. The pass-catching volume that has been crucial to Cook’s success in the past is still nowhere to be found this year, but as long as he is out-snapping Alexander Mattison to this extent, he will be great. We’ll see what Minnesota does with their backfield when they return from a Week 7 bye, but hopefully you held onto Cook.
Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
It is pretty surprising to see the Packers sitting at 3-3 with losses to the Giants and Jets. The team has seemingly taken a large step backward without Davante Adams leading its wide receiver room. Still, many fantasy managers anticipated Aaron Jones to be the focal point of the offense every week, and he simply hasn’t been.
Jones has three games this season with 10 or fewer PPR fantasy points, including this past week in which he saw just 12 total touches, the fewest he's received since the season opener. After the Packers lost in Week 1, head coach Matt LaFleur stated that eight touches for Jones were “not good enough.” In Week 2, Jones exploded for 170 total yards and two touchdowns on 18 opportunities. The Packers won.
The good news is that LaFleur repeated those exact three words when asked about Jones receiving three carries in the first half of Week 6: “not good enough.” You’d think the coaching staff would have learned its lesson by now.
It’s not a coincidence that two of Green Bay’s wins this season came when Aaron Jones totaled at least 100 rushing yards and received at least 15 carries.
I’m tired of hearing “it’s not good enough” for one of the most fixable problems about this #Packers team.
— Brandon Carwile (@PackerScribe) October 17, 2022
This time, LaFleur was joined in his sentiment by none other than Aaron Rodgers. Appearing on The Pat McAfee show on Tuesday, Rodgers expressed his desire to get Jones more involved and pointed out that "good things happen" when the ball is in his hands.
After being on the losing side of two upsets in a row, Green Bay should look to switch up the game plan once again and feed Jones the rock against the Commanders in Week 7 and beyond. As the RB14 right now, the 27-year-old’s fantasy value is as low as it will be all year. Now is the time to send an offer to the panicked Jones manager in your league.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Through the first six weeks of the season, there have been no quarterbacks featured here as trade targets. This is because quarterbacks don’t add much value to trades in typical one-QB fantasy leagues, outside of a select few difference-makers.
Despite his mediocre output over the last three games, Lamar Jackson is a difference-maker.
Jackson was scorching hot from Weeks 1 through 3, averaging just under 35 fantasy points per game in four-point passing touchdown formats. He even started strong in the first half of Week 4, throwing for 108 yards and a touchdown while adding 22 rushing yards. In the second half, he gained only 36 yards through the air and threw two interceptions. The rushing production persisted as Jackson picked up an additional 51 yards on the ground, but the passing offense was clearly struggling.
Those struggles continued for most of Weeks 5 and 6. So what happened? Wide receiver Rashod Bateman injured his foot in Week 4 and hasn’t played since. Bateman’s value to Baltimore’s passing attack is painfully obvious as the rest of the Ravens’ receiving corps leaves a lot to be desired.
📈Ravens passing offense with Rashod Bateman on the field: 7.9 yards, 0.28 expected points added per drop-back
📉Ravens passing offense with Rashod Bateman off the field: 5.4 yards, -0.08 EPA per drop-back
Lamar needs his WR1 back.
(via @nflfastR)
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) October 17, 2022
The second-year speedster is not guaranteed to play in Week 7, but coach John Harbaugh has stated that he is nearing a return.
It’s important to note that Jackson has not been bad for fantasy by any means over the past three games. His rushing volume gives him an incredibly high floor that very few signal-callers possess. He has just failed to reach his ceiling with Bateman sidelined.
After finishing three consecutive weeks outside of the top-10 fantasy quarterbacks, Jackson’s value has likely fallen from an untouchable tier with Josh Allen to a tier with Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert. These are still great fantasy quarterbacks with a fair amount of value, but they can be had for the right price. If you roster Josh Allen, it may not even be a bad idea to try and get Jackson plus a usable piece for him.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay shocked the fantasy football community when he not only told the media that Cam Akers would miss Week 6, but that the Rams were "working through some things" with the 23-year-old running back. Fast forward just a few days and McVay has confirmed that the team is looking to trade Akers to give him a fresh start.
On the surface, this seems like an ideal opportunity for Darrell Henderson Jr. to establish himself as Los Angeles' lead back. He operated as such on Sunday, tallying 12 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown and catching two balls for nine yards. The problem is that the team isn't looking to give Henderson a full workload. Six other Rams skill-position players were given rushing attempts in the win over the Panthers.
Veteran Malcolm Brown's involvement could've been predicted, but four different wide receivers carrying the ball at least once is far from ideal. Add in the fact that the Rams' offensive line is one of the worst units in the league, and you're setting yourself up for disaster relying on Henderson as a fantasy starter.
Oh, and his job as the starting running back might not even be safe.
The #49ers and #Rams are among teams to have been “implicated” in a potential trade for #Panthers RB Christian McCraffrey, per @JFowlerESPN
H/T @NBCSEdgeFB
— Sterling Bennett (@49ers_Access) October 18, 2022
Sure, it's going to take a lot to trade for Christian McCaffrey, but if any team has recently proven its willingness to pay up for a shot at a championship, it's the Rams.
Whether or not Henderson remains the RB1 in L.A., fantasy managers would be wise to trade him following a top-20 performance at the position. There is certainly someone in your league excited about his outlook with Akers having played his last snap in blue and gold.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs
When the Chiefs moved on from Tyreek Hill this offseason, it became a mystery who would replace him as the team's WR1. Kansas City gave a surprisingly large contract to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year prove-it deal, and brought in Skyy Moore via the NFL Draft.
Six weeks into the season, it's clear that none of them are individually replacing Hill. The Chiefs are still finding success, which can largely be accredited to Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, but none of their receiving options outside of Travis Kelce can be trusted for fantasy purposes.
Smith-Schuster was the player that garnered the most hype heading into the season due to his past production. He is currently leading the wide receiver room in targets, but is the fantasy WR32 through six games, with his first top-30 showing coming in Week 6. Although he will absolutely have more solid outings in this offense, it's going to be difficult to determine when. MVS and Mecole Hardman will have their games, and Moore has been quietly effective in his limited time on the field.
Rookie receiver usage and efficiency (min 10% team routes run in games played)
- Drake London and Chris Olave high usage and efficiency, the former in a low-volume passing attack
- George Pickens' efficiency moving up
- Alec Pierce entering the discussion
- More Wan'Dale, please pic.twitter.com/1gRngAcB42— Kevin Cole (@KevinColePFF) October 18, 2022
It's likely that Moore becomes increasingly involved as the season goes on. Before that happens, strike while the iron is hot and trade JuJu to a fantasy manager that's buying into his Week 6 breakout.
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