With three games in the books, fantasy football managers are starting to get a feel for how their drafts went as we get more and more data and film. The fantasy football trade analyzer helps us look for potential targets that managers could be hitting the panic button on in Week 4. Additionally, it highlights players that you might want to sell before a downward turn in production.
Week 4 fantasy football trade analyzer | Players to trade for
With a string of underwhelming performances shifting the narratives, these players could be potential trade targets before Week 4 games are underway.
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Last week in this same article, I said fantasy managers needed to trade for Jonathan Taylor. I am here once again recommending the same move.
In a great matchup against the Titans, Taylor had a third lackluster performance in a row where he totaled 72 yards and was the RB37 on the week (8.2 points). In my eyes, all this did was buy fantasy managers another week to snag Taylor in a trade before it’s too late.
Although Taylor is the RB27, signs point to a surge in points on the horizon. He is tied for the 11th-most touches per game (16.7) and tied for ninth in opportunities at 17.7 per game. That’s more than Ezekiel Elliott, Aaron Jones, Nick Chubb, and Austin Ekeler.
Taylor averaged 6.4 yards per carry last week and is near the bottom in terms of fantasy points vs. expectations due to simply not finding the end zone. It’s a bit of an anomaly, considering he’s tied for first in the NFL in carries inside the 20 (13) and sees 72% of the RB carries.
If you look at the Colts’ upcoming schedule, three of the next six games are against the Dolphins, Texans, and the Jets. All of these teams are inside the bottom 12 in fantasy points allowed, with Miami and New York 31st and 30th, respectively. The Dolphins just allowed Peyton Barber to combine for 142 total yards, so you can only imagine what Taylor can do.
Fantasy managers need to make a trade happen for Taylor before the Week 4 games are underway. Otherwise, it might be too late.
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
Heading into the season, everyone was looking at the Patriots’ new offensive targets. What managers neglected to notice was the true WR1, Jakobi Meyers. And based on my interactions, it seems people are still behind on him.
Meyers leads the team in targets (29), receptions (19), receiving yards (176), and receiving air yards (293). After a Week 3 in which he caught 9 of 14 targets for 94 yards, Meyers has seen 24.7% of the total targets but 47.5% of the WR targets (61). This is nothing new.
In 2020, Meyers totaled 45 yards or more in nine of 11 games (81.8%), including two with 110 or more. From Week 7 on, Meyers was the WR22 in PPR formats with 12.8 ppg, averaging 7.3 targets, 5.3 receptions, and 65.6 yards. And he did this on a Patriots offense that didn’t throw a TD to a WR until Week 11. In fact, according to Pro Football Reference, Meyers is the only WR in NFL history with 1,000 receiving yards without a touchdown.
Meyers is an under-the-radar player who can add some great depth to your roster with bye weeks set to begin in Week 6. And along the way, you snag yourself a low-end WR3/high-end WR4 in the process.
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
That sound you hear coming out of Nashville is not the next big country star set to light your boots on fire as your tear down the dance floor. It’s people smashing the panic button on A.J. Brown, who currently resides as the WR70 in PPR formats. We haven’t seen a fall from grace happen this fast in a country-loving town since the Dixie Chicks.
But it’s not all bad. Brown had 8 targets in Week 1 and followed it with 9 targets in their second game. It’s just a few barely missed passes from Ryan Tannehill from making sweeter music than Shania Twain.
Brown will likely miss Week 4 due to a hamstring injury he picked up in Week 3, which could help drive the trade price even lower. When he does come back, I expect to see Brown rocket back up the charts.
Players to trade away
With solid games under their belt and positive narratives surrounding them, these players could be sell-high candidates if you’re looking for maximum return.
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
This is by no means a thing you need to do. I do not want it coming across that way. But right now, you could get a king’s ransom for Ja’Marr Chase. Could he be the 2021 Justin Jefferson? For sure. But from an efficiency standpoint, something has to give you would think.
Prior to his Thursday Night Football game in Week 4, Chase was the WR11 in fantasy through three games while averaging 18.93 points per game (PPR). He had 11 receptions on 16 targets for 220 yards with 4 touchdowns, tied with Mike Williams (LAC) for second-most in the NFL and only behind Cooper Kupp (LAR).
If Chase wants to stay at his current pace and value, he either needs to maintain his absurd 25% touchdown rate or increase his volume from Joe Burrow to compensate.
Do I believe he can? Absolutely. But it is also worth seeing if you can get a substantial return on a possible trade.
Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
Look, I love Brandin Cooks. It seems every single season he is the forgotten man in fantasy drafts for literally no apparent reason outside of people wanting to say he’s injury-prone, which is a complete farce.
Since 2015, Cooks has been the WR13, WR10, WR15, WR13, WR62, and WR17, all while playing on four different teams. Oh, and he’s missed only three games along the way.
Right now, Cooks is the WR6 in fantasy (20.6 ppg) and seems to be about as QB-proof as anyone. He has 32 targets (T-3rd), 23 receptions (T-2nd), 322 yards (T-3rd), and 1 touchdown. However, Davis Mills is going to test that “QB-proof” narrative to its breaking point. Remember, that was his first start last week (which also means no one had film on him). Even then, Mills had just 168 passing yards, though he hyper-targeted Cooks (11).
I could make the case to hang on to Cooks if the schedule was favorable, but it only gets tougher from here. The next five-game stretch is against the Bills, Patriots, Colts, Cardinals, and Rams. Then, in Week 10, it’s Houston’s bye week.
This is more to do with my lack of faith in Mills than Cooks. I would be looking to trade Cooks for a solid return to another manager who believes in the “QB-proof” narrative.
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
The Browns have the best 1-2 punch in the NFL, without question. Kareem Hunt proved once again in Week 3 that he would be a starter on 95% of rosters in the NFL if not for some guy named Nick Chubb on the depth chart.
Hunt carried the ball 10 times for 81 yards and a TD while recording 6 receptions on 7 targets for an additional 74 yards. He was the RB2 on the week with 27.5 PPR points as the Browns looked to redistribute the targets without Jarvis Landry. The thing is, this was the first time Hunt had rushed for over 65 yards since Week 9 on 2020, and only the second time in the last two seasons he had seen 7+ targets.
Hunt is viewed as a mid-RB2 when, in reality, he is more of a flex option. Fantasy football is not about only making flashy trades. Sometimes it’s about a series of small profits. Trading Hunt after his big Week 3 performance could bring you a player who has a higher ceiling in return.