Welcome to Week 1 of the 2023 fantasy football season. Regardless of how good your team may be, never stop searching for ways to improve your roster. It’s definitely more challenging to make trades at the onesie positions, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try! Here are a few undervalued QBs and TEs to buy low and overvalued ones to sell high.
What QB Should You Trade For in Fantasy Football?
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Ahead of Week 1, this column is heavily based on my predraft opinions. Justin Herbert opened on my rankings as my QB7. By the time I started drafting, he was all the way up at QB4.
Just two years ago, Herbert averaged 23.3 fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall QB2. Fantasy managers are not properly valuing him based on his offensive situation, talent, and ceiling.
Outside of the big three quarterbacks, there aren’t many with overall QB1 upside. Herbert has that. He’s going to light up the Miami Dolphins in what could be the highest-scoring game of Week 1 on Sunday. If you can secure him in a trade now, do it.
What QB Should You Trade Away in Fantasy Football?
It’s admittedly difficult to call any QB a sell-high candidate before any games have been played. However, if there’s one guy who might qualify, it’s Justin Fields.
Fields’ valuation is a bit all over the place. I’ve seen some take him as high as QB4 and others as low as QB8. He’s typically valued adjacent to the likes of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert, but I have him more in the next tier with Trevor Lawrence.
If someone is out there who views Fields as closer to the top of the tier than the bottom, it wouldn’t hurt to explore a trade and see if you can get a low-end QB1 plus a wide receiver or running back.
What TE Should You Trade For in Fantasy Football?
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys
I’ve got a hunch that Jake Ferguson is going to be the Cowboys’ new Dalton Schultz. He’s an unexciting, not particularly athletic pass-catching TE who does just enough to get the job done.
We know Dak Prescott likes to target his tight ends. Ferguson has been the clear TE1 in training camp, and reports have been overwhelmingly positive. There’s no on-field data to go off of, but there also wasn’t any when Schultz became Dallas’ TE1 and a fantasy TE1 back in 2020.
Fantasy managers who completely punted the tight end position should be able to acquire Ferguson for the price of just about free. I suspect that after Week 1 or 2, we may be looking at Ferguson as an every-week TE1.
What TE Should You Trade Away in Fantasy Football?
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
I’m not quite sure where all this love for T.J. Hockenson came from. There seems to be a perception that he was infinitely better on the Minnesota Vikings than he was on the Detroit Lions.
Last season, Hockenson averaged 12.5 ppg in Detroit against 13.0 ppg in Minnesota. That isn’t a meaningful difference.
MORE: Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
If anything, it should be viewed as a negative because Hockenson’s targets per game increased from 6.5 to 8.2, and his receptions per game increased from 3.8 to 5.7. On more volume, Hockenson was barely more productive.
Hockenson will be fine this year. He’ll be a TE1 and will probably finish within the top six. However, he’s being valued as if he’s closer to the top guys than to the random back-end TE1/streamers.
I don’t think Hock provides the edge some think he does. If there’s someone out there who’s in that latter group, see if you can sell high on the Vikings’ TE1.
Trending Searches For QB/TE Trade Targets
Should You Trade David Njoku for Dallas Goedert?
There’s definitely a world where David Njoku outscores Dallas Goedert this season. The Philadelphia Eagles added D’Andre Swift, which could negatively impact Goedert’s target share. With that said, Goedert is the better player on the better offense.
I am very concerned about Deshaun Watson this season. While I do like Njoku as the last TE before you completely punt on the position, Goedert is the superior fantasy option.
Should You Trade Mark Andrews for Kyle Pitts?
Last season, all the hype was around Kyle Pitts. Now, it’s worn off a bit. However, he still has that same elite upside if he sees the targets. Unfortunately, Pitts still isn’t running routes as often as a guy of his caliber should. He’s also not the top option in the Atlanta Falcons’ passing game.
Meanwhile, Mark Andrews is the clear top target for Lamar Jackson. He’s got a better QB, a better offense, and what should be a more pass-friendly offense than Pitts. This one isn’t particularly close — give me Andrews.
Should You Trade Justin Herbert for Trevor Lawrence?
It wouldn’t be a total shock if Trevor Lawrence outscored Justin Herbert this season. Given that he’s entering his second year in Doug Pederson’s system and added Calvin Ridley to his cast of weapons, Lawrence is set up to smash this season.
With that said, Justin Herbert is poised to go absolutely nuclear. He is my clear favorite of the non-big three QBs to potentially finish as the overall QB1. The Chargers added Kellen Moore at offensive coordinator and spent a first-round pick on WR Quentin Johnston.
L.A. wants to get more vertical, something Herbert didn’t do last season, likely due in large part to a rib injury he never truly let heal. This isn’t a landslide, but it’s pretty firmly Herbert over Lawrence.