Jahmyr Gibbs was drafted 12th by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, and expectations were high for the speedster out of Alabama. However, he hasn’t quite gotten off to the start fantasy football managers would have hoped for. He has only 116 total yards of offense through two weeks, with no touchdowns.
With these statistics, is it time to trade Gibbs while you might still be able to get some quality value back?
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Should Fantasy Football Managers Trade Jahmyr Gibbs?
This is about as easy of a question as you can answer, absolutely not. Gibbs is two games into his rookie season.
Even before the news of David Montgomery’s injury potentially making him miss a few weeks, you should not have traded Gibbs. He is too dynamic and has way too much upside, the Lions were trying to ease him into the season.
The plan all along since they drafted Gibbs was for him to see his workload increase gradually throughout the season. When you have a workhorse type of running back like Montgomery, you can afford to be a little patient with a rookie running back like Gibbs.
Now, he doesn’t have the opportunity to be brought in slowly, as he is the go-to running back in Detroit. The game against the Seattle Seahawks showed how valuable he is going to be in the passing game, as he had seven catches for 39 yards.
He is still going to be that receiving option out of the backfield, but now could be getting closer to the 18.5 carries a game that Montgomery had been averaging.
If you are thinking about trading Gibbs after two weeks, please, do not make that decision. However, if you have decided you want to go a different way, there is an opportunity to bring back some admirable talent for him.
What Should Fantasy Managers Look To Acquire When Trading Gibbs?
Don’t trade Gibbs just because you are frustrated with his first two weeks. If there is an opportunity to make your team extremely better, then you should consider it.
However, if you are trading someone like Gibbs, you need to get a substantial haul back. He is currently ranked as RB13 in the Fantasy Consensus Rankings, which shows he is good enough to be your No. 1 running back or very close.
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You have to be getting at least one player back that is capable of going and winning a week for you, or multiple players who can be in your lineup.
Gibbs is going to be a special player. He’s a guy who, by the end of the year, could be a top-10 running back in fantasy by the end of the season.