NFL Fantasy Football: Buy Low / Sell High Trade Targets
The art of NFL Fantasy Football trades is similar to working in the stock market. You want to sell off overvalued assets and buy assets at their lowest value. Remember, sending a trade request doesn't cost anything; send it out and see what happens. There is a sucker born every minute; you should take advantage of them instead of your league mates.
Sell High:
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams:
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Cooper Kupp is scheduled to return to practice this week. His return spells a drastic change in target share for this big producer compared to his first four weeks. In keeper leagues, Nacua is a buy-low candidate. Cooper is nearing 30, while he still has a few years left in the tank, I could easily see him being shipped to a different team in exchange for the younger and less expensive option. In our Sport City Chefs poll 33% of responders said they would trade for Nacua. Right now, there are mixed messages as to the return of Kupp. LA Times reported that Kupp isn't a lock to start this week against the Eagles, but he is returning. His value will drop when that happens. I would try to get value for him now while you still can.
Zach Moss, RB, Indianapolis Colts:
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Just like Kupp, RB Johnathan Taylor is set to return from PUP this week for the Colts. He could be held out for an additional three weeks, and Taylor managers could get desperate if they weren't winners in the Achane, Williams, and Moss sweepstakes. The Indianapolis Star reported that Taylor returned to practice and could play against the Titans this week, but it is unknown with the bad blood between the parties. Moss is an insurance policy that Taylor managers will trade for.
Devon Achane & Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins:
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This one is spicy. The duo has been fantasy gold through the first four weeks. They are putting up big numbers against the Broncos and the Bills I can't see their value being any higher than it is right now. Two things worry me about the duo at the moment. First, it feels like this is going to be a "ride the hot hand" kind of situation. Last week, Mostert put the ball on the carpet and lost touches because of it. But I don't think that this is permanent. We'll see Mostert take touches away from Achane for the rest of the season unless he messes up something bad. Don't hear what I'm not saying. You aren't LOOKING to move on from these players, but I think if you could throw out an offer to get Josh Jacobs and Sam LaPorta or something on that level to shore up multiple positions, it's worth the trade. In our poll, 53.3% of managers were looking to trade for Achane, and 13.3% were looking to trade for Mostert. It only takes one to say yes.
Buy Low:
Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
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Austin Ekeler has been gone since Week 1 against the Dolphins. If his manager is going into his buy week at the 1-3 mark, he may not have time to wait another week for his first-round draft pick to return to duty. I fully expect the Chargers to come out of the week 5 bye with Ekeler and Herbert healthy it's not likely, but worth a shot.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
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This one might be a week too late, but Jacobs started the first three weeks with 8.1, 7.4, and 9.5 fantasy points in half PPR scoring and only had one great week where he scored 23.9 but the one thing that hasn't changed is his snap count and target share. Those are some of the best indicators of consistent fantasy output. Buy him now and thank me later.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
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Right now, Gibbs is sitting at RB28 in half-PPR leagues and has been overshadowed by fellow Lions RB David Montgomery. I imagine people will be trying to rid themselves of Gibbs or are at least benching him for brighter options. As of this writing, Gibbs is still starting for 83% of Yahoo! leagues, meaning he is hurting their managers every week. "But, Controversy," I hear you asking, "If he is doing so bad why are we trading for him?". It's because I expect it to change. Look for Gibbs to have the light turned on at some point after the bye week in week 9. I think that you would be able to acquire him as a throw-in on a bigger trade.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
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Sam LaPorta is currently the TE2 on the season, so nobody thinks that he is bad. There are leagues out there where LaPorta is on the same fantasy roster as Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce, and other big name TEs. This one won't be cheap. If you have depth at a different position, LaPorta isn't going to be hindered by the return of Jameson Williams.
