5 players to trade for after your fantasy football draft 2021

Trading is one of the most exciting parts of the fantasy football season, but many wait until the season starts to begin moving players. That doesn’t always have to be the case, as there are angles to take for making trades immediately after your drafts.

There are buy-low candidates even before the season starts, as players could have been drafted a round (or multiple) lower than their finishing position may warrant. Below are five players that I recommend testing the trade waters for prior to the start of the season, as they could be primed for early-season breakouts.

Sony Michel could lead the Rams backfield | Fantasy football 2021

Sony Michel’s ADP has jumped 85.39 consensus spots from July to August, so it’s not necessarily buying low, but it can be argued that his price still isn’t high enough, as his 14th-round ADP still shows people aren’t valuing him for his ceiling.

A screenshot of a computer

Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Using the FTN Fantasy splits tool, Michel has seen at least 10 carries in 19 games over the last two seasons. In those games, he’s averaged nearly 65 yards on the ground while adding an extra 9.5 receiving yards with eight total touchdowns over those 19 games. Given Darrell Henderson’s extensive injury history and the Rams’ knack for running the ball, Michel is a player to get ahead of and acquire before he pops.

Courtland Sutton has top-24 WR upside | Fantasy football 2021

The news of Teddy Bridgewater starting provides a nice boost for the entire Broncos offense, but Courtland Sutton has been a bit of an afterthought compared to his colleague Jerry Jeudy. With so much concern around his health following ACL surgery, it shouldn’t be too hard to snag him from a league mate. I’m no doctor, but this looks like a pretty damn healthy ACL if you ask me:

Given his role on the outside as more of a possession receiver than Jeudy, he could easily be the favorite to lead the team in targets. Adding that to the fact that Bridgewater supported multiple top-24 receivers in 2020, it’s easy to see the upside in Sutton. With so much hype around Jeudy, Sutton’s asking price has gone down, making him the receiver to target in the trade market.

Jonnu Smith could be a TE1 | Fantasy football 2021

Mac Jones getting the starting nod for the Patriots in Week 1 was a godsend for their passing attack, with Jonnu Smith likely being an integral part. While you can easily draft him as a back-end TE1 or front-end TE2 based on his consensus ADP of 127.91 (10th round), his trade value doesn’t reflect that of a top-12 tight end.

FTN’s Matthew Freedman is also high on Smith, highlighting him in his article of upside TEs to target:

“Uncertainty creates possibility, and regardless of whoever plays at quarterback for the Pats, Smith might emerge as the No. 1 receiver in the offense, because in comparison to Henry and wide receivers Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers, he truly might be the best all-around and most efficient player on a per-route basis.”

At such a wasteland of a position, it’s not unrealistic to shell out your WR5 for a potential TE1, making Smith an elite TE to target before he potentially pops.

Amari Cooper is an overlooked wide receiver | Fantasy football 2021

While there are other receivers around Amari Cooper’s range I would rather trust on draft day, very few have a comparable ceiling. Many are seemingly forgetting that fact, too.

Given the price on fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb, it’s going to be near-impossible to swing a post-draft trade for him without mortgaging your entire team. Cooper, on the other hand, shouldn’t take much. The benefit here, too, is that Cooper could easily come out, assert himself as the WR1, and subsequently steal the spotlight and see his value vault. Jump on board before it’s too late.

Chase Edmonds has a high ceiling | Fantasy football 2021

Chase Edmonds’ preseason has provided a reason for optimism for his believers, as he’s played on all three downs and lined up in different formations, but his ADP still factors in the risk that James Conner could (and very well may) eat into his role. That also means that his owners have that same innate fear, as well, providing an elite opportunity to pounce.

While the addition of Conner should eat into a workhorse role, there are still over 200 vacated carries up for grabs with Kenyan Drake’s departure. Given the fact that Conner hasn’t played more than 13 games since his rookie season (2017), Edmonds should have all the opportunity in the world to establish himself as the RB1. His upside in the passing game also adds stability to his floor in an offense that ran at the fastest pace in the NFL last season, per FTN Fantasy’s pace tool.