Fantasy football trade targets

Week 3 of the NFL season is in the books, and even though we have three weeks of data to look at, it’s still very easy to overreact. The goal here is to highlight a few players who have seen their stock rise and fall which ultimately leads to buy-low and sell-high trade targets in fantasy football.

I’ve also highlighted a few players who I’m concerned about, a few who I would rather hold than trade and a few players who I would cut my ties with. You’ll also see the top 10 players traded in CBS Sports fantasy football over the past 24 hours.

Keep in mind that some of the buy-low and sell-high candidates mentioned below don’t need to be moved. They are simply suggestions as their fantasy stocks have changed despite just three games on their 2021 NFL resume. I’m a big believer in 2-for-1 and 3-for-1 package deals if it means landing the best player in the trade.

Fantasy football trade talk: Who to buy and sell after Week 3

Buy-low candidates

Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears

It’s hard to imagine Robinson’s stock getting any lower than what it is right now, and it’s hard to imagine him finishing as a top-10 wideout for the third consecutive season. He’s currently the No. 69 receiver in 0.5 PPR, and there’s nothing nice about that at all, especially if you’re a Robinson fantasy manager. The window to acquire Robinson is wide open, but can you trust Matt Nagy and the Chicago Bears to get the offense right? I think the answer to that is no, but I’m still checking in on Robinson managers. Nagy clearly doesn’t have the ability to play to Justin Fields’ strengths as he only called two designed QB runs and one play with motion during the rookie’s starting debut.

We could see Nagy lose his job any day, and if he isn’t axed, he could lose his play-calling responsibilities. Nobody should be shocked at this point. Whether it’s Nagy, and whether it’s Fields, Andy Dalton or Nick Foles, there’s only one way for this offense to go and that’s up. I believe in Robinson. He’s been surrounded around poor coaches and quarterbacks his entire career and he’s been just fine. I wouldn’t view him as a WR1 or WR2, but if you can acquire him to be your third wideout or even a flex play, you should consider it. He leads the Bears in targets with 21 and he’s had two very tough matchups to start the season. He gets Detroit this week and Las Vegas the following week.

Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Woods only has 11 grabs for 124 yards through three weeks, which is nothing compared to what his teammate Cooper Kupp has done. He’s currently the WR50, as he’s been held under four catches in two of his three games. Woods was only held under four catches in two of 18 games last season (counting the postseason). Matthew Stafford’s locked into Kupp and he’s spreading the ball around, but Woods will eventually get his. He has 19 targets in three games (15 in his last two) and the schedule is soft with Arizona, Seattle, the Giants, Detroit, Houston and Tennessee on the way. Like Robinson, we have to adjust our rest-of-season ranking of Woods. He’s not a WR2, but he can be a decent WR3 if someone is willing to move on from him. The Rams will have one of the best offenses all year long, and there’s upside in having a piece of it.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

If you’re off to a 3-0 start and the CMC manager is 0-3, check in. We don’t have a timetable for McCaffrey, but the Panthers didn’t place him on IR due to his recent hamstring injury, so he may be back sooner rather than later. He could miss more than three weeks, so keep that in mind, but he’s worth the risk. Think about your playoff run with CMC on it. If it meant moving on from Melvin Gordon, Henry Ruggs and Kenyan Drake, then so be it. You never know how desperate McCaffrey’s owner is. Also, if you own Chuba Hubbard or you land him on the wire, flip him to the CMC owner.

Check in on

Jonathan Taylor, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrell Henderson, Miles Sanders, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Kyle Pitts

Sell-high candidates

James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Robinson had another very encouraging week en route to an RB3 finish in Week 3, and it should be enough to sell if you’re looking to. It was a very surprising result considering he had 1.7 fantasy points at halftime. Robinson finished with 88 rushing yards on 15 carries and caught all six of his targets for 46 yards. He found the end zone on a red-zone rushing attempt, but Carlos Hyde had the first carry, which almost resulted in a score. That’s the thing for me: Hyde is still hanging around — Robinson only played 59% of the snaps in Week 3. This is your chance to get out of what could be an absolute mess again with Hyde and Urban Meyer. The Jags’ offensive line is trash, the coaching staff can’t be trusted, and Jacksonville ranks 26th in running back rushing attempts. Not going to lie, the garbage time catches were nice to see and the Jags will remain a pass happy team all season but those targets aren’t a lock.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos

Believe it or not, Gordon’s a top-10 fantasy football running back as we head into Week 4. His managers may be 3-0 just like the Broncos, but things could get tougher for him and Denver moving forward. The Broncos have played the Giants, Jags and Jets to start the season. This week they get Baltimore, followed by Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Cleveland. There are a couple strong run defenses ahead, and Javonte Williams is still very much involved. Gordon is one of those players you could package for an upgrade elsewhere just make sure you get the best player in the deal.

Christian Kirk/A.J. Green, WR, Arizona Cardinals

There’s no denying how explosive the Cardinals are on offense, but Kirk and Green are going to have their highs and lows, just like Rondale Moore has. If you’re OK with that, hold onto what you have because there will be big weeks with all three wideouts. I’d rather package one of Kirk or Green with someone else, in exchange for a more consistent WR. Green just had his first 100-yard game since 2018 and Kirk has been boom-or-bust for a couple of seasons now. Make no mistake, they’re both ahead of Moore, who had a dud game in Week 3 after smashing in Week 2. There are so many options for Kyler Murray which will result in frustrating weeks for everybody in this offense.

Field offers for

Chris Carson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Alexander Mattison, Peyton Barber, Trey Sermon, Deebo Samuel, Henry Ruggs, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Sammy Watkins, DeSean Jackson, Mike Gesicki, Austin Hooper, Dawson Knox

Dynasty buys

Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trey Sermon, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Michael Carter, RB, New York Jets
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Rondale Moore, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Henry Ruggs, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears

Concerned

Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

Harris was a non-factor last week as he only ran the ball six times for 14 yards. The Pats began their Week 3 game against the Saints with three straight three-and-outs, and they played from behind the entire game. James White left with a hip injury and may miss some time, but that’s not a lock to help Harris. The Patriots refused to give Harris any looks when trailing and gave the ball to Brandon Bolden twice in the red zone. Bolden finished with -1 yard on those two carries, and they still refused to put Harris on the field. With the Bucs on the schedule this week, I expect another mediocre performance. In fact, if the Pats continue to play from behind, Harris will continue to sit on the sidelines. If you’re a Harris fan, wait on more week because his manager may be willing to part ways if he struggles again. Either that or check in now given the tough matchup ahead. I’m out, though.

Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Ty’Son Williams, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Kenyan Drake, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers
Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers
Jonnu Smith, TE, New England Patriots

Williams was a sell high for me last week so I’m not interested in buying even though the window is open. I wouldn’t drop him. Things can’t get any worse for Sanders, especially given the fact the Eagles are missing three key pieces on their offensive line. Anderson can’t touch your starting roster and Smith is worth a drop in 10 and most 10-team leagues. Rodgers was always going to regress and so was Tonyan.

Drop

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans
Tevin Coleman, RB, New York Jets
Giovani Bernard, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
James White, RB, New England Patriots
Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Russell Gage, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Marquez Callaway, WR, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints

Fantasy football trade targets – Week 4

Fantasy football trade talk: Who to buy and sell after Week 3

Buy-low candidates

Sell-high candidates

Dynasty buys

Concerned

Drop

Hold

Stock up

Stock down

Stash

Undervalued

Most traded in CBS Sports leagues

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