Fantasy football enters a new stage as bye weeks throw wrenches in rosters. Not only are managers faced with tough start/sit decisions and making brutal cuts due to limited roster spots and waiver wire options, but it’s also time to negotiate trades. After five weeks, win-win trades are possible now that managers have a clearer picture of team strengths and weaknesses.
I know it’s fun to “win the trade” and become the envy of your league, but the best trades are made when both sides address a need. Determine who in your league is patient and who tends to overreact. Scan rosters and notice if a manager needs to make cuts due to a bye-week crunch.
Here are some players I would consider buying low on if another manager has a position surplus or a tendency to panic, and guys I’d cash in on before their production dips.
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Buy
Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI
Consider this scenario. Someone in your league drafted Hurts, assuming he would be a top-4 quarterback this season. They are likely upset with his sub-QB1 performance during Weeks 3 and 4, a completion percentage lower than Will Levis’ and Gardner Minshew II’s, and Hurts’ tendency toward turnover-worthy throws. This manager also had to find an additional quarterback to start during Philadelphia’s Week 5 bye and may have picked up Baker Mayfield, who could be a weekly start.
In that case, I’d try to pry Hurts away, as he should improve moving forward. The Eagles have been without their top two receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but both are on track to return for Week 6. Hurts also provides an enticing rushing floor, averaging over 40 rushing yards per game and adding two TDs on the ground despite Saquon Barkley’s league-winning RB performance thus far. The Eagles schedule also relaxes with matchups against bottom-10 defenses (in yards/game against), including the Bengals, Jaguars, Rams, and Panthers. They also have two matchups against the Commanders, ranked 21st in points allowed. Check out who rosters Hurts and see if you can buy the dip.
Amari Cooper, WR, CLE
Cooper is barely a WR3 after the first five weeks of the season, posting only 20 catches (the same as Jalen Tolbert and Allen Lazard) and 208 yards, which ranks outside the top 50 in the NFL. He’s only finished inside the top 40 at the receiver position once — Week 3 against the Giants. It’s been ugly for the 1-4 Browns, who rank 30th in the league in points scored and passing yards per game with 15 and 142, respectively. Cleveland also has only five passing touchdowns in five games.
But look on the bright side: Cooper has 47 targets (third in the NFL) and averages 41.8 routes per game (second in the NFL). Nick Chubb is returning after knee surgery, which should also take some attention away from Cooper. Deshaun Watson’s disappointing play is the other factor here. His competition percentage (60.2) ranks among the worst in the league (28th), and the vibe in Cleveland is causing some to wonder if it’s time for a change. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said he’s sticking with Watson, but the Browns’ quarterback will need to improve to keep Jameis Winston off the field.
Cooper’s situation won’t get any worse, and there’s no way a receiver of his caliber will continue converting on less than 43% of his targets for the rest of the season. The Cooper manager is probably fed up, so you may be able to take advantage of that and see closer to the star receiver’s expected production in the second half of the season.
Sam LaPorta, TE, DET
The tight end position has been a fantasy wasteland this season and some believe the position should go the way of kickers and be optional for fantasy. Brand names like Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce have been letdowns, and the same can be said for Lions TE Sam LaPorta.
The second-year tight end may have been first off the board in your draft this summer, but he’s currently TE23 and has had multiple games with only two grabs and less than 40 yards. LaPorta has yet to find the end zone this year after scoring 10 touchdowns as a rookie, but touchdowns can be fluky. While LaPorta’s only been in the league one year, and it’s hard to trust his rookie-season production, I still believe he’ll help fantasy teams down the stretch and in the playoffs.
If he had just two touchdowns, he would be ranked inside the top 10, and most of the names on that list, like Cole Kmet, Isaiah Likely, and Dallas Goedert, are there because of one huge game. Now is the time to trust the process and leverage one of those surprise tight ends for a guy like LaPorta, who will reach pay dirt and provide stability. Jared Goff has thrown only five touchdowns through four games after throwing 30 last season. The opportunities are coming, and LaPorta will get his share.
Sell
Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR
Hubbard is the RB7 through five weeks and is coming off three straight games with 97+ rushing yards and 17+ fantasy points. He has clearly benefited from Andy Dalton taking over behind center for Carolina.
However, a closer look shows it may be time to leverage Hubbard’s early-season success for a necessary roster piece. Hubbard has only avoided 12 percent of tackles, which ranks 45th among running backs, and Jonathon Brooks’ debut — the biggest concern — is on the horizon. Carolina head coach Dave Canales said Brooks is in the “final stages” of recovery from a torn ACL and that his practice window will open soon. Despite leading the RB room, Hubbard has been on the field for just 61 percent of snaps. That number will certainly decrease when Brooks is healthy, and you’re in a playoff push. There are also indications that second-year quarterback Bryce Young will have another chance to start this season for the Panthers after Dalton’s dismal Week 5 performance, which won’t do Hubbard any favors.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, WAS
Robinson is RB9 on the season and enjoying the honeymoon period with Jayden Daniels and a functional Commanders offense. Washington went two straight games without a turnover or punt, and Daniels has broken out as the QB2 with a completion percentage of 77.1. Despite his stable production, Robinson has had only one top-10 RB game, and that was against Arizona in Week 4 when Austin Ekeler was sidelined with a concussion. While Robinson has five rushing touchdowns, Daniels is right behind him with four, and Washington’s quarterback will continue to take goal-line touches from Robinson.
Washington and Daniels will regress at some point (if you disagree, bet on the Commanders to win the division and Daniels to win MVP this year), and Robinson will look more like the RB2 he was projected as during the draft season. Someone in your league will believe the honeymoon lasts all year in our nation’s capital, providing an opportunity to sell Robinson at his peak before the game scripts and record-breaking quarterback play return to earth.
Sam Darnold, QB, MIN
The Vikings are the last undefeated team in the NFC, Darnold is a top-10 fantasy quarterback, and he’s a top-5 choice in most league MVP betting markets. Read that again. Seriously. The clock will strike midnight eventually, and Darnold will become a pumpkin again. We saw some warts last week against a tough Jets pass defense, where, despite getting the win, he completed less than half of his throws and didn’t have a touchdown. Darnold has only three “highlight reel” throws —fewer than 16 other quarterbacks, including Watson and Trevor Lawrence — entering his Week 6 bye. However, I’m pretty sure you can sell someone in your league on the idea that he has Justin Jefferson, and soon T.J. Hockenson, and that, somehow, Darnold’s pace of over two touchdowns per game is sustainable. Maybe that person is the manager who is confused about what to do with Anthony Richardson, for example.
Buy AND Sell
Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF
No player has been more frustrating post-fantasy draft than the consensus No. 1 overall pick, Christian McCaffrey. Yes, the same No. 1 overall pick who has yet to play a snap for the 49ers this season and traveled to Germany for second opinions and treatments on his injured Achilles.
In his place, Jordan Mason ranks second in rushing yards with 536 and leads the league with 105 carries. I believe the most likely outcome is that McCaffrey returns sometime in November, two to three weeks before the fantasy playoffs. The problem is that I also believe Mason isn’t going anywhere and that the real-life 49ers have the luxury of being cautious with McCaffrey’s return.
San Francisco hopes to be a Super Bowl contender and thus will need McCaffrey deep into the winter. With Mason’s success, the 49ers don’t need McCaffrey to be the workhorse he was projected to be in August.
That said, if you have one or fewer losses, buy! You’re in a great position to get McCaffrey for pennies on the dollar. If you don’t “need” McCaffrey but can trade for him and start him when he’s (hopefully) back and rolling during the fantasy playoffs, it could be the cherry on top of your league championship.
If you have two or fewer wins, sell! You can’t win the league if you don’t make the playoffs. Unfortunately, you don’t have time to wait for encouraging news or perceived progress. You need to right the ship now, so accept reality and get what you can for McCaffrey.
(Top photo of Jalen Hurts: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
