There’s no better way to improve your roster than by wheeling and dealing your way to first place. Three games is a large enough sample size to start separating the phenoms from the phonies. Injuries are the main variable that can change trade values at the drop of a hat and fantasy owners have already dealt with their fair share of those at this point in the young season. It’s just another dynamic of this game that forces you to identify the top buy-low and sell-high targets and capitalize by making your moves within those players’ optimal trading windows. Our featured analysts give you the lowdown below on which players you should be aiming to acquire or jumping to jettison after the first three weeks of NFL action.
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More Trade Advice:
Trade Analyzer | ROS Rankings
Pick Recap
Expert | Buy Low | Sell High |
Mike Tagliere – FantasyPros | Davante Adams (WR – GB) | Mike Evans (WR – TB) |
Matt Lutovsky – Sporting News | James Conner (RB – PIT) | Aaron Jones (RB – GB) |
Andy Holloway – The Fantasy Footballers | Davante Adams (WR – GB) | Mark Ingram (RB – BAL) |
Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros | Robert Woods (WR – LAR) | Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL) |
Ken Zalis – Pressbox | Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG) | Demarcus Robinson (WR – KC) |
Smitty – SleeperU | Aaron Rodgers (QB – GB) | Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL) |
Jake Ciely – The Athletic | James Conner (RB – PIT) | N/A |
Q1. Who is your favorite buy-low trade candidate at this point in the season and who are you willing to give up for him?
Davante Adams (WR – GB)
“Yes, owners should be panicking a bit with Adams, largely in part because they drafted him with a first-round pick and he’s yet to live up to anywhere close to that price tag. It appears as if Matt LaFleur’s offense is no different than Mike McCarthy’s in that they aren’t running a very fast-paced offense and refuse to throw the ball more than what’s necessary. But still, here’s the thing: Adams has faced the Bears, Vikings, and Broncos in the first three weeks, all of which are teams with a top-tier cornerback. There will be bigger days for Adams, and they start next week against the Eagles. If you can buy him for low-end WR1 prices, do it. Some have been able to sell Mike Evans for him after a big week, something I’d highly recommend.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
“I’d be looking to package somebody like JuJu Smith-Schuster and an overperformer (Terry McLaurin?) to pick up Davante Adams. It will be better here on out for Adams, who has faced difficult matchups thus far and has seen the offense sputter under new leadership. Adams is a bonafide star and will end up in the end zone.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers)
James Conner (RB – PIT)
“The Steelers’ offense is a major worry right now, and Conner hasn’t lived up to his pre-draft hype. While injuries are a valid concern, his workload and talent are not. His schedule starts to open up this week with a home matchup against Cincinnati, and things really start looking good after Pittsburgh’s Week 7 bye. A stretch of Miami, Indianapolis, and the Rams sees him face three of the current top-eight teams at allowing fantasy points to running backs, and he also gets Cleveland twice, Cincinnati a second time, Arizona, and the Jets before the fantasy season ends. Any RB2 and a few lower-end WR1s are worth moving for Conner, but you might not even have to give up that much.”
– Matt Lutovsky (Sporting News)
“I’m still on James Conner. Mike Tomlin said, “he’s my guy,” and the usage shows that’s still true. It’s been a rough start, but Week 3’s game for the offense and Mason Rudolph wasn’t a true representation. Sure, it’s a concern, but I still believe the offensive line is one of the best and Conner can rebound to be at least a fringe RB1.”
– Jake Ciely (The Athletic)
Robert Woods (WR – LAR)
“Chances are the Woods owner is discouraged by now because he has just 25 fantasy points through three weeks, but he has dealt with James Bradberry, Marshon Lattimore, and the Browns during that time. He hasn’t been bad (186 yards through three games); he just hasn’t gotten into the end zone yet. With the eight targets per game he is seeing, that will change soon enough. I’d move Sony Michel or Austin Ekeler for him if I could.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
Aaron Rodgers (QB – GB)
“Go get Rodgers before he bounces back in Week 4. He has had slow starts and strings of mediocre games before, but he will revive this Packers offense and get Davante Adams back on track as well. Do some sort of two-for-one quarterback upgrade where you send your Josh Allen (or equivalent)-type quarterback with productive, flex-level talent and get the A-Rod upgrade in motion. He will never be cheaper in 2019. Like with Melvin Gordon and Mike Evans, windows close fast!”
– Smitty (SleeperU)
Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG)
“I am also targeting Saquon Barkley owners and seeing what they would take for him. If his time frame is closer to four weeks than eight, you should be willing to stash him and wait for the return. I would love to start my trade talks for him by giving up someone like Phillip Lindsay, who is a sell-high guy that is stuck in a 50-50 timeshare with Royce Freeman.”
– Ken Zalis (Pressbox)
Q2. Who is your favorite sell-high candidate at this point in the season and what would you try to get in return?
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
“I admit I didn’t see him coming to the degree he has been bringing it, but you can do so much with his massively-high value right now. Trade him for a struggling Aaron Rodgers, who is sure to bounce back, and package your WR2 with Jackson and upgrade him into a struggling, low-end WR1 (like a Michael Thomas or Davante Adams). Buying low and selling high is the key to building an unstoppable team stacked with a handful of big-name players.”
– Smitty (SleeperU)
“Lamar Jackson may be crushing so far, but what did you expect versus the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Chiefs through three weeks? Don’t hear me wrong; he is a reliable QB1 with plenty of upside, but at this point, you can move him for a WR3 like Mike Williams or an RB3 like David Montgomery, and I’d do either without hesitation.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
Mike Evans (WR – TB)
“Prior to last week’s game, I wrote that Evans would remind owners who he was, a guy who’s totaled at least 1,000 yards in each of his first five NFL seasons. The issue? He’s about to go back into some extremely tough matchups with shadow cornerbacks, which is the reason everyone was so down on him after the first two weeks. First, it’s Aqib Talib and the Rams, then Marshon Lattimore, then James Bradberry (again), and then his bye week. He won’t be having another monster game any time soon. If you can get someone to overpay on last week’s performance, feel free to do so. Davante Adams or Odell Beckham are guys you should try to buy-low on in return.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
“The window for selling high will be closing soon as more fantasy owners realize that Jamaal Williams is playing more snaps and becoming more involved overall. Jones has the kind of talent that can lead to huge fantasy days, but he clearly isn’t viewed as a top-tier talent by his own coaches. Given his workload, injury history, and tough fantasy playoff schedule (Redskins, Bears, Vikings), now’s the time to see what you can get for him. Another RB2 or a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 seems fair for Jones.”
– Matt Lutovsky (Sporting News)
Mark Ingram (RB – BAL)
“I’d be willing to move Ingram, who’s scoring at the best touchdown-per-rush ratio in football, if I could get top-end talent back. It may be possible to package him with an overperformer and go after Christian McCaffery or Alvin Kamara. Ingram will continue to be great, but his efficiency is off the charts right now. Moving someone at the top end of that spectrum seems wise.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers)
Demarcus Robinson (WR – KC)
“I would float out Demarcus Robinson to see what they could bring back. Once Tyreek Hill returns, which should be soon, Robinson could become a touchdown-dependent WR 3/4. He could bring back a Kerryon Johnson-type RB2. Shoot high and do two-for-one packages.”
– Ken Zalis (Pressbox)
Thank you to the experts for naming their trade candidates. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.
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