Week 2 Fantasy Football Trade Value Chart (2019)

It was an interesting Week 1, to say the least. We learned a lot, perhaps more than we will during any other week this season. For that reason, you’ll see some significant movement in the trade chart.

At the same time, fantasy owners panicking about their players or teams should take a collective deep breath. Your first-round pick isn’t going to be a bust because he had a quiet first game. Conversely, Terry McLaurin isn’t going to finish as a top-10 wide receiver (I’m pretty sure, anyway. That would be crazy. Right? RIGHT?!).

But, to the extent you’re looking to augment your team in some way, we’re here to help. Using our trade chart to weigh a proposed deal, you can easily evaluate the merits of any trade in any format. Just add the values on both sides of the deal to see which fantasy owner comes out ahead.

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Quarterback

 
The only significant movers this week are for obvious reasons, as both Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady move from being borderline startable to must-own options. Both moves are for obvious reasons. With Josh Gordon healthy and on the field, and with the potential of adding Antonio Brown (more on that later), there is simply no reason to doubt Brady right now, as he showed in easily carving up the Steelers’ defense. Absent a change in circumstances, he should be in your lineup and you should not hesitate to trade for him.

Jackson is a bit more difficult to judge, as it’s hard to know whether his success had more to do with him or the Dolphins’ defense (or lack thereof). But given what he showed with his passing ability in Week 1, there is more than enough reason to at least trust him as a starter going forward, given the high floor he gives with his legs.

Running Back

 
We could spend a long time talking about the adjustments in running back values, but we’ve got wide receivers and tight ends to dissect, so let’s keep it manageable.

Dalvin Cook showed pretty quickly that he is the running back we always wanted him to be. With a run-first offensive philosophy and with Gary Kubiak’s influence leading to a zone-blocking scheme that fits perfectly with Cook’s style, he’s one of only a handful of runners who could have a legitimate chance of finishing as the top back in fantasy if he stays healthy.

Chris Carson’s rushing numbers against the Bengals left something to be desired, but 21 touches, including SIX catches, more than make up for it. Carson is a strong bet to score the most touchdowns in the NFL this year given how often the Seahawks run near the goal line. As long as he stays healthy, he should continue to see the bulk of the carries and stave off Rashaad Penny.

Other movers include Marlon Mack, who ran well behind what is an elite offensive line and is playing in an offense that may be better than most fantasy owners thought, and Mark Ingram, who looked mighty comfortable in the Ravens’ scheme (though let’s keep our eyes on Gus Edwards‘ touches). Both Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy move up, the former because he outsnapped McCoy 45-20 and saw significant work in the passing game, and the latter because he looked spry and effective in Andy Reid’s system.

Wide Receiver

 
Let’s first address the elephant in the room: Antonio Brown is not on the trade chart. Without commenting on any of the details of Brown’s situation, I just don’t think there’s any way you should be trading for or away Brown right now. As of this writing, we have no idea if he’ll miss no time or the rest of the season, so if you’re thinking of involving him in a trade, just don’t. There’s no way to properly value him.

Brown’s departure from Oakland, however, positively influences the value of Tyrell Williams, who moves from “you’re not even worth valuing on this trade chart, sir” to “yes, please” territory. Even before his strong game on Monday night against the Broncos, Williams would have had solid trade value last week had we known that Brown was about to be released. As of now, value him as a strong WR3.

Tyreek Hill will miss at least a few weeks and possibly much more, opening the door for (and raising the trade value of) Sammy Watkins, who was brilliant against the Jaguars, posting a 9-198-3 day. More important than his performance is Hill’s absence, which opens up plenty of targets for Watkins and moves him into WR1 territory.

Other risers include Amari Cooper (his foot certainly did not seem like an issue on Sunday), Michael Gallup (preseason hype + Kellen Moore calling the plays + Week 1 performance = good), DeSean Jackson (no explanation necessary), and Allen Robinson (legitimately could have had a 200-yard game on Thursday had Mitchell Trubisky been better and seen him wide open on a few plays).

As for fallers, the only real names of note are the aforementioned Hill and Mike Williams, who actually falls off the trade chart with his knee concerns. With Hunter Henry’s injury, Williams will certainly reappear on the trade chart once he shows he’s healthy. But at the time of this writing, there’s pessimism coming out of Los Angeles about his knee, and there’s no reason to include him in a trade until we know more.

Tight End

 
Hunter Henry is out and a bunch of new names are in. I don’t like to overreact, but I’m buying a lot of what we saw from some tight ends in Week 1. Delanie Walker won’t be scoring two touchdowns every game or anything, but he certainly looked much like the old Walker, and not like the Walker who is actually old.

Mike Tagliere did a great job breaking down the issues that rookie tight ends usually face, but it’s really hard to not buy into Hockenson after his monstrous performance against Arizona. He showed an ability to be both a big-play threat and a red-zone target and he could conceivably move much higher in trade value in future weeks.

Darren Waller continued to build on his preseason hype with seven catches for 70 yards against the Broncos. As with Tyrell Williams, Antonio Brown’s absence only opens up more targets for Waller, and he has the size and speed to become a real weapon for Derek Carr.

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Dan Harris is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter @danharris80.