Skip to main content

Fantasy Football Trade Advice: Kyren Williams, George Pickens, Daniel Jones (Week 3)

Fantasy Football Trade Advice: Kyren Williams, George Pickens, Daniel Jones (Week 3)

We may have just completed Week 2, but it’s never too early to start dealing. Some would argue that early in the season is the best time to trade since you can take advantage of some market inefficiencies. Luckily, FantasyPros has you covered.

Not only is there the ‘Who Should I Trade?’ tool, where you can get instant feedback, but, every week in this space, we’ll dig even deeper into players that should be moved. There will be the classic one-for-one deals but also deals where multiple pieces would equate to one piece which will be indicated with a ‘-plus’ next to the player’s name.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Trade Advice

Below are some trades to consider offering as we roll into Week 3 off the 2023 season.

The Trade:

Javonte Williams (RB – DEN) for Kyren Williams (RB – LAR)

The Reasoning:

After a year’s delay, it appears to finally be time for Javonte Williams to be fantasy-relevant. 2022 was supposed to be his breakout year, and he was certainly primed for it. He saw 51 touches through his first three full games and was operating as the lead back in Denver. He then tore his ACL in the fourth game of the season and missed the rest of the campaign.

Javonte Williams’ recovered and was tapped to lead the Denver backfield in 2023. He’s done that, out-carrying backup Samaje Perine 25-9 and currently ranking second on the team in targets with nine. Unfortunately for Williams (and his fantasy managers), that’s where the good news ends.

Javonte Williams is averaging a pedestrian 3.8 yards per carry on those 25 carries and hasn’t scored yet. And the Broncos are now 0-2 on the season with Sean Payton seeming to not be the remedy for what ails Denver and quarterback Russell Wilson, at least not yet. Williams also has the veteran Perine and training camp standout Jaleel McLaughlin to fend off in the running back room. If he falters, he has a few running backs behind him Payton could turn to.

Then we have the other Williams. Kyren Williams, the (now) workhorse back of the Los Angeles Rams, has a lot of the same numbers as Javonte Williams. He has 29 carries for a pedestrian 104 yards and appears to be the lead back. He also has six receptions, like Javonte. But some key differences make Kyren the Williams to have.

For starters, Kyren has scored this season. Three times on the ground and one receiving. He played 76(!) snaps in Week Two alone and 129 on the season compared to Javonte Williams’ 59 through two weeks.

Couple all this attention with the fact that Cam Akers is apparently on the trade block and this backfield belongs to Kyren. He may not average five yards per carry but if he’s going to be on the field for 76 snaps a game and on pace for nearly 300 touches on the season, Kyren is the preferred Williams’ back.

The Trade:

Puka Nacua (WR – LAR) for George Pickens (WR – PIT)

The Reasoning:

While the trade above advocates trading for a Ram, this one advocates trading one away. There’s no doubt that Puka Nacua is the feel-good story of both the NFL and fantasy football through the first two weeks. No rookie has ever, literally, produced like he has in the first two games of this career – 25 receptions for 266 yards and two 100-yard games.

Puka’s gone from undrafted to a WR1. So why trade him? A few reasons include the fact that Cooper Kupp will be back this season, sometime this season, and step into the role Nakua has been carving out. And with Tutu Atwell also proving himself, there simply won’t be enough balls to go around for everyone, certainly not for Nakua to keep up this pace.

George Pickens is firmly entrenched in a situation that won’t be changing anytime soon. No, Kenny Pickett is not the most accurate quarterback but Pickens is the top option on the Steelers offense. He also plays a different role than veteran Diontae Johnson, himself on IR and not back for a few weeks. And while Pickens has just half the targets that Nakua does through two weeks, Pickens also averages nearly twice as many yards-per-reception, 18.1-10.6.

Nakua is a great story and if there was no one in Los Angeles to challenge him for targets, he’d be solid. But he’s not as solid as Pittsburgh’s WR1.

The Trade:

Daniel Jones (QB – NYG) for C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU)-plus

The Reasoning:

If it weren’t for a big-time comeback in Week 2, both the Giants and Daniel Jones’ fantasy stock would be tanking. New York beat Arizona 31-28 while Jones threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 59 yards and another score to, quite literally, be fantasy’s best quarterback this Sunday. But will it last?

Jones’ primary safety valve – Saquon Barkley – is now banged up and he’s still working with a receiving corps whose talent is considered to be in the lower half of the league rather than the top half. Let’s also not forget that Jones will play the Dallas defense again this season and has yet to play one of these two games against the Eagles’ defense.

Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud lit it up in his second professional game. Playing from behind most of the game, he threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns. And therein lies the benefit of having Stroud on your team.

The Texans aren’t expected to be leading in many games this season but they’re going to give Stroud every opportunity to show why he was a top-three pick. The receiving corps is set and the Texans division schedule that includes the likes of Indianapolis and Jacksonville isn’t intimidating anyone. Stroud plus a small piece will be worth it – fantasy-wise – in the long run.

More Articles

Let’s Stream Defenses: Week 7 (2024 Fantasy Football)

Let’s Stream Defenses: Week 7 (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Jacob Herlin | 5 min read
Video: 10 Players You Need to Drop Ahead of Week 7 (2024 Fantasy Football)

Video: 10 Players You Need to Drop Ahead of Week 7 (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 2 min read
Week 7 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups (2024 Fantasy Football)

Week 7 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Raju Byfield | 4 min read
Devy Fantasy Football Primer: Tetairoa McMillan, Jeremiyah Love, Quinn Ewers

Devy Fantasy Football Primer: Tetairoa McMillan, Jeremiyah Love, Quinn Ewers

fp-headshot by Paul Edgington | 3 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

3 min read

Let’s Stream Defenses: Week 7 (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Up - Let’s Stream Defenses: Week 7 (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Article