We are almost a quarter of the way through the 100th NFL season and with week 5 fast approaching it is time to trade for the player that will secure you that coveted league championship, or at the very least prevent you from the embarrassment of losing to your mom in your family league.
Players to Trade For:
*These are players that will most likely play better during the rest of the fantasy season*
Deshaun Watson - QB, Houston
Through 4 weeks Watson has been sacked 18 times behind the abomination that is Houston's offensive line. However, he is still ranked the QB6 on the season and that is without the elite production we have come to expect from DeAndre Hopkins. Coming off a three game stretch where Watson failed to reach 13 points twice, notably against divisional rival Jacksonville and a feisty Panther's defense, his owners could be searching for other options. Take this chance to snatch up a top 5 fantasy QB who should only get better as Hopkins and Fuller/Coutee pick up their games.
Le'Veon Bell - RB, New York
In standard ESPN scoring Bell comes in as RB24 after 4 weeks of action, but Bell has only played three games thanks to the early Jet's bye week. Despite being part of one of the worst offenses in the NFL (fewest yards-per-attempt passing and 4th fewest yards-per-run) Bell is getting an absurd amount of volume. Through three games Bell has received 56 carries and been targeted 23 times. With Sam Darnold hopefully returning in the foreseeable future and Bell's schedule becoming more favorable than the Bills and Patriots defenses now is most certainly the time to try and grab the All-Pro running back.
Terry McLaurin - WR, Washington
After a historically fast start to his rookie season F1 McLaurin (it will catch on don't worry) picked up a hamstring injury and had to sit against the vulnerable Giants defense. McLaurin very well might be on this list next week as he goes up against Stephon Gilmore and the lockdown Patriots D this week. However, McLaurin has shown he is able to produce results with his speed and route running, even with consistently subpar performaces from Case Keenum. Having Haskins under center should hopefully improve McLaurin's target share, as Haskins will look to his ex-Buckeye teammate as a security blanket during his rookie season. McLaurin's value is only looking to trend up so grab this speedster soon.
Players to Keep an Eye On: J. Brissett - QB, D. Montgomery - RB, G. Tate - WR, D. Walker - TE
Players to Trade Away:
*These are players that are likely to regress from their hot starts or may fetch a great price as a trade piece*
Nick Chubb - RB, Cleveland
This is a tough call as Chubb is coming off a historic performance against a once stalwart Raven's team. However, Chubb has touched the ball 92 times through 4 games, second only to Christian McCaffrey, that is 23 touches a game. Before you write off this article and plug in Chubb as your RB1 for the rest of the season, don't forget about the many mouths to feed in that Cleveland offense. OBJ and his ego will not settle for the amount of touches he is currently getting (hasn't reached 7 catches since week 1), Landry is still a volume WR, Ricky Seals-Jones has emerged as passing option, and oh a uber talented guy by the name of Kareem Hunt is only 5 or 6 weeks away from joining that backfield. Keep Chubb if you must, but his value as a trade piece might never reach this level again.
D.J. Chark - WR, Jacksonville
Through 4 games Chark sits as the 8th highest scoring wide receiver in standard scoring. Although Minshew Mania may continue to target Chark at a high rate, his TD scoring will most likely taper off and may already have as he failed to score for the first time this past week. Chark has topped 4 catches just once this season and when failing to score a TD scored a measly 4.4 points. With Conley, Westbrook, and Marqise Lee slowly being eased back into the snap count, it will be hard to count on Chark as a consistent option. Find a WR needy team in your league and flip Chark to fill a hole on your roster.
Players to be wary of: M. Breida - RB, W. Gallman - RB, J. Graham - TE