Some fantasy mangers are not happy with their early round picks at the moment. Several second, and potentially first, round picks are underperforming massively to start the season and they are hurting team’s chances of winning. The tricky part for those managers – they really can’t drop those players just yet, even if the don’t want to start them. The cost of those players is just too high to cut them loose this early in the season.
However, they might be open to trading them away.
[Related: How to Make a Trade in Fantasy Football on ESPN]
Though the NFL season is just two weeks in, it’s never too early to make some aggressive moves after some key fantasy players. These players have had some rough games, and you may just be able to grab them from their frustrated owner. Here are the top trade-for targets heading into the third week of NFL action.
Josh Jacobs
The Las Vegas Raiders are stalling offensively and Josh Jacobs is paying the price. Despite his solid usage numbers (28 carries, 7 receptions), things just aren’t falling his way. Playing a tough Buffalo defense right after a disappointing season opener doesn’t help his case either. It looks as though there should be better opportunities ahead for the Raiders, but this offense seems to be a bit weaker than a lot of people had hoped heading into the year.
While the running back market is really tough at the moment, there may be a chance to swoop in and offer a sweet enough deal to secure a workhorse back like Jacobs. Yes there is usually some regression when a player ranks 1st in overall rushing the year prior, but Jacobs has been great every year since entering the league. He will continue to get the bulk of all the running back work as he is far and away the best back the Raiders have. The trade deal could be tricky with plenty of back and forth between owners, but history says this will be an important guy to go and grab.
Alvin Kamara
Before we get started, I just wanted to mention how funny it is to me that Kamara has no entry under the “recent news” portion of his bio. He actively suspended sure, but wouldn’t that be enough to add at least a few lines there? I guess they (ESPN) don’t want to let people know why he is suspended but people got to know at least how many games he’s going to miss. Not everyone is as plugged into the NFL news cycle like some fantasy football degenerates.
Anywho, Alvin Kamara.
Kamara was suspended for just three games this season after an incident in Las Vegas during the NFL Pro Bowl weekend. Heading into Week 3, Kamara owners have just one more week to survive until they receive their running back for the rest of the season. But some owners may be feeling a bit under pressure if they have started the season 0-2. They might be worried – “Can I come back after an 0-3 start? Is saving Kamara worth it?”. Remember suspended players can’t be placed on IR meaning Kamara has been burning a bench spot for two weeks. The current owner is handcuffed to this player, but it may be time for them to move on.
Reach out to this Kamara and let them know that they need a RB this week and try to make a trade happen. Kamara now has a QB that can move the ball, allowing the Saints to improve on their game plan as a whole. He can be great, and it is worth it to check the price on the former fantasy all-star.
AJ Brown
This may be one of the tougher names to finagle a trade for, but it will be worth it if you can get it done. The Philadelphia Eagles look a bit out of sorts of offense, though that shouldn’t worry you too much about the receiving options. Devonta Smith is getting the touchdown luck through the first two weeks and AJ Brown has been quite unlucky in that department. He had a touchdown called back against Minnesota and was held in check by the stout New England defense (he did still catch 7 of 10 for 79 yards).
It would be incredibly shocking to now see a resurgence from AJ Brown in the next few games. He has had 16 targets through two games, both of which were weird game script games that didn’t really need much passive volume. This is a positive sign for Brown’s effectiveness going forward as his usage isn’t taking a massive hit. Go and try to buy low on A.J. Brown before the Philly offense begins to click once again.
Garrett Wilson
I’ll be honest, the Garret Wilson owner may be more than excited to see a trade request come through their inbox. The New York Jets are down horrendously with Zach Wilson at the helm. All of the offensive weapons people had hope for were wiped away the moment Aaron Rodgers went down on that fateful Monday night. Probably the biggest loser on the day was Garrett Wilson, a player that was going to take another massive step after finishing the year as the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022.
The funny thing about the two Wilsons is that Garrett has scored in both games with Zach under center. Both of which however were 100% due to Garrett Wilson’s otherworldly talent. I know things are looking down, but this could be the only time Garrett Wilson is on the market – especially in dynasty.
The New York Jets are 1-1 and still have a chance to make something out of this season. Their defense is incredibly talented, the supporting cast of offensive weapons look legit (doubly true for Breece Hall), they just need someone a bit more competent at quarterback. Robert Saleh will surely move on from Zach Wilson and go out and grab a new QB. At the moment, any QB could help the Jets more than Wilson. When that happens, Garrett Wilson will be great once more.
Dallas Goedert
Much like his team mate A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert is off to a slow start to the season. The tight end landscape is rough, making Goedert a good target for a potential trade. Yes, the tight end situation isn’t good for the Goedert owner either, but they most likely have already started to plan for a new option if Goedert fails to deliver this week. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot.
Philly will get right, their offense is just too explosive to look this sluggish for the rest of the season. They will adapt to how teams are preventing the deep ball, and Goedert should be the biggest beneficiary of an adjusted game plan. It shouldn’t take a lot to trade for the Eagle’s primary tight end, so check in with that owner and see what the price is.
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