Fantasy Football Trades To Make: A Raiders WR1 and Darnell Mooney
With injuries mounting and bye weeks upon us, as we're one-third of the way to the fantasy playoffs, Sam Wallace looks at our Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer to identify real trades managers should consider making this week.
These moves could help set your team up for a strong middle portion of the season as we delve further into the fantasy football season.
Fantasy Football Most Traded Players - Week 6
Let’s start this week over at CBS, where Garrett Wilson was the most traded player in their leagues. The Top 5 players being traded at CBS this week are:
The one shortcoming of that “most traded” page is there’s no “market” function, where we can see who these players were being traded for. I like Yahoo for that, but with the caveat that we don’t know the formats — a lot of trades that look lopsided on the surface come from dynasty leagues.
Still, it gives us a starting point. Let’s jump in.
I’ll use our Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and the Utilization Report – and a dash of my own opinion, of course – to offer up three trades that could help your teams in need.
Fantasy Football Trades To Make
Darnell To The Moon(ey)
I recently wrote why Darnell Mooney was a trade target in dynasty leagues but he probably has even more value in redraft formats.
He's currently the WR15 on the season and has garnered a 24% target share and 45% air yards share. Yes, we know Kirk Cousins won't top 500 passing yards each week but this offense can move the ball when they need to and Cousins has a history of supporting multiple high-end wideouts throughout his career.
So, let's go and trade for Mooney while also trading away one of our trendy sell candidates: Rhamondre Stevenson.
Stevenson managers have been on a bit of a rollercoaster this season. Two strong games to open the season led to a (depending on your scoring) negative outing in Week 3 and another tough outing in Week 4.
Thankfully, the window has been opened again thanks to an efficient Week 5 and a TD. Still, Stevenson isn't dominating the touches in the Patriots backfield and the floor could fall out from under him any week.
If you have the chance to flip Stevenson into a serviceable WR, especially one with upside like Mooney, you should start negotiations as soon as you read this.
A Raiders WR To Trade For In Fantasy Football
Fantasy production can come from the most unexpected places. It doesn't always have to be pretty or feel good but hey, points are points and fantasy managers can't be too picky.
Jakobi Meyers is a prime trade target and he won't cost you as much as you think.
He's been a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 over his last three seasons and just finds ways to consistently produce for fantasy managers. With Davante Adams likely done in Vegas, there's a chance Meyers assumes the WR1 mantle for a team that, somehow, always seems to find itself in competitive games.
So … who do you trade away to land him? Let's start with someone a bit more aggressive: Chris Olave.
I know, I know, I can hear it already. How dare I suggest trading away an elite, young prospect for a low-ceiling veteran on a bad offense? I get it; I do. Even so, the NFL (and fantasy) is in the "what have you done for me lately" business.
Guess what? Meyers and Olave have been essentially the same player this season.
Not only are their metrics eerily similar, but Meyers projects to have a bit more involvement in his offense moving forward. If Adams is indeed moving on, that leaves Meyers and Brock Bowers as the top two pass-catching options for whoever is their starting QB.
Now, what does the Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer think of this proposed deal?
The tool doesn't like it, and that's okay. I think taking into account the unknown future of Adams is enough to bump Meyers up a few slots. His target share should remain pretty high for the remainder of the season which should offset the downgrade he'll experience at QB compared to Olave.
It's also worth noting that Meyers does have a nice fantasy playoff schedule, which culminates in a Week 17 matchup against Olave and the Saints. Sometimes, the scriptwriters get it right.
A Sleeper TE To Trade For?
When one door closes, another one opens (I think).
Either way, with star wideout Nico Collins (hamstring) considered week-to-week, veteran Dalton Schultz should see a bump in usage over the next few games.
For as desolate as the TE position has been this season, we're starting to see a bit of an uptick in production from a few players. If you've been struggling to trot out a consistent option each week, now is the time to make a move for Schultz.
He's been a TE1 (top-12) in each of the last four seasons and this high-powered Texans offense could be just what you as a fantasy manager need to get your team over the hump.
So, who do you trade away to snag Schultz? Let's consult the Trade Analyzer and take a look at Tyler Allgeier.
Allgeier has become synonymous with "He Who Must Not Be Named" for Bijan Robinson managers but I think the fear is a bit overblown. Has Robinson disappointed relative to expectations/draft capital? Yes. Will he still finish as an RB1? I think so.
Robinson has more than twice as many rushing attempts as Allgeier, but the mere presence of Allgeier is enough to make the latter more valuable than he likely is in reality.
Make a move for Schutz and shore up your TE position for the next month or so. Schultz has proven to be a strong target earner throughout his career and is coming off a game that saw him receive a season-high in targets after Collins went down.
