There were plenty of studs who disappointed in Week 4, and it’s time to leverage that disappointment into some production for your fantasy teams. For those who are willing to buy low for the chance of significant boom, it would appear that the time is now, as big names like DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. are fresh off down weeks for their fantasy owners.
Buys
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
It’s not often, if ever, that the trade window is open for DeAndre Hopkins. After a couple of rough outings for Hopkins and company, there indeed might be a chance. The Houston offense has seen better days, and the production they saw in Week 1 against the Saints seems like a distant memory. Deshaun Watson has taken 18 sacks so far on the season, due to a combination of spotty offensive line play and Watson holding onto the ball for far too long.
Hopkins has now had three consecutive games with less than 75 yards and no scores. He’s averaged 6.6 targets per game in that span and surprisingly ranks 9th in air yards among wide receivers with ten or more targets. Carolina’s secondary stepped up in Sunday’s outing and forced Watson to make some plays underneath to Duke Johnson rather than air it out. They should be able to get the passing game going soon, as Houston gets a Keanu Neal-less Atlanta secondary and then the Chiefs up next on the schedule. It’s worth trying to package a guy like Michael Thomas or JuJu Smith-Schuster to get a deal done for the upgrade to Hopkins.
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Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns
Honorable mention for a studly trade target on the week belongs to Odell Beckham Jr. In his four games as a Cleveland Brown, he’s totaled 308 yards, but most of those yards were accounted for in Week 2 against the Jets. It’s a disappointing start for those who drafted him as a WR1 in what was supposed to be a powerhouse offense.
The metrics do point to a bounce-back for Beckham; however, as the Browns Offense finally shows signs that they may be clicking. Despite his 20 yard game this week, Beckham still managed a 23 percent target share and 40 percent market share on the Browns air yards for the day. He also leads Browns receivers with more than five targets in terms of average depth of target (11.6). Capitalize on the slow start and make an offer, as there is hardly ever a “buy” opportunity for big names like this.
Editor’s Note: Here are some of the top guys to target for trades, but who should you give up? Plug your trade props into our Season Pass Trade Analyzer to make sure you’re coming out on top of every deal!
Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders
The former first-round pick hasn’t quite set the world on fire in his last three outings but has every mark of a breakout on the horizon. He finished the day with just 79 rushing yards on 19 carries and came down with his two targets for 29 yards. He might have had more if it weren’t for WR Trevor Davis sniping a carry and taking it to the house for a 60-yard touchdown. He’s averaging a healthy 5.07 yards per attempt and has two scores on the season, both in Week 1.
Jacobs passes the eyeball test, displaying contact balance and toughness to penetrate defensive lines. He’s received heaps of praise from head coach Jon Gruden, and by all accounts, Jacobs is undoubtedly one of their best offensive assets. If he had a touchdown on the week, his day would have looked much different for fantasy purposes. Take the opportunity on a scoreless week to acquire him at a discount, and follow those carries into the end zone.
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
Recency bias can be a great thing, and that remains the case with players returning from injury. Frank Gore had a monster outing with Devin Singletary out of the lineup Sunday, who had a chance to play after getting in a couple of limited practices returning from a hamstring injury. Singletary has been electric so far this season, amassing 127 rushing yards on just ten total carries. He was a go-to guy in the receiving game in Week 1
Given his limited workload so far, his injury and Gore’s production in Week 4, now is the perfect time to trade for Singletary at a significant discount. The Bills should continue to emphasize the run after QB Josh Allen took a brutal helmet to helmet hit that knocked him out of the game. Matt Barkley took over under-center and was called on for a crucial fourth-down conversion that was missed. Emphasizing the run game could only help his cause, as the Bills march on 3-1.
Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Rookie WR Marquise Brown got off to a hot start in Baltimore, coming down with four receptions for 147 yards and two scores in his first career game against Miami. All the more impressive is the fact that he did it while in on just 18% of offensive snaps. While that explosion was likely due to the “Miami mirage,” it’s not to say there isn’t potential for Brown to be a fringe WR2/WR3 in fantasy football with WR1 upside on a week-to-week basis.
Each week, Brown has consistently found himself climbing the ranks in offensive snap percentage. He’s quickly become Lamar Jackson‘s favorite target, leading the team with 31 targets in just four games. He ranks 11th among wide receivers in terms of weighted opportunity rating, which accounts for targets and air yards. Some names ahead of him on the list are Keenan Allen, Michael Thomas, TY Hilton, DeAndre Hopkins, and Mike Evans. Decent company. The combination of opportunity and rapport with QB Lamar Jackson puts Brown in a great spot to help your fantasy football teams moving forward.
Sells
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings
This is the second Minnesota wide receiver to make it onto the “sell” list in the last two weeks. If you’ve been watching the Vikings games, you know that they’re looking much worse than even the stat lines appear. Diggs did put up a decent outing Sunday against the Bears, coming down with all seven of his targets for 108 yards and no score, but it didn’t come pretty. He’s averaged just under five targets per game in the first four weeks of the NFL season, and in the first three weeks, averaging 33.7 just yards per game.
The sputtering offense aside, Diggs also entered the season on the injury report with a hamstring that took him out of Sunday’s contest briefly. He found his way back to the field to put up some garbage time stats, but it’s best to be wary of this passing offense altogether until Kirk Cousins can prove that he can take the ball down the field. Try to leverage Diggs’ fine game as a piece to target a player more consistently involved in the offense, like Tyler Lockett.
Jordan Howard, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia running back carousel continues to spin, around and around, making those who drafted Miles Sanders in the fifth or sixth rounds of their fantasy drafts sick to their stomachs. Jordan Howard has emerged to be the most viable threat to Sanders in the Eagles backfield, totaling 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns in their four games to start the season. He’s clearly established himself as the goal-line back, leading the team with carries inside the five-yard line (5), converting three of them for touchdowns. Given the instability of the backfield and volatility of scoring opportunities, sell Jordan Howard while the perception as the touchdown vulture continues.
