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Joey's fantasy football trade analyzer article for Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. His buy-low and sell-high fantasy football trade candidates and advice.
The fantasy football season is already in full swing, and there have been multiple key injuries to begin the year. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (knee) are out for the season, while Los Angeles Chargers Austin Ekeler (ankle) and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) are dealing with multi-week issues.
It's been a couple of stressful weeks in fantasy, and managers could be panicking after losing some notable players. But the season is just getting started. Now is the time to start making trades in fantasy, especially if you need running back help after losing Chubb, Barkley, or Ekeler to injuries.
Last week, a pair of running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and Rachaad White made the buy-low list following rough Week 1 performances. Both players had a much better week. Gibbs saw nine targets, while White secured his first touchdown of the year. For Week 3, there are two more running backs you should buy low on, and one wide receiver and one running back you should sell in fantasy football.
Fantasy Football Buy-Low Trade Targets
RB Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
It's been a disappointing first two weeks for Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. He has scored less than 10 PPR points in back-to-back games to begin the year, and the 2022 rushing champion is coming off a game where he ran nine times for negative two yards. But there's no reason to panic just yet about Jacobs. He should be a player you absolutely buy in fantasy football before Week 3.
The numbers surely haven't been there for the Pro Bowler this year. Remember, though, Jacobs missed almost all of the offseason as he held out waiting for a new contract. So, it's expected the running back might not be up to game speed yet in the early going.
However, there is optimism he will pick it up as the season progresses. In the first two weeks, Jacobs faced two top-10 run defenses from a season ago (Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos). As a result, yards haven't been easy to come by for the Raiders running back. Despite that, he has still seen elite production out of the backfield. The 25-year-old has played above 70% of the team snaps in both contests.
Jacobs also secured five catches for 51 yards in Week 2, which shows the team's willingness to get him the ball in open space in any way possible. The first two matchups were tough for the Raiders running back, but a better matchup in Week 3 will help him get back on track. The Steelers have allowed 386 rush yards through two weeks.
With a better game on the horizon for Jacobs in Week 3, now is the time to buy low on a potential top-five fantasy running back.
RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Fantasy managers might have forgotten about New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara. The veteran was suspended for the first three games of the 2023 NFL season following his violation of the league's personal conduct policy. However, with just one week left in his suspension, you should try to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler.
There's no doubt Kamara had his worst season and fantasy year in 2022. He had just four combined touchdowns, which hurt his weekly fantasy value. But the Saints running back still saw 280 touches and finished as the RB16 in PPR formats.
The veteran has been a fantasy star since he entered the league in 2017. He has finished top-16 at the running back position in PPR formats in six consecutive seasons, including as a top-10 back in PPR formats in five of those years. Last season was the only time Kamara has ranked outside the top 10 at the running back position.
When Kamara is activated in Week 4, he will be a big part of the New Orleans offense. Even in a down fantasy year for the veteran, he still averaged 14 PPR fantasy points per game. The Saints running back will be an RB2 for the rest of the year and has RB1 upside in PPR formats. Now might be the only time to get a player like Kamara on your roster.
Fantasy Football Sell-High Trade Candidates
WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It's truly incredible what Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has done in the first two weeks of the season, something that no one saw coming. Through two weeks, Evans has 12 catches for 237 yards and two touchdowns. The veteran has secured six receptions and one touchdown in both games to begin the season. But as the WR2 in half-PPR formats, this is not sustainable for him.
For starters, Evans has faced two weak secondaries in the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Both defenses ranked toward the bottom of the league in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers in 2022. It is a good sign to see the 30-year-old wideout put up solid fantasy numbers in good matchups. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has also looked solid through two weeks, targeting Evans 18 times in the year.
But with the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints on the schedule in Week 3 and Week 4, now is the perfect time to sell Evans. The wideout will have tough cornerback matchups against Darius Slay and Marshon Lattimore in the next two weeks. So, he might struggle to put up solid fantasy numbers in both games.
Evans will be a consistent WR2 this year, and there's a likely chance he won't be able to put up these WR1 numbers all year. If you can sell the wideout and package him to buy-low on Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja'Marr Chase, that might be the better long-term plan for your fantasy team.
RB D'Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles
The last time we saw the Philadelphia Eagles play a game was way back in Week 2 on Thursday night football. In that game, running back D'Andre Swift was extremely efficient on the ground. He ran 28 times for 175 yards and one touchdown while catching three passes for six yards in the contest.
Swift's monster game helped him finish as the RB2 last week. However, fantasy managers should be looking to sell him following his big day -- rather than keeping him and hoping this becomes the new norm for the 24-year-old running back.
There's no doubt Swift looked good last Thursday, and that will likely earn him more opportunities out of the backfield moving forward. But don't forget, it was Kenneth Gainwell who played more snaps than any other Eagles running back in Week 1. With Gainwell back for Week 3, Swift will lose snaps to him.
Following a 27-point PPR performance in Week 2, Swift's value will never be higher. The Eagles backfield will continue to be a committee all season, so it's better to sell high on a running back who likely won't see that type of volume in a game for the rest of the year.
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