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Joey's fantasy football trade analyzer article for Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season. His buy-low and sell-high fantasy football trade candidates and advice.
The fantasy football season has been a wild ride so far, and things will only get crazier as the season goes on. The Cowboys D/ST is currently ranked 21st overall and has scored more fantasy points (80) in PPR formats than Bijan Robinson (70.2), Amon-Ra St. Brown (69.5) Tony Pollard (66.2), CeeDee Lamb (62), and Ja'Marr Chase (57.6).
While that pace likely won't continue for the Cowboys D/ST, they have been a fantasy force. Many other players like Raheem Mostert, Kyren Williams, and Puka Nacua have also come out of nowhere to be top players in 2023.
Fantasy football is all about improving your team every week by picking up players on the waiver wire and making trades. Last week, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was on this list as a buy-low option. He then put together his best fantasy day of the season. This week, there are two more players you should buy low on and two players you should sell immediately.
Fantasy Football Buy-Low Trade Targets
RB Breece Hall, New York Jets
The workload and playing time haven't been there for New York Jets running back Breece Hall through the first four weeks of the season. The second-year back has played less than 50% of the team snaps in all four contests, and he's averaging just 7.5 PPR fantasy points per game this year.
But all this was expected from Hall entering the season. He's coming off a torn ACL, and his workload was always going to be limited in the first couple of weeks. You drafted him to help your fantasy team down the stretch and in the playoffs -- not at the start of the year.
So, now is the perfect time to buy low on the New York running back. According to Jets head coach Robert Salah, Hall is no longer on a "pitch count," which could open up more opportunities on the ground for him. He's already averaging 6.6 yards per carry on just 32 carries and has shown just how explosive he can be in his rookie year.
Not only is the pitch count reportedly gone, but this matchup against the Denver Broncos couldn't have been more perfect for Hall. The Broncos' defense has allowed 176 rush yards per game, worst in the NFL. They have also allowed four running backs to score over 20 PPR fantasy points in four weeks this season.
If Hall touches the ball 17-20 times on Sunday, he will be in line for a monster fantasy day, and his buy-low window will officially close. This might be your last chance to buy a potential league winner before he explodes in Week 5.
WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was a high fantasy draft pick all summer. He was consistently going toward the back end of round two or in the early third round in 12-team leagues. After his dud performance in Week 4, fantasy managers might be panicking about Olave's production.
The second-year wideout caught just one of his six targets for four yards in the Saints' 26-9 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. However, there's no reason to panic about Olave in fantasy.
For starters, quarterback Derek Carr was dealing with a shoulder issue heading into the game, which likely limited his deep target throws. That's where Olave makes his money on the football field, as he currently ranks sixth in all of football with 518 air yards through four weeks.
As Carr continues to progress from his injury, we should see the same production from Olave that we saw in the first few weeks. The Saints wideout averaged 17.4 PPR fantasy points from Week 1 to Week 3 while being targeted 10.7 times per game during that span.
Everyone could see how limited Carr was against the Buccaneers. He targeted Alvin Kamara 14 times out of the backfield on Sunday, and that won't happen every week moving forward.
Olave is a great buy-low candidate entering Week 5, and he is surely due for a touchdown. He has the second most targets (38) without a score in the NFL this season.
Fantasy Football Sell-High Trade Targets
RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison has turned it around the past few weeks following a rough start to the season. He has a combined 37 carries for 188 yards while also catching six passes for 35 yards in Week 3 and Week 4. That helped Mattison finish top-20 at the running back position in back-to-back weeks.
But after those solid performances, now is the perfect time to sell Mattison at his value. He played a season-low 33 snaps in Week 4 and saw just 69% of the team snaps. The addition of running back Cam Akers, whom the team acquired last week, is worrisome long-term.
In his first game action in Minnesota, Akers played 14-of-48 snaps and saw 29% of the team snaps. That number might continue to increase if Mattison begins to struggle on the ground.
Mattison is the team's lead back right now. But there could be more chances for Akers as he gets more acclimated to the Vikings' offense. The former Rams running back also has special ties to Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell, so it'll be interesting to see how much that matters in the coming weeks.
Reports also stated the Vikings would roll with the "hot hand" approach in Week 4, just a couple of days after Akers' arrival. Mattison winded up taking most of the offensive snaps in that game. However, we could be headed toward a more 50-50 split as the season goes on.
TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Although San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is coming off a rough performance in Week 4, it's best to trade the All-Pro playmaker before his value drops even further.
Kittle had just one catch for nine yards in the 49ers' 35-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week. He saw just one target on quarterback Brock Purdy's 21 pass attempts in the contest and finished as the TE45 in Week 4. On the year, he sits at 13th overall among all tight ends in PPR formats.
Kittle was a strong fantasy option in 2022 due to his touchdown upside. He had 11 touchdowns last year on 60 catches and 765 yards. But this year, the 49ers tight end has zero scores through four weeks.
Fantasy managers are likely frustrated with Kittle's production so far in 2023. The only game he had over six PPR fantasy points was in Week 3 when wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was out with an injury. With all the San Francisco playmakers now healthy, opportunities will be limited for the tight end all year.
Kittle has a 16% target share so far this year, and he's averaging just four catches for 37 yards per game. The veteran also only runs an average of 25 routes per game, which makes his weekly production shaky to trust. Despite the bad Week 4 performance, you should be able to get something valuable in return based on his name.
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