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There were a plethora of disappointing injuries and a handful of surprising performances in Week 5. Hopefully, your fantasy football team didn't lose any major contributors, but there are always trades to be made to improve your chances of contending.
Last week, two of my four trade suggestions immediately panned out. Jaylen Waddle posted his best fantasy showing of the season and Courtland Sutton's production imploded with just one reception. Rhamondre Stevenson was completely ineffective against the Saints, but we will have to wait and see if he can bounce back as New England's schedule becomes much easier. Khalil Herbert appeared to be on his way to another solid outing until he unfortunately suffered a high ankle sprain.
I will attempt to provide even better advice this week as we inch closer to fantasy trade deadlines. As always, we'll be looking at two undervalued players to target in trades and two players to trade away after outproducing expectations in recent games.
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Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns' offense as a whole was dreadful in Week 4 with Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center. Deshaun Watson is still dealing with a shoulder injury, but the former Pro-Bowler was reportedly medically cleared to face the Ravens before deciding to sit out through Cleveland's Week 5 bye.
It will be worth monitoring Watson's status throughout the week, but Amari Cooper looks like an interesting trade target regardless. Cooper is averaging over eight targets per contest with Watson at the helm this season and has two games with at least 90 receiving yards. Just his output with Watson thus far makes him a valuable fantasy asset going forward.
There is another reason to trade for Cooper now. Cleveland has an incredibly enticing upcoming schedule.
The Cleveland Browns schedule after the 49ers game on Sunday:
Colts (3-2)
Seahawks (3-1)
Cardinals (1-4)
Ravens (3-2)
Steelers (3-2)
Broncos (1-4)
Rams (2-3)
Jaguars (3-2)
Bears (1-4)
Texans (2-3)
Jets (2-3)
Bengals (2-3)Season isn’t over by any stretch. https://t.co/2T7izDUxL8
— Colb (@___Colb___) October 10, 2023
Even the 49ers, who will take on the Browns this Sunday, have been vulnerable against fantasy wide receivers this year. The Colts, Seahawks, and Cardinals all rank inside the top 10 best matchups for the position.
If Watson can't go this week, P.J. Walker is likely to be named the starter. While this is nothing to get excited about, the veteran did support two solid showings from DJ Moore in 2022. Cooper will remain a worthwhile fantasy option so long as Thompson-Robinson is not throwing him the ball, and he shouldn't be particularly difficult to trade for since he hasn't produced on a football field since Week 3.
With Nick Chubb out for the remainder of the season, the Browns will need to rely on their passing attack a bit more than anticipated. Expect Cooper to lead the way and be a reliable WR2 for your fantasy team.
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
The 2023 Jonathan Taylor saga has certainly been a roller coaster. Taylor requested a trade from the Indianapolis Colts in July after the two parties could not agree on a contract extension. He was eventually placed on the PUP list, rendering him inactive for at least the first four games of the season while he recovered from an offseason ankle surgery.
Following a promising start to rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson's career, Taylor and the Colts shockingly came to terms on a three-year extension that makes the 2021 NFL rushing leader the third-highest-paid running back in the league.
Fantasy gamers who took on the risk of drafting Taylor a few short months ago had to be thrilled to have him back in Week 5. Despite reports of the Colts easing Taylor into a workload, it should be safe to assume that the vast majority of Taylor's fantasy managers happily moved him into their starting lineups on Sunday morning. They quickly regretted that decision.
Zack Moss shined bright today against the Titans 🌟
23 Carries
195 Total Yards (165 Rush, 30 Rec)
7.2 Average Rush
2 Touchdowns pic.twitter.com/hamlKLZPkC— The Blue Stable (@TheBlue_Stable) October 8, 2023
Zack Moss ran wild against a stout Tennessee run defense while Taylor logged just seven touches for 34 total yards. Moss could continue to operate in a leading role for another week or two, but there's little reason to be down or out on Taylor.
To give credit where it's due, Moss has made the most of his opportunities in Indianapolis. It's important to keep in mind, however, that there is a large discrepancy in talent between him and Taylor. The latter racked up more rushing yards and touchdowns in 2021 alone than Moss has in his entire four-year career. Additionally, the Colts would not have paid him $14 million per year just to have him play second fiddle to Moss when fully healthy.
Taylor says he is 100 percent healthy, so it is only a matter of time before he is unleashed. His upcoming schedule is not particularly juicy, but patience should not be exercised when deciding when to trade for Taylor. The moment he breaks off a huge run, the buy-low window will be slammed shut. Don't panic about Richardson missing time either, as Gardner Minshew has proven to be a capable backup who can win games.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
There was some excitement for Alexander Mattison this offseason as he had always filled in admirably for Dalvin Cook when the veteran was injured. With Cook out of Minnesota and Mattison re-signing with the team, it seemed possible that Mattison could become a top-12 fantasy running back.
Through five games this season, Mattison has been better for fantasy than you might think. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in four contests and is currently the RB20 in half-PPR scoring. How he has actually performed for the Vikings, however, is a bit of a different story.
One of the Vikings' many missed opportunities yesterday was the Alexander Mattison screen pass drop. Happened two plays before the refs picked up the DPI flag on fourth down.
He had all kinds of room to run if he catches this. pic.twitter.com/bbJkvlVY8E
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 9, 2023
Mattison also lost a costly fumble in Week 2 and has been inefficient on the ground in three out of five games. His top two outings as a runner came against the Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers, two teams that have been destroyed by running backs all season.
Another major concern for Mattison is his dwindling playing time. He's unlikely to be phased out at any point this year, but he has played on fewer than 70 percent of Minnesota's offensive snaps in two consecutive weeks as Cam Akers has become more involved. In Week 5 specifically, Mattison played on a season-low 51 percent of snaps. Akers could push for a true 50-50 split sooner rather than later on an offense that might struggle in the coming weeks.
The 1-4 Vikings will be without superstar wideout Justin Jefferson for at least the next four games. It's unclear at this point if the team is considering hitting the reset button, but it seems like a plausible choice. There are no real reports of Minnesota exploring a Kirk Cousins trade, but many have speculated that the 35-year-old quarterback could be dealt to a team with championship aspirations.
A running back on a rebuilding roster that could find itself trailing in most games should not be viewed as a dependable fantasy starter, especially when his role as the clear lead back is becoming more and more uncertain. Trade Mattison, who found the end zone this past week, while you still can.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
There aren't many things in fantasy football as frustrating as having Kyle Pitts on your roster. Pitts was an elite prospect at the tight end position and flashed enormous upside as a rookie. It's been mostly downhill since.
His underwhelming sophomore campaign was cut short by injury but some bought into the idea of a third-year breakout. Although it's still early in the season, the chances of Pitts becoming a fantasy star within the next 13 weeks feel very low. Head coach Arthur Smith has made it very clear that he does not care about fantasy football and that Atlanta's top priority is establishing the run.
So far this season, Pitts has been outshined by teammate Jonnu Smith. Smith has three more receptions and 34 more receiving yards than Pitts. Perhaps even more concerning is that Smith saw the field more than Pitts in Week 5.
Bijan Robinson (RB) - 47 (61%)
Jonnu Smith (TE) - 49 (64%)
Drake London (WR) - 66 (86%)
Kyle Pitts (TE) - 41 (53%)
K. Hodge (WR) - 37 (48%)
Tyler Allgeier (RB) - 34 (44%)
MyCole Pruitt (TE) - 35 (45%)
Mack Hollins (WR) - 30 (39%)
Cordarrelle Patterson (RB) - 5 (6%)— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) October 9, 2023
Despite playing on fewer snaps, Pitts came away with a better statistical performance, turning 11 targets into seven receptions for 87 yards. This was by far the best game of the season for the 23-year-old.
The argument could be made that Pitts will continue to play more and see additional usage as he is still working his way back from the knee injury he suffered in 2022. This is reasonable, but I'm not sure it matters. Through the first four weeks of the season, Pitts had the lowest catchable target rate of all qualifying tight ends in the NFL. Desmond Ridder played great this past Sunday, but we have seen more bad than good from the second-year quarterback to this point.
Pitts isn't guaranteed to be featured in the current Atlanta offense on a weekly basis. If you held on this long, try to capitalize on his name value coming off of his only top-10 fantasy finish of the season.
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