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Week 6 was one of the most erratic and injury-riddled weeks of football I can remember. The unpredictability of the NFL is what makes it so entertaining to watch, but it's also what makes fantasy football so painful at times. To combat this ever-present randomness, fantasy managers need to stay active in their leagues and make well-informed predictions when sending out trade offers.
Last week, I suggested buying low on Amari Cooper and Jonathan Taylor while selling high on Alexander Mattison and Kyle Pitts. Cooper had a solid performance with P.J. Walker under center and Taylor split touches evenly with Zack Moss after taking a backseat in Week 5. Mattison, while inefficient, still dominated work in Minnesota's backfield and Pitts continued his upward trajectory by finding the end zone.
I would say that two of my four recommendations were clearly successful, with Mattison and Pitts both proving me wrong, at least for now. Without further ado, let's take a look at some trade targets for Week 7, starting with two players I'm looking to acquire at a discount.
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Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Neither team in Monday night's contest managed to eclipse 100 rushing yards, but the Chargers had an especially rough time on the ground with just 53 yards on 23 carries. This would not have been shocking if Joshua Kelley, who averaged 2.83 yards per carry during his three-game stretch as a starter, was the lead back once again. It is surprising because Austin Ekeler returned to action and received plenty of work.
Ekeler missed Weeks 2 through 4 with an ankle injury before resting for an additional week as Los Angeles had a bye in Week 5. He was immediately thrust back into his RB1 role in Week 6.
#Chargers RBs last night in Austin Ekeler's (ankle) first game since Week 1:
Snaps: Austin Ekeler 50, Josh Kelley 19, Isaiah Spiller 3
Routes: Ekeler 26, Kelley, 10, Spiller 1
Opportunities: Ekeler 20, Kelley 3, Spiller 1— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 17, 2023
Perhaps Ekeler was hampered by his ankle injury late during the season opener, but Kelley was involved early in Week 1 and played on 48 percent of the team's offensive snaps. The Chargers did not utilize Kelley or Isaiah Spiller in any meaningful way last week and were obviously not concerned about limiting Ekeler.
The Cowboys have been quite good against the run this season and are yet to allow a 100-yard rusher, so Ekeler's inefficient showing wasn't staggering. Besides, much of Ekeler's fantasy value lies in his usage as a receiver. He only tallied four receptions for 35 yards against Dallas, but we can expect him to be a focal point of the passing game going forward with Mike Williams out for the season.
Another difficult challenge awaits Ekeler in Week 7 as the Kansas City Chiefs have been stout against fantasy running backs this season. After that, however, Ekeler will have two consecutive soft matchups against the Bears and Jets. His schedule for the fantasy playoffs looks juicy as well with the Raiders, Bills, and Broncos all currently struggling to contain the run.
No one who drafted Ekeler in the first round of fantasy drafts is going to trade him away for cheap. Now after a down game in which he didn't look particularly explosive, it's time to see if you can acquire him at all. Expect Ekeler to look more like himself next week and become a league-winner down the stretch.
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Drake London is coming off his best fantasy outing of the season, so this can't truly be considered a buy-low scenario. He's still worth trading for as I believe London's big Week 6 could be the beginning of a breakout.
Since putting up zero fantasy points on one target in Week 1, London has earned at least six targets in five straight games. His production in these contests has been inconsistent, but we're finally starting to see Desmond Ridder sling the ball, for better or for worse.
Ridder passed for over 300 yards in each of the past two weeks after failing to do so in any of his eight previous career starts. He has made some costly mistakes, sure, but his errors won't impact London so long as the Falcons continue to pass at a moderately high rate. Their upcoming schedule may dictate this.
Atlanta will face the Buccaneers in Week 7 before traveling to Tennessee to take on the Titans in Week 8. What these teams have in common is that they both have top-half run defenses and bottom-half pass defenses. The Buccaneers and Titans have surrendered the eighth-and-ninth-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts in 2023, respectively.
Before their Week 11 bye, the Falcons will also have bouts with the Vikings and Cardinals. Unlike the Bucs and Titans, these teams are vulnerable to the run, but they, too, have been destroyed by receivers so far this year.
The potential breakout for London is even more believable when you consider the idea that he just might be improving. Keep in mind that London was the first receiver selected in last year's NFL Draft, ahead of both Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. The talent has always been there, and it's starting to translate at the professional level.
The highest-graded WRs in Week 6 pic.twitter.com/Wgml7yoGh2
— PFF (@PFF) October 17, 2023
I may have made a mistake telling fantasy gamers to trade away Kyle Pitts last week after he finally put together a solid performance. Part of my reasoning, however, was that Jonnu Smith had also been involved, and this continued in Week 6. When it comes to the wide receivers in Atlanta, London has very little competition. London leads the team with 43 targets while Mack Hollins places second with 23.
He may not be a locked-in fantasy WR1 every week but London is showing signs of reliability. I think he can be trusted as a top-30 option with a ton of upside, and that makes him a worthwhile trade target given his current value.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
As it has been for the past few years, the fantasy tight end landscape is an absolute mess. To illustrate, George Kittle is currently the TE7 despite tallying fewer than five fantasy points in four of six games. A player who has displayed a bit more consistency than Kittle is Evan Engram. Although Engram has scored fewer total fantasy points, he has finished with at least five targets and four receptions in every game this season. His 44 targets rank third amongst all tight ends so far in 2023.
Because of this, it's easy to stay on board with Engram as your starting fantasy tight end. While there is nothing wrong with doing so, it could be worth exploring other options in a trade.
The most obvious reason for this is the health of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence suffered a knee injury in Week 6 and is in danger of missing Thursday night's contest against the New Orleans Saints. If Lawrence is sidelined, Engram will be catching passes from C.J. Beathard, who hasn't started in an NFL game since January of 2021.
Even if Lawrence is active this week, there are other reasons to be wary of Engram. Although he is Jacksonville's clear-cut starter at the position, it's worth noting that rookie Brenton Strange scored a touchdown while playing on a season-high number of snaps this past Sunday.
Calvin Ridley (WR): 80%
Travis Etienne (RB): 80%
Evan Engram (TE): 75%
Christian Kirk (WR): 70%
Blake Hance (G): 64%
Brenton Strange (TE): 53%
Luke Farrell (TE): 45%
Brandon Scherff (G): 36%
Jamal Agnew (WR): 31%
Tank Bigsby (RB): 27%
Tim Jones (WR): 20%— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) October 16, 2023
Before Week 6, Strange had not played on more than 39 percent of snaps in any contest, so his uptick in usage could be a sign of things to come. The Penn State product was a second-round pick, so it's no surprise that the Jaguars want to get him on the field.
Perhaps the biggest concern for Engram's fantasy outlook is his upcoming schedule. The Jaguars will face the Saints and Steelers before their Week 9 bye. New Orleans and Pittsburgh both rank amongst the eight most difficult matchups for opposing tight ends. In Weeks 10 and 11, Engram will be challenged against the 49ers and Titans, who are also stout against the position.
As I stated earlier, Engram has been consistent this season, which is certainly not a bad thing. Simultaneously, though, he's yet to come through with any spike weeks that render him a difference-maker in your fantasy lineup. If you can flip Engram for a usable running back or wide receiver with more upside, you should be able to get by with production from someone like Jonnu Smith or Michael Mayer off the waiver wire.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Although some have been predicting the downfall of Derrick Henry for years now, the 29-year-old has continued to get the job done for fantasy purposes. He may be seen as a bit of a disappointment so far this season considering his ADP, but King Henry is still the RB11, which is nothing to scoff at.
So why trade him away now, after an RB4 finish in Week 6? For starters, the Titans are on a bye this week and will return to face the Falcons in Week 8. Atlanta has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season.
With Ryan Tannehill dealing with an ankle injury, it's possible that Tennessee leans more heavily on the run with Malik Willis or Will Levis under center. Regardless, the offense as a whole is likely to suffer behind a struggling offensive line. Even worse for his fantasy outlook, Henry finally has a backfield-mate who is worthy of getting opportunities.
The rookie Tyjae Spears showing what he can do! 🔥
📺: #BALvsTEN on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLNVjg pic.twitter.com/RmXjpGCxlp— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
Tyjae Spears has been more involved than many anticipated and has even out-snapped Henry in three games. The electric rookie has earned 20 targets to Henry's 13. It would be bold to predict Spears to take over RB1 duties by season's end, but if the 2-4 Titans continue to disappoint, they could absolutely opt to give the young back an increased workload.
Healthy starting running backs in fantasy are difficult to come by, so I wouldn't suggest trading away Henry without getting a starter in return unless you're flush with depth. If someone in your league still values him as the player he was last season, don't be afraid to make a move. Tennessee's offense has been quite bad this season, and things could turn from bad to downright ugly rather quickly.
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