Trade Hub – Week 2
Welcome back to a new season of fantasy football! It’s Monday so it’s time to talk trades in my weekly Trade Hub article. Mike here ready as always to help you with trade suggestions that can help your chances of winning your fantasy league. I hope your offseason was a good one, but it’s time to get back to business. We are finishing up week 1 tonight and hopefully you’re feeling good about the team you drafted. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) for all things fantasy football.
Week 1 will come to a close tonight following the MNF matchup between the New York Jets and the home team San Francisco 49ers. The over/under is 43.5 with the 49ers favored by 3.5 points. These 2 teams have a lot of hype entering the season. 49ers are still a powerhouse team with a dynamic roster, while the Jets are just hoping to finally play a full game with Aaron Rodgers behind center. Christian McCaffrey and Breece Hall are 2 of the best do it all RBs in the NFL so it will be fun to see them rush and receive in primetime. Purdy has a healthy Deebo, Kittle, and Aiyuk at his disposal while the Jets have Garrett Wilson as their main receiving threat. My prediction for this week 1 matchup is a 49ers win. Too much star power in SF. I think CMC and Deebo both find the endzone for SF while Breece Hall breaks a big one. Will Aaron Rodgers thrive on the road in week 1 after a long injury driven sabbatical? Will CMC continue to just overpower defenses? I’m going to go with a 27-16 win for SF. Slow first half and hopefully an explosive 2nd half.
I know we are only entering week 2 but always make sure you’re aware if or when your league has a trade deadline. Try to sell and/or buy players with strategy and the use of your persuasion and negotiation skills. Here are some players to buy and sell before week 2 begins. Like I always say, one trade could be the difference in winning or losing your fantasy football league.
PLAYERS TO BUY
JK Dobbins – LA Chargers
Dobbins played in a split backfield alongside Gus Edwards in Jim Harbaugh’s first game as Chargers head coach. Edwards had 11 carries compared to Dobbins 10, but the results were significantly different. Dobbins looked healthy yesterday rushing for 135 yards and caught all 3 of his targets 4 additional receiving yards. Dobbins also found the endzone rushing for 1 of the Chargers 2 TDs. Dobbins played 33 snaps compared to Edwards 24. Harbaugh has a balanced offensive attack, and it seems Dobbins has the leg up thus far over Gus. Worth throwing a buy low trade offer as long as you have faith in Dobbin’s health not being a concern like previous seasons.
Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
Let’s be real, this is a long shot but totally worth a try. Travis Kelce is a top tier TE in fantasy, even at 34 years old. He has a pedestrian week 1 against Baltimore catching 3 of his 4 targets for 34 receiving yards. His numbers are sure to get better on a Patrick Mahomes high octane offense. Find that panicked Kelce owner and try to work out a deal if you are needing a TE upgrade. Arguments to help your case are that Noah Gray also played a substantial amount in week 1 demanding 3 targets himself and converting all 3 into receptions for 37 yards. Could also say Mahomes is favoring Rice with 9 targets when no one else eclipsed 4.
Drake London – Atlanta Falcons
Drake London is 100% owned in almost all leagues this year making this a tough ask for a trade. Try to use his dismal week 1 stats of 2 receptions for 15 yards on 3 targets. He and Kirk Cousins played the most snaps (56) of the game. London also tied for the most routes ran (28) with Kyle Pitts and Darnell Mooney. Kirk Cousins struggled against Pittsburgh, but I don’t think he will struggle like that every week. London was 4th in team receptions, tied for 3rd in targets, and his 15 yards were tied for 4th best on the team. London might be the star on offense, but it didn’t seem that way in week 1. See if his owner is panicking at all.
PLAYERS TO SELL
Jerome Ford – Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford was a lone bright spot in a poor week 1 outing for the Browns. He led the team with 12 carries, 44 rushing yards, and had the only rushing TD. The Browns offense looked lost at times giving me worry for any of their offensive players. The main reason I have Ford as a sell high option is because Nick Chubb is expected to return to football by week 5. Given Chubb’s elite history I would expect the Browns to feed him a lot when he returns giving Ford less opportunities. I would attempt to sell high while you can.
Rashid Shaheed – New Orleans Saints
Rashid Shaheed had a great week 1 catching 3 of his 5 targets for 73 receiving yards and a TD. He tied Alvin Kamara with 5 targets for most on the team. Impressive outing to start the year, but will he be consistent? The Saints have Kamara who demands targets and carries, and they also have Chris Olave. Olave has only 2 receptions on 2 targets for 11 receiving yards. I think that changes moving forward as Olave is just too talented to be targeted only twice. The Saints did play the Panthers which is another reason to sell Shaheed high. The Panthers are a mess on both sides of the ball. Shaheed and the Saints have the Cowboys next week so I would sell high while I can.
Cole Kmet – Chicago Bears
Cole Kmet played in week 1 catching his lone target for 4 yards. Almost nonexistent in the Bears offense running just 12 routes of his 27 snaps. All 4 Chicago WRs had more targets than either Bears TE. Gerald Everett, Cole Kmet, and Mercedes Lewis all played TE this week for the Bears. Everett played 7 more snaps, and 9 more routes ran than Kmet which is concerning when you aren’t the top priority even in your own position. Kmet is a decent sell high candidate in hopes for a bite based off his decent ownership percentage.
