Week 5 has come and gone and fantasy owners are in a frenzy over who to add, drop and put on the trade block. Some players' trade value will never be higher, while others are ideal buy-low candidates meaning you should try to capitalize on the fear generated by a slow Week 5 outing for players who have positive outlooks for the season.
That's why this column, "Trade Calls" will come at you each and every week. It's pretty simple: I do the heavy lifting, you get some information and start making offers. This week, I put a call out on Twitter for your questions, and the inquiries came flying in. If I didn't answer your trade question here, I will do my best to reply directly via Twitter.com, so don't fret. Let's get to it.
NO! After a hot start, C.J. Anderson is trending down the last few weeks. He logged his lowest rush attempt total of the season with just 11 carries and saw a massive drop in snaps (51 percent) as Denver was playing from behind against the Falcons in Week 5. He's averaged fewer than 3.8 yards per carry in four of his five games this year and because of his poor efficiency, he's become a touchdown-dependent fantasy running back. He's a candidate to trade away right now, not trade for. Marvin Jones has been great thus far and currently leads all wideouts in receiving yards (519) and is second among receivers in total fantasy points in standard scoring. But giving up Ezekiel Elliott, who is on pace for over 1,700 rush yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, is not wise. Elliott is currently leading all running backs in yards before contact, 319, and is benefitting from the stellar play of a Dallas offensive line that has been opening up gaping lanes for him all season.
Jimmy Graham is healthy and has finally been integrated back into Seattle's game plan in a big way. He's now logged two straight 100-yard games and his newfound chemistry with Russell Wilson is evident. At this point, Graham is locked in as a weekly TE1. So you'd basically be giving up a potential RB1 overall in Zeke and a top 10 tight end (at worst) in Graham for a matchup-based flex running back who's trending down (Anderson) and an inconsistent but safe-floor wideout in Jones. I would not pull the trigger on this one.
This needs to happen, like, yesterday. As I mentioned above, C.J. Anderson is trending in the wrong direction. Now is the time to move him if someone in your league is interested. We've seen A.J. Green have some huge weeks, but when he's not dropping 170 yards and a score, he's providing next-to-nothing despite being the only real threat in the Bengals passing attack. That inconsistency is something his owners should be concerned about. On the flipside, Devonta Freeman is running like one of the best backs in the league right now and is an integral part of the NFL's best offense. Freeman is an RB1 despite Tevin Coleman's role, and that's been proven week in and week out this year. As for Jordy Nelson, his five receiving touchdowns are tied for the most among wideouts through five weeks and he leads the NFL in red zone targets (10) and receptions (seven). His weekly consistency trumps what has been a boom-or-bust campaign from Green thus far.
If someone offers you Antonio Brown in a trade, you do whatever you can do to make it happen. DeMarco Murray has impressed thus far and is clearly the bright spot of the Titans' offense so I can understand why one would be hesitant to move him. But to get a player like Brown, it shouldn't be too hard of a decision. Sterling Shepard has scored twice this season and while he was off to a hot start, the Giants offense seems to be lost recently with Eli Manning struggling. It's likely that they look to get Odell Beckham Jr. more involved going forward given the drama surrounding him in recent weeks (the squeaky wheel gets the grease) and that could take away from Shepard's share of looks. Antonio Brown is the best wide receiver in fantasy, so this is virtually a no-brainer.
There is no denying that Jordan Howard has been great recently, and should continue to be the Bears' workhorse for as long as Jeremy Langford (ankle) remains sidelined. But there is some concern given Howard's incredible workload the last few games (91 percent and 95 percent snap share in Weeks 4 and 5) that he's due for a bit of a downtick in volume. With Ka'Deem Carey healthy again, and Langford's eventual return inevitable, Howard could lose some opportunities in the coming weeks. He'll likely remain the primary back since he's clearly the best runner on the team but it's worth wondering how much longer this hot streak will last given the Bears deficiencies on offense: Chicago ranks 30th in scoring and 29th in third down offense.
Neither Odell Beckham Jr. nor DeAndre Hopkins have returned on their first-round draft value, and it's been frustrating to deal with. While both wideouts should improve in their weekly consistency, they may not provide the huge ceilings they were drafted for, given their respective quarterbacks' struggles of late. The one player in this question that will continue to provide weekly consistency and week-winning upside is Le'Veon Bell. In my opinion, I don't think the combination of Howard, who was likely a waiver-wire add, plus one of OBJ or Nuk is too much to give up for an elite fantasy runner of Bell's caliber.
This one is almost too easy. The Bengals offense is struggling, especially when it comes to the ground game. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard have a combined 3.6 yards per rush average with just 70.2 rush yards per game, down from 95.3 per game last season. Hill is a touchdown-dependent fantasy back and Bernard's workload is extremely inconsistent and reliant on game script. These guys are going to give you headaches all season, and owning both of them would make it even worse. Christine Michael is a weekly starter in fantasy, and when Thomas Rawls eventually gets back, it's hard to imagine the Seahawks taking the starting gig away from C-Mike if he's still got the hot hand. Hold onto Michael and let the other guy deal with the Hill and Bernard conundrum.
Yes and no. Matt Ryan has been great through five weeks but we saw what can happen to him with an opposing defense shuts Julio Jones down: Ryan had 14 fantasy points against Denver in Week 5. While that's not going to happen every week, I fear that Ryan's production may be more inconsistent going forward. The Falcons still have to face top pass-stopping defenses like Seattle, Philadelphia, Arizona and Los Angeles, all above average units in terms of fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks per drop back this season, an eye-opening stat via Graham Barfield of FantasyGuru.com.
Cam Newton is slated to return to his starting role against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, New Orleans, in Week 6. Then, following a bye and a few tougher matchups, Newton's schedule really opens up. Carolina faces Kansas City, New Orleans again, Oakland, San Diego, Washington and Atlanta between Weeks 10-16. That kind of late-season schedule is one that could help you win your league, especially during the fantasy playoffs. Where Cam really trumps Ryan though, is his ability to run the ball and score rushing touchdowns. That weekly rushing production gives him a much more consistent floor on a weekly basis than a quarterback like Ryan who's more reliant on his No. 1 wideout in order to be a consistent fantasy quarterback.
Frank Gore is the primary back in Indianapolis and just keeps producing. Latavius Murry is dealing with turf toe, an injury that tends to linger for running backs. Trading for a back with that kind of injury, whose workload was already in question pre-injury, is not a wise move.
If you haven't pulled the trigger on this one yet, please do it immediately. It's nearly impossible to predict how Jamaal Charles and Spencer Ware will split work going forward, and owning both of them will be even more frustrating. Charles has legitimate RB1 upside, but with Ware lurking to steal goal-line looks, Charles' ceiling may be limited. LeSean McCoy has been one of the nicest surprises at running back this season, consistently putting up big fantasy numbers even when he's not scoring touchdowns. Shady has also proven that he's virtually matchup proof this year, and is the feature back on a run heavy team. He's also a threat in the passing game which further increases his weekly floor. If you can get Shady, do it.
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