There’s never been a better time to make a trade in fantasy football than now! Four weeks is a good threshold to start identifying patterns with certain players and offenses, and bye weeks are already here. A useful tip for struggling teams to give yourself a slight edge is to pay attention to the bye weeks of the players involved in fantasy football trades. If you trade a player who is on bye the week that you play against their new manager, you might just be able to buy yourself an extra win and be that much closer to playoffs. It’s certainly not something that you should build an entire trade around, but if you can line it up perfectly while extracting value, do it! With that in mind, let’s take a look at some buy and sell candidates ahead of Week 5.
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Fantasy Football Week 5 Buy Trade Targets
Amari Cooper (WR, CLE)
Cooper had another dud in Week 4 if you just look at the box score. However, those who watched the game know that his day was almost a whole lot different. Cooper caught an 82-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that was called back by a questionable holding call. There have been a lot of what-ifs and excuses for Cooper so far this season, but his volume is undeniable. He’s earned eight or more targets in every game this season. He ranks sixth in the NFL in total targets this season, with 9.3 per game.
Cooper has a reputation for being consistent from year to year but often inconsistent on a weekly basis. If that’s the case, then he’s due for some boom games, and his expected fantasy points reflect that. According to Pro Football Focus, Cooper’s expected PPR points of 15.2 rank him in the top 12 at the wide receiver position, but he’s only actually averaging 10.7. Expect these numbers to balance out given Cooper’s body of work and Deshaun Watson‘s progression through the season’s first month.
Deebo Samuel (WR, SF)
Deebo saw just a 19% target share in his first game back in Week 4, down from his 30% target share in the first two games of the season. He did, however, rush the ball twice, putting him at 12 carries on the season in just three games. With Christian McCaffrey expected to be sidelined for the next six weeks, Deebo should continue to see looks out of the backfield as well as a heathy target share.
He looked great and produced in the first two weeks of the season, averaging 18.4 points per game. Given that Week 4 was his first game back from a calf injury and the game script favored the run, it’s no surprise that Samuel’s target share dropped significantly. The Niners play some much stronger offenses in the next few weeks with Cardinals, Seahawks, Chiefs, and Cowboys, meaning they’ll need to score. Buy Deebo Samuel as a top 15 wide receiver moving forward.
Jalen Hurts (QB, PHI)
Nothing is more frustrating in fantasy football than when you pay up for an elite quarterback and they don’t put up the numbers you expect them to. That’s been life with Jalen Hurts over the last two weeks. Week 3 was a tough performance with two turnovers and no touchdowns. He had 311 yards passing and 25 yards rushing in that game but ultimately ended with just 10.9 fantasy points. DeVonta Smith was knocked out of that Week 3 game with a concussion and missed this past week along with A.J. Brown, who hasn’t played since Week 1.
So, while it has been frustrating to start Jalen Hurts the past two games, there is a legitimate excuse, as he’s been without his two stud wide receivers. Now the Eagles are on bye, and both receivers should be back in Week 6. Take advantage of frustrated managers and ship any quarterback not named Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, or Lamar Jackson, along with a smaller piece if necessary, to acquire the stud quarterback.
Fantasy Football Week 5 Sell Trade Targets
Michael Pittman Jr. (WR, IND)
Pittman had been an absolute disaster this season until he shined in Week 4. Prior to this week, he hadn’t topped 36 yards in a game. He caught six of his nine targets for 113 yards in Week 4, but there is just one problem. The majority of this production was with backup quarterback Joe Flacco. The veteran played most of the game as Anthony Richardson exited with a hip pointer injury. Richardson’s status for Week 5 is up in the air, but the fact that he may still play is a clear indication that his injury isn’t serious. While Week 5 is a dream matchup for Pittman, I’d be looking to sell off his big game to a manager hopeful that he’s returned to his 2023 form.
Chuba Hubbard (RB, CAR)
Hubbard has been on fire over the last two games since Andy Dalton became the Panthers’ starting quarterback. He rushed for over 100 yards again and caught all four of his targets on Sunday. He’s averaging 27.3 points in his last two games, both of which were against susceptible defenses. However, Jonathon Brooks should return soon, and the second-round rookie will surely eat into Hubbard’s workload. The other downside is that the Carolina Panthers have the third hardest strength of schedule for running backs for the rest of the season, according to FantasyPros. If you can offload Chuba for an asset that will retain its value or even grow in value, now is the time to do it.
D.J. Moore (WR, CHI)
The frustrating season of being a D.J. Moore manager continues. He continues to be just good enough to give you hope just to let you down. A touchdown saved his Week 4, yet he was still held to under 10 half-PPR points for the third time in four games this season. Moore is averaging just 8.6 yards per reception on the season, an already low number inflated by a 44-yard tipped Hail Mary catch in Week 3. His career low prior to this season was 12.4 yards per reception in 2021. Moore isn’t getting the ball downfield and isn’t getting the yards after the catch that he needs to be a valuable fantasy asset. He’s falling victim to the same Shane Waldron offense that struggled in Seattle last season. If you can sell on the mediocre production and name value, do it.
Go out there and send some offers, you never know what you can get. Another trade tip is to create packages with smaller ancillary pieces so you’re not just trading one for one. It’s often times easier to get a deal done when there are multiple moving parts. Happy trading!
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