We’re already at the quarter way point of the fantasy season if your league goes 16 weeks. In football, it’s necessary to make moves before it’s too late and that comes sooner than most realize. The last thing you want is to get caught off guard after four weeks with a 0-4 or 1-3 record. It’s not the end of the world, but again, the season goes by quick so it’s time to start deciding which players you want to actively shop.

With plenty of high draft picks off to slow starts, owners may be more willing to part ways with their studs compared to years past. As you begin contemplating who you should target, consider the names our featured pundits have identified below.

More Trade Advice:

Trade Analyzer | Trade Value Chart | ROS Rankings

Pick Recap



Q1. Who is your favorite buy-low trade candidate at this point in the season and why?

Dez Bryant (WR – DAL)

“How much worse can it get? Two targets and two catches last week and his fantasy point total was saved by a trip to the end zone. Through three games, Bryant has 11 catches for 114 yards and two scores. Assuming you drive a hard bargain, Bryant is worth taking a shot on because he can be a top 15 — even a top 10 performer. The Cowboys should take a page out of the Cardinals’ playbook and put Dez in the slot and move him around often to create mismatches. Until then, Dez’s price point could continue to slide into oblivion.”

– Matt De Lima (ScoutFantasy)

Le’Veon Bell (RB – PIT)

“I would have to say Le’Veon Bell. I think it’s easy to have three weeks of data muddy the RB rankings near the top. With DJ on IR, it makes the top RBs even more valuable. When it comes to Bell, he’s off to a bit of a slow start and it likely has to do with his preseason holdout making him have a slow start out of the gate. You could probably do a 2-for-1 to try to pry him away. He’s likely still my favorite to be the highest scoring RB from weeks 4-16.”

– Sean Koerner (STATS)

Julio Jones (WR – ATL)

“You know who is probably frustrating his fantasy owners without a touchdown on the year? Julio Jones. In fact, he is averaging less than 10 standard PPG. Maybe his owner would be willing to part with him in a package deal.”

– Alessandro Miglio (Footballguys)

Amari Cooper (WR – OAK)

“This will come as no shock to those who listen to me on a regular basis, but Amari Cooper. Has it been frustrating to own him thus far? Absolutely. Does that automatically translate to future headaches? Absolutely not. Cooper has frustrated in a way that is much different than that of someone like Terrelle Pryor. You see, Cooper gets open at will, against any cornerback, but has dropped six of his 21 targets. It’s a problem, but one that can be fixed. You cannot train someone speed or how to run routes the way Cooper does. You can get him for a serious discount right now, which has already gotten a lot of the headaches out of the way.”

– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Alex Collins (RB – BAL)

“For the last two weeks, Alex Collins has looked like the best RB on the Ravens. Last week against Jacksonville, he may have had only 9 carries, but he managed an impressive 82 yards (9.1 Y/A) against a solid Jaguars defense. He made several great moves and is clearly the most explosive player in an anemic Baltimore backfield. He is currently sitting in the low 50’s in the FantasyPros Week 4 consensus rankings. Given his skill and opportunity, that ranking will surely improve over the next few weeks. If he’s on your waiver wire, grab him immediately. If not, try to acquire him on the cheap or as a throw-in on a larger deal.”

– Ken Moody (Dynasty League Football)

Q2. Who is your favorite sell-high candidate at this point in the season and why?

Chris Thompson (RB – WAS)

“Thompson in standard leagues. There is no way he can keep up this level of production in the role he has been pretty much cemented in. He’s never really going to be more than a 10-15 touch a game player and is not going to be able to sustain the TD rate he’s currently at so far. He’s 1 TD away from tying his season total from last year. He’s much more valuable in PPR scoring, but I would for sure be selling high right now in standard formats.”

– Sean Koerner (STATS)

“I love the dynamic play of Chris Thompson. He’s exciting to watch and easy to root for. But his current production is simply not sustainable. He’s managed 4 touchdowns on 27 touches. Gruden has indicated his role is likely not going to increase, despite his production. With fewer than ten carries per game in a complimentary / third down back role, Thompson will not be able to sustain his position as the week four RB 24 in the current FantasyPros rankings. Sell high, sell now.”

– Ken Moody (Dynasty League Football)

Todd Gurley (RB – LAR)

“Coming from someone who told you to buy Todd Gurley before the season started, trust me on this one, it’s time to cash in your chips. Sure, Gurley is still going to be a workhorse for his team and all that, but he’s had the easiest start to his schedule, facing three bottom-six run defenses from last year. Upcoming on his schedule, he’ll head to Dallas to play the Cowboys, and then a run of the Seahawks, Jaguars, Cardinals, Giants, Texans, and Vikings, all stout defenses. That’s a brutal stretch for any running back. If you can get round-one value out of Gurley, do it.”

– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL)

“We still don’t know what is going to happen with Ezekiel Elliott’s injunction, right? He may still play out the season, but there is a significant chance he will miss six games. At this point, he will miss the bulk of the fantasy regular season if that happens, if not the playoffs depending on when the suspension may occur. Maybe wait until he goes off this week, but it might be a good time to put out feelers to see if the suspension fears have dissipated. Just be sure to get a great return.”

– Alessandro Miglio (Footballguys)

Duke Johnson (RB – CLE)

“In PPR formats, Duke is a top 20 RB. I don’t see that lasting long. The Browns are still a hot mess offensively and predicting where their few points will come from in any given week is impossible. Johnson was lucky to find the end zone last weekend and I don’t trust his ability to have a significant impact on a weekly basis. He played 40 out of 77 of snaps last week and that’s just a little over 50% of the offensive snaps. I believe that trend will continue at a steady rate. So if you’re not on the field, you can’t make plays.”

– Matt De Lima (ScoutFantasy)

Get detailed analysis of any trade in your league with our Trade Analyzer >>

Thank you to the experts for naming their trade candidates. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.



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