It was another wild week in the NFL, with surprising performances, injuries galore, and survivor pools run amok. As always, the trade winds keep blowing, and values are shifting rapidly. So let’s check in with our trade values for Week 5.

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Quarterbacks



The biggest mover among quarterbacks is Derek Carr, who no longer has significant enough trade value to warrant placement on the quarterback chart. His spinal fracture will cost him an estimated two to six weeks, though there are some reports that he could be back in Week 6. It’s not as if Carr was an elite fantasy quarterback anyway, so there’s certainly no need to target him in any trade.

Marcus Mariota also sees his value drop because of an injury, though not quite as much as Carr’s. Mariota may even play in Week 5 with a hamstring strain, and although that seems wildly optimistic, remember that DeMarco Murray was also a game-time decision with a hamstring strain a couple of weeks ago, played, and then torched the Seahawks. Still, given that he did not return to Sunday’s game against the Texans, it’s fair to assume that Mariota misses at least this week, and the possibility for more moves him down.

Deshaun Watson makes his first appearance on the trade chart, after his second straight monstrous performance. He’s an exciting option, and certainly one that quarterback-needy teams should be targeting. But caution is warranted just a bit, as the Patriots and Titans, the two teams against which he just exploded, have two of the worst defenses in the league against quarterbacks. Still, there aren’t that many reliable options at quarterback these days, and Watson’s ability to create things with his legs certainly gives him staying power.

Running Backs



First, let us pour one out for those that fell off the trade value chart, including, most notably, Dalvin Cook and Chris Carson. Cook had quickly established himself as a fantasy stud, while Carson was rapidly moving up the ranks of reliable running backs. Your fantasy owners thank you for your contributions and wish for speedy recoveries and long fantasy careers.

In their place, we see Jerick McKinnon, Latavius Murray, and Eddie Lacy join us on the trade chart. So . . . yeah, not quite as exciting. Murray gets the highest jump in value for several reasons. He’s almost certainly going to get the goal-line work, and he was originally signed to be the lead back before the Vikings drafted Cook. He showed last year that he can be a fantasy asset even with his unexciting skill-set, scoring 12 touchdowns. Although McKinnon will be a factor, he’s battling an ankle injury, which should mean that Murray gets plenty of chances to run with the job. Still, it’s Latavius Murray. Let’s keep expectations in check.

As for how the Seattle backfield will break down, please insert a “shrug” emoji. Pete Carroll’s comments recently made it sound like Thomas Rawls was inactive on Sunday night because he is a similar runner to Carson, and the team preferred to go with Lacy as the complement. But really, you could make a case for any of Rawls, Lacy, C.J. Prosise, or even J.D. McKissic to be the guy going forward. It’s far from a situation to target, but Rawls or Lacy can at least be considered a throw-in to any deal.

Bilal Powell takes a big leap in value, as he shined filling in as the lead role of a platoon for Matt Forte on Sunday. Yes, a big chunk of his yardage came from a 75-yard run during which the Jaguars essentially gave up on the play assuming he was down, but he was incredibly solid otherwise. So too was Elijah McGuire (who also appears on our trade chart for the first time – welcome!), who gained 93 yards on 10 carries and added two catches for 38 yards. But Powell played 46 snaps to McGuire’s 19, and he’s clearly going to be the main guy going forward. With a 4.4 career yards per carry average, and an average of 52.5 catches over the last two seasons, Powell can be considered a low-end RB2 going forward, and be valued as such in any trade.

The Browns backfield also sees a shift in value, as Duke Johnson continues to rise while Isaiah Crowell‘s harsh fall continues. If you’re a Crowell owner, this is your last hope, and the circumstances couldn’t set up better. The Jets have allowed the third most fantasy points to opposing running backs. The Browns pretty much abandon the run and immediately go to Johnson once they fall significantly behind, and that’s unlikely to happen here. Crowell has been awful, yes – he’s averaging just 2.9 yards per carry – but it’s hard for him to get into much of a rhythm when the Browns immediately go to Johnson at the first sign of falling behind. If the snap breakdown (36-22 in favor of Johnson last week) remains the same here, it’s fair to cut bait entirely with Crowell. But for now, especially with this matchup on tap, he at least retains a modicum of value. Johnson, however, has surpassed Crowell, as in he is on the verge of becoming a reliable Flex play.

Finally, let’s touch on the abysmal Ravens offense, which went to London and forgot how to play football. Alex Collins looks fantastic, absent his fumbling issues, and he’s earned the right to be the lead back (though I’m still not sure what Javorius Allen did wrong to start getting benched until the second quarter). Collins gains value, certainly, but it’s worth noting that Allen saw 40 snaps on Sunday against the Steelers, as opposed to Collins’ 17 and Terrance West‘s 11. The Ravens were playing from behind, which factored into it, but still, it’s not clear that Collins will have a much more prominent role than Allen going forward. Both should have week-to-week value from here on out.

Wide Receivers



It’s time to really give Keenan Allen and DeAndre Hopkins their due. Allen has seen 39 targets in four games, and has 24 receptions already. While he is a true stud in PPR leagues, he’s also reached the point where his sheer reliability forces the issue in standard leagues, and he’s merely a tick below the truly elite options. Ditto for DeAndre Hopkins, who has seen 20 targets (and caught 17 of them) over the last two games, and appears to have a strong connection with Deshaun Watson. This week against Kansas City will be telling, but for now, he joins Allen in taking a large leap forward.

The Derek Carr injury is just the excuse needed to drop Amari Cooper significantly in trade value. Let’s not mince words – Cooper has been abysmal this year, hauling in just 12 of 31 targets for 110 yards and leading the league in drops. There’s no denying that he has immense talent, and I certainly was of the view that things were going to get better. But with E.J. Manuel at the helm for the foreseeable future, Cooper moves well down the list. It’s a fair argument to say he hasn’t fallen far enough, but he’s shown he has the skill to be an elite wide receiver in this league. Assuming Carr misses on the low-end of timeframe, I continue to believe that Cooper will be a WR2 going forward.

Snap count for the Cardinals wide receivers on Sunday against the 49ers (out of 86): Larry Fitzgerald – 82; Jaron Brown – 82; John Brown – 54; J.J. Nelson – 24. Over the last three weeks, Jaron Brown – and don’t think I’m not angry at having to say his first name every time – has seen 29 targets and come down with 14 receptions for 205 yards and a touchdown. Other than Larry Fitzgerald, he’s the receiver in Arizona that you want to own.

Chris Hogan over his last three games: 21 targets, 14 receptions, 206 yards, four touchdowns.

(Note: I’ve used this gif before somewhere, probably in a baseball article. But Curb Your Enthusiasm is back so let’s tip our hat to Mr. David once again, shall we?)

There’s surely going to be a game where Hogan is invisible, because he’s a Patriots wide receiver and that’s how they roll, but he’s also done enough to be valued as a borderline WR2.

Tight Ends



First, there was just some recalibrating of the tight end values on the low side. Nothing to see here – nobody get too worked up just because Hunter Henry fell a few spots in value. I know he gets the Giants this week, guys!

It’s time to accept that Charles Clay is a thing. Tyrod Taylor either won’t, can’t, or doesn’t want to throw to his wide receivers and, frankly, I can’t blame him. Also, the Bills helped knock out like 20% of survivor pools across the country, so those of us still alive approve of this gameplan! Seriously, LeSean McCoy and Clay are getting almost all of the targets in Buffalo, and with Jordan Matthews set to miss about a month, that number should only increase. The only thing keeping Clay from moving up further in value is the fact that prior to this week’s game against the Falcons, his highest yardage total was 53. But he’s firmly moved ahead of the group of streaming tight ends.

O.J. Howard is actually playing more snaps than Cameron Brate so far this season, but Brate is the one to own. He now has touchdowns in back-to-back games, and is getting consistent looks from Jameis Winston. Winston continues to speak glowingly of his big tight end, and it’s fair to assume that regular targets will continue to flow. Still, let’s be fair. Brate is just one of a handful of tight ends who will give you reliable, but usually unspectacular production. That’s still worth something, no?



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Dan Harris is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter at @danharris80.