Trading is the quickest way to take your team from sitting on the bubble of a playoff berth to a championship contender, or vice-versa if you make the wrong deal, which is why it is so important to make sure you are targeting (and selling) the right players at the right time.
And yes - every player has a price. It doesn't matter whether they are the best player in fantasy football or a dwindling kicker - every player has a price that they should be traded away for or should have something given up to get. If you don't know what the value of your players is, head over to our Trade Charts!
For people in leagues that are more active in trading, this is for you - these are our top 5 trade targets based on the "buy-low, sell-high" approach with players highlighted likely to see an increase in value in the near future due to easy matchups, surrounding injuries, improving/changing scenarios, etc:
1. Alvin Kamara - RB, New Orleans Saints
It's very clear that the Saints have been missing something offensively and it shows that it has been Alvin Kamara through the first two weeks of Kamara's three-game suspension.
Saints' RBs have had tons of opportunity (40 carries) but have been incredibly inefficient (2.8 YPC) and have been plagued by injury with Jamaal Williams suffering a hamstring injury on MNF and Kendre Miller yet to make his debut due to injuries. It's difficult to see Kamara returning and not being an instrumental piece of the offense once again.
With Kamara finishing at a career-worst RB16 (I know, so bad) last year after never failing to finish as a top-8 RB in points or PPG prior to that, right now could easily be a last-chance opportunity to get an RB2 at a discount due to his existing suspension.
2. Anthony Richardson - QB, Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson has been nothing short of exceptional from a fantasy football perspective in his first two career starts, going for 20.9 points in Week 1 and 17.7 points in Week 2. That 17.7 points came in just ONE quarter before exiting due to a concussion.
Running QBs have always been, and still are, a cheat code for fantasy. Anticipate top-5 (or at very least, top-7) production the rest of the way from Richardson. His early exit in what likely would have been a 30+ point performance may be the only thing keeping him a somewhat affordable option for now. This is likely your last chance to buy a QB with an incredibly high ceiling and one of the highest weekly floors due to rushing production.
3. A.J. Brown - WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Brown has had a less-than-ideal start to the 2023 season, registering just 11 catches and 108 yards while producing second to DeVonta Smith and failing to find the endzone in each of the first two games. A.J. Brown owners have been vocal about their displeasure with their WR1's production as has the wide receiver with his involvement in the Eagles' offense.
However, his production is a lot better than what his owners have come to believe. He had a 15-point performance in Week 1 without a TD - you can't ask for much more. He then had a 7-point performance in a run-heavy Week 2 offense that saw him have a 25-yard TD called back due to holding - a swing that would have resulted in a 16-point performance and a very different narrative.
Regardless, it's very difficult to envision Brown maintaining this level of production, especially with him vocalizing his desire for additional targets. I'd strongly encourage at least inquiring on the price of A.J. Brown as most owners have seemed to be discontent with his production and very easily could accept him for WR2 value.
4. Justin Fields - QB, Chicago Bears
Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears couldn't have had much of a worse start to the season, struggling mightily in each of their first two games to get anything going and that was reflected in Fields' fantasy production (or lack thereof) with just 29.3 points through two weeks.
The reason: the Bears' nonsensical decision to force Fields to be a pocket passer. Chicago wanted Fields to improve as a passer, bringing in WR DJ Moore this offseason, but the Bears have done more harm than good in pushing Fields into a more passing role. That comes with Bears' OC Luke Getsy allowing Fields just TWO total designed runs through two weeks compared to 3.4 per game in the final 9 games for Fields in 2022 (which contributed to 34 yards per game), per Conner Allen.
Fields owners appear to be in somewhat of a panic with their early-round investment struggling to post even QB1-level production. Capitalize on the panic as it seems almost certain Fields will be much more heavily utilized in the running game - if not, both Fields and Getsy will be voluntarily forcing themselves out of Chicago.
5. Ja'Marr Chase - WR, Cincinnati Bengals
It's a very similar story for Chase to that of AJ Brown - significant struggles through two weeks and producing as the WR2 on his team. Through the Bengals' first two games, Chase has yet to exceed 40 yards or hit double-digit points.
The good news is it hasn't just been Chase, Joe Burrow has struggled mightily to start the season and has had a history of slow starts to past seasons. We know what both Burrow and Chase are capable of, and we know it's almost a certainty that Cincinnati rebounds offensively.
You're not going to get him for anything close to WR2 value but you may be able to find a Chase owner panicking a bit on a player they anticipated elite production out of with a (likely) top-3 pick and flip a player such as Amon-Ra St. Brown or Stefon Diggs for him.