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. Joe Mixon - RB, Cincinnati Bengals
There will be brighter days ahead for Joe Mixon and the Bengals' offense who have still struggled to find any type of traction through 4 weeks of the season. Mixon does appear to be one of the few bright spots within the offense thus far, averaging 4.2 YPC on 59 carries so far while tallying 11.6 PPG in fantasy despite just one trip to the endzone.
Mixon has complete control over the Bengals' backfield with 85% of the backfield opportunities and a 74% snap share (7th among RBs). He's been productive each week, posting 10.3 points, 13.5 points, and 14 points prior to a down 8.6-point performance against the Titans, who have allowed the 3rd-fewest PPG to opposing RBs this season.
It's difficult to envision the Bengals' offensive struggles lasting much longer and, when they do turn it around, Mixon's significant workload and solid efficiency thus far will turn into RB1 production. I'm targeting Mixon at a discount (perhaps mid-RB2 value) this week after a down performance against an elite run defense.
2. Sam LaPorta - TE, Detroit Lions
I cannot say I had labelling Sam LaPorta as a "buy low" after a 10-point performance on my bingo card this preseason, even when I was extremely high on him compared to others, but here we are.
LaPorta has firmly established himself as the number two receiving weapon in the Lions' highly effective passing attack and has entered the territory of an every-week must-start. Through four weeks, he has totaled 22-242-1, ranking 4th in targets, 3rd in catches, 1st in yards, and 2nd in fantasy points among TEs while posting a low score of 8.9 points in the season opener.
He's posting at an exceptional level, even without a significant redzone role, which will come with time, and now with the return of WR Jameson Williams, I would anticipate additional efficiency with defenses now having to respect the deep ball, leaving the intermediate range more open.
He looks like the equivalent of 2022's Zach Ertz (before the injury) in terms of consistency. At the TE position that is invaluable so, unless you have Kelce, Andrews, or Hockenson, I would be trying to acquire LaPorta as your TE1, even if it means paying a slight premium to do such as a single-digit performance looks to be a rarity for LaPorta going forward with a 9.6-point Week 4 likely leaning towards the bottom-end of his production.
3. Chris Olave - WR, New Orleans Saints
Week 4 was a very weird week for not only Olave but the entire Saints' offense with Derek Carr playing through a shoulder injury. It was clear the injury impacted the offense's ability to function with Carr throwing the ball 37 times but totaling just 127 yards and FOURTEEN targets going to RB Alvin Kamara for a grand total of 33 yards.
The downfield game simply wasn't there for the Saints, which led to a mere 1-catch, 4-yard performance for Olave on 6 targets, including a very near deep TD miss that would've left a very different narrative (and trade price) for the WR after last week.
He's been extremely safe each of the prior three weeks with the following game logs:
Week 1: 10 targets, 8 catches, 112 yards, 19.2 points
Week 2: 11 targets, 6 catches, 86 yards, 14.6 points
Week 3: 11 targets, 8 catches, 104 yards, 18.3 points
That's exceptional consistency in terms of workload and especially in terms of production without finding the endzone. While I'd anticipate Alvin Kamara eating into the target share a bit (nowhere near his absurd 36% target share in Week 4), it will likely open it up a bit for Olave long-term.
The effects of Carr's shoulder injury may be felt short-term but the opportunity is now to buy an extremely safe mid-to-high WR2 option for a discount. I cannot emphasize this enough (especially as someone who has had Keenan Allen nearly every year for the past decade): that level of consistency, especially without TDs, is worth its weight in gold.
4. Jaylen Warren - RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers' backfield is gradually transitioning from a Najee Harris-focused one in 2022 to a pure split between Harris and Warren with the extreme efficiency from Warren and the lack thereof from Harris. Every week this season, Warren has seen his involvement, both in terms of opportunities and snap share, increase, even without a common denominator in terms of game script.
Week 1: 9 Opportunities, 8 Touches, 40% Snap Share
Week 2: 12 Opportunities, 10 Touches, 43% Snap Share
Week 3: 12 Opportunities, 11 Touches, 45% Snap Share
Week 4: 14 Opportunities, 14 Touches, 49% Snap Share
As the Steelers will need to lean more on the RBs to be functioning offensively, especially in the receiving game, with the losses of Kenny Pickett, Diontae Johnson, and Pat Freiermuth, Jaylen Warren's workload could expand even more rapidly than expected.
Will he overtake Najee Harris as the lead back in Pittsburgh? Maybe not, but if he continues to produce at his efficiency, especially in the receiving game, he will continue to rise into FLEX-worthy fantasy relevance as the Steelers play from behind.
5. Amari Cooper - WR, Cleveland Browns
Now is the perfect time to buy Amari Cooper. He's coming off a down Week 4 (1 catch, 16 yards, 2.6 points) without Deshaun Watson in the lineup and now has the bye week for potential negotiating leverage point in a trade.
We saw what a Deshaun Watson-centric Browns' offense looked like (as opposed to a Nick Chubb-based one) the week before with a 7-catch, 116-yard, 25-point performance in Week 3, and I would anticipate Cooper to favor that type of stat-line more than his Week 1 (3 catches, 6.7 points) or Weke 4 (1 catch, 2.6 points) performances, especially with the 5th-easiest schedule among WRs over the next 4 games.
You may not be able to get him for a massive bargain, but I'd be willing you can likely get him for mid-WR2 value, which I would gladly give up for Cooper.