Take advantage of the fantasy football trade market in your leagues with these players to target or trade before Week 7.
Buy low on Aaron Jones
Jones is coming off his bye week and is dealing with a hip injury. He has been considered week-to-week since leaving his Week 5 game against the Jets. Whether he plays or not in Week 7, it’s a tough game against the Lions. This makes for an interesting place to buy low on Jones.
Don’t let his injury blind you to the fact that in his four completed games, Jones has averaged 18.6 fantasy points and 20 touches per game. He has also seen strong play usage in his four catches per completed game. Jones is averaging 5.9 yards per touch this season and he should remain in a favorable position to win for a number of reasons.
First, he is in a quality offense behind a solid offensive line. Second, defenses should focus their attention on Justin Jefferson, leaving softer boxes for Jones to run into. Trade for Jones before his soft schedule in Weeks 8-10. He will go up against the poor defense of the Rams, Colts and Jaguars.
Try to trade someone like Zay Flowers or Tony Pollard for Jones if you can.
Trade for Isiah Pacheco
I think it’s time we remember the name Isiah Pacheco.
His original timeline for returning from injury was between weeks 9 and 12. We are now in week 7, which means we are approaching the return of the Chiefs running back. Right now, Kareem Hunt is becoming a trend. He posted over 100 receiving yards in Week 5 before the Chiefs’ bye week. But this probably won’t remain the case once Pacheco is back.
Pacheco is trusted in all situations by coach Andy Reid. Early downs, pass protection and the red zone are all areas where Pacheco will see playing time. Remember: In Week 1, Pacheco played 80% of the snaps and handled 88% of the Chiefs’ backfield carries. He could be nearing a return soon given his initial projected timeline of 6-8 weeks, and that makes him a potential league winner going back to the fantasy playoffs. Trade someone like Tyrone Tracy Jr. for Pacheco if you can.
Send an offer for Tee Higgins
Higgins has been great since returning from a hamstring injury in Week 3. Over the past four games, Higgins leads the Bengals with a 28% goal share and has averaged 8.8 goals per game during this span. According to Player Profiler, Higgins now ranks fourth in expected fantasy points per game this season. That’s how good his role has been in this Bengals offense.
You can’t buy low on Higgins because of his strong play, but you should still make an offer, even if it costs you more than it did a few weeks ago. Higgins’ upcoming schedule is strong. He will be competing against teams like the Browns, Eagles and Ravens, all of whom rank in the top 12 in passing yards per game allowed according to NFL Pro.
One more thing: Joe Burrow has looked great the last four weeks. During this time, he ranks third in the PFF quarterback ranks and has completed 74% of his passes. Trade someone like Josh Jacobs or JK Dobbins for Higgins if you can.
Buy low on DeAndre Hopkins
This one won’t cost you much to get done, but I’m intrigued by Hopkins’ current usage. Hopkins entered this season with a knee injury that limited him to just 27% of the Titans snaps in Week 1. But since this match, his usage has increased every week. Hopkins entered his Week 5 bye after back-to-back games in which he led the Titans in goals ahead of Calvin Ridley.
The bye week was much needed for Hopkins. It appears to have helped his recovery process, as in Week 6 we saw a full-time role for Hopkins for the first time this season. In Week 6, Hopkins managed 70% of the Titans’ routes on the season and led the team in target share for the third week in a row. Hopkins is moving in the right direction and probably won’t cost you much in a trade. Try to get someone like Tucker Kraft or Tyler Lockett for him.
Trade for Rome Odunze
Odunze is entering his bye week after a bad match. He earned just two catches for 40 yards in a game where the Bears scored 35 points. Not great. But the talented first-round rookie is entering his bye week, and this is key. We often see rookies see their roles expanded as they come out of the bye. Odunze has been on the field a lot for the Bears, but we may see a shift in his usage when he returns from his Week 8 bye.
So far this season, Odunze has averaged a depth of 15.2 meters. This means he sees a lot of his use in the field. This will lead to big plays, but it could also lead to some boom or bust performances, as we’ve seen in recent weeks.
However, we started to see a change in Odunze’s usage in week 5. He saw more short-range targets and mid-range usage. The goal would be to see more of this type of usage after the bye week, combined with his goals on the field.
Overall, Caleb Williams looked great, so you want pieces of this Bears offense. Try to trade Najee Harris or Bucky Irving for Odunze if you can.
