After just four weeks of the NFL season, many events took place which changed the landscape of fantasy football. Injuries have plagued many top skill position players, causing major headaches for fantasy managers. Offensive production has been down this year, resulting in less fantasy points across the board. However, if your team has been struggling, there’s still time for things to change, and one of the best ways is through a trade with another team. Before making a swap, it’s important to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your team and the team of a potential trading partner. This will give you an idea of what you need to get from a trade and who you can afford to trade. Try to think about the trade from the perspective of the person you’re trading with. Think about what they would want from a switch and if the offer you’re making makes sense for their team, as well as your own. Lastly, it’s also good to have an idea of players to target and players you might trade away for someone. With all of this in mind, here are some good candidates to buy and sell in your fantasy trades.
Buy – James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Conner has been a solid running back option since arriving in Arizona in 2021 and he has continued to perform well in the first four weeks of 2024. Despite a poor performance against a strong Detroit Lions run defense, Conner is currently the RB17 in PPR and RB12 in non-PPR after week four. Even at age 29, Conner continues to produce and is showing little to no signs of slowing down. He is the clear lead running back for the Cardinals, so he should continue to get plenty of carries, meaning more opportunities for big plays. While Conner may not be one of the flashiest names in the NFL, he’s more than capable of doing his thing for Arizona, so you might as well let him do it on your fantasy team. He’s a great running back to trade for that shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg in return.
Sell – Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Hubbard has been one of the main beneficiaries of Carolina’s quarterback change from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton. Hubbard has been one of the best running backs in fantasy the last two weeks, racking up over 120 scrimmage yards and scoring a touchdown in both games with Dalton under center. The entire Panthers offense has been more productive with Dalton, but it’s possible we will see Hubbard’s production drop in a few weeks. Running back Jonathon Brooks, a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, is in the “final stages” of his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in his final collegiate season at Texas. Brooks won’t be designated to return to practice this week, but it looks like his NFL debut is just a few weeks away and Hubbard could see his heavy workload reduced when this happens. Hubbard’s value is about as high as it will get, meaning now is a great time to trade him for someone who will provide more value for the rest of the season.
Buy – Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Flowers had a strong start to his sophomore campaign with the Ravens, racking up 13 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. However, his last two games have been less than desirable with just four catches for 30 yards combined. Flowers is in a bit of a slump, but things should be looking up for him. Flowers leads the team with a 26% target share, meaning he’s been getting a solid number of looks from quarterback Lamar Jackson. The only problem is there’s been a big lack of passes the past two weeks, with Jackson throwing less than 20 attempts in the last two games. This will almost certainly change, especially when Baltimore isn’t playing from ahead like they have been in the last two games. Baltimore will be going up against two top offenses in the next two weeks in Cincinnati and Washington, which means they’re going to need to rely more on their passing game. This should lead to more production from Flowers to get him out of this little slump. He’s a great wide receiver to buy low right now.
Sell – Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s been an odd start to the season for Etienne, who was drafted as a top 10 running back in most leagues this year. In the Jaguars season opener against Miami, Etienne had an even split in carries with backup running back Tank Bigsby, with Bigsby actually being more productive with his touches. We saw a similar situation in week four against Houston when Etienne had 11 carries for 50 yards, while Bigsby had seven carries for 90 yards. If Bigsby continues to perform like this, we could see more of a running back by committee approach in Jacksonville, which means Etienne could see less snaps and carries. He should still be an important piece of the Jaguars’ offense, but his fantasy production is on the decline. With Etienne’s fantasy value dropping, now may be the time to trade him before it’s too late. Find someone who’s in need of a running back and is confident in maintaining the role and production from last season.