Week 3 Trade Targets

Trade for articles are tricky to write because in the moment, they often contain players who are performing below their projected level. You tend to recommend players people don't currently want, and while that's sort of the point, it never feels good! If you have questions about any players not listed here, just drop a question below! The same goes for any live offers you might have. Drop a question below and I'll do my best to help!

Trade Targets

Quinshon Judkins, Browns -- As I said on this week's waiver wire, Todd Monken deserves a lot of credit for managing a potentially toxic situation in Cleveland, and actually creating some offensive production. We know about rookies Denzel Boston and to a slightly lesser extent, KC Concepcion, but what about Quinshon Judkins? 

Obviously it's early on, but I like the way Monken is incorporating the big back into the pass game. It's intentional. In the box score, it may look like Judkins caught a few balls for not much, but these targets were of good quality, and all were on first or second down. They are trying to use him aggressively. One of Watson's passes was high and pulled Judkins high and towards the sideline, but if he'd been able to keep his feet on the ground, it would have been a nice gainer. 

In Week 1, Judkins ran nice choice route on 2nd and long. The play gained little because the defense collapsed, and his blocker wasn't in great position, but the big back can absolutely run quality routes. On his other reception, Judkins ran a nice peel route off of play-action, made a defender miss, and turned it into 15 yards. 

It seems that Monken saw the tape from Week 1 and decided to get his lead back more involved, and to make use of his full skill set. Again, all of his action has been on first and second downs, so this is not him getting extra looks with Dylan Sampson out. Additionally, it might imply there is more playing time Judkins could force his way into. What if he starts adding some 3rd down production? He could start catching five balls every week with the potential for more. 

This is obviously a complex situation because the quarterback position is so volatile. We have to ask ourselves, can this hold up if and when they go to Shadeur Sanders? The short answer is yes, though Watson's experience is a plus right now as the team continues to install Monken's scheme. To me, the key is Monken and his seeming intent to use Judkins in the best way possible—to work outside of his offensive line's limitations. 

The reason this type of trade can work for you, is that the vibes are still bad, and Judkins' stats over two weeks look shaky. 

• 12 carries for 54 yards
• 7 receptions for 44 yards
• Zero touchdowns

Very few are looking at the receptions and most are fixated on the lack of touchdowns and the meager 2.3 yards per rush. Additionally, few see the Browns offense as a rising tide that will lift a power back's boat. The trick is to understand that Monken is showing us he sees Judkins as more than just a power back. He's drawing up pass plays for him. Meanwhile, a good percentage of the folks who've drafted Judkins would love a way out right now. It's a good time to pounce.  

Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars

As we discussed way back in July, Tuten's season will have some fits and starts through Week 9, and after that, I expect some serious production. It's every much about the schedule. Save for the Bengals in Week 4, it's just not a good schedule. Heck, even the Bengals are suddenly looking strong versus the run! The thing is, the player is good and most indications are that he's the main cog in this backfield. That doesn't mean you shouldn't play up the goal line role of Chris Rodriguez in trade negotiations! And to be fair, C-Rod is absolutely going to score some touchdowns from in close. 

Liam Coen runs a great scheme, so Tuten is fine to use over this relatively tough stretch—expect medium to light RB2 output, which is roughly what we paid for him in drafts. The reason I was targeting him in drafts was about the way the season closes for the Jagaurs. Only the Texans in Week 15 are a bad matchup after Week 9. It's a good stretch and with Tuten yet to really pop off, he might be acquirable at or below his draft day cost. I'd be in on either level. The beauty of this recommendation is that it will last for as long as Tuten's numbers stay reasonable. So if he has a rough game against the Patriots this week, you can try and land him in advance of the Bengals game in Week 4. Similarly, if the Jags get held down by the Texans in Week 6, you have some time to get Tuten during the Week 7 bye. 

Jadarian Price, Seahawks -- While fantasy geeks are talking about Emanuel Wilson, we try to add Price before his value explodes, and it absolutely could explode. The Seahawks play a favorable fantasy schedule and Price has looked very good save for getting knocked out of Week 2's game. He's already back at practice but there's some doubt about his availability. In my view, this makes it a good time to act and kick his tires. It's unlikely that his current (fantasy) team is loving him at this moment, so use that to your advantage. I'm very willing to pay the price we paid back in August, that of a deep RB2. He has the ceiling to be much more than that. We've already seen that he's a functional receiver, so that whole thing is pretty well debunked. Unless you don't believe in Seattle as an offense (I do!), this just makes sense. If Price finished last weeks game, you'd have to pay far more right now. This is the time, if you don't mind a little risk. Speaking of Seattle, with Darnold nearing his return, I also like the idea of adding Rashid Shaheed as a cheap throw-in piece in a larger deal. This is for deeper formats. They seem intent on using him more this year. Just don't overpay, because he's not a durable good. And again, it's a deep league play only. 

Pat Bryant, Broncos -- Sean Payton always makes life frustrating for us fantasy footballers, but in deeper formats, I'm liking what I see from Pat Bryant. Yes, his production slipped from Week 1 to Week 2, but that's why we can get him as a throw-in. While his production dipped, his playing time actually rose. In small leagues, you can probably add Bryant off the wire, but in deeper leagues, you'll have to go get him. By my calculations, Bryant should have weekly flex appeal in 12 and 14 team leagues pretty soon. Add him now, while he is cheap or free. 

Justin Herbert, Chargers – Ok, now just hear me out. This is more for those in Superflex though it could have some applications for those in deeper leagues. Herbert's been less bad than advertised. Let's start with that. Having watched both Chargers losses, I can tell you it's been a total team effort. The illegal shifts, false starts, holding penalties and dropped passes are not the fault of Herbert. He's missed a few throws and failed to raise his teammates up on his shoulders, but this offense has been off, period. The point of all that is just to say, Herbert will be fine. My concern is not the first two games, but the next six games, played over seven weeks. The Chargers have a Week 7 bye.

As you can see, and likely have heard, it's a bad stretch. The thing is, as bad as it's been, this team, when playing normally, can function in tougher matchups. And, once the Chargers clear this stretch, things get better. So how would a deal like this work? Obviously, this is a buy low move. It works well if your current QB2 is weak. You want to flip that weak piece for Herbert as part of a bigger deal. You want to fold in another player swap that can be sold as you giving up a little bit, but in truth, you want to like that side of the deal, too. That's the way sharps do it on these fantasy streets. Do a little cajoling!

Either that or continue to push the envelope with Herbert and target him next week or the week after. Of course, he could right the ship and raise the cost, but you can always walk away at that point. The bottom line is this. I fully expect the Chargers to get-it-together. There's too much coaching talent, and too much on-field talent for things to get much worse. They are installing a new a somewhat more complicated offense. It should start showing results soon, even against stiff competition. Buy Herbert's dip. 

Terry McLaurin, Commanders -- Hey, I never told you this was going to be fun! McLaurin is good at football. Lets start there. Most expert NFL types would back me up on this and so would most of you, I suspect. Washington had an ugly Week 1 matchup versus Vic Fangio's defense and they lost their franchise quarterback in Week 2. It's been an ugly two week ride for sure. The thing is, they will have to play the rest of the schedule and the garbage time stats will count. 

The move to Marcus Mariota won't help them win games, but his first read tendencies will certainly keep McLaurin in the heavily targeted category. You also have the possibility that either McLaurin or Stef Diggs could be dealt. Contract-wise, I'm thinking it's likely to be Diggs, but in either scenario, you probably do well with McLaurin. 

This is an easy buy low move. If the team with McLaurin is asking for the price they paid three weeks or so ago, you can just move on, but I doubt that happens. In the end, Scary Terry probably has a solid year, and since he's done little so far, most of that production will go to you. He can be the WR3 on a good fantasy team going forward. 

Matthew Golden, Packers – Golden is an interesting one. Savvy fantasy GMs will want to hold him despite the mediocre production through two weeks, but is he rostered by a savvy GM in your league? If not, we have a very nice target of opportunity here. Golden saw only four receptions versus the Jets and has not scored on the season, so he's not a hot name. Do you hear anybody talking about a big Golden breakout right now? Christian Watson is the big name and he's had the big game. Jayden Reed's injury situation is likely to break badly for redraft, and the Packers simply do not have enough receivers. Golden, Watson and Tucker Kraft are all going to be heavily targeted moving forward.

And, for what it's worth, the six Week 2 targets versus the Jets are misleading. As a Jets fan, I saw this game live and re-watched for my waiver wire content. In addition to the six registered targets, Golden drew multiple long PI calls. Those two plays were big, will earn more downfield looks, and do not show up as usage in the box score. With Watson drawing the number one cornerbacks, Golden's big play potential is absolutely legit. I love adding him as a weekly WR3 with WR2 ceiling but paying a light WR3 price. That ought to be the goal. The one thing I feel confident about is this, barring injury, his cost is only going to go up. The time to land him is right now. 

George Pickens, Cowboys – I tried to save the fun ones for last. The thing with going after Pickens is that his team's GM is probably not giving up just yet, but still, after two crappy outputs, we should do our due diligence and kick the tires. 

Pickens leads the Cowboy's receivers in playing time. He's played three more snaps than CeeDee Lamb. He's seen 14 targets through two games. The ball just hasn't been finding him in good ways yet. That's going to change and probably soon. He's definitely a trade target for me. 

Garett Wilson, Jets – While folks talk about Adonai Mitchell, I suggest you talk to the team in your league that has Garrett Wilson, because his explosion is likely coming soon. The Jets schedule for the pass is quite good and they have a weak defense, so the games should be high scoring affairs. You'll need to pay his going rate, because Wilson has been solid so far, but he has the talent to be a lot more than solid and the schedule isn't going to stop it nor will the good game scripts.

The Bears, all of them!

This is your basic. Just buy as much of the dip as you can. Play up all the uncertainly with Caleb Williams. Play up the Case Keenum start on Monday Night. Play up anything you can, because this pot is simmering and ready to boil over. While others bloviate about Kalif Raymond's ability to lead the team, go buy the actual studs who are going to produce big numbers by year's end.  

• Rome Odunze
• Luther Burden
• Colston Loveland

I'm ready to add any and all of the main targets in this offense. And the injury to Caleb is not that big a factor for me. You could make an argument that the receivers will just fine with any of the three quarterbacks, because Ben Johnson can scheme with the best of them, and he sets up QBs for success. Keenum will run less and throw more if he's in there. If they play Tyson Bagent, the scheme won't change much from Caleb, but the ball will come out quicker. You are highly unlikely to get any of these players cheaper than you can right now. I'm willing to go after these players at their normal price. Of course I'll try going after them at a discount first!