RSJ’s Jackson Barrett created a value-based drafting Excel tool to create the preseason values for this Fantasy Football Trade Value Chart. The tool uses the FantasyPros consensus projections to assign values based on a 12-team, full PPR league.
Each week throughout the season, I will alter these values to reflect the player’s value for the rest of the season. I have made changes based on the FantasyPros ECR, results from the season so far, and The Wolf’s Rest of Season Rankings. But for the most part, the below values should generally reflect consensus rankings. The values provided also allow for comparing player values across positions, not just within one position group.
For more information on how to make successful deals, check out our strategies for negotiating trades.
Before going over player values, let’s take a look at the biggest changes to the trade value chart and some potential trade targets.
RISERS
Once again, Adam Thielen has proved the doubters wrong and had another explosive week, scoring 28.5 fantasy points.
If it didn’t happen last week, it’s time to give Thielen the respect he deserves. In his first six games in Carolina, he has absolutely dominated.
But let’s be realistic, this is not sustainable. 50 percent of games with 11+ catches? Not even Cooper Kupp is doing that. Unless Thielen continues with this insane volume, his WR3 (overall) production will begin to slow down.
Thielen has solidified himself as the top option in Carolina. Considering Carolina will be playing a lot of catch-up in games, Thielen will continue to see volume. Because of this, Thielen is a WR2 option moving forward. But a poor offense will cap his ceiling unless he can continue to average nearly double-digit receptions.
With two games in the books following a hamstring injury, it’s safe to say that Cooper Kupp is back.
Kupp now has two WR1 performances in as many games. In these two games, Kupp has an absurd 34.4 target share and already has 15 receptions for 268 yards.
In nine games in 2022, Kupp looked like he was going to recreate his historic 2021. Nothing is different in 2023. The NFL’s biggest target hog is back like he never left.
Kupp hasn’t quite been able to keep up with Tyreek Hill and the Miami offense, but Hill is pacing to break the single-season receiving record, to be fair.
Even if he’s not keeping up with Tyreek, Kupp has been incredible so far and will not be slowing down.
FALLERS
The rise of one player must mean the fall of another player, right? I fear this is true for Puka Nacua. For the first time in his NFL career, Nacua was held to under 70 yards and finished with just 6.6 fantasy points.
Nacua still maintained a high target share, seeing seven targets on Sunday. Nacua will continue to get volume this season, but he has undoubtedly taken the backseat to Kupp. Nacua should still be started each week unless he continues to struggle.
Over the next few weeks, pay attention to Nacua’s usage and target share. He should have the volume to succeed but it is incredibly difficult to compete with Kupp. Nacua’s outlook is fine for now, but the situation needs to be monitored.
I would be shaking in my boots if I were a Quentin Johnston truther right now. Johnston now has two games under his belt without Mike Williams on the field. In that time, the rookie out of TCU has one catch for 18 yards. Johnston was completely blanked in Week 6 and was seemingly bodied off the ball for the game-sealing interception.
So far this season, Johnston has yet to crack 20 receiving yards and has never caught more than two passes. Considering Johnston had zero impact coming off the bye week and is being significantly outplayed by Josh Palmer, the alarm bells are fully going off.
At the end of the day, Johnston is a rookie and has played just five career games. Expectations for rookies have increased astronomically in recent years and Johnston is not an exception as a first-round pick. There is still plenty of time for development but this start is concerning.
TRADE TARGETS
He’s back……
Following a stint on IR and a bye week, Diontae Johnson is set to return in Week 7.
Diontae Johnson is someone I talked about a lot this offseason. He’s one of my favorite receivers in fantasy football because he’s a volume machine. Johnson is one of the league’s best route runners, meaning he is often open, leading to plenty of targets.
It’s hard to not produce with this kind of volume. Coming off a bye with an offense that has struggled, expect Johnson to be involved early and often.
Volume is in fact king in fantasy football. Go grab Johnson before your friends remember that Diontae is a PPR monster.
Jakobi Meyers has been quietly balling out. In five games, Meyers is averaging 17.5 points per game and has 10+ targets in three games. Meyers’ fantasy output is also boosted by four touchdowns already this season.
Davante Adams is the number one in this offense and a target hog when healthy. However, this hasn’t stopped Meyers from carving out a role in Las Vegas. Meyers has a 25 percent target share this season and has provided steady fantasy performances throughout the season. Meyers has 15+ points in four games this season.
Meyers’ performances have not been flukes, he is a key piece of this offense and will continue to be. There’s a good chance that Meyers is undervalued in your league. Meyers doesn’t have the best name recognition and is in the shadow of Adams. If someone is in fact undervaluing Meyers, take advantage of this and trade for him now.
