A quarter of the NFL season has passed and we’re starting to get an idea of who the contenders are. Just like in your fantasy football leagues, there are a few stacked teams looking unstoppable. Go out and make a trade or two to swing the momentum back in your favor. Even if your season hasn’t started off too hot, there’s plenty of time to change course with a winning streak. The first step is figuring out which players you need to sell from your roster and buy from others. These are some trade targets you need to acquire before Week 5.
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Fantasy Football Week 5 Buy and Sell Targets
Players to Buy
Travis Etienne (RB: Jacksonville Jaguars)
Leading up to the season, the drum for Tank Bigsby was loud and many fantasy analysts were projecting a close split in touches between him and Travis Etienne. Through four games, that could be further from the truth. Etienne has dominated the running back touches in Jacksonville 83 to 12. He’s also played over 70% of the snaps in every game so far. There are very few backs in the league getting the volume Etienne is and well worth the high price tag. After a “bad” week with only 10.2 fantasy points, his price tag could be cheaper, so go buy Travis Etienne if you can.
Jakobi Meyers (WR: Las Vegas Raiders)
Very few players have a target share greater than 30% while playing with their starting quarterback. Well, Jakobi Meyers is one of the players to achieve this feat. What makes this even more impressive is he’s doing it alongside Davante Adams. In the two games with Jimmy Garoppolo this season, Jakobi Meyers had 16 receptions, 166 yards, and 2 touchdowns on 22 targets. He boomed for 29.1 and 15.5 PPR fantasy points and controlled a 31% target share when suited up together. It may be a small sample size, but targets stick and there are not many options to count on in the Raiders passing attack. Take this “down” week with Aidan O’Connell and buy Jakobi Meyers. He offers top-12 upside and a safe floor with the sheer amount of targets he consumes with Jimmy Garroppolo.
Jonnu Smith (TE: Atlanta Falcons)
Let’s be honest here, there aren’t many tight ends to buy. You either have a top guy that you’re not trading whatsoever or have a struggling veteran you’re not going to get fair compensation. So, instead, I’d like to highlight a player who could be climbing up the tight rankings. Jonnu Smith is likely hiding in the waiver wire in your league, so it’d only cost you some FAAB money, but he’s worth a roster spot in all leagues.
Over the past three weeks, Jonnu Smith has 15 receptions on 20 targets with 32.9 PPR fantasy points. During that span, he’s the TE8 and tied 6th among all tight ends in targets. Overall, Smith has a 17% target share, which is currently 4th on the team. The Atlanta Falcons don’t have too many pass-catching options and refuse to use talents Drake London and Kyle Pitts appropriately. The way Arthur Smith operates his offense, Jonnu Smith will remain a “high” volume threat. Add, or buy, him if you can.
Bonus Buy – Devon Achane (RB: Miami Dolphins)
Regarding the Miami Dolphins backfield, there is a slight chance it could get messy when Jeff Wilson returns from injured reserve. However, both Raheem Mostert and Wilson are wily veterans who shouldn’t stand in the way of the rookie. Devon Achane is the young buck shining with limited touches. Over the last two weeks, he’s had 33 touches and averaged 10.69 yards per touch. He’s finished with 51.30 and 27 fantasy points in back-to-back games as well. Achane’s workload should continue to increase and you should buy him if you can.
De’Von Achane could rush for 0 yards on his next 30 attempts & he’d still be averaging over 5.0+ YPC.
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) October 2, 2023
Players to Sell
Kyren Williams (RB: Los Angeles Rams)
Kyren Williams is scoring touchdowns at an alarming rate. He’s scored twice in three of four games this season while playing the majority of the snaps. Williams has been a great waiver wire add thus far. Although, it’ll be interesting to see if he sustains the lofty number of touches when Cooper Kupp returns to action. Williams is currently toting 21.5 touches per game and between Kupp and the red-hot rookie Puka Nacua, that could decrease. Not to mention, and hate bringing up the rumor mill, but there are rumblings of the Los Angeles Rams adding another player to the backfield. If you can sell Kyren Williams for a running back with a more solidified starting role, then do so.
Calvin Ridley (WR: Jacksonville Jaguars)
Since Calvin Ridley’s amazing Week 1, his targets have decreased each week. He’s gone from 11, 8, 7 to 2 targets in that order. That’s not overly encouraging, especially since Zay Jones has been out the previous two weeks. Ridley should remain a solid flex play with upside, but his inconsistencies don’t leave much to be desired. With a touchdown he averages 17.45 PPG, and without it’s a low 6.1 PPG. If you can, sell the hype for another player within the same receiver tier that’s more consistent.
Calvin Ridley's busted coverage touchdown today will hide the fact that he hasn't looked good for three consecutive weeks.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) October 1, 2023
Chigoziem Okonkwo (TE: Tennessee Titans)
No Treylon Burks, yet, Chigoziem Okonkwo still wasn’t a focal point in the passing game. Without Burks, Okonkwo was only able to muster 3 receptions for 29 yards on 3 targets. The Tennessee Titans want to focus on the run game, ball control, and grinding the clock down. There just isn’t much volume to go around for all the pass catchers and it appears Okonkwo is a low-volume touchdown-dependent player. He’s playing a high percentage of the weekly snaps, but without the targets, it doesn’t matter. Might have to hold until his first “blow-up” game, but he could be a waste of a roster spot until then.
Bonus Sell – Dameon Pierce (RB: Houston Texans)
The Houston Texans’ offense is rolling behind the arm of CJ Stroud. He’s setting all sorts of rookie passing records to start his promising career. Unfortunately for Dameon Pierce, he’s not being utilized in the passing game and is being secluded to mainly rushing duties. Pierce may be dominating the running back touches in Houston, but he’s failed to surpass 100 rushing yards. He’s only got one game over 100 total yards overall. In fact, in his first three games, he had less than 60 total yards. Pierce is averaging 9.73 PPG and in his next two games, he’s got a date with a couple of stout run defenses (Atlanta and New Orleans) followed by a bye week. Pierce is firmly in the low-end RB2 to RB3 range for now. Sell him and see if you can upgrade him into a more consistent running back.
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Main Photo: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports
