Fantasy Football Week 8: Top 100 Players' Updated Trade Value and Advice

Listen, guys and gals, I've been wheeling and dealing since elementary school. Back then, I was trying to get some Dunkaroos or Fruit by the Foot from one of my friends for a super delicious, shiny red apple I had in my lunch box.

And nothing has changed, other than the fact that I've gone from snacks to fantasy players. Which is why I post my fantasy trade chart as a weekly guide to help ensure you get solid value in all of your potential deals. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I suddenly have the strangest urge to snack.

Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
Overall Rank	Position Rank	Player	Position	Team	Trade Value
1	1	David Johnson	RB	Arizona Cardinals	11
2	2	Le'Veon Bell	RB	Pittsburgh Steelers	11
3	3	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Dallas Cowboys	11
4	4	DeMarco Murray	RB	Tennessee Titans	11
5	5	Melvin Gordon	RB	San Diego Chargers	11
6	6	LeSean McCoy	RB	Buffalo Bills	11
7	1	Rob Gronkowski	TE	New England Patriots	10
8	1	Julio Jones	WR	Atlanta Falcons	10
9	2	Antonio Brown	WR	Pittsburgh Steelers	10
10	3	A.J. Green	WR	Cincinnati Bengals	10
11	4	Mike Evans	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10
12	7	Carlos Hyde	RB	San Francisco 49ers	9
13	8	Tevin Coleman	RB	Atlanta Falcons	9
14	9	Devonta Freeman	RB	Atlanta Falcons	9
15	10	Lamar Miller	RB	Houston Texans	9
16	11	LeGarrette Blount	RB	New England Patriots	9
17	1	Tom Brady	QB	New England Patriots	9
18	5	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	New York Giants	9
19	6	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts	8
20	7	Marvin Jones	WR	Detroit Lions	8
21	8	Michael Crabtree	WR	Oakland Raiders	8
22	12	Todd Gurley	RB	Los Angeles Rams	8
23	13	Jay Ajayi	RB	Miami Dolphins	8
24	14	Mark Ingram	RB	New Orleans Saints	8
25	15	C.J. Anderson	RB	Denver Broncos	8
26	16	Christine Michael	RB	Seattle Seahawks	8
27	17	Matt Forte	RB	New York Jets	8
28	18	Jonathan Stewart	RB	Carolina Panthers	8
29	9	Brandin Cooks	WR	New Orleans Saints	7
30	10	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	Arizona Cardinals	7
31	11	Jordy Nelson	WR	Green Bay Packers	7
32	12	Brandon Marshall	WR	New York Jets	7
33	13	Dez Bryant	WR	Dallas Cowboys	7
34	14	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders	7
35	15	Demaryius Thomas	WR	Denver Broncos	7
36	16	Randall Cobb	WR	Green Bay Packers	7
37	17	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	Denver Broncos	7
38	18	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Carolina Panthers	7
39	2	Matt Ryan	QB	Atlanta Falcons	7
40	3	Aaron Rodgers	QB	Green Bay Packers	7
41	4	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina Panthers	7
42	2	Greg Olsen	TE	Carolina Panthers	7
43	19	Frank Gore	RB	Indianapolis Colts	6
44	20	Isaiah Crowell	RB	Cleveland Browns	6
45	21	Doug Martin	RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6
46	22	Spencer Ware	RB	Kansas City Chiefs	6
47	23	Latavius Murray	RB	Oakland Raiders	6
48	24	Terrance West	RB	Baltimore Ravens	6
49	19	Terrelle Pryor	WR	Cleveland Browns	6
50	20	Jarvis Landry	WR	Miami Dolphins	6
51	5	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts	6
52	6	Drew Brees	QB	New Orleans Saints	6
53	7	Matt Stafford	QB	Detroit Lions	6
54	3	Jimmy Graham	TE	Seattle Seahawks	6
55	4	Jordan Reed	TE	Washington	6
56	21	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans	5
57	22	Allen Robinson	WR	Jacksonville Jaguars	5
58	23	Alshon Jeffery	WR	Chicago Bears	5
59	24	Mike Wallace	WR	Baltimore Ravens	5
60	25	Jamaal Charles	RB	Kansas City Chiefs	5
61	26	Theo Riddick	RB	Detroit Lions	5
62	27	Giovani Bernard	RB	Cincinnati Bengals	5
63	5	Travis Kelce	TE	Kansas City Chiefs	5
64	6	Hunter Henry	TE	San Diego Chargers	5
65	7	Kyle Rudolph	TE	Minnesota Vikings	5
66	8	Derek Carr	QB	Oakland Raiders	5
67	9	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers	5
68	10	Russell Wilson	QB	Seattle Seahawks	5
69	25	Cole Beasley	WR	Dallas Cowboys	4
70	26	Doug Baldwin	WR	Seattle Seahawks	4
71	27	Julian Edelman	WR	New England Patriots	4
72	28	Tyrell Williams	WR	San Diego Chargers	4
73	29	Michael Thomas	WR	New Orleans Saints	4
74	30	Davante Adams	WR	Green Bay Packers	4
75	31	Jamison Crowder	WR	Washington	4
76	32	Brandon LaFell	WR	Cincinnati Bengals	4
77	33	Jordan Matthews	WR	Philadelphia Eagles	4
78	34	Will Fuller	WR	Houston Texans	4
79	35	Stefon Diggs	WR	Minnesota Vikings	4
80	28	Jeremy Hill	RB	Cincinnati Bengals	3
81	29	James White	RB	New England Patriots	3
82	30	Matt Jones	RB	Washington	3
83	31	Jordan Howard	RB	Chicago Bears	3
84	8	Delanie Walker	TE	Tennessee Titans	3
85	9	Zach Miller	TE	Chicago Bears	3
86	10	Coby Fleener	TE	New Orleans Saints	3
87	36	Travis Benjamin	WR	San Diego Chargers	2
88	37	DeSean Jackson	WR	Washington	2
89	38	Jeremy Maclin	WR	Kansas City Chiefs	2
90	39	Allen Hurns	WR	Jacksonville Jaguars	2
91	40	Willie Snead	WR	New Orleans Saints	2
92	32	Ryan Mathews	RB	Philadelphia Eagles	2
93	33	Jerick McKinnon	RB	Minnesota Vikings	2
94	34	Matt Asiata	RB	Minnesota Vikings	2
95	35	Ty Montgomery	RB/WR	Green Bay Packers	2
96	36	Rashad Jennings	RB	New York Giants	2
97	11	Andy Dalton	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	2
98	12	Marcus Mariota	QB	Tennessee Titans	2
99	11	Martellus Bennett	TE	New England Patriots	2
100	1	N/A	D/ST	Minnesota Vikings	2

Everyone say hello to Jay Ajayi and, please, welcome him to fantasy prominence. 

Well, maybe.

You can ignore one rushing performance of 200 yards if the player in question hadn't rushed for more than 50 yards in a game in his two-year career. 

But it becomes a lot harder to ignore that player if he not only rushes for over 200 yards two weeks in a row, but his only potential competition for touches in the backfield this season—in this case, Arian Foster—also happens to retire.

So, yes, Ajayi's trade value has skyrocketed. In fact, it's possible it won't ever be higher. After all, it's hard to imagine him posting another two-game stretch that totals 59 fantasy points. Remember, he had 24 fantasy points heading into Week 6.

Are you seeing where I'm going here? You might actually be able to sell high on Ajayi right now.

Yes, I know that running backs are valuable. The position is once again laden with injuries and underachievers, and the next two weeks will see 12 teams go on bye. Cutting ties with a player who is red-hot probably doesn't seem wise. 

But right now, Ajayi—in my opinion—is likely to be valued in the same class of running backs as Todd Gurley, Mark Ingram, C.J. Anderson (if he stays healthy), Christine Michael, Matt Forte and Jonathan Stewart. But is that where his ultimate value will land at the end of the season?

Maybe, but I think a regression is probably in order. And if you want to sell high now, here are some of the packages you might be able to get in return, at the very least:

• Andrew Luck and Ty Montgomery
• Alshon Jeffery and Delanie Walker
• Cole Beasley and Michael Thomas
• Jamison Crowder and Doug Baldwin

If you are already solid at running back and need help in other areas, consider dealing Ajayi this week. The point isn't that he won't be good the rest of the year. He probably will be. The point is that he won't be this good. But some folks out there might overpay for him nonetheless. 

Do not, however, trade LeGarrette Blount. A few weeks back, I predicted his value would take a hit with Tom Brady back in the lineup. 

I was wrong.

Since Brady's return, Blount has posted 46 fantasy points over the last three weeks, rushing 55 times for 214 yards and four touchdowns. He's been a true pillar of consistency for the Patriots, to the point that head coach Bill Belichick is even praising his ability to carry the load as a lead back, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:

"

He's always been able to do that. I mean, you go back to the Buffalo game a couple of years ago when he was carrying the whole team on his back and returning kickoffs. He's just a runner with good size, good athletic ability and good ball security. I'm glad we have him, glad we are able to give the ball to him with some volume and he's been productive.

"

If you don't speak Belichickian, the above is the equivalent of your average and expressive human being saying, This guy has been a revelation! We're gonna lean on him if he continues to produce like this, believe me! Hey, I'm done with this particular topic, but I'd love it if you asked me a question about something else!

OK, maybe not that last part.

However, another Patriot is struggling this season: Julian Edelman. I also incorrectly thought—I promise, I get things right sometimes—Edelman's fantasy value would take a major bump upon Brady's return. 

Instead, Edelman has registered a grand total of 10 points with Brady back in the lineup and is now averaging 4.1 fantasy points per week. 

One problem for Edelman is that Brady also can turn to Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, James White, Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola in the passing game. Blount and the running game have also been excellent—122.7 rushing yards per game, sixth in the NFL—putting less pressure on Brady to win games solely through the air.

And Edelman's role doesn't help. Consider that he has 37 receptions and 54 targets, both solid marks, but is averaging just 8.6 yards per catch. Edelman is the team's underneath, catch-and-run target. The touchdowns may not come. The long pass plays may not come. Edelman, at this point, is nothing more than a WR3 with upside based solely on his past production.

But at some point soon, if he doesn't start producing, he won't be a player you even need to own. 

You probably won't be dropping DeAndre Hopkins or Allen Robinson anytime soon. But the thought might be creeping into your mind. After all, Hopkins is the 26th-ranked wideout in fantasy football and Robinson is just 42nd. Not exactly what owners were expecting from two players who each finished in the top six among fantasy wide receivers a year ago.

But boy, quarterback play can make a difference for players, huh? 

In Houston, Brock Osweiler has a QBR of 47.8, 26th in the NFL. Jacksonville's Blake Bortles is just one ranking behind him, with a QBR of 47.7. In Football Outsiders' Defense-Adjusted Yards Above Replacement metric, Osweiler has the worst mark among players with at least 105 pass attempts (-270) and Bortles isn't much better in that regard (-142).

Put another way: Osweiler and Bortles have been incredibly bad this year, and it seems to be dramatically affecting their top receivers. And until the two quarterbacks improve, Hopkins and Robinson are more than likely going to struggle.

That is bad news for their fantasy value, and much worse news for fantasy owners.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter. All points-against and fantasy stats via ESPN.com standard-scoring leagues.