Fantasy Football Week 3: Examining Trade Value for This Year's Top 100 Players

The beginning of the fantasy football season can be excruciating.

Will struggling stars you drafted early turn things around? Is that surprisingly productive player everyone is scrambling for on waivers the real deal? Is it too soon to start making major changes to your team?

It's always a tough call. But it's never too soon to consider offers from around your league, especially if you feel like your roster needs some tweaking, or if another desperate player may be willing to cut ties on someone too soon.

That's where the fantasy football trade chart comes into play. It's a general guide for how to value your players so you don't get ripped off when making a trade. The chart is based on PPR scoring, and any player not listed below is worth a value of one.

Good luck cutting through all the early season noise as you tweak your roster. And as always, may the fantasy points be with you!

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Trade Value: 15

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

2. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

3. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

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Trade Value: 14

4. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

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Trade Value: 13

5. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

7. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

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Trade Value: 12

8. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

9. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

10. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

11. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

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Trade Value: 11

13. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

14. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

15. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

16. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

17. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

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Trade Value: 10

18. Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders

19. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

20. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

21. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

22. Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns

23. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

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Trade Value: 9

24. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

25. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

26. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

27. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

28. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

29. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

30. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

31. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

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Trade Value: 8

32. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

33. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

34. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

35. Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

36. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

37. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

38. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams

39. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

40. James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

41. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings

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Trade Value: 7

42. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts

43. Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns

44. George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

45. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

46. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

47. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

48. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

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Trade Value: 6

49. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

50. David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions

51. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

52. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

53. Miles Sanders, RB, Carolina Panthers

54. Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

55. D'Andre Swift, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

56. Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins

57. Darren Waller, TE, New York Giants

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Trade Value: 5

58. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

59. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

60. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders

61. D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

62. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

63. Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

64. Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears

65. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

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Trade Value: 4

66. Christian Kirk, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

67. Marquise Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals

68. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

69. Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans

70. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills

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Trade Value: 3

71. Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars

72. Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

73. David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns.

74. Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

75. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

76. Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings

77. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

78. Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings

79. Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens

80. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

81. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Tennessee Titans

82. Tutu Atwell, WR, Los Angeles Rams

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Trade Value: 2

83. Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears

84. Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos

85. Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons

86. Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens

87. Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

88. Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings

89. Cam Akers, RB, Minnesota Vikings

90. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

91. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

92. Jamaal Williams, RB, New Orleans Saints

93. A.J. Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers

94. Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

95. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

96. Deshaun Watson, QB, Cleveland Browns

97. Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions

98. Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots

99. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

100. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

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Analysis

Let's talk Jerome Ford.

There is potentially no more intriguing player in fantasy football this week than Ford, who will step in for Nick Chubb after the Browns' superstar was lost for the season with a knee injury. He responded to his first moment in the spotlight by rushing 16 times for 106 yards and adding three catches for 25 yards and a score.

The Browns have already confirmed that Ford would be the team's lead back, though they did sign Kareem Hunt this week.

But there are questions as to how he'll handle the lead role, just how much the team will rely on Hunt and whether the Browns might shift even further toward the passing game with quarterback Deshuan Watson, given Chubb's absence.

Ford, in other words, represents something of a Schrödinger's cat for fantasy owners, especially in trade scenarios. He's currently both a superstar and a bust. His trade value will never be higher, but it may also never be lower. He's fantasy great unknown, especially after a 2022 rookie season that saw him placed on injured reserve in October.

Chances are, most fantasy enthusiasts are going to wait a few weeks before even considering a trade involving Ford, especially if they just gave up the large majority of their waiver budget to land him.

But should you consider selling him now, potentially at the high point of his value, if you were able to land him? Or should you hold tight?

If you can get a really good deal for him, obviously there's safety in trading an unknown commodity for a known one. After Ford's big performance and the Browns recent history of leaning on the run game, it's easy to see how fantasy players in your league might overvalue him in a deal. And if you are already loaded at running back, you may be able to seriously bolster other positions for a player who may be a bust.

He was a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft for a reason, right? He was Chubb's backup for a reason, right?

But... what if Ford ends up being this year's breakout star?

We've seen it happen with young running backs before when they land a starting gig. Jamaal Charles lit up teams with the Kansas City Chiefs down the stretch in 2009 after Larry Johnson was released.

OK, maybe that's a bad example. Charles was just a third-round pick in his second year, but he was an elite talent who would go on to be a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All Pro selection.

But remember when Elijah Mitchell nearly hit 1,000 rushing yards in 2021 after Raheem Mostert was lost for the year? Or how about Mike Davis putting up 1,015 yards from scrimmage, 59 catches and eight total touchdowns in relief of Christian McCaffrey in 2020 with the Carolina Panthers?

The point is, there are examples of little-known, non-hyped players coming into situations and thriving at the running back position. Those Niners and Panthers teams had schemes that favored halfbacks and helped them produce strong numbers. So do these Browns.

And no, Hunt shouldn't change Ford's upside. In 17 games last year he only rushed for 468 yards and three scores, adding 35 catches for 210 yards and a touchdowns. Chubb remained the bell cow, running the ball 302 times for 1,525 yards and 12 scores.

Plus, the Browns weren't exactly desperate to bring Hunt back, allowing him to remain unsigned into the season. They were perfectly content to go with Ford as the backup, another clear indication that he'll be the guy going forward.

So what's the overall point here?

Tempting as it might be to sell high on Ford, he has too much upside to trade at this point unless you are absolutely blown away in a deal. It's very possible he'll end up being the waiver-wire MVP of the 2023 season. It's worth exercising some patience with Schrödinger's running back.