Fantasy Football Week 4: Updated Trade Value for Top 100 Players

I've always been a proponent of patience early in the season for fantasy owners, but after Week 3 we start to have a pretty good idea of the players on our roster. Trends are emerging, sleepers are becoming steady performers or busts and we have enough context clues to understand why a player might be struggling and how likely those struggles are to continue.

In other words, after Week 3 is when I start to seriously consider any trade offers I get and mull over possible deals I would be willing to make to strengthen a position on my team. While I would love to wait until October for all of that, sometimes you simply can't wait to make some adjustments.

I'm sure you're the same, and hopefully, my weekly trade value chart will help you in any potential dealings. As always, you should be taking into account your team needs and league format, but the following is a guide to help you determine just how valuable your players are (or aren't). 

Happy dealings, folks!

Quarterbacks

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Value
1	7	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	29
2	14	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	26
3	15	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	26
4	22	Matt Stafford	Detroit Lions	24
5	23	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	24
6	32	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	20
7	61	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons	12
8	65	Nick Foles	Philadelphia Eagles	11
9	83	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	5
10	91	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	3
11	95	Kirk Cousins	Washington	2
12	98	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers	2
13	99	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers	2

Well, it has finally happened: Both Tom Brady and Tony Romo—QB1 mainstays throughout their careers—have fallen firmly into the land of the QB2 and therefore have also fallen off of my trade value chart, as neither player holds much value at this point. 

For Brady, we saw this coming last year, and his lack of vertical threats in the passing game has turned New England into an offense that runs the ball well and dinks and dunks in the passing game. For Romo, the game plan this year—at least thus far—has been to rely on a strong running game and the talents of DeMarco Murray. 

There will be weeks where either player ascends to the realm of the QB1 again. But until they do, neither player holds much value. 

Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins shows up on this list with back-to-back strong showings, and right now he's the type of player you can get on the cheap. It wouldn't be shocking if Cousins was this year's breakout star a la Nick Foles a year ago. Don't be afraid to target him in a deal while his price is low. 

Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers have been devalued ever so slightly this week, though that's a testament to the true value of the top running backs more than anything else. Still, some owners out there are probably panicking because Brees hasn't hit 20 points in a game yet or because Rodgers has scored 10 points or less in two games.

I'd tell those people to calm down—they're No. 7 and 8 on the quarterback rankings, for starters. And history suggests that both will produce. But if somebody is dangling out out either player, what is the absolute most you should be willing to give up for either player?

Here are a few examples:

• Andre Ellington and Trent Richardson
• Eddie Lacy and Brandin Cooks
• Julius Thomas and Pierre Thomas
• Rashad Jennings and Sammy Watkins
• Doug Martin and Keenan Allen

Those are all pretty solid deals if you're getting a Brees or Rodgers in return, and it's hard to imagine a better week to try to get a bargain on either. Chances are each will soon enough be considered among the most valuable players in fantasy. 

Running Backs

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Value
1	1	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	30
2	2	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	30
3	3	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	30
4	4	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	30
5	8	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	28
6	9	Arian Foster	Houston Texans	28
7	10	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers	27
8	11	Alfred Morris	Washington	27
9	12	Giovani Bernard	Cincinnati Bengals	27
10	13	Montee Ball	Denver Broncos	27
11	29	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	21
12	30	C.J. Spiller	Buffalo Bills	20
13	31	Andre Ellington	Arizona Cardinals	20
14	36	Reggie Bush	Detroit Lions	19
15	37	Joique Bell	Detroit Lions	19
16	39	Rashad Jennings	New York Giants	17
17	40	Darren Sproles	Philadelphia Eagles	17
18	43	Zac Stacy	St. Louis Rams	17
19	45	Doug Martin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	16
20	47	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers	16
21	57	Bernard Pierce	Baltimore Ravens	13
22	58	Stevan Ridley	New England Patriots	13
23	59	Ahmad Bradshaw	Indianapolis Colts	13
24	62	Ben Tate	Cleveland Browns	12
25	70	Donald Brown	San Diego Chargers	8
26	75	Shane Vereen	New England Patriots	7
27	76	Matt Asiata	Minnesota Vikings	7
28	77	Chris Ivory	New York Jets	7
29	78	Chris Johnson	New York Jets	6
30	79	Trent Richardson	Indianapolis Colts	6
31	80	Lamar Miller	Miami Dolphins	6
32	85	Khiry Robinson	New Orleans Saints	4
33	86	Pierre Thomas	New Orleans Saints	4
34	87	Fred Jackson	Buffalo Bills	4
35	90	Toby Gerhart	Jacksonville Jaguars	3
36	92	DeAngelo Williams	Carolina Panthers	3
37	93	Knile Davis	Kansas City Chiefs	3
38	94	Knowshon Moreno	Miami Dolphins	3

More than ever, the top running backs in fantasy football are incredibly valuable. In a year rife with injuries, scandals and committees, an elite RB1 is worth his weight in gold. At this point, I simply don't recommend you sell off any of the top 10 players on the chart. 

But now is a pretty good time to buy, especially if you have an owner experiencing buyer's remorse over Lacy, who was generally a first-round selection. Folks are having a little bit of a hard time seeing the forest for the trees when it comes to Lacy, who opened the season against one of the best defenses in the league in their home digs, the Seattle Seahawks, then faced the best run defense in the NFL, the New York Jets, before taking on one of the better defensive lines in the league, the Detroit Lions.

Put another way, the Jets are giving up the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, the Seahawks are third on that list and the Lions are sixth. You can't open your season with a more difficult slate, in other words, and things should get far better this week against the Chicago Bears.

But if someone in your league is willing to move Lacy, by all means, pick their pocket. Here are some of the deals you can probably do to bring aboard the talented running back:

• Alshon Jeffery
• Rob Gronkowski
• DeSean Jackson and Antonio Gates
• Victor Cruz and Marques Colston
• Emmanuel Sanders and Lamar Miller

Not too shabby for a player that still has RB1 potential, right?

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Generally speaking, I think you should be looking to buy at running back right now, not selling. There's just too much upheaval at the position, and it's really difficult to gauge the value of certain players who are hurt at the moment but should be returning. If you have two or three running backs you trust, hold on to them for dear life. 

Most folks don't have that luxury this season, which gives you a major edge. 

Wide Receivers

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Value
1	6	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	29
2	16	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	25
3	17	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	25
4	18	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	25
5	19	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons	25
6	20	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	25
7	21	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers	25
8	24	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	23
9	25	Randall Cobb	Green Bay Packers	23
10	27	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears	21
11	33	DeSean Jackson	Washington	19
12	34	Jeremy Maclin	Philadelphia Eagles	19
13	35	Percy Harvin	Seattle Seahawks	19
14	41	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	17
15	42	Pierre Garcon	Washington	17
16	44	Victor Cruz	New York Giants	16
17	46	Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	16
18	48	Cordarrelle Patterson	Minnesota Vikings	15
19	49	Mike Wallace	Miami Dolphins	15
20	50	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston Texans	15
21	51	Emmanuel Sanders	Denver Broncos	15
22	52	Roddy White	Atlanta Falcons	15
23	53	Michael Crabtree	San Francisco 49ers	15
24	54	Julian Edelman	New England Patriots	14
25	55	Michael Floyd	Arizona Cardinals	14
26	56	Wes Welker	Denver Broncos	13
27	60	Kelvin Benjamin	Carolina Panthers	12
28	63	Reggie Wayne	Indianapolis Colts	11
29	64	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	11
30	67	Eric Decker	New York Jets	10
31	68	Keenan Allen	San Diego Chargers	10
32	69	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo Bills	9
33	71	Kendall Wright	Tennessee Titans	8
34	72	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts	8
35	73	Steve Smith	Baltimore Ravens	7
36	81	Brandin Cooks	New Orleans Saints	5
37	82	Marques Colston	New Orleans Saints	5
38	84	Brian Quick	St. Louis Rams	5

There aren't too many surprises at wide receiver.

Sure, Brian Quick and Steve Smith getting pretty serious bumps in value might turn a few heads, but the former is the only worthwhile target in an inept passing game and the latter has been tearing it up for three weeks now, something that shouldn't be ignored. Larry Fitzgerald and Marques Colston are free-falling in value, meanwhile, and a touchdown here or there isn't going to be enough to save that from stopping.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Generally in these sections I pick out a player and give you an idea of what you might be able to get or what you might have to give up to get him, but this year I believe what you're are giving up should generally be receivers and what you are getting should be a running back or high-end tight end.

The receiver position is pretty deep, folks, and you can survive without having an elite option. Yes, it's nice to have players who can safely be kept in lineups every week despite the matchup, but having an elite receiver feels far less important than it did in years past. I'd much rather be solid at running back and tight end this year and play matchups at receiver.

It's risky, sure, but when guys like Quick, Smith, Allen Hurns, Kelvin Benjamin and James Jones have all performed admirably thus far, you can get value at receiver without paying a huge price for it.

So consider this week's list at the position a reminder on how you should value the receivers you have if you're considering a trade to bring back an RB1 or elite tight end. Right now, that's how I would be allocating my resources.  

Tight Ends

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Value
1	5	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	29
2	26	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos	22
3	28	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	21
4	38	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	18
5	66	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	10
6	74	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	7
7	88	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	3
8	89	Zach Ertz	Philadelphia Eagles	3
9	96	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	2
10	97	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	2
11	100	Delanie Walker	Tennessee Titans	2

Did you know that after three weeks, Julius Thomas and Calvin Johnson have the same number of fantasy points (44)? Or that only three receivers (Julio Jones, Antonio Brown and Jeremy Maclin) have more fantasy points than Thomas? 

We talk a lot about Jimmy Graham at the position, but Thomas is a player that may soon need to be valued even higher than he is now. He is clearly a favorite of Peyton Manning and should continue to flourish. 

There's a pretty big drop-off after the first four tight ends, however, and justifiably so. One player who I think is being underrated and therefore could be a value buy for you is Greg Olsen. 

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Very quietly, Olsen is averaging 11 fantasy points per week and is on an offense where the only other quality target for Cam Newton is Kelvin Benjamin. That makes Olsen—long a favorite of Newton—all the more valuable. 

And you can probably get him for an absolute steal. Here's what you might have to give up to bring aboard the steady TE1 option:

• Steve Smith
• Brian Quick and Philip Rivers
• Jay Cutler and Fred Jackson
• Toby Gerhart and Khiry Robinson

In other words, you don't have to give up much. 

All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues.  

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than Andy Dalton and Johnny Manziel playing receiver.