Fantasy Football Week 11: Updated Trade Value for Top 100 Players

Sometimes, it's the little trades that can make all the difference. This past week in my two-QB keeper league, I dealt an 18th-round pick and my No. 2 waiver placement for the top waiver placement, where I selected Mark Sanchez to replace Nick Foles as the No. 2 quarterback in my lineup behind Peyton Manning. 

Suffice to say, that deal worked out pretty well for me.

Of course, sometimes the bigger deals go a long way, too. In that same league, I dealt a fifth-round pick and Jerick McKinnon for Julio Jones (yes, I'm desperate to win the league this year). That seemed like a steal to me, even giving away a valuable future pick.

Combined, Sanchez and Jones gave me 33 total fantasy points in a week I desperately needed them against one of my league's top teams. And I feel very confident that both players will play a key factor in a year I believe I should win a fantasy title (that team is currently 8-2). 

The moral of the story? No trade is ever too small, no trade is ever too big and no record is ever too good to improve your team. Always try to get better, folks. Hopefully, this week's trade value chart will help you do just that.
 

Quarterbacks

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Trade Value
1	7	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	29
2	8	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	28
3	9	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	28
4	26	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	22
5	27	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	22
6	37	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers	18
7	38	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	18
8	65	Matt Stafford	Detroit Lions	10
9	75	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers	6
10	76	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	6
11	77	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons	6
12	90	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers	3
13	100	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	2

How the mighty have fallen.

One of the most consistent fantasy players over the past three years has been Cam Newton, but there he is, appearing at No. 100 on this list and arguably being overrated based on his past excellence. We're talking about the No. 17 quarterback in fantasy points right now, a player who has scored 15 or more fantasy points just twice.

You'll never, ever be able to buy Newton lower. The question at this point is why even bother?

The buy-low windows on Drew Brees and Tom Brady have likely passed you by. Brees has 17 or more fantasy points in six of seven games. Brady has 20 or more points in five straight contests. Each must be considered top-five values at quarterback the rest of the way.

One player who you can probably still get for a relative bargain is Matt Stafford. The Detroit Lions quarterback has been inconsistent all season long, sure, but he's also had a bunch of key offensive players miss time, most notably Calvin Johnson.

But with Megatron back in action, Stafford posted 17 fantasy points last week and had 19 in the game before that. Now's the time to pounce, in other words. Here are some of the bargain deals you can offer in an attempt to low-ball Stafford's owner and steal the quarterback for your team:

• Steven Jackson and Reggie Wayne
• Roddy White and Martavis Bryant
• Martellus Bennett and a defense
• Larry Fitzgerald and Jason Witten

Not too shabby, right? You aren't going to be able to prey on frustrated Stafford owners who endured his stretch of poor play for much longer. One more solid week and his owners will be completely back on board. Now is your moment to strike.

I thought Ben Roethlisberger would be better against the New York Jets, but I also thought his place as a top-three quarterback heading into last week after 12 touchdowns in his previous two games was a mirage. Remember, those two epic weeks have accounted for 41.6 percent of his fantasy points this year. 

Yes, you likely missed your sell-high window with Big Ben. 

Running Backs

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Trade Value
1	1	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	30
2	2	Arian Foster	Houston Texans	30
3	3	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	30
4	4	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	30
5	5	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers	30
6	6	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	30
7	10	Giovani Bernard	Cincinnati Bengals	27
8	11	Andre Ellington	Arizona Cardinals	27
9	12	Alfred Morris	Washington	27
10	13	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	27
11	22	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	24
12	32	Ahmad Bradshaw	Indianapolis Colts	20
13	33	Justin Forsett	Baltimore Ravens	20
14	34	Mark Ingram	New Orleans Saints	20
15	39	Lamar Miller	Miami Dolphins	17
16	40	Denard Robinson	Jacksonville Jaguars	17
17	41	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers	17
18	42	Chris Ivory	New York Jets	17
19	50	Ronnie Hillman	Denver Broncos	15
20	59	Shane Vereen	New England Patriots	11
21	60	Fred Jackson	Buffalo Bills	11
22	61	Darren Sproles	Philadelphia Eagles	11
23	62	Trent Richardson	Indianapolis Colts	11
24	63	Ryan Mathews	San Diego Chargers	11
25	64	Rashad Jennings	New York Giants	11
26	68	Joique Bell	Detroit Lions	8
27	69	Steven Jackson	Atlanta Falcons	8
28	70	Darren McFadden	Oakland Raiders	8
29	85	Montee Ball	Denver Broncos	4
30	86	Bishop Sankey	Tennessee Titans	4
31	87	Jerick McKinnon	Minnesota Vikings	4
32	88	Terrance West	Cleveland Browns	4
33	91	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals	3
34	92	Branden Oliver	San Diego Chargers	3
35	98	Reggie Bush	Detroit Lions	2
36	99	Bobby Rainey	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2

There really aren't too many changes in value at running back. For as unpredictable as the position has been given injuries and committee situations, there has been a lot of stability amongst the top options at the position. 

I think a player you can probably buy low on right now—or even pick up off of waivers if his owner was impatient—is Ryan Mathews, who looks as though he'll return to action on Sunday after a lengthy absence. The following report from Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune should put him firmly back on everybody's fantasy radar:

"

Mathews is expected to start Sunday.

He sprained his medial collateral ligament Sept. 14 against the Seahawks. While undrafted rookie Branden Oliver have filled in nicely during his absence, Mathews likely will lead the backfield in touches versus Oakland, projecting to see around 15 or so, depending on game flow.

"

Perhaps the Mathews owners who waited out his injury will be unlikely to sell. Maybe. Or maybe they've forgotten that Mathews rushed for 1,255 yards and six touchdowns last season and are frustrated enough with San Diego's faltering offense to deal him on the cheap.

If they're in the latter camp, here's what you can expect to give up for Mathews:

• Dwayne Allen and Michael Floyd
• Jay Cutler and Anquan Boldin
• Matt Ryan and Terrance Williams
• Matt Stafford and a defense

Sure, you might be worried about Mathews showing some rust. That's fair. But for a fairly low price, you can get a player who was a reliable RB2 last year for your playoff push. That makes him at least worth inquiring about.

Wide Receivers

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Trade Value
1	14	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	26
2	15	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	26
3	16	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	26
4	17	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers	26
5	18	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	26
6	19	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	25
7	20	Randall Cobb	Green Bay Packers	25
8	21	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons	25
9	28	Jeremy Maclin	Philadelphia Eagles	21
10	29	Emmanuel Sanders	Denver Broncos	21
11	30	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts	21
12	31	DeSean Jackson	Washington	21
13	35	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	19
14	36	Kelvin Benjamin	Carolina Panthers	19
15	43	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears	16
16	44	Golden Tate	Detroit Lions	16
17	45	Mike Wallace	Miami Dolphins	16
18	46	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo Bills	16
19	47	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston Texans	16
20	48	Torrey Smith	Baltimore Ravens	16
21	49	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	16
22	53	Steve Smith	Baltimore Ravens	13
23	54	Mohamed Sanu	Cincinnati Bengals	12
24	55	Julian Edelman	New England Patriots	12
25	56	Brandon LaFell	New England Patriots	12
26	57	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	12
27	58	Percy Harvin	Seattle Seahawks	12
28	71	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	7
29	72	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	7
30	73	Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7
31	74	Pierre Garcon	Washington	7
32	78	Eric Decker	New York Jets	5
33	79	Terrance Williams	Dallas Cowboys	5
34	80	Roddy White	Atlanta Falcons	5
35	81	Martavis Bryant	Pittsburgh Steelers	5
36	82	Anquan Boldin	San Francisco 49ers	5
37	83	Brandin Cooks	New Orleans Saints	5
38	84	Odell Beckham, Jr.	New York Giants	5
39	95	Reggie Wayne	Indianapolis Colts	2
40	96	Michael Crabtree	San Francisco 49ers	2
41	97	Michael Floyd	Arizona Cardinals	2

A.J. Green owners are probably a bit miffed at this point.

After all, the star wide receiver has missed four games this season and returned from his most recent bout on the sidelines by catching three passes for 23 yards and no scores against the Cleveland Browns. Some folks are probably fed up.

Well, just relax. Green has been one of the most consistent performers for fantasy owners in recent years, and he'll regain his mojo. I don't even think he's a player you can buy low on right now, since I think most folks familiar with Green are anticipating an uptick in production. So be patient, folks, and don't pull the trigger on Green just yet.

Two players I think you can pull the trigger on are Michael Crabtree and Michael Floyd. Frankly, I'm not even sure if either player needs to be rostered at this point. Maybe you can convince an owner to overpay based on name recognition alone. At this point, I sort of doubt it, however. 

I think you might want to consider buying low on Pierre Garcon. In Week 1 with Robert Griffin III under center, he caught 10 passes for 77 yards. Last season, he caught 113 passes for 1,346 yards and five touchdowns, for heaven's sake.

Sure, he's probably not as good a fit in Jay Gruden's system as DeSean Jackson. Sure, Washington clearly has placed more emphasis on getting D-Jax touches down the field. But what are you really giving up to get Garcon?

Bishop Sankey and Witten? Ben Roethlisberger and a defense? Why not take that chance?

With a healthy RG3 returning and the team having a bye week to regain chemistry with the quarterback, Garcon might yet break out down the stretch. For a pretty cheap price, I'd be willing to pay for the chance of a Garcon renaissance. 

Tight Ends

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Team	Trade Value
1	23	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	23
2	24	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	23
3	25	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos	23
4	51	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	14
5	52	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	14
6	66	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	9
7	67	Dwayne Allen	Indianapolis Colts	9
8	89	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	3
9	93	Travis Kelce	Kansas City Chiefs	2
10	94	Delanie Walker	Tennessee Titans	2

It's a Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas world at tight end, and the rest of the options at the position are just paying taxes. You can't buy low on any of them and you can't sell high, either. So if you have one of them, you're in great shape. If you don't, well, you do the best you can. 

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Honestly, you probably shouldn't panic-buy at the position. The difference between the No. 9 player in fantasy points, Travis Kelce, and the No. 19 player, Charles Clay, is 23 points, or 2.3 fantasy points per week this season.

Yes, you want a top-10 option at the position. But frankly, even if you don't have one of the top options, the difference in the players between Nos. 11 and 20 is tiny. So rather than overpay for one of the top guys, play your matchups carefully and study the trends available. And if you have Gronk, Graham or Thomas—or even Antonio Gates—absolutely charge interested owners an arm and a leg if they want one of those guys. 

All players not listed above, including defenses, have a trade value of one. Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than a passing drill against the Chicago Bears defense.