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

It's time to VORP.

Um, what? A few times each season, we break down the Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) numbers for the top options in fantasy. This is compiled by comparing the top fantasy performers against the best replacement player at their position in 12-team PPR leagues with standard lineups (one QB, two RB, two WR, one TE, one flex).

The point is to determine trade value by finding out how many additional fantasy points you are getting per week by having a certain player in your starting lineup compared to the top replacement-level player at each position (i.e the best player who shouldn't be started at that position). For quarterbacks and tight ends, we compare to the No. 13 options, and for wideouts and running backs we compare to the No. 25 options.

So if you see a running back with a VORP of 5.3 next to his name, that means that player is going to get you 5.3 more fantasy points per week than the No. 25 option at the position (in terms of average points per game played). The "replacement level" number for each position is 17.8 points per week for quarterbacks, 11.0 for running backs, 13.1 for wideouts and 10.4 for tight ends.

We've also highlighted the 12 most valuable flex players thus far this season (spoiler alert: they're all wideouts) so you have an idea of which players are best utilized in that slot. VORP allows us to compare the value of players at different positions, since quarterbacks inherently score more points on average than the other positions, but nobody would suggest that Caleb Williams (17.8 fantasy points per week) is a more valuable fantasy asset than James Cook (17.4 PPG).

When it comes to trade value, there is some projection for the rest of the season at play, so the rankings won't perfectly mirror a player's VORP. But it's a good resource to consider when evaluating deals. Any players not listed on the chart have a trade value of one. And as always, may the fantasy points be with you!

Trade Value: 20

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1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (15.7 VORP)

Trade Value: 19

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2. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts (14.6)

Trade Value: 18

3. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams (13.7)

A note here on Nacua: We are going with an average of 26.8 fantasy points per game, removing the Baltimore Ravens game where he was injured early in the second quarter. Fantasy points scored per game and VORP on this chart are only calculated using games played (in other words, games missed due to injury don't adversely hurt those averages), but when a player leaves a game early due to injury it somewhat skews that player's production and value. Nacua's injury situation is a factor when considering his overall trade value, of course, but that's down to personal interpretation and is harder to quantify for VORP purposes.

Trade Value: 17

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4. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (13.2)

5. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (8.3)

Yes, Chase's VORP is almost a full five points below what Robinson has posted. But in two weeks with Joe Flacco under center, Chase has 63.2 fantasy points, or 31.6 per week. He's a rocket ship now that he has competent quarterback play (and even with Jake Browning three weeks ago, he managed a 29-point showing).

It's impossible to ignore his fantasy pedigree or his recent production when considering his trade value. Chase is going to have a massive second half of the season.

Trade Value: 16

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6. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers (9.6)

7. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions (9)

8. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks (9)

Trade Value: 15

9. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins (8.5)

10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions (7.9)

11. Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys (7.7)

Trade Value: 14

12. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys (6.9)

13. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (6.9)

14. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills (6.4)

Like we did with Nacua, we are removing the game for Lamb where he left in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears to calculate his VORP.

As for Mahomes, the quarterback position is absolutely loaded with viable options and he's still far and away one of the most valuable options in fantasy, with just one game this season below 22 fantasy points. Oh, and now he has his full array of wideouts at his disposal. The days of Mahomes being a fantasy stud are back.

Trade Value: 13

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15. Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants (5.8)

16. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7)

17. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals (5.8)

18. Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys (6.8)

Irving would be higher than this if he could stay on the field this season, given his VORP, but his availability has depressed his trade value.

As for McBride and Ferguson, the two are clearly the top options at tight end thus far, though McBride still seems like the slightly more valuable player going forward given that less of his value has come from touchdowns (and Ferguson played a chunk of the season without Lamb in the lineup).

Both are incredibly valuable, however.

Trade Value: 12

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19. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (2.5)

20. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (2.4)

21. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons (2.7)

This is the "We are expecting bigger things going forward given their fantastic fantasy pedigree" tier. Another way of looking at this is as a potential "buy low" tier, though the name recognition of these players could make certain fantasy players less receptive to low-ball offers.

Trade Value: 11

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22. D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears (5.1)

23. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (5.0)

24. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens (5.5)

25. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams (4.7)

26. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Brown (4.3)

Trade Value: 10

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27. Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts (4.1)

28. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3.6)

29. Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (3.5)

30. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets (3.5)

Trade Value: 9

31. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (3.4)

32. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots (3.2)

33. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys (3.2)

34. Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears (1.9)

35. Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (10.1)

Rice is sort of impossible to place, with only a one-game sample size in the current iteration of the Chiefs. It's very possible in a few weeks he'll be valued much higher than this, or perhaps lower. Given how he was trending in 2024 before his season-ending injury, however, it seems more likely to be the former.

Trade Value: 8

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36. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (2.7)

37. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens (1.2)

38. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (0.5)

39. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

40. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (FLEX 8)

41. Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams (2.6)

42. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints (1.8)

43. Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens (0.5)

This is another "we're expecting more from this group" tier, outside of a few players. Brown has been trending in a better direction in recent weeks and Flowers and Henry should get a nice bump from the return of Jackson, while Bowers and Kittle have the sort of elite pedigree that should translate to solid production going forward (at least once Bowers is healthy).

Trade Value: 7

44. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (2.1)

45. Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills (2.9)

46. Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers (2.9)

47. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts (1.5)

48. DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (1.3)

49. George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys (5.9)

50. Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings (4.3)

51. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos (1.2)

52. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans (FLEX 4)

53. Deebo Samuel, WR, Washington Commanders (2.6)

Pickens looks like an outlier here, given the VORP, but the return of Lamb is going to naturally eat into his production. Pickens should still be productive, given how dangerous the Dallas passing game has been this season, but he's not going to be one of the truly elite options at the position with Lamb back.

Addison is an interesting player as well, because he's developed a clear rapport with Carson Wentz, but J.J. McCarthy will eventually return. Will his production carry over to a different quarterback?

Trade Value: 6

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54. Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (FLEX 7)

55. Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Rams (3.1)

56. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (2.8)

57. Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles (3.5)

58. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1.7)

59. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders (1.5)

60. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (1.2)

61. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (1.1)

McConkey looks like an outlier here as a player who has put up flex production thus far compared to players who have been must-starts at their position, but he's cooked in the last three weeks (21 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 31 targets). That's more in line with what we saw from him last year, and feels like a precursor for what he'll offer in the second half.

Trade Value: 5

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62. J.K. Dobbins, RB, Denver Broncos (1.2)

63. Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings (1.1)

64. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets (0.2)

65. Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts (2.2)

66. Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos (1.8)

67. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (1.5)

68. Matt Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (1.4)

69. David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions (1.0)

70. Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Atlanta Falcons (0.4)

71. Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions (0.3)

72. Oronde Gadsden, TE, Los Angeles Chargers (1.0)

Trade Value: 4

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73. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

74. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

75. Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans

76. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

77. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals

78. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

79. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders

This is a group where projections are impacting the overall trade value. Players like Brown, Kamara and Pollard get a bump, for example, because the expectation is that their value will rise with other players at the running back position (think Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard) now stuck in a platoon.

Thomas, Harrison and Higgins, meanwhile, have talent that outpaces their current output, and it's fair to believe that each will show more as the season progresses. That is pure projection, however, as none even currently qualify as worthy starters at your flex this season.

And then there's McLaurin, who hasn't ever seemed fully healthy and has missed a lot of time (and was missing Daniels for one of the games he did play). Expect him to offer you flex-worthy production once he's back and reunited with his starting quarterback.

Trade Value: 3

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80. Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants (FLEX 1)

81. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins (FLEX 5)

82. Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots (FLEX 9)

83. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers (FLEX 10)

84. Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (0.4)

85. Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers (FLEX 2)

86. Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers (FLEX 3)

87. Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots (FLEX 11)

88. Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints (FLEX 12)

You could call this the flex tier, though as you can see, there is an expectation that other players will ultimately be more productive and valuable than this group. Part of that is simply expecting certain players to improve their positional value, namely running backs, while there have been other players who have either been battling injuries or have the talent (and pedigree) to be better going forward.

Fantasy Value: 2

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89. Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers (3.0)

90. Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers (1.7)

91. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks

92. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders

93. Hollywood Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (FLEX 6)

94. Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots

95. Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders

96. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

97. Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

98. Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

99. Isiah Pacheco, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

100. DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

You will notice a theme in this tier—a lot of players who are either in running back timeshares or are the less valuable option in their current platoon (White). Dowdle and Hubbard have VORPs that suggest they should have more trade value, but we have a very small sample size of what they'll look like in a true platoon going forward. That really hurts the value of both.

Brown, meanwhile, has been one of the most valuable flex options thus far, but that was mostly without Rice available (and a few games without Xavier Worthy as well). He was only targeted four times on Sunday with Rice back, though he did manage to score, so perhaps he'll maintain some value. But you should probably expect a significant dip in production, and in turn, a dip in trade value.

Long-Term Injuries/Suspended Players

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Darren Waller, TE, Miami Dolphins

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants

Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans