Fantasy Football Week 4: Top 100 Players' Updated Trade Value and Advice

After three weeks of the NFL season, player values are starting to solidify, while the production of surprising standouts has either become a trend or proved to be a short-term fluke.

With that in mind, it's time for the latest trade value chart. As always, any players not listed below have a trade value of "one." 

May the fantasy points be with you!

Trade Value: 11

1. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

2. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

4. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

5. Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Rams

No major surprises from this group. All five of these players are producing consistently and have incredibly high ceilings. And given the depth at positions like quarterback and wideout, the elite running backs in fantasy football simply hold the most value.

Trade Value: 10

6. Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

7. David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

8. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

9. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants

10. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

11. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints 

12. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

13. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

14. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Antonio Brown isn't exactly posting elite numbers early in the season, though 24 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns is hardly chopped liver. Still, for a player who had eight games last year with 100 or more receiving yards, it's surprising that Brown has yet to hit that number once this season. 

On the other hand, he did have a game with 93 yards, so it's not like he hasn't been productive. And among wide receivers, only the Minnesota Vikings' Adam Thielen has more targets (44) on the season than Brown (42).

So Brown is still hugely valuable. Still, given the depth at wide receiver—and the fact that younger players like Michael Thomas (38 receptions for 398 yards and three touchdowns) are emerging as elite options—it's fair to consider him just under the top tier of players when it comes to trade value.

Trade Value: 9

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15. Carlos Hyde, RB, Cleveland Browns

16. Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

17. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

18. Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears

19. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Carlos Hyde is legit. He's turned 61 carries this season into 203 carries and four touchdowns, adding four receptions for 15 yards. Yes, his touchdown production will slow down, but the workload is what makes Hyde so appealing going forward.

If the Cleveland Browns are going to continue giving him 20 or more carries per game, he's going to produce solid numbers. And with a rookie quarterback in Baker Mayfield under center, the Browns would be wise to lean on the run game, taking some pressure off the signal-caller.

So Hyde should keep posting solid fantasy numbers. At an uncertain position, that makes him one of the most valuable players in fantasy.

Trade Value: 8

20. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

21. Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings

22. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

23. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

24. Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington

25. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

26. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

27. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

How real is Adrian Peterson's huge start?

It's hard to say, so let's review the pros and cons of relying on Peterson for the rest of the season in your running back slot.

The biggest argument in favor of Peterson is his history as one of the game's most dynamic running backs. His success isn't some sort of new territory. Another plus is that he's averaging nearly 20 carries per game, with 56 rushes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. He's clearly Washington's top option between the tackles, and he's even provided a spark in the pass game (five receptions for 100 yards).

Those are the positives.

The negatives are that Peterson is 33 and, coming into this year, had played in just 13 games between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He was downright bad in those campaigns when he did feature, averaging 3.1 yards per carry. So there is the legitimate fear that Peterson may not have the juice in his legs to produce consistently over the course of a 16-game season.

If you believe in Peterson, continue to ride the hot hand. But if you don't, now is as good a time as ever to sell high. So what types of packages should you ask for in return?

• Tom Brady and Nelson Agholor
• Tyler Lockett and Deshaun Watson
• Drew Brees and Golden Tate
• Jimmy Graham and Larry Fitzgerald

Will you get those type of packages in return? Savvy players might be hesitant. Players desperate for a running back, however, might pay up. Peterson has been killing it. Whether that continues or not, if you're willing to trade him, get back the value you would ask for from a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2.

Trade Value: 7

28. LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills

29. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

30. Jay Ajayi, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

31. Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

32. Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos

33. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

34. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

35. Brandin Cooks, WR, Los Angeles Rams

36. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

If you're worried about Jarvis Landry's fantasy value with Mayfield under center, just know that Landry believes in his rookie quarterback.

"He can make every throw," Landry said of Mayfield on Wednesday, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. "He can make every check. He can make every read. Our offense will continue to be us. Execute our game plan and go from there."

That's good news. More good news? Mayfield connected with Landry seven times for 91 yards in Cleveland's comeback win over the New York Jets. The young quarterback knows where his bread is buttered, and that connection is important both for Cleveland's success and for Landry's fantasy trade value.

And until proved otherwise, Landry maintains solid value—especially in PPR leagues.

Trade Value: 6

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37. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

38. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

39. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

40. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

41. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

42. Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

43. James Connor, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

44. Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints

45. Josh Gordon, WR, New England Patriots

46. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

47. Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Outside of the top five players listed above, uncertainty reigns supreme in this tier. Starting with Le'Veon Bell and ending with Doug Baldwin, the fantasy value of these players remains in a state of purgatory, based on holdouts (Bell and James Connor), suspensions (Mark Ingram), injuries (Alshon Jeffery and Baldwin) and, uh, switching a new team and barely playing over the past three years and maybe a hamstring injury as well (Josh Gordon).

What do you do if you own Bell? He's virtually untradeable, but until he's either traded or his holdout ends, he's dead weight in a fantasy football context. You are, essentially, stuck.

But Connor owners are just as stuck. Yes, they are getting production from him now. But if Bell ever returns to Pittsburgh, Connor owners essentially lose an RB1 (unless they also drafted Bell). And you can't really trade him. What if Bell gets traded himself and you traded Connor for pennies on the dollar? If you think you will get full value for a player who could be a backup any day now, think again.

Purgatory. Bell and Connor exist in purgatory. Gordon has enough uncertainty surrounding him that he exists in fantasy purgatory too. At this point, you're just stuck with them. Hope for the best.

Trade Value: 5

48. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Oakland Raiders

49. Alex Collins, RB, Baltimore Ravens

50. Matt Breida, RB, San Francisco 49ers

51. Lamar Miller, RB, Houston Texans

52. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

53. DeSean Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

54. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

55. Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

56. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

57. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

58. John Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

59. Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

The wideouts in this section—namely Mike Williams, Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and John Brown—are fascinating. 

Williams' early success doesn't feel like a fluke. He had enough talent to be the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft but became a forgotten man after injuries limited him to 10 games during his rookie year. He's hardly forgotten now, though, with 11 receptions for 189 yards and three touchdowns.

It's a little concerning that his early production could be a little touchdown reliant. But with a veteran quarterback in Philip Rivers, Williams should continue getting quality targets, and it seems clear that getting him involved has been a priority for the team. His ceiling appears to be high.

Cooper's ceiling is in flux. In Week 2, he caught 10 passes for 116 yards. In his other two games, he has three receptions for 26 yards combined. Yikes.

He is the Oakland Raiders' best wide receiver and has clear talent, so his ceiling remains high. But it's concerning how infrequently he reaches it.

Ridley, meanwhile, has been red-hot the past two weeks, with 11 receptions for 210 yards and four touchdowns. That level of production isn't sustainable—and Jone Jones is still the top dog in the Atlanta Falcons pass attack—but Ridley is going to benefit from the attention defenders pay to Jones and a veteran quarterback like Matt Ryan.

That makes him intriguing, even if fantasy owners might get frustrated at some dry spells along the way.

Lockett's value may take a slight hit once Baldwin returns, but he's still the team's best deep threat and home run hitter. He belongs in that flex tier of wideouts, though his ceiling is high enough to give him solid trade value.

As for Brown, he's found a niche within the Baltimore Ravens offense. His 12 receptions for 222 yards and two scores are promising numbers, though it's worth noting that he has three fewer targets (23) than Michael Crabtree (26). He's turned them into 67 more yards and one more score, however, suggesting Brown is making the most of his opportunities.

Trade Value: 4

60. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

61. Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings

62. Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

63. Jimmy Graham, TE, Green Bay Packers

64. Jordan Reed, TE, Washington

65. Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions

66. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

67. Marvin Jones Jr. WR, Detroit Lions

68. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos

69. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals 

70. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears 

When players like Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins have such a low trade value, you get the picture of just how easy it is to find production at quarterback this season. For context, there are 10 quarterbacks averaging 20 or more fantasy points per week and 15 quarterbacks offering at least 18 fantasy points per contest.

It's not an easy time to deal a quarterback. You would be selling low by the nature of the position alone. In one keeper league, for instance, I drafted both Cam Newton and Patrick Mahomes. Two players reached out to me asking whether I'd be willing to trade either, and I responded that I was looking to move Newton and wanted a solid starter-worthy running back in the deal.

Talks fell through because neither player was willing to give up one of their better running backs and didn't offer any other packages with a running back included. That is the market for quarterbacks wrapped up all neat and tidy in a nutshell.

Trade Value: 3

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71. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

72. Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

73. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

74. Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

75. Phillip Lindsay, RB, Denver Broncos

76. Royce Freeman, RB, Denver Broncos

77. Isaiah Crowell, RB, New York Jets

78. Kenyan Drake, RB, Miami Dolphins

79. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

80. Kenny Stills, WR, Miami Dolphins

81. Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers

82. Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers

83. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Russell Wilson is going to be battling a fairly mediocre offense all season, though getting back Baldwin will help. To this point in his career, Wilson has always supplemented his passing game for fantasy players with elite production on the ground.

This year, he's rushed seven times for 21 yards. That's it. And in the process, he finds himself stuck in QB2 territory, with fewer points in standard leagues than players like Andy Dalton, Ryan Tannehill, Joe Flacco and Blake Bortles.

What has the world come to?

The glass-half-full approach to Wilson is that he's still producing decent numbers despite a lack of help. The pessimistic viewpoint is that he will likely have a lack of help all season long. His track record earns him some patience. But a poor offensive line and a general lack of talent on offense suggests he could be in line for a down year.

Trade Value: 2

84. Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots

85. Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

86. Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans

87. Quincy Enunwa, WR, New York Jets

88. Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

89. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

90. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

91. O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

92. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings

93. Chris Thompson, RB, Washington

94. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

95. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

96. James White, RB, New England Patriots

97. Jordy Nelson, WR, Oakland Raiders

98. Michael Crabtree, WR, Baltimore Ravens

99. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

100. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Robert Woods and Chris Godwin are two players to keep an eye on. Woods has 19 receptions for 222 yards and two touchdowns for a Los Angeles Rams offense that just keeps on cooking. Godwin has 13 receptions for 171 yards and three scores for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense that might have to win every game in a shootout.

Both players are likely best treated as situational flex options. Both are likely to face some serious droughts in the future given the other weapons available at wideout on their respective teams. But each should be rostered and, as the bye weeks take their toll, occasionally started.