Fantasy Football Week 7: Examining Trade Value for This Year's Top 100 Players

For Week 7, we're debuting the Untouchable category on the fantasy football trade value chart. And truly, only one player belongs in such rarefied air. You can probably guess which player has ascended to such heights, but more on that in a second.

Please remember, the trade value chart is meant as a guide for you to consult when making a deal, but context always matters when making a deal. Carefully weigh your own team needs and your league's format when making any deals.

Fantasy trade values are calculated for non-PPR leagues. Players not listed below have a trade value of one. And as always, may the fantasy points be with you!

Untouchable

1. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

In standard leagues, exactly one player (Patrick Mahomes) has more fantasy points than Todd Gurley. Quarterbacks tend to average more points per game than running backs, making Gurley's production absurd.

He remains, without question, fantasy's most valuable player. Under no circumstance should you trade him. Don't even consider it. If you do consider it, stop playing fantasy football immediately—unless the offer is something wild, like Saquon Barkley, Mahomes and DeAndre Hopkins in a keeper league.

And if anybody makes you that offer, they should stop playing fantasy football immediately. 

Trade Value: 11

2. Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Rams

3. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

4. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

This group is unlikely to change much for the rest of the season, with perhaps a few players entering depending on a return from injury (Leonard Fournette) or the end of a holdout (Le'Veon Bell). But don't expect any of these five players to drop out of this tier—they've more than proved their value.

It also should take a king's ransom for you to ever consider dealing these players. But let's say you have amazing running back depth and somebody is making a push to obtain your top option. The following deals are the bare minimum you should get back if you deal one of the above five players:

• Mike Evans and Carson Wentz
• Alshon Jeffery and Jimmy Graham
• Patrick Mahomes and Josh Gordon
• Travis Kelce and T.Y. Hilton
• Aaron Rodgers and Zach Ertz
• Golden Tate and Rob Gronkowski

In all honesty, though, you should just keep these five running backs. 

Trade Value: 10

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

7. Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

8. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

9. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

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

11. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

12. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

13. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

What Adam Thielen is doing this season is unbelievable. He's posted six straight games with at least six receptions, 100 receiving yards and double-digit fantasy points. Thielen was good last year, but with Kirk Cousins now under center, he's taken things to a whole new level. 

His consistency is what makes him so valuable and will continue making him one of the most coveted players in all of fantasy for the rest of the season.

Tyreek Hill, on the other hand, is incredibly valuable because of his explosiveness. He has two games with 30 or more fantasy points, basically guaranteeing fantasy players a win in those weeks. The concern, however, is that Hill has five of his six touchdowns in two games and only has three total weeks with double-digit points.

Because of his offensive explosions, Hill leads all receivers in fantasy points in standard leagues. But his inconsistency is going to hurt you some weeks. He still belongs in the top tier of players at the position, but in a pinch, you would prefer the consistency of Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Thielen or A.J. Green.

Trade Value: 9

14. David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

15. Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots

16. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

17. Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints

18. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

19. Carlos Hyde, RB, Cleveland Browns

Sony Michel has rushed 57 times for 316 yards and four touchdowns in his past three games. If you had any doubt about his fantasy value, start believing. He's the real deal.

When Joe Mixon's been healthy, meanwhile, he's been awesome, registering at least eight points in all four of his games this year and double-digit points in three of them. Michel and Mixon look like up-and-coming players who will have major value for fantasy players, both this season and beyond.

If you snagged them in keeper leagues, well done. And congrats.

Trade Value: 8

20. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

21. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

22. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

23. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

24. Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos

25. Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings

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

Robert Woods has five straight games with at least five receptions, 80 receiving yards and at least eight fantasy points. He's notched double-digit fantasy points in four of them, 100 or more receiving yards in three and compiled three touchdowns during his impressive run.

Woods also leads the Los Angeles Rams wideouts in targets with 51, and with Cooper Kupp potentially facing some time on the sideline, his value might never be higher. Now in his sixth NFL season, Woods is well on pace for a career year and in L.A.'s explosive offense should remain one of fantasy's top wideouts.

Alshon Jeffery, meanwhile, has hit the ground running since returning from injury, with 18 receptions for 218 yards and three scores in just three games. The Philadelphia Eagles don't have another dynamic deep threat out wide, making Jeffery the team's most dangerous playmaker. With Carson Wentz playing excellent football since his return, Jeffery is safe to consider an elite fantasy option.

So is Emmanuel Sanders, who has yet to dip below six fantasy points in a game in standard leagues this season. Sanders was consistently a solid fantasy option while Peyton Manning was the Denver Broncos quarterback, and with a competent signal-caller in Case Keenum, it appears he's back to being a top fantasy option.

Trade Value: 7

Gary Landers/Associated Press

27. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

28. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

29. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

30. Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

31. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

32. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Bell continues to hold both his own and James Conner's fantasy value in limbo. It seems likely he will be back in the coming weeks—if he doesn't report to the Steelers and sign a deal by the Tuesday after Week 10, he can't play this season and would lose a contract year—and the moment, he returns to Pittsburgh, his value shoots up and Conner's shoots down.

Players who have rostered Conner shouldn't care—they got an unexpected RB1 for about half a season. Bell owners, however, are champing at the bit for him to return. 

Trade Value: 6

33. Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions

34. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

35. Brandin Cooks, WR, Los Angeles Rams

36. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

37. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

38. DeSean Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

39. Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks

40. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

41. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

42. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

43. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

44. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints 

45. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

It doesn't seem to matter who is under center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year—DeSean Jackson is just producing.

He has only dipped below eight fantasy points in standard leagues once this season, a surprising run of consistency for a player who had developed a reputation in fantasy football as an all-or-nothing player. In the past, Jackson would either offer fantasy players a huge afternoon or a relatively quiet one. This year, he's just been steady.

That makes him valuable and offers him more fantasy relevance than he's had in recent years.

Trade Value: 5

46. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

47. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

48. Eric Ebron, TE, Indianapolis Colts

49. Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

50. Matt Breida, RB, San Francisco 49ers

51. James White, RB, New England Patriots

52. Alex Collins, RB, Baltimore Ravens

53. Kerryon Johnson, RB, Detroit Lions

54. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Tevin Coleman is a legit RB2 with Devonta Freeman on injured reserve and out for sure until at least Week 15, but it's important to keep perspective when evaluating his fantasy worth going forward. In the four weeks Freeman didn't play prior to being put on IR, Coleman rushed 55 times for 226 yards, adding 10 receptions for 64 yards and two scores.

On average, he's posted 10.2 fantasy points per game in standard leagues while Freeman has been out. That's a solid number, but there are 20 other running backs who are averaging more fantasy points per week than that in standard leagues, per ESPN.com.

Plus, it's been Ito Smith who has emerged as the team's goal-line back and as a touchdown vulture, scoring three times in the past three weeks.

So yes, Coleman is the top dog in Atlanta's backfield with Freeman sidelined. But that hasn't translated into RB1 production. In other words, don't overvalue Coleman when considering any trades—unless you have him rostered and another player is trying to land him. In that case, sell high and try to get an RB1 return for him. Just don't give up that sort of value if you're targeting him in a deal.

Trade Value: 4

Gary Landers/Associated Press

55. Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears

56. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Oakland Raiders

57. Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington

58. Isaiah Crowell, RB, New York Jets

59. Phillip Lindsay, RB, Denver Broncos

60. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

61. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

62. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

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

64. Josh Gordon, WR, New England Patriots

65. Albert Wilson, WR, Miami Dolphins

Tyler Boyd is quietly becoming one of fantasy's best stories this season. He now has four weeks with double-digit fantasy points, and while his four touchdowns on the year have contributed to that total, he's also accumulated a healthy 37 receptions (on 52 targets) for 455 yards.

Even when Boyd doesn't reach the end zone, he has value.

Compare that to Calvin Ridley, who has scored fewer than five fantasy points in standard leagues the past two weeks. Ridley's six touchdown receptions between Weeks 2 and 4 put him on the fantasy map, but his overall numbers—22 receptions (on 30 targets) for 349 yards—suggest he's far less likely to have fantasy value when he isn't reaching the end zone.

So if you were locked in a room and told you would only be let free if you correctly predicted which player would have more fantasy points at the end of the season out of Boyd or Ridley, the safer bet would be Boyd. Yes, they are in the same tier here, but that's mostly because the Atlanta Falcons have been incredibly explosive on offense and Ridley is always a threat to find paydirt. 

But Boyd has a larger overall role in the Cincinnati Bengals offense and has offered more consistency. Neither of those factors should be ignored when considering his overall value. 

Trade Value: 3

66. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

67. Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

68. Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings

69. Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

70. Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

71. John Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

72. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

73. Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

74. Jordy Nelson, WR, Oakland Raiders

75. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos

76. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Atlanta Falcons

77. Dede Westbrook, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

78. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

79. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

80. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

81. Jimmy Graham, TE, Green Bay Packers

82. Trey Burton, TE, Chicago Bears

83. Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

84. LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills

85. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

86. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

If Amari Cooper gets traded—which apparently is a possibility since the Oakland Raiders have decided they're allergic to their best players under Jon Gruden—he could receive a major bump in value depending upon where he lands.

Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, for instance, would probably love to have a top wideout to target with regularity. Imagine putting Cooper on the already-dangerous Eagles offense or pairing him with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. There are some intriguing possibilities out there, and his value remains in a state of flux given the trade rumors.

Trade Value: 2

87. Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

88. Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams

89. Frank Gore, RB, Miami Dolphins

90. Corey Clement, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

91. Lamar Miller, RB, Houston Texans

92. Ito Smith, RB, Atlanta Falcons

93. Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears

94. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

95. Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans

96. Michael Crabtree, WR, Baltimore Ravens

97. Devin Funchess, WR, Detroit Lions

98. Marvin Jones Jr. WR, Detroit Lions

99. Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

100. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears

Has Allen Robinson began emerging as the top wideout the Chicago Bears believed they were getting when they signed him this offseason?

In the past two weeks, the former Jacksonville Jaguar has found the end zone twice and has scored eight or more fantasy points in standard leagues three times. That's still just flex territory at best, especially considering his overall numbers (24 receptions for 281 yards and two scores on 38 targets) are mediocre.

It doesn't help that Mitchell Trubisky is spreading the ball around liberally in Chicago, with four different players receiving 23 or more targets this season. Robinson leads that pack, but Taylor Gabriel (34 receptions) is hot on his heels.

Thus, it seems unlikely Robinson will reach the WR1 heights he hit back in 2015 this season for the Bears, though if the touchdowns keep coming, he can at least fill out your flex nicely.