Fantasy Football Week 3: Examining Trade Value for This Year's Top 100 Players

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been the breakout fantasy football star of the 2019 NFL season through two weeks. He leads all quarterbacks in scoring on the strength of 596 passing yards, a positional-high 126 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

The 22-year-old is one of several players who've made a sizable jump in the top-100 rankings for the rest of the season. Others include Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins and Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary.

Now is the time fantasy owners should begin taking serious stock in the trade market. It's a chance to deal from a position of strength, perhaps moving a second quarterback if you landed Jackson in the later rounds since he's now an every-week starter, in order to upgrade elsewhere on the roster.

Let's check out a trade-value meter based on expected production for the remaining 15 games, not the numbers players already produced heading into Week 3. The rankings also include a deeper dive into some of the most notable fantasy situations at this stage of the campaign.

1. Saquon Barkley (Giants, RB)

2. Christian McCaffrey (Panthers, RB)

3. Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys, RB)

4. Alvin Kamara (Saints, RB)

5. Dalvin Cook (Vikings, RB)

Cook always possessed a top-five fantasy skill set thanks to his dual-threat ability and game-breaking explosiveness. Injuries held him back, however, as he appeared in just 15 games over his first two NFL seasons. He's posted back-to-back big games to open 2019 and appears poised for his breakout year.

6. David Johnson (Cardinals, RB)

7. Nick Chubb (Browns, RB)

8. DeAndre Hopkins (Texans, WR)

9. Davante Adams (Packers, WR)

10. Julio Jones (Falcons, WR)

11. Le'Veon Bell (Jets, RB)

12. Chris Carson (Seahawks, RB)

13. Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns, WR)

14. JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers, WR)

15. Travis Kelce (Chiefs, TE)

16. James Conner (Steelers, RB)

17. Antonio Brown (Patriots, WR)

Those who took a chance on Brown amid his drama with the Oakland Raiders can take solace in a strong first game with New England. He racked up four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown while showing no signs his limited participation during training camp is a factor. He's a No. 1 WR moving forward.

18. Leonard Fournette (Jaguars, RB)

19. Keenan Allen (Chargers, WR)

20. Todd Gurley (Rams, RB)

21. Derrick Henry (Titans, RB)

22. Mike Evans (Buccaneers, WR)

Evans is an intriguing trade target after a dreadful start. He's tallied just six grabs for 89 yards and no scores through two weeks. He had eight targets in Week 2 and his track record of five straight 1,000-yard seasons can't be ignored. He should have more booms than busts the rest of the way.

23. Amari Cooper (Cowboys, WR)

24. Marlon Mack (Colts, RB)

25. Aaron Jones (Packers, RB)

26. Austin Ekeler (Chargers, RB)

27. Michael Thomas (Saints, WR)

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is expected to miss an estimated six weeks with a thumb injury. Thomas still managed 10 catches for the second straight game with Teddy Bridgewater leading the offense for most of Week 2, though. His value does take a short-term hit, but it shouldn't plummet.

28. Adam Thielen (Vikings, WR)

29. Joe Mixon (Bengals, RB)

30. Sony Michel (Patriots, RB)

31. Brandin Cooks (Rams, WR)

32. Robert Woods (Rams, WR)

33. Josh Jacobs (Raiders, RB)

34. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs, QB)

35. Chris Godwin (Buccaneers, WR)

36. Mark Ingram (Ravens, RB)

37. George Kittle (49ers, TE)

38. Stefon Diggs (Vikings, WR)

39. Devonta Freeman (Falcons, RB)

40. Zach Ertz (Eagles, TE)

41. Evan Engram (Giants, TE)

42. Sammy Watkins (Chiefs, WR)

43. Kerryon Johnson (Lions, RB)

44. T.Y. Hilton (Colts, WR)

45. Cooper Kupp (Rams, WR)

46. Allen Robinson (Bears, WR)

47. Devin Singletary (Bills, RB)

Singletary must be monitored because he's dealing with a hamstring injury, but that might present an opportunity to trade for him at a below-market price. His snap share should only increase throughout the season as he's the most dynamic backfield option in Buffalo by a considerable margin.

48. Damien Williams (Chiefs, RB)

49. David Montgomery (Bears, RB)

50. Aaron Rodgers (Packers, QB)

51. Deshaun Watson (Texans, QB)

52. Lamar Jackson (Ravens, QB)

What a start. Jackson likely won't remain so dominant all year as defenses, which likely weren't expecting such passing efficiency based on his play last year as a rookie, more accurately game-plan for the Ravens' new offense. But his big-play ability both through the air and on the ground is impossible to ignore.

53. Tyler Lockett (Seahawks, WR)

54. Kenny Golladay (Lions, WR)

55. Julian Edelman (Patriots, WR)

56. Matt Breida (49ers, RB)

57. Calvin Ridley (Falcons, WR)

58. Phillip Lindsay (Broncos, RB)

59. Tyreek Hill (Chiefs, WR)

60. Alshon Jeffery (Eagles, WR)

61. Miles Sanders (Eagles, RB)

62. Josh Gordon (Patriots, WR)

63. Mike Williams (Chargers, WR)

64. Latavius Murray (Saints, RB)

65. James White (Patriots, RB)

66. O.J. Howard (Buccaneers, TE)

67. Duke Johnson (Texans, RB)

Don't give up on Johnson yet. Carlos Hyde's track record (4.1 career YPC) suggests his strong start is a mirage. Once he cools off, Johnson should eventually become the clear leader in the Texans' backfield committee and provide ample PPR value. He's a nice buy-low trade target in the meantime.

68. D.J. Moore (Panthers, WR)

69. Tyler Boyd (Bengals, WR)

70. Royce Freeman (Broncos, RB)

71. LeSean McCoy (Chiefs, RB)

72. Dak Prescott (Cowboys, QB)

Prescott is on pace for nearly 5,400 passing yards after posting a career-best 3,885 yards last year. It's hard to imagine he's going to improve by over 1,500 yards in an offense that also features a high-end running back in Ezekiel Elliott. He's still a must-start QB, but keep expectations within reason.

73. Matt Ryan (Falcons, QB)

74. A.J. Green (Bengals, WR)

75. Carlos Hyde (Texans, RB)

76. Tyrell Williams (Raiders, WR)

77. Baker Mayfield (Browns, QB)

78. Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals, WR)

79. Rashaad Penny (Seahawks, RB)

80. Kenyan Drake (Dolphins, RB)

81. Adrian Peterson (Redskins, RB)

82. Tarik Cohen (Bears, RB)

83. DeSean Jackson (Eagles, WR)

84. David Njoku (Browns, TE)

85. Tevin Coleman (49ers, RB)

86. Will Fuller (Texans, WR)

87. Melvin Gordon (Chargers, RB)

Fantasy owners are going to start cutting Gordon as injuries begin to mount. That's understandable since there's still no definitive timetable for his holdout to end. If you have an extra roster spot available, he's worth a trade- or waiver-and-stash since he could provide No. 2 RB value in the season's second half.

88. Carson Wentz (Eagles, QB)

89. Delanie Walker (Titans, TE)

90. Malcolm Brown (Rams, RB)

91. Mark Andrews (Ravens, TE)

92. Jarvis Landry (Browns, WR)

93. Russell Wilson (Seahawks, QB)

94. Christian Kirk (Cardinals, WR)

95. Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos, WR)

96. Marvin Jones (Lions, WR)

97. Jared Goff (Rams, QB)

98. Tom Brady (Patriots, QB)

Brady was always massively undervalued coming into the season, a status bolstered by the arrival of Brown. Add in Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman as well as one of the NFL's best receiving backs in James White, and there's no reason to believe he won't provide top-100 value all year at age 42.

99. Marquise Brown (Ravens, WR)

100. Sterling Shepard (Giants, WR)

Shepard missed Week 2 because of a concussion, but his long-term value should be improved by the switch to rookie QB Daniel Jones. Eli Manning hasn't rated above 50 (average) in ESPN's Total QBR since 2015, meaning the bar for Jones to improve the passing game, and Shepard's numbers, is quite low.