Fantasy Football Week 11: Examining Trade Value for This Year's Top 100 Players

This week, we'll take a deep dive on some fascinating running back situations on the trade value chart.

As always, we've accumulated the top 100 players in terms of trade value across fantasy football. Any players not listed below have a trade value of one. But in addition to the chart, we'll also break down four different teams and their running back positions, hoping to suss out where the true value lies. 

Let's get to it. 

Trade Value: Untouchable 

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

Trade Value: 12                

2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

Trade Value: 11 

4. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

5. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

7. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

8. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Trade Value: 10

9. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

10. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

11. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns 

13. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

14. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Trade Value: 9

15. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams 

16. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

17. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

18. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

19. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars 

20. Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders

21. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

22. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Trade Value: 8

23. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks 

24. Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

25. Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

26. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions 

27. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

Trade Value: 7

28. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

29. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

30. Mark Ingram II, RB, Baltimore Ravens 

31. Le'Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets

32. Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

33. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

34. Phillip Lindsay, RB, Denver Broncos

35. Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco 49ers 

Trade Value: 6

36. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

37. Darren Waller, TE, Oakland Raiders

38. New England Patriots D/ST

39. DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

40. Golden Tate, WR, New York Giants

41. Marvin Jones, WR, Detroit Lions

42. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

43. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

44. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Trade Value: 5

45. San Francisco 49ers D/ST

46. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

47. James White, RB, New England Patriots

48. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

49. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

50. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

51. Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons

52. Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

53. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears 

54. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

55. John Brown, WR, Buffalo Bills

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

57. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

Trade Value: 4

58. Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST

59. Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

60. Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills 

61. Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts

62. Jordan Howard, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

63. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

64. Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

65. Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

66. Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

67. Matt Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions 

68. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

69. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

70. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

71. Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

72. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Trade Value: 3

73. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington

74. Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings

75. Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals

76. Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers

77. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles 

78. David Johnson RB, Arizona Cardinals

79. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

80. Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots 

81. Carlos Hyde, RB, Houston Texans 

82. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

83. Jacob Hollister, TE, Seattle Seahawks

84. Darren Fells, TE, Houston Texans

Trade Value: 2

85. Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs

86. Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants

87. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

88. Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

89. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

90. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

91. Tyrell Williams, WR, Oakland Raiders

92. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

93. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

94. Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers

95. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

96. Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington

97. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

98. Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

99. Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Rams

100. Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys

The Shifting Value of Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Austin Ekeler tore up fantasy football across the first four weeks of the season. Problem is, he did so without Melvin Gordon on the Chargers, who was holding out. 

That has inflated Ekeler's value, as fantasy players may point to his 19.7 points per game in PPR leagues and No. 4 ranking overall among running backs. The truth is, however, that Ekeler has been far less valuable since Gordon's return. 

• Ekeler's average fantasy points per week pre-Gordon: 26.7 PPG
• Ekeler's average fantasy points per week post-Gordon: 14.9 PPG

That early output was elite. His output in the past five weeks, however, is the sort of value you're getting from a Le'Veon Bell or Mark Ingram. Not shabby, of course, but not elite, either.

Worse, Melvin Gordon has come to life in the Chargers offense, with 42 rushes for 188 yards and three touchdowns in the past two weeks. The offense is starting to flow through Gordon more, and while Ekeler continues to hold value, it should concern fantasy players that he's averaging just 9.6 touches per game in the past three weeks.

But because Ekeler sits near the top of the running back rankings, he can potentially be dangled as a sell-high option, even though his true value at the moment is the lowest we've seen this season.

The window to buy low on Gordon has likely passed, meanwhile, though it wouldn't hurt to make a lowball offer for him, citing Ekeler's presence as a damper to his upside.

Savvy fantasy players won't bite, but it doesn't hurt to try.

Kareem Hunt Isn't Going to Tank Nick Chubb's Fantasy Upside

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Kareem Hunt returned in Week 10 and was instantly given a significant role in Cleveland's offense. The good news for Nick Chubb owners, however, is that Hunt's role was primarily relegated to the passing game. 

Let's take a look at how the Browns utilized their two running backs vs. Buffalo:

• Chubb: 20 carries for 116 yards, two receptions for five yards on four targets, 57 snaps.
• Hunt: Four carries for 30 yards, seven receptions for 44 yards on nine targets, 38 snaps.

It is perhaps a concern that Hunt saw such a significant number of snaps in his season debut. But Chubb receiving 20 carries is a positive sign that he'll remain the team's workhorse on the ground.

His receiving upside probably just took a hit with Hunt around, but Chubb remains locked into RB1 value the rest of the way.

Arizona's Confusing Backfield

Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press

David Johnson and Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds, oh my!

Figuring out Arizona's backfield production on a weekly basis sure seems like it's going to be an exercise in frustration for fantasy players going forward. 

Johnson was the main man between Weeks 1-6, averaging 20.2 fantasy points per contest. But then injury struck and Edmonds became the new hotness in fantasy, with a 35-point outing against the New York Giants in Week 7. 

But he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8 and hasn't played since, with the last two weeks being the Drake show. Drake was fantastic in Week 9, rushing 15 times for 110 yards and a score while adding four receptions for 52 yards.

And while Johnson returned in Week 10, it was Drake who led the backfield, rushing 10 times for 35 yards while adding six receptions for six yards. More importantly, he earned 45 snaps compared to 30 for Johnson. And Johnson was effectively benched after a third-quarter fumble.

"We just felt like with Drake, needed to get something going and kept him rolling," head coach Kliff Kingsbury said after the game, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. "The last couple weeks, practice, games [he] has brought a little pop to the run game, the pass game, and we felt like he was the guy to try and close the game out with."

It's possible that Johnson is still working his way back up to 100 percent. Over the course of his career, he's proved to be the better player than Drake. But injuries and inconsistent play this season have severely capped his fantasy upside, and if Drake plays the leading role again in Week 11, it's possible Johnson could find himself playing the backup role.

Oh, and Edmonds will return at some point, too, and could create quite the timeshare in Arizona. For the moment, Johnson's value is at an all-time low. Drake, meanwhile, is a fascinating buy-low target. Just know that on any given week, the hierarchy at running back could shift. 

Joe Mixon Trending Up

Gary Landers/Associated Press

You should try to buy low on Joe Mixon. The time to do so has probably passed, but it's worth a shot.

In the past two weeks, Mixon has rushed 47 times for 180 yards, adding six receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. After registering 17 or more fantasy points just once in his first seven games, Mixon has done so in back-to-back contests. 

The Bengals even seem likely to keep feeding Mixon while they are getting blown out:

There's no reason it won't continue. With Cincinnati committed to giving rookie Ryan Finley a look—translation: the Bengals are tanking—Mixon should see plenty of work. That's good news for patient fantasy players who stuck with the Cincy running back.

Note: All fantasy stats via ESPN PPR leagues