Fantasy Football Week 1: Examining Trade Market for Top 100 Flex Players

The start of the NFL regular season is just hours away, and, be honest, some of you are already drawing up fantasy football trades, aren't you?

But, hey, it's never a bad time to make a good deal. So in an effort to help those of you with an early trigger finger, we've put together a handy trade value chart for you to reference as the offers come in. It's a new season, but, as always, may the fantasy points be with you! 

Trade Value: Untouchable 

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

Trade Value: 12

2. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

4. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

5. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

Trade Value: 11

6. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

7. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

8. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Trade Value: 10

9. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

10. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

11. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

12. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Trade Value: 9

13. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

14. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

15. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

16. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

Trade Value: 8

17. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

18. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

19. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

20. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Trade Value: 7

21. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

22. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

23. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

24. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

25. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

26. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Trade Value: 6

27. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

28. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

29. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

30. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

31. Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons

32. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

33. David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans

34. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

35. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

36. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

37. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

38. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

39. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

40. Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

41. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

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

43. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

44. D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Trade Value: 5

45. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

46. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

47. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

48. Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos

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

50. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

51. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

52. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

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

54. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

55. Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

Trade Value: 4

56. Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

57. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

58. Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

59. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

60. Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants

61. Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Detroit Lions

62. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

63. Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets

64. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

65. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

66. Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals

67. Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

Trade Value: 3

68. Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

69. Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

70. Mark Ingram II, RB, Baltimore Ravens

71. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

72. Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills

73. Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills

74. Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts

75. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

76. Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears

77. Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

78. Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets

79. Emmanuel Sanders, WR, New Orleans Saints

80. James White, WR, New England Patriots

Trade Value: 2

81. Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins

82. Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

83. Will Fuller V, WR, Houston Texans

84. Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants

85. Golden Tate, WR, New York Giants

86. John Brown, WR, Buffalo Bills

87. Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

88. Jared Cook, TE, New Orleans Saints

89. Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Rams

90. Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos

91. Austin Hooper, TE, Cleveland Browns

92. DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

93. Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos

94. Henry Ruggs III, WR, Oakland Raiders

95. Philip Lindsay, RB, Denver Broncos

96. Rob Gronkowski, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

97. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

98. N'Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots 

99. Jordan Howard, RB, Miami Dolphins

100. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

Fantasy Trades Preview

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Let's quickly start with an explanation for the trade values listed above. 

Essentially, if a player has a trade value of 10 like Julio Jones, that means you ideally want to get back players whose value adds up to 10 or more in a deal (always try to get more). So for example, Jones for Travis Kelce (trade value of 7) and Mark Ingram II (trade value of 3) would be deemed a fair exchange based on the chart. 

Now, there are all sorts of considerations when making trades. The trade chart can't possibly account for your league rules, your particular team needs, etc. So consider this a basic guide to help you best determine the general value of your players. 

Another question you might have: Is Christian McCaffrey really untouchable? Isn't there some trade out there worth taking? 

Well...maybe. But it's hard to overstate just how dominant McCaffrey was in all formats last year. A player who finishes with over 100 receptions, over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards each and 19 touchdowns is a game-changer. There's just no reason to even consider dealing him. 

Determining value early in the season is always difficult, but it's become especially tricky at the running back position, with so many teams turning to committee approaches in the backfield and lacking a true top option. Look around the NFL and you'll see a ton of teams with unsettled running back situations or clear platoons: the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Football Team, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and the L.A. Rams. 

That makes identifying value at running back particularly confusing. Generally, players who have clearly defined roles on a team—goal-line back, between-the-tackles grinder, receiving threat, etc.—are a bit easier to project. 

So, if you are already considering shaking up your team, rate your star running backs very highly and avoid spending big on players in a platoon situation. The last thing you want is to give up assets for a player like Devin Singletary, only to watch Zack Moss claim the starring role by Week 3, or vice versa. 

Also, scoop up as much intelligence as you can on those positional battles. Here's a roundup of what some fantasy experts are saying about running backs with volatile value heading into the season:

Unless you drafted purely for value and have an unbalanced roster, you probably don't want to be swinging trades just yet. It's better to wait for some of these positional battles to see if you've got a stud or dud on your roster. 

A few weeks in, we'll have a better idea.