The waiver wire is important, but trading is what truly makes or breaks your fantasy season. Here are the top buy-low and sell-high picks at every position entering Week 5.
Quarterback
Buy
Chances are, nobody is going to be selling Goff right now. However, one exception to this would be if Goff is the owner’s clear QB2, they need help where you have depth, and Goff would be your clear QB1. He played solid football against the Giants in Week 4 but his stats looked odd because he threw for just 200 yards and one touchdown. He has turned the football over just twice this season while firing six end-zone strikes.
Unlike Goff, Ryan is an easier player to acquire yet has a fairly similar ceiling. The knock on Ryan is that Julio Jones has been struggling and the Falcons are purely bad. However, their woes on the field will translate to a heavy passing attack, meaning Ryan can be counted on for garbage-time yardage and scores. He threw for 285 yards in the Falcons’ Week 4 loss but failed to find the end zone. He has seven touchdowns and two turnovers on the year, making him a perfect buy-low candidate with QB1 potential.
Sell
If Bridgewater is your QB2, you should be very actively pursuing a trade for him. Through three weeks, he had fewer touchdowns (two) than turnovers (three) and only found success against a Cardinals defense that was porous in Week 4. He passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns while also tossing a pick. Additionally, he finished with a season-high 32 rushing yards and one touchdown, padding his fantasy production significantly. With five touchdowns and four turnovers through four weeks, Bridgewater really belongs on the waiver wire. Sell him while you can.
Running Back
Buy
You shouldn’t be rushing to give up a huge package ahead of a Kenyan Drake regression, but you should at least explore the market. Joe Mixon just bounced back in Week 4 and Drake could be due for a similar breakout sometime soon. Long story short? Proceed with caution but don’t be afraid to pull the trigger if there’s an offer you can’t refuse.
While you should be maturely hesitant with Drake, the same isn’t true about Montgomery. His production is arguably the lowest it will ever be and he can only go up from here after finishing with just 54 total yards in Week 3 and 57 total yards in a Week 4 offense that did not feature Tarik Cohen. Look to flip someone like Ronald Jones or Myles Gaskin for Montgomery. You won’t regret it.
Sell
I’ve been one of the few people not quite ready to suggest dropping Mark Ingram, and that continues into Week 5. With that said, if you can trade him, you should do it. He’s going to have value throughout the season with breakout games and end zone looks. The problem? You never know when these games will occur. Try to trade Ingram for someone like Cole Beasley, Corey Davis, Zack Moss, or Logan Thomas.
With the Saints using Alvin Kamara more and more in the passing game, Murray has seen extra touches in the backfield. However, with Jared Cook and Michael Thomas due to return, Kamara will likely see fewer passes and therefore get more looks in the running game. And even if that isn’t the case, there will still be more mouths to feed in this offense. You shouldn’t trade Murray for a borderline waiver wire player, but swapping him for someone like Scotty Miller, Darius Slayton, or J.K. Dobbins would be more than satisfactory.
This one is a bit more obvious. Mike Davis is seeing a workload comparable to what Christian McCaffrey was seeing prior to his injury. That’s the issue here. McCaffrey is due back soon and it’d be shocking to see Davis continue at this pace for much longer. You might be able to salvage another impressive week or two from Davis, but it would be wise to trade him before McCaffrey suddenly returns and kills his value.
Wide Receiver
Buy
Let’s not forget that A.J. Brown was being drafted ahead of guys like Keenan Allen, Terry McLaurin, and DK Metcalf just one month ago. An injury, coupled with the Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak, has hurt Brown’s value, leaving some owners concerned about his insecurity. If you’re one of the owners, do not panic; brighter days are in the near future. If you’re not an owner, I suggest you go out and gauge the market for Brown. If you can land him in exchange for someone like Robby Anderson, Will Fuller, or even Julian Edelman, you should pull the trigger.
Moore was being drafted as the WR10 just one month ago, putting him ahead of players like Allen Robinson, Mike Evans, Adam Thielen, Calvin Ridley, and others. Fast forward to Week 4, where Moore posted just four catches for 49 yards after logging two catches for 65 yards the week prior. A prototypical buy-low option, Moore has tremendous upside and should be a hot target for many owners in need of a WR2 with WR1 upside.
Sell
Any avid fantasy football player knows that Will Fuller is not a safe option. He can’t be trusted in weeks preceding a zero-target effort, nor can he be trusted just days after catching upwards of six passes for 100 yards and a score. In a week where there aren’t too many sell-high candidates, Fuller gets the nod after catching six passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. He has looked quite solid through four games this year, but you can easily acquire a much more consistent and reliable player in a trade centered around Fuller.
Tight End
Buy
Engram made the “buy” list last week and he gets the nod yet again ahead of Week 5. His production so far this season puts him as a low-end TE1, meaning some Engram owners may actually have him on their bench. If that’s the case (and you need tight end help), get Engram and put him in your lineup. You should have no trouble parting with a reliable WR2 or RB2 in exchange for Engram.
Sell
There has been a tremendous amount of hype surrounding Hooper over the last few days and it’s truly unwarranted. The Cowboys gave up 508 yards and 49 points to the Cowboys, so it’s shouldn’t come as a surprise that Hooper was able to benefit from that. His one breakout week in Dallas will not translate to future success, especially with David Njoku set to return from IR soon. In reality, he caught five passes for just 35 yards this week; his production was saved by a touchdown. He was on the field for just 83 percent of snaps, which was his second-lowest total of the year. Long story short, sell Hooper. His value is right around its 2020 peak and now is the time to unload him.
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