Fantasy Football Trade Outlook: Rob Gronkowski and Other Buy Low and Sell High Candidates for Week 5
By Vik Chokshi
Trade talks always start to heat up in Week 5 of the fantasy football season, so now is the perfect time to strike up some conversations. Teams that have started hot in your league are always looking to improve, while teams that have stumbled out of the gates due to injuries or one of their high picks not performing are in desperation mode. After a month of football, we have a better idea of which players and offenses are producing and which are not. Fantasy football GMs never sleep though, especially if you want to win it all, because as Ricky Bobby famously said, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
No matter what place you are currently in, you can always get better. Here are the moves to help you get there:
Buy Low:
Rob Gronkowski (TE, New England Patriots):
I’m at least starting a conversation with every Gronk owner in every league that I’m in. Why? Because in seasons where he’s played at least 13 games, he’s never finished outside the top-three at the position. Gronk has been facing constant double teams, but look for that to change with the return of Julian Edelman tonight. More snaps for Josh Gordon will also help take attention off of Gronk. The tight end position is a shallow one, so having a huge advantage each week at TE can create some mismatches against your opponents on a weekly basis. His injury does not look serious, so he’s a premier bounce-back candidate. Here’s hoping to one more slow week (tonight), so you can pull a deal for him before he rolls starting next week.
Quincy Enunwa (WR, New York Jets):
Even with Sam Darnold and the Jets offense coming back down to Earth, Enunwa has been a constant. Enunwa has led the Jets in targets during each game this season. While most people consider Enunwa a WR3, his numbers tell a different story. He is amongst the league leaders at the position in three very important categories: Targets (37, 18th), Target Share (28%, 8th), and Red-Zone targets (6, 13th). Looking ahead, he also has some juicy matchups coming up vs. teams like the Colts, Vikings, Dolphins and Bills. Pry him away now.
Julio Jones (WR, Atlanta Falcons):
While Jones isn’t your typical “buy low” candidate, and you will need to get creative with your proposals, a ton of GMs have been frustrated by his output this season. 0 touchdowns by Jones have GMs cursing Atlanta’s Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian. And, after seeing Calvin Ridley score more touchdowns (6) than Jones the last 2 weeks than Jones has over the last two seasons, Jones owners are fuming. Yes, Calvin Ridley has been a monster, but a negative regression is coming. He has only played in 57% of the Falcons’ snaps in Week’s 2-4, and more importantly, has seen just 19% of the team targets. Jones has seen an average of 11.5 targets per game this season. With the Falcons offense starting to hum, Jones’ touchdowns are coming. Matt Ryan and Co. have great matchups the next two weeks against Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, so this may be your last window to snag Jones.
Gio Bernard (RB, Cincinnati Bengals):
Bernard has played well the last two weeks as the Bengals lead-back, and most importantly, they definitely seem to trust him as a three-down back. With Joe Mixon coming back, and Bernard a little knicked up (likely to miss a couple games), most GMs are going to be selling Bernard, which is exactly the reason to go contrarian and pick him up for cheap. Look for owners selling Bernard, especially the ones trying to plug-in bye week starters. The Bengals offense has been surprisingly refreshing, and Gio should still maintain value in PPR leagues. Another move could be to try to get him thrown in on a package deal you are putting together. Either way, he is a good stash that can help you make a deep playoff run.
Sell High:
DeSean Jackson (WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Now is the perfect time to deal Jackson, as his numbers are simply unsustainable. He is splitting snaps, reliant on the deep ball, and his buddy Fitzmagic has been benched. Ever wonder why DJax wanted Fitz to keep starting? Jackson surpassed 100 receiving yards in three out of four games with Honey Fitz (his Harvard buddies call him that). On the other hand, Jackson hit the century mark just once in his last 12 games with Jameis Winston starting. Jackson is currently a top-20 WR, so should hold value in some GMs eyes. Send texts now, before he lays a dud this weekend.
James Conner (RB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
If you own Conner, this is the time to trade him in general, or to Le'Veon Bell owners. The Steelers have a great matchup coming up against Atlanta, in which Conner should be able to put up monster numbers. Bell should be back in the Week 7-8 timeframe as reported last week, but there is still a chance the Steelers trade him before that. Either way, GMs that drafted Bell first will probably have losing records right now, which means they will be desperate. Take advantage.
Tarik Cohen (RB, Chicago Bears):
As a Chicago Bears fan, I love Cohen aka the human joystick. His monster game last weekend showed his versatility, as he succeeded both between the tackles and in the open field. That being said, his performance against the Bucs was due to a perfect blend of game script, scheme, and matchups, so that won’t be replicated on a weekly basis. Cohen’s numbers going forward will be up and down (like the Bears offense). And, let’s not forget, Jordan Howard is still the feature back in Chicago, especially around the goal line. Sell Cohen in your PPR leagues now, especially after his 7-catch for 121 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown performance.