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Trading players in fantasy football is perhaps the most frustrating part.
You need to find a willing partner and you need to have some patience to pull it off. Let’s face it, in this day and age as well, having patience is no easy task.
Working out the right deal is what brings winners to the table while being impatient and pulling off quick trades is usually what lands teams in hot water.
There are a few main guys in the game now that can guarantee your team’s success. No question.
Derrick Henry comes to mind. Christian McCaffrey is another. Having Patrick Mahomes couldn’t hurt your cause either.
These guys will likely be drafted early though and not moved throughout the entirety of your fantasy season. People like to have and keep workhorses on their teams so don’t get your expectations too high. Being realistic is the most important part of any trade strategy.
At the end of the day, YES, you do want to fleece your trade partner as best as you can.
Everyone wants to win their trade. Nobody is dealing just to say they’ve done it. You never want it to come off that way though, so building trust is key and the best way to do that is by offering even trades…or as close to even as you can…somewhat.
If you can show your trade partner that you’re trying to help them too, you could be sitting pretty.
Now that you’ve got the ideology behind trading down, let’s talk about trade targets.
We’ve decided to list some of the top names at each fantasy position heading into this year in three tiers. That’ll give you a clearer picture of which guys could truly make or break your season.
We’re not going to list every player, but gauging and comparing your player or your target’s ability and stats with these guys will help immensely.
First-tier: Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, and Josh Allen
Second-tier: Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, Ryan Tannehill, Kyler Murray, and Dak Prescott
Third Tier: Derek Carr, Daniel Jones, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, and Tua Tagovailoa
First-tier: Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Jones, Austin Ekeler, Nick Chubb, Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Najee Harris
Second-tier: Josh Jacobs, Myles Gaskin, Antonio Gibson, Miles Sanders, Darrell Henderson, Raheem Mostert, D’Andre Swift, David Montgomery, Chase Edmonds, and Kenyan Drake
Third tier: AJ Dillon, Leonard Fournette, James Robinson, Tevin Coleman, James Conner, and Latavius Murray
First-tier: Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, Allen Robinson, Julio Jones, AJ Brown, Stefon Diggs, DK Metcalf, Mike Evans, Calvin Ridley, Chris Godwin, and Adam Thielen
Second Tier: Robby Anderson, Amari Cooper, Jamison Crowder, Michael Thomas, Chase Claypool, Justin Jefferson, Terri Mclaurin, Corey Davis, and DJ Moore
Third tier: CeeDee Lamb, Mike Williams, Christian Kirk, Mike Williams, Jakobi Meyers, and Will Fuller V
First-tier: Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Darren Waller, and Mark Andrews
Second-tier: Kyle Pitts, Robert Tonyan, Noah Fant, TJ Hockenson, Hunter Henry, and Mike Gesicki
Third tier: Logan Thomas, Rob Gronkowski, Jonnu Smith, Jimmy Graham, and Jared Cook
First-tier: Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New England Patriots
Second-tier: Washington Football Team, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts
Third tier: New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cleveland Browns
We hope that helps you sort out your league trading plans this season. Of course, players will rise and fall in value as the year goes on, but heading into the new campaign, these are certainly the guys to keep your eye on. At the very least, though, these are the guys that you can compare others to in terms of usage, targets, touches, and snaps.
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Ryan has worked as a sports writer for the past decade and sports journalism for almost 15 years. He has worked in television, radio, print, digital, and podcasting since 2006. He is also the former co-host of the NFL Weekly Pick 'Em and Best Bets Podcast along with the Prop Drop on WSN.com.
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