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Take advantage of the fantasy football trade market in your leagues with these players to target or trade ahead of Week 7.
Shop cheap at Aaron Jones
Jones is coming off his bye week and is dealing with a hip injury. He is considered week-to-week since leaving their Week 5 contest against the Jets. Whether or not he plays in Week 7, it’s a tough matchup against the Lions. This makes it an interesting place to shop cheap with Jones.
Don’t let his injury blind you to the fact that in his four complete games, Jones has averaged 18.6 fantasy points and 20 touches per game. He has also seen strong use of the receiving game on his four receptions per completed game. Jones is averaging 5.9 yards per touch this season and should continue to put himself in favorable spots to win for several reasons.
First, he’s in a quality offense behind a solid offensive line. Second, defenses need to focus their attention on Justin Jefferson, which will leave softer areas for Jones to deal with. Trade for Jones before his soft schedule hits in Weeks 8 through 10. He’ll face poor run defenses in the Rams, Colts and Jaguars.
If you can, try to trade someone like Zay Flowers or Tony Pollard for Jones.
Trade for Isiah Pacheco
I think it’s time we start remembering the name Isiah Pacheco.
His original timeline for returning from injury was between Weeks 9 and 12. We’re now in Week 7, which means we’re getting closer to the return of the Chiefs’ starting running back. Right now, Kareem Hunt is on the rise. He had over 100 yards in Week 5 before the Chiefs’ bye week. But this probably won’t last once Pacheco returns.
Coach Andy Reid trusts Pacheco in all situations. First downs, pass protection and the red zone are areas where Pacheco sees playing time. Remember: In Week 1, Pacheco played 80% of the snaps and handled 88% of the Chiefs’ backfield carries. He could be closing in on an early return given his initial projected timeline of 6-8 weeks, and that makes him a potential league-winning running back in the fantasy playoffs. Trade someone like Tyrone Tracy Jr. for Pacheco if you can.
Submit an offer for Tee Higgins
Higgins has been great since returning from a hamstring injury in Week 3. Over the last four games, Higgins leads the Bengals with a 28% target share and has averaged 8.8 goals per game during this section. Higgins now ranks fourth in expected fantasy points per game this season, according to player profiler. That’s how good his role has been in this Bengals offense.
You won’t be able to buy cheap with Higgins due to his strong play, but you should still submit an offer, even if it costs you more than it would a few weeks ago. Higgins’ upcoming schedule is solid. He’ll face teams like the Browns, Eagles and Ravens, who rank in the top 12 in passing yards allowed per play. according to NFL Pro.
One more thing: Joe Burrow has looked incredible over the last four weeks. During this time, it ranks third in PFF Quarterback Grades and has completed 74% of his passes. Trade someone like Josh Jacobs or JK Dobbins for Higgins if you can.
Shop cheap at DeAndre Hopkins
This won’t cost you much to make, but I’m intrigued by Hopkins’ current usage. Hopkins entered this season with a knee injury that limited him to just 27% of the Titans’ snaps in Week 1. But since this game, his usage has increased each week. Hopkins entered his Week 5 bye after back-to-back games in which he led the Titans in targets ahead of Calvin Ridley.
The bye week was much needed for Hopkins. It seems to have helped his recovery process because in Week 6 we saw a full-time role for Hopkins for the first time this season. In Week 6, Hopkins ran a season-high 70% of the Titans’ routes and for the third straight week led the team in target percentage. Hopkins is heading in the right direction and probably won’t cost him much in a trade. Try trading someone like Tucker Kraft or Tyler Lockett for him.
Trade by Roma Odunze
Odunze enters his bye week after a bad game. He had just two catches for 40 yards in a game where the Bears scored 35 points. Not great. But the talented first-round rookie enters his bye week, and this is key. We often see rookies see their roles expanded when they come off the break. Odunze is already on the field frequently for the Bears, but perhaps we will see a change in his usage when he returns from his bye in Week 8.
So far this season, Odunze has averaged a depth of target of 15.2 yards. This means it is seeing a lot of use in the field. This will lead to big plays, but it can also lead to boom or bust performances like we’ve seen in recent weeks.
However, we started to see a change in Odunze’s usage in Week 5. He saw more short-area targets and usage in the middle of the field. The goal would be to see more usage like this, combined with his on-field goals, after the bye week.
Overall, Caleb Williams has looked great, so you want pieces of this Bears offense. Try to trade Najee Harris or Bucky Irving for Odunze if you can.
