Fantasy Football Week 8: Top 100 Players' Updated Trade Value and Advice

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That fantasy value chart is starting to crystalize. Fads have either fizzled out or proved their consistent worth. Early busts have either turned things around or proved they aren't to be trusted this year. We're starting to get a pretty good idea of what sort of value players are going to consistently (or inconsistently) provide this season. 

While late-season heroes can still emerge and early-season saviors could regain mortal status, it does mean you should have a pretty good idea of what type of team you are sitting on at this point, and if there are trades to be made to help your squad.

That's where the trade value chart comes in. As always, any player not listed has a trade value of one. And may the fantasy points be with you!

             

Trade Value: 11

1. Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs 

2. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

3. Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

4. Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

6. Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

What do these six players have in common that makes them the elite of the fantasy football world?

They are consistent, they have a higher ceiling than the other players at their position, and they have separated themselves from the pack at their respective positions. No players are more valuable. 

              

Trade Value: 10

7. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

9. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

10. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

This second tier keeps thinning, in part due to injuries and in part due to some surprising lack of production from previous mainstays. The rest of the players remaining, however, offer the sort of value that can vault you into your league's postseason.

All four continue to have higher ceilings than other players at their position who have slightly outscored them to this point. Most of that is due to a history of high-end production.

And Gronkowski, of course, would be in the top tier if injuries weren't a constant concern. This four remain valuable.

            

Trade Value: 9

11. Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

12. Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears 

13. Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers

14. Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

15. LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills

16. Lamar Miller, RB, Houston Texans

17. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

18. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Let's talk Ertz and Jones, two players who have trended in opposite directions this year.

Ertz not only leads all tight ends in fantasy points, he's outscored all but two wide receivers and 10 running backs. But even more impressive than his overall production is just how consistent he's been.

In standard-scoring leagues, Ertz has never dipped below eight fantasy points and has double-digit points the past three weeks. He leads tight ends in receptions, yards, touchdowns and targets. It's become clear he's Carson Wentz's top option in the passing game, and given Wentz's ascension to stardom this season, it's hard to imagine Ertz slowing down anytime soon. 

It's safe to say that Ertz is firmly a top-20 value in fantasy football this year.

Jones, meanwhile, has been a disappointment compared to the high standard he's set in his career. While the yards, receptions and targets have all been there, it took him until this past week to score his first touchdown. In standard leagues, he's barely posted WR2 production.

Perhaps the Falcons will remember that Jones isn't just their best red-zone target, but their best player, period. The fact that Jones' productive history suggests he'll end the season as an elite fantasy producer is why you shouldn't undervalue him too much.

Last week may have been your last chance to buy low. Don't sell on him just yet—Jones still has huge upside.

              

Trade Value: 8

19. Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots

20. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

21. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

22. Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys

23. Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers

24. Brandin Cooks, WR, New England Patriots

25. Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders

26. Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins

Early returns for Nelson in the absence of Aaron Rodgers weren't good, as he had just one catch for 13 yards in Week 7. Perhaps the bye week will give him the chance to get on the same page as Brett Hundley, but it's just as likely his value will creep downward without Rodgers under center. 

Maybe Nelson continues to produce at an elite level. Don't sell low on him. But if someone is willing to give you a tantalizing package to take him off your hands, there's little incentive for you to keep him. 

Landry, meanwhile, has reestablished his strong fantasy value with touchdowns in three straight weeks. Even if the touchdown production isn't sustainable, the Dolphins feed him a high number of targets (68, second among all wideouts), so his yardage totals should keep him in the WR2 conversation for the remainder of the season.

          

Trade Value: 7

27. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

28. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys 

29. Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

30. Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

31. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks 

32. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

33. Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington

34. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

There is a lot of parity at quarterback. If you look at the VORP (value over replacement player) at the position, you'll see that the top quarterbacks don't offer many more points per week over the top replacement-level player (in this case, the No. 11 player in the QB rankings).

Here are the VORP numbers of the quarterbacks listed above:

  • Prescott: +7.6
  • Watson: +7.3
  • Smith: +7.1
  • Wentz: +6.3
  • Brady: +5.3
  • Wilson: +5.0
  • Cousins: +4.9

What precisely does this mean? It means that the difference between the most valuable quarterback and the No. 7 quarterback is an average of 2.7 points per week. To put that level of parity in perspective, the difference in VORP between the top running back (Hill, at +11.6) and the No. 7 running back (Chris Thompson, +6.5) is 5.1 fantasy points per week.

It also shows that the top running backs offer far more value compared to the replacement players at their position compared to the top quarterbacks. Hill has been more valuable at his position than Prescott has been at his, as you can see in the disparity in VORP, which is why you see a large group of quarterbacks clumped together a few tiers down the fantasy rankings.

         

Trade Value: 6

35. Chris Thompson, RB, Washington

36. Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints

37. Duke Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns

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

39. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

40. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

41. Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

42. Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers

43. Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks

44. Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

45.  Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings

46. Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thompson and Agholor are for real.

Despite Washington refusing to make him the feature back, Thompson has managed double-digit points in standard-scoring leagues in five of his six games. Because he's such a dynamic weapon in the passing game, he'll continue to hold more value, though his lack of overall touches compared to the top options at the position limits his upside.

Meanwhile, Agholor has developed into Wentz's most productive option at wide receiver ahead of Alshon Jeffery. That in large part has been due to the fact that Agholor has reached the end zone five times (compared to two for Jeffery) and has 12 more receiving yards.

Jeffery still has upside—more on that later—but right now it appears the player you want in Philly's wide receiver corps is Agholor

              

Trade Value: 5

47. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

48. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

49. Adrian Peterson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

50. DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans

51.. Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins

52. Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

53. C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos

54. LeGarrette Blount, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

55. Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

56. Jordan Reed, TE, Washington

57. Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

With the exception of Gore and Brees, who have been consistent if unspectacular, this value tier of players offers a lot of variance. Newton, for instance, has the upside of a top-five quarterback, but his inconsistency this year—four weeks with 13 or fewer points in standard leagues—keeps him from being among the position's elite.

Peterson's upside in Arizona is unclear, as he followed a monster Week 6 with a pedestrian Week 7. Murray may not even be Tennessee's top option at running back by the end of the year with Derrick Henry once again looming. Ajayi hasn't even scored a touchdown this season. Reed just eclipsed five fantasy points in standard leagues for the first time this season.

There is so much potential in this tier of players. Much of it has gone unrealized, a worrying trend.

             

Trade Value: 4

58. Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings

59. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

60. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

61. Charles Clay, TE, Buffalo Bills

62. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

63. Sammy Watkins, WR, Los Angeles Rams

64. Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos

65. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

66. Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions

Jones didn't have a carry in the first three weeks of the season and has already surpassed Ty Montgomery in fantasy points for the season. He's the running back you want in Green Bay.

Earlier, we talked about Jeffery and a remaining sliver of hope for the wideout. Here it is: He has more receptions (26 to 24) and targets (54 to 35) than Agholor. The Eagles are still trying to keep him a big part of the offense. If he can turn those looks into more production, he could have a big second half of the season.

             

Trade Value: 3

67. Jimmy Graham, TE, Seattle Seahawks

68. Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

69. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos

70. Pierre Garcon, WR, San Francisco 49ers

71. Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants

72. Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans

73. Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers

74. DeSean Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

75. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

76. Jermaine Kearse, WR, New York Jets

77. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

78. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

79. Javorius Allen, RB, Baltimore Ravens

McCaffrey's fantasy value is tied to his production as a receiver at this point. Luckily for fantasy players, he has 44 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns on 59 targets. His receptions and targets are the most among running backs, while only Thompson has more receiving yards at the position.

Until the Panthers utilize him as a true feature back, however, he'll remain nothing more than a flex option and flex value.

               

Trade Value: 2

80. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Oakland Raiders

81. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

82. Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens

83. Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers  

84. J.J. Nelson, WR, Arizona Cardinals

85. David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns

86. Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

87. Orleans Darkwa, RB, New York Giants

88. Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Detroit Lions

89. Rishard Matthews, WR, Tennessee Titans

90. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

91. Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears

92. Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets

93. Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets

94. Ameer Abdullah, RB, Detroit Lions

95. Dion Lewis, RB, New England Patriots

96. Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

97. Latavius Murray, RB, Minnesota Vikings

98. Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns

99. Ty Montgomery, RB, Green Bay Packers

100. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Much like last week, Elliott's fantasy value is in flux until his legal issues are ironed out. If he doesn't have to serve his suspension this year, he's in the top tier of players on this list. If he has to serve the six-game suspension this year, however, he won't appear amongst the top 100 players.

So you can't trade him, because he may still be one of the truly elite options. And you can't trade for him, because he might not play for a six-game chunk. Unless you are a legal expert with an educated read on his legal situation, Elliott exists in value purgatory for the moment.

           

All fantasy stats via Yahoo Sports.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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