Fantasy Football Week 5 trade targets: Why you need to go all-in on Austin Ekeler
We’ve hit the bye weeks, so your roster might have a few holes in it. Besides using the waiver wire to fill the gaps. now is the perfect time to reach out to struggling teams in your league to try and secure a trade. Maybe you are sitting at 1-3 or 0-4, and your roster needs a shakeup. Either way, we have four weeks of data to focus on players we need to target in deals and those to trade away.
Fantasy Football Week 5 Trade Targets
Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC
Recovering from an ankle sprain and now on bye, you’d wonder why we would be targeting the Chargers All-Pro. It’s because his value has never been lower. His owner hasn’t been able to use him for three weeks, and sitting through this weekend's bye is another lost opportunity at points.
This is where you come in, especially if the team with Ekeler has a poor record. We’re buying a proven commodity that, when he returns, will be the centerpiece of a high-scoring offense. These are moves that win championships.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF
I don’t care if this is seen as buying “high.” I want Aiyuk on my rosters.
Deebo Samuel is already battling various ailments, and Aiyuk is dominating the targets in San Francisco. In his three games played, Aiyuk has seen 8,6 and 6 targets. In two of those weeks, he went for over 120 yards. While the 49ers' schedule may look tough, the Cowboys in Week 5 are without their top corner Trevon Diggs. Expect Aiyuck to continue his domination; just this time, it’s in your lineup.
Christian Watson, WR, GB
When an alpha wide receiver returns to a lineup, you see a shift in targets. Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed have been nice surprises, but this is Watson’s world, and they are just living in it.
Week 4 saw Watson play on a snap count, but going forward, his role will increase dramatically. This is a perfect time to buy low as the Watson owner will have to sit through his bye in Week 6. Target him and prepare for a fantasy title run.
And if you need to ensure you get a fair deal, run it through our Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and you're good to go.
Fantasy Football Week 5: Which Player To Trade Away
Joe Burrow, QB, CIN
I can’t watch this offense anymore. Burrow is obviously limited by his calf, and it’s crushing the production of everyone on the Bengals. Burrow ranks dead last among NFL quarterbacks in average gain per pass play (4.82).
While he's attempted the third-most passes, Burrow ranks 16th in completions and 32nd in completion percentage. Tee Higgins is also expected to miss a few weeks with a rib injury. Until Burrow sits down and truly heals his calf injury, there is no upside here. Abandon ship on this offense.
Darren Waller, TE, NYG
This Giants offense is a mess. The offensive line is in shambles. The QB is running for his life. Waller is an afterthought if and when the Giants ever find the red zone. Waller is only running a route on 69% of Giants dropbacks. This is a team that has a minus-76 scoring differential on the season, and their star TE can’t see more snaps? Good grief.
While your league mates will know the struggles of the Giants' passing attack, you can still sell them on name value and the tight end position being a wasteland as a whole. Someone in your group will be needy at the position. You need to be aggressive on the waiver wire to scoop up a replacement like Jake Ferguson or Luke Musgrave.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE
Speaking of broken offenses, New England is a mess.
At 1-3, the Patriots have yet to score over 20 points in a game. Stevenson was supposed to be a three-down workhorse but is now sharing touches with Ezekiel Elliott. Stevenson hasn’t rushed for more than 60 yards in a contest as defenses key on him. The Patriots' passing attack is so pathetic that opposing teams are focusing all their attention on stopping Stevenson.
I want out of the bad offense business, and the boys from Boston are as bad as it gets.