Week 3 Fantasy Football Trade Value Chart Watch: Alvin Kamara Surging, Tyreek Hill Falling, and More

The FantasySP Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer is the most utilized tool here. Those trade values can be found inside the Trade Value Chart, which are updated as news breaks and performances come in.

We want to take a little closer look at the Trade Value Chart and point out some of the biggest risers and fallers of the week. With this information, you can be offered some thoughts on when to make trades for certain players.

Explore the best in-season fantasy football tool to manage your team and get league rankings with the Fantasy Assistant. Use our  trade analyzer and trade value charts to break down trade scenarios with Fair Trade ratings.

Jordan Mason Rises, Christian McCaffrey Falls

San Francisco’s Jordan Mason is still rising in the ratings. He’s now a top-100 player after making a couple starts and seeing Christian McCaffrey hit the injured reserve list.

Through two games, Mason has 247 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His value will either stay the same, or keep rising, until McCaffrey is ready to make his season debut.

Fantasy owners who drafted Mason or grabbed him on waivers are sitting on a gold mine, as long as Mason wasn’t taken as a handcuff to McCaffrey that is. That means Mason is just a depth option to your fantasy team. If you landed a couple other solid fantasy backs, you could use Mason as trade bait to land yourself a better quarterback, wide receiver, tight end or depth in general. 

McCaffrey’s return isn’t set in stone, so getting rid of Mason now could also be a big mistake if CMC isn’t able to play for a big portion of the season. I’d prefer to enjoy the fantasy points Mason brings for the next week or two, and then make a more informed decision on Mason.

Carson Steele Gaining Value with Isiah Pacheco Out

Pacheco looks like he’ll be out at least six weeks, which opens up a big opportunity for Steele. We don’t yet know how the Chiefs’ backfield will look without Pacheco, but Steele will definitely be part of the rotation.

Samaje Perine is also on the active roster, but is more of a pass-catching back than a true running back. Kareem Hunt was signed to the team’s practice squad, while Keaontay Ingram was signed from the active roster after previously being on the practice squad.

Because of the unknown nature of the backfield, Steele’s trade value hasn’t risen astronomically, but it could shoot way up for him if he’s indeed used as the team’s No.1 back.

His value wouldn’t be quite as high as Mason’s, but in a week or two, Steele might become a big-time trade asset for running back-desperate fantasy teams. It’s worth monitoring the situation and seeing how Steele’s trade value moves over the next couple weeks.

Alvin Kamara Enters the Top 10

Kamara has entered the top 10 of the Trade Value Chart after a hot start to the season, and some injuries ahead of him.

Kamara already has 198 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while adding 92 receiving yards and another touchdown.

His touchdown production won’t remain this high all season, so this is probably as high as Kamara’s trade value is going to be. After being the 15th RB off draft boards in PPR leagues, now would be the time to trade Kamara for the highest return.

The thing is, I think Kamara is going to remain a good fantasy option in PPR leagues all season. His fantasy production is likely to fall a bit, but he should remain a starting option every week. 

So if I was entertaining the thought of trading Kamara, it would only come about if I had two other really good fantasy backs already on my roster, or if I was absolutely desperate for talent at a couple other positions. He could land you an elite receiver who has started slow (Ja'Marr Chase or Amon-Ra St. Brown), or maybe net you a starting-caliber wideout and running back together. 

I’d prefer to trade Kamara for multiple players, because I think his value is going to remain high all season. But, he’s probably the league’s best performer so far who didn’t start the year as a top option, and his early-season surge might net you a return too good to pass on. 

Tee Higgins Falling and a Buy-Low Target?

Higgins hasn’t played in the first two weeks, and his trade value has gone down significantly as a result. He’s nearing a return, but the fantasy owners who drafted him might already be ready to move him for a couple early-season standouts. This could help you acquire Higgins for a relatively cheap price.

When Higgins is on the field, there’s not too many receivers (especially No. 2 options) that are better than him. He can be plugged into lineups every week, which is another big luxury.

His injury history, both in the past and this season, is definitely a concern and makes him a risky target, but once he hits the field, his trade value is likely only going to rise. So acquire him now while his value is cheaper.

I’d prefer a one-for-one swap if I’m acquiring Higgins. Preferably, the player I’m trading away is coming from a position of depth, and I’m adding Higgins to a wide receiver room that’s already pretty solid. I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket on Higgins, instead looking to him as a possible breakout star as he gets ramped back up.

J.K. Dobbins on an Upward Trend

Dobbins has been fantastic to start the season, so it’s no surprise to see his trade value rising quickly. Dobbins has 266 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first two weeks.

It’s been a great story so far for Dobbins, but with a long injury history, he’s probably one of the biggest sell high trade targets through the first two weeks. The only problem with his performances so far is they’ve come against the Panthers and Raiders, who are not viewed as great defenses.

Still, with so many RBs injured and underperforming so far, Dobbins is a hot commodity. Dobbins was the 43rd RB off draft boards in PPR drafts this preseason, and he’s now 27th-ranked RB, and has outperformed a bunch of players ahead of him on the list.

I’m happy Dobbins is excelling early on, but his injury history is extremely worrisome to me. Because he was taken as a depth option in drafts, I love the idea of selling high on him - and I would prefer to make that move now.

Dobbins takes on the Steelers in week 3, and Pittsburgh always does a pretty good job of slowing the opposing team’s best offensive weapons. I see Dobbins’ trade value falling after this week, so I’m selling Dobbins high now.

Target a receiver, tight end or quarterback if you need some help at one of those positions. In deeper leagues, Dobbins could probably net you a pair of borderline starting players in return.

Tyreek Hill Starting to Fall After Tua Tagovailoa’s Concussion

Tagovailoa was placed on IR earlier this week, and his return after that is questionable. The Dolphins will likely turn to Skylar Thompson or Tyler Huntley in Tagovailoa’s absence, and that's not a great sign for the Dolphins’ pass catchers.

That’s why Hill’s trade value is dropping - Jaylen Waddle’s value dropped too, but Hill is an elite fantasy option, so I want to keep most of the focus on him.

Some might argue that now is not the time to trade Hill. We’re all expecting a little dropoff from Hill, but if he puts up decent numbers with Thompson or Huntley, then fantasy owners can hold Hill and hope he continues to put up elite numbers.

I’m more worried about his value if he struggles this week. His value will continue to plummet, so I’d actually prefer to trade Hill now before things possibly get worse.

There’s not many fantasy owners who wouldn’t be interested in Hill, it’s just about what kind of return you can get.

Right now, Hill is second on the trade value chart, but many many owners would be at least hesitant to deal you a receiver ranked below him. A guy like Justin Jefferson could be a possibility, as would Chase or Garrett Wilson. In both cases, you might be able to expand the deal too and get a slightly better second player back in the second player swap.

I’d also be fine getting a couple players in return for Hill. You should be able to land a couple starting options. Then instead of relying on one elite player like Hill, you could get maybe a starting RB and WR or TE who make your team better as a whole.

Whatever route you choose, I prefer to make the deal now instead of hoping Hill can deliver big numbers with a backup quarterback.