Week 4 Fantasy Football Trade Value Chart Watch: Move Jauan Jennings Now? Cash in on Bucky Irving, Roschon Johnson or Hold Out Hope?

A week ago, we started a new series that looks at the FantasySP Fantasy Football Trade Value Chart. We’re back with the second installment in that series.

The Trade Value Chart is used in the FSP Trade Analyzer and many other tools here. By checking out the biggest movers each week, you can know when to buy/sell a fantasy player. Let’s get into this week’s story!

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.

Jauan Jennings Jumps Way Up

Jennings was an afterthought on an offense that had Deebo Samuel Sr., Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey coming into the season. Injuries have hit the Niners hard, leaving an opening in the passing game for Jennings to step up, and step up he did.

Without Samuel, Kittle and McCaffrey in week 3, Jennings went off for 175 yards and three touchdowns on 11 receptions and 12 targets. He thoroughly outperformed Aiyuk. 

The huge performance saw Jennings get a 5.3 boost to his player rating - that’s about as big of a jump you’ll see from a skill player in the middle of a season.

Yes, he was a waiver wire target just a couple weeks ago, and marched closer to 100% owned this week after the monster showing, but there is definitely some trade value to potentially tap into with him.

Maybe you had an extra roster spot to play with and had the top priority and got Jennings. Maybe you simply needed another receiver option and Jennings was the guy you ended up with.

In both cases, you likely aren’t starting Jennings for long, and his usage will definitely go down when Samuel and Kittle return, so why not flip Jennings for a more beneficial fantasy player? Jennings is listed among a bunch of heavily-owned players, but not ones starting in a bunch of fantasy leagues. Using Jennings to land a QB, RB or TE (even a depth option) makes more sense to me than having him sit on your bench for a couple weeks.

I’d target the fantasy owners who had Samuel on their team first, as Jennings gives them a starting option for a couple weeks before Samuel returns. Targeting the Kittle owners makes sense if that owner has filled the TE slot, but could use a little more help these next couple weeks. If you had Samuel or Kittle and landed Jennings, then I’d prefer to just utilize Jennings until those guys are back playing again.

A Jennings’ trade isn’t likely going to win you your fantasy league, but a small move might be the difference in sneaking into the playoffs. See what you can get done before Jennings’ value dries up.

Bucky Irving Surging, Rachaad White Falling

White has dominated the snaps in the Tampa Bay backfield, but it’s Irving who has thoroughly outplayed him this season.

White has 43 touches across 121 snaps, rushing 31 times for just 66 yards and no touchdowns. He has 12 receptions on 13 targets, going for 98 receiving yards.

Irving has 30 touches across 55 snaps. He’s rushed 25 times for 154 yards and no scores, while adding 28 receiving yards on five receptions and six targets.

Everyone is expecting Irving to take on a bigger role going forward, but TB coach Todd Bowles said not so fast. Still, the two backs play on the field have Irving’s trade value rising and White’s falling.

White was a top-40 fantasy pick, so to have him perform this poorly through three weeks is a major blow to the fantasy teams that roster him. Irving was not even being drafted in most standard leagues, so this whole situation has been one of the bigger stories of the early season.

It’s tough to say exactly how things will shake out, even though I’m always a fan of the younger back taking over - I must just like the underdog stories? 

Anyways, if I rostered White, I’d prefer to hang on to him. His trade value sits at 64th overall, and you might even have trouble getting a player ranked near him as a return right now. It’s worth trying if you don’t have faith in White to turn things around.

If you drafted Irving or were lucky enough to snag him on the waiver wire, I’d also play the waiting game. He is a possible long-term fantasy asset, who could eventually take over the lead back role near the end of the season. That gives you a possible fantasy starter for the playoffs.

Irving is ranked 129th on the Trade Value Chart right now, but the potential of him becoming the lead back in Tampa Bay is really tantalizing to some fantasy owners. It might lead to a fantasy owner overpaying for the player they believe he might be at some point this season - if you need help right now, or are set at RB, then I’d at least field offers for Irving and see what gets proposed. Don’t pass on a deal if you can get a weekly fantasy starter, because we simply don’t know if Irving will ever become that this season.

D'Andre Swift Starting to Fall

Swift is in a similar boat to White, although Swift was drafted on average around pick 55, so his poor play shouldn’t be hurting fantasy teams quite as much.

Across 43 touches, Swift has rushed 37 times for just 68 yards and no scores, while going for 46 yards on six receptions and 10 targets. He’s gone from 10 touches in week 1 to 18 and then down to 15 last week.

Roschon Johnson looks like he’ll get more looks starting in week 4. He has 30 rushing yards on eight carries and 32 receiving yards on four catches and five targets. All his touches came in week 3, after getting no work in weeks 1-2.

Johnson’s trade value has only slightly gone up, simply because he hasn’t produced much this season, but it could skyrocket with one good game in week 4.

Swift’s trade value, on the other hand, is already down 2.1. He’s ranked 87th at this moment, but if he clearly falls behind Johnson in the pecking order, expect Swift to free fall.

If you roster Swift, my advice would be to seek out the owner who picked up Johnson on the waiver wire - if nobody has grabbed him, be the person who does. Having both Swift and Johnson right now is a waste of a roster spot, but it ensures that you have the Bears’ No. 1 back whenever that is determined - granted the team doesn’t turn to Khalil Herbert.

I’d look to move Swift now instead of holding out hope for him. If he falls behind Johnson this week, Swift’s trade value won’t be there by this time next week. 

If you picked up Johnson, but are in a situation similar to what I described with Irving before, you might be able to capitalize on Johnson’s upside and flip him for a weekly starter right now. As the Trade Value Chart shows, Johnson doesn’t have the value that Irving does right now, but a really desperate fantasy owner, or one in a deeper league, might overpay to get Johnson.

Don’t pass on the chance to add a weekly starter just for an outside chance that Johnson becomes the Bears’ lead back. Chances are that Johnson won’t be a fantasy stud even if he becomes the workhorse, otherwise the organization wouldn’t have signed Swift in the offseason.

Best of luck in your trading endeavors, your week 4 matchups and the rest of your fantasy season. Be sure to check back to the Trade Value Chart often, as it’s updated often!