🏈 Fantasy Football Trade Report

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What does the Joe Flacco Trade Mean For Fantasy Football?

Before we get into our several buy-lows and sell-highs, let's discuss a major trade that went down in the NFL on Tuesday involving the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns sent veteran QB Joe Flacco and a sixth-round pick to the Bengals for a fifth-round pick.

So, what does that mean for Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown's fantasy values for the rest of the season?

The short answer that this likely means very little.

Let's remember that Flacco was one of the worst NFL quarterbacks through the first few weeks in Cleveland. He ranks 34th in yards per pass attempt, 23rd in air yards per attempt, and 34th in true passer rating among all quarterbacks to begin the season.

Both Chase and Higgins thrive on deep ball passes, and there is a strong chance that Flacco just will not be able to provide those opportunities. Cincinnati also has a bottom-five offensive line in football, meaning the 41-year-old won't have much time in the pocket to get off those deep throws.

Advice: Do not overreact and dramatically change how you are valuing these players. A change at QB opens the door to potential improvements but there is plenty of evidence that suggests that Flacco’s days as a productive QB are over.

Buy Low/Sell High Fantasy Football

Buy Low: TE George Kittle

San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle is one of the best buys in fantasy football right now. He has missed the last four weeks due to a hamstring injury, but his return is on the horizon. While he is considered a "long shot" to play this week, he has a great chance to return in Week 7. That makes now the best time to buy him.

Kittle is one of the best fantasy TEs when healthy. He finished as the TE1 in PPR fantasy points per game last year and got off to a great start this season. He caught four passes for 25 yards and one touchdown while playing just 21 snaps before his injury in Week 1.

With the TE position being the most inconsistent in fantasy, why not try to get a TE with a proven track record in the NFL? WalterPicks has Kittle ranked as the No. 2 fantasy TE for the rest of the season.

Sell High: WR Ja'Marr Chase

Chase's fantasy value has never been higher. He is coming off his best game of the season with Jake Browning under center (six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns), and the Bengals just traded for Flacco on Tuesday. As a result, his fantasy value is trending up.

See if you can use his strong game to get a more consistent WR for your fantasy team. WalterPicks has Nico Collins, Drake London, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all above Chase in our rest-of-season rankings.

Buy Low: WR Tetairoa McMillan

For the second time this season, Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan finds himself on the buy-low list. Although the rookie playmaker has scored under 14 PPR fantasy points in four of five games, he is a nice buy for any fantasy manager looking to get a solid WR2.

McMillan just totaled six catches for 73 yards in last week's win over the Dolphins, and this might be your last chance to buy him for this cheap before he goes off against the Cowboys in Week 6. Dallas ranks dead last in points allowed and receiving yards allowed to WRs through the first five weeks.

He has a solid 25.3% target share, a 93.1% route participation, and is averaging 8.6 targets per game. As the true alpha in this Carolina passing attack, better days are surely ahead. McMillan is ranked as the overall WR20 in our rest-of-season rankings.

For our complete rest-of-season rankings updated weekly to give you the edge in trade negotiations, check out our full rest of season rankings.

Using the WalterPicks Trade Analyzer

Each week, we will look at some recent trades that went down in Yahoo! leagues and use the WalterPicks trade analyzer to see if these trades were fair. This section is a way for you to see where players might be valued in the app.

Trade 1:

Team 1 Receives: RB Alvin Kamara

Team 2 Receives: WR Michael Pittman Jr.

Ruiling: This trade appears to favor Team 2. We can hypothesize that there were some positional needs factored into the decision making of both owners. However, Michael Pittman Jr. is ranked several spots higher on our rest-of-season rankings.

Trade 2:

Team 1 Receives: RB Derrick Henry

Team 2 Receives: WR Garrett Wilson + RB Chuba Hubbard

Ruling: Team 2 absolutely wins this trade. Not only does Team 2 get the best player in the deal (Garrett Wilson), but they also get a solid RB in Chuba Hubbard in return. This is a borderline fleece by Team 2.

Trade 3:

Team 1 Receives: WR Jakobi Meyers + RB Chase Brown

Team 2 Receives: RB Omarion Hampton

Ruling: Team 1 wins this trade, but this is a solid deal for Team 2 — assuming he has a 5-0 or 4-1 record. He is giving up two players who have struggled to be consistent fantasy options for an RB in Omarion Hampton, who could help him win the league down the stretch.