Trading is the quickest way to take your team from sitting on the bubble of a playoff berth to a championship contender, or vice-versa if you make the wrong deal, which is why it is so important to make sure you are targeting (and selling) the right players at the right time.
And yes - every player has a price. It doesn't matter whether they are the best player in fantasy football or a dwindling kicker - every player has a price that they should be traded away for or should have something given up to get. If you don't know what the value of your players is, head over to our Trade Charts!
For people in leagues that are more active in trading, this is for you - these are our top 5 trade bait pieces based on the "buy-low, sell-high" approach with players highlighted likely to see a decrease in value in the near future due to difficult matchups, surrounding injuries, improving/changing scenarios, etc:
1. D.J. Moore - WR, Chicago Bears
It was one of those games where everything went right for D.J. Moore, exploding for 8 catches, 230 yards, 3 TDs, and 49.0 points in PPR scoring.
He's coming off of three straight games of TDs and four straight games of 13+ points. He's going to exceed his preseason expectations (WR20, 5th-round ADP), but now is the time to sell.
You're not going to get more value on the trade market than you will right now for D.J. Moore, and if you have intentions of winning a championship, I'd recommend moving him to upgrade your lineup and get away from a horrific playoff schedule for Moore (2nd-worst playoff SOS; CLE, ARI, ATL).
I'd actively shop him for WR1 value off of his 3-TD, 49-point performance in hopes of getting a true WR1 option.
2. George Kittle - TE, San Francisco 49ers
To put it bluntly: I don't trust Kittle in the slightest bit.
He's sitting 12th among TEs in terms of target share (16.8%), 17th in targets (23), 16th in catches (17), and 10th in receiving yards (215). So far this season, it has been Kittle as the 'odd man out' in the 49ers offense who has fallen victim to the 'too many mouths to feed' narrative, eclipsing 4 targets and a 16% target share just twice this season.
He is coming off a 27.7-point performance where he had 3 catches for 3 TDs. I have zero confidence in Kittle as my TE1 on a week-to-week basis, even with the potential weekly upside he brings. I'm taking advantage of the monster week and TD production to move him in favor of a more stable TE1 option. My top targets would be trying to acquire LaPorta 1-for-1 or packaging Kittle with a player to grab Kelce, Andrews, or Hockenson.
3. Zack Moss - RB, Indianapolis Colts
There seem to be some murmurs of a timeshare in Indianapolis after Jonathan Taylor returned to the Colts, signed a major extension, and then served as the second-fiddle to Zack Moss in Week 5, seeing just 6 carries (and 7 touches) to Moss' 23 carries, 25 touches, and 195 yards. That's not the case. Could there be some involvement for Moss to ease the workload from Taylor to preserve him long-term? Yes, but there certainly won't be a 50-50 or even 60-40 split that I have heard many to anticipate.
This really is the last chance to capitalize on trade value for Moss after his 195-yard, 2-TD, 33.5-point performance with Taylor on a notable pitch count. Starting in Week 6, I'm anticipating Taylor to be fully (or nearly fully) involved in the offense, which would signal an end to Moss' ability to be played in fantasy lineups.
Unless you own Taylor (in that case, it's a completely different story), I'm looking to move Moss for FLEX/RB3 value where you can get it. My preferred target is inquiring to see how disgruntled Jahmyr Gibbs' owners are about the rookie.
4. Gabriel Davis - WR, Buffalo Bills
Gabe Davis continues to find the endzone, scoring in a 4th consecutive game in Week 5, and currently sits as the WR14 in fantasy through five weeks.
The issue with that production is within the description itself. His production is purely based on finding the endzone, ranking 62nd among WRs in target share (14.9%), 48th in targets (26), and 41st in catches (18). He's had just two games where he has exceeded the 13% target share threshold (Week 2, 18.9%; Week 5, 20%) and sees 32.5% of his points come from TDs (worst among WRs).
The TD production is there, for now, but it is an extremely dangerous game to play relying on that to continue. I'd strongly recommend moving him off of a solid 22-point performance in favor of a WR2/FLEX option that can be relied on in a scenario where that player doesn't find the endzone in a given week.
5. Jaylen Waddle - WR, Miami Dolphins
The issue for Waddle this year hasn't been a lack of volume, averaging 6.5 targets per game that sits nearly identical to his 6.8 per game last year, but rather a shocking lack of efficiency this season.
After finishing 2022 with the 4th-best per-touch efficiency (3.323 FPPT), Waddle has seen a complete reversal of his efficiency to just 2.628 FPPT (19th-lowest among WRs) - a 21% decline in efficiency. A lot of that has come from more work closer to the line of scrimmage as shown by a mere 7.81 aDOT (average depth of target) compared to his 12.16 aDOT in 2022.
Is the potential there for Waddle to turn it around? Absolutely. However, that's a massive change in offensive play-calling and schematics to ask for, especially when the Dolphins' offense is firing at a historic rate.
If you drafted Waddle, you've likely been underwhelmed, even with 11+ points in 3 of 4 games. He's not a player I'm actively shopping but I'd still look to put out a feeler or two to see what you can get for Waddle on name value alone, especially after scoring his first TD of the season (which saved his Week 5).