Week 5 Trade Targets
Four weeks of box scores have created some panicked managers. Here are five players to pry loose right now, while their prices are lowest.
Yo! Real quick, before we get to the picks →
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Now, on to the picks…
QB: Jordan Love (GB)
Love is only the QB14 right now, but with Caleb Williams, Jaxson Dart, Jayden Daniels, and now Lamar Jackson all getting injured, plenty of managers need a quarterback, and Love has both the volume and the pedigree.
Pass volume: Green Bay throws at a league-high 73% pass rate, and Love averages 41 attempts and 44 dropbacks per game.
Steady touchdowns: Love has thrown two touchdown passes in every game this season, including 312 yards on 53 attempts in Week 3.
Schedule and backfield: With Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner's Exempt List, the Packers have leaned on the pass, and they now head into a stretch against the Bears, Cowboys and Lions.
The offense still looks disjointed, which is why his price is low; buy the volume now, before a soft schedule turns it into QB1 numbers.
RB: Quinshon Judkins (CLE)
The Browns are 3-1 and might be better than people think, and Judkins has the backfield to himself.
Workhorse share: He handled 27 of 32 running back opportunities against the Steelers and is logging 17+ touches per game.
Breakthrough game: Week 4 was his first start-worthy line (53 rushing yards, a touchdown and 6-43 receiving), and he nearly scored twice inside the 10 in Week 2.
Red-zone history: As a rookie he had 33 red zone touches and even took snaps as a goal-line Wildcat quarterback.
His efficiency is still poor behind a line with five new starters, but a Week 5 matchup with the Jets projects as another heavy workload, and volume like this gets you a solid RB2 at a bench-player price.
TE: Colston Loveland (CHI)
He's the TE40, but his usage says he's far better than that, and the Bears' offense is starting to show life.
Elite usage: Loveland opened the season with an 86.6% snap rate and a 92% route share in Ben Johnson's offense.
Already rebounding: He has 10 catches over his last two games and led Chicago with nine targets in Week 4, even with Tyson Bagent under center.
Proven ceiling: He closed his rookie year with 47-597-6 over his final 10 games, then went 8-137 on 15 targets in the Wild Card win over Green Bay, his Week 5 opponent.
When Caleb Williams returns, this price disappears, so make an offer while his manager is still looking at the TE40 label.
WR: A.J. Brown (NE)
Brown has been on IR since a Week 1 high-ankle sprain, and the Patriots' reputation is as low as it's going to get.
Possible return: NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports the hope is that Brown plays in Week 6, his first eligible week, though earlier reports set a 6-8 week timeline.
Maye is back: Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 53 yards in a Week 4 win over Buffalo, one week after defenses stacked the box against a Brown-less offense.
Alpha profile: Brown finished as the WR11 last season with a 29.5% target share and posted a 69.2% success rate vs. man and 73.0% vs. zone (Reception Perception).
Durability is a real risk, but Brown is about to return to a working offense with a quarterback who was the MVP runner-up, so if his manager is losing patience, now is the time to move.
RB: Chase Brown (CIN)
Brown has a 71% snap share and more than 70% of Cincinnati's backfield touches, but he has only one touchdown to show for it.
Receiving role: He caught 11 balls on 11 of the Bengals' 54 targets in Week 4, played 57 backfield snaps, and worked ahead of Samaje Perine on passing downs.
Unlucky so far: The Bengals ran just two plays inside the red zone in Week 2, which has driven his touchdown drought.
Track record: He scored 11 touchdowns last season and averaged 17.2 PPR points per game over the last two seasons with Joe Burrow, per Evan Silva of ETR.
This is an RB1 workload in a contract year, currently priced like an RB2; buy him before the touchdowns arrive, starting with a fringe-RB1 matchup against the Dolphins.
That's the list. Five players whose usage is better than their box scores, all worth an offer before Week 5 kicks off.
-Joe
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