Trade Targets for Week 4 (Fantasy Football)
I took a boys’ trip to Cleveland this past weekend, and let me tell you, the Browns fans lived up to the hype! Their “Muni Lot” tailgate felt like Bourbon Street in a parking lot, and overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the city itself.
And that Browns defense… Wow. We took in the Browns/Packers game, which was a fantasy snoozefest, but the ending was electric. Overall, it was a great experience, and after trashing Joe Flacco all game long, I ended up grabbing a $5 “Wacko for Flacco” shirt on the street after the game. Good times were had by all.
Anywho, let’s talk trades!
Players to Trade For
Josh Jacobs
Yes, this is a big name and a first or second-round pick this year. You are going to have to pay big to get him, but Jacobs has underwhelmed a bit these first three weeks of the season, and I still expect big things ahead. For starters, Green Bay’s defense looks like one of the best units in the league. And Green Bay’s passing offense looks more than adequate as well (when not playing the Browns). Put these two together, and I think we’ll be looking at a lot of positive game scripts for Jacobs to exploit. Even in a tougher game against Cleveland, I was very encouraged to see Jacobs garner nine targets (5/44 receiving).
Jacobs is one of those highly coveted “workhorse backs,” earning 20+ opportunities in each of the first three games this season. But he has played some very tough run defenses to begin the year. The schedule opens up for the Packers, beginning with Dallas this week. They have an early Week 5 bye, and then they get a four-pack of “green” defenses in Cincinnati, Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Carolina. The Packers will be favored in their next five games, and that should lead to ample rushing opportunities for Jacobs. Capitalize on another owner’s frustration, and get the Josh Jacobs we all expected moving forward.
Derrick Henry
Most of what I wrote about Josh Jacobs is true with Henry as well. It’s been a tough last two games, despite the early TD on MNF. But Henry doesn’t look like he’s lost a step at all, and I fully believe he recovers and has more monster games this season. The recent fumbles are a bit concerning, but this is a guy who has only lost 10 fumbles in his entire career. I don’t expect it to become a real issue.
Derrick Henry was held to 23 rushing yards on 11 carries in last week’s win over the Browns…
He went 36 rushing yards and a TD on 12.0 yards per carry on Baltimore’s opening drive against the Lions 🔥
— Domenic Padula (@Domenic_Padula) September 23, 2025
Henry exploded in Week 1 against the Bills but was held in check against the Browns’ incredible rush defense. He was fine against the Lions, but the Ravens were in catch-up mode for too much of the game to give him substantial work, particularly in the fourth quarter, when we know he likes to punish defenses. Again, you will have to pony up to get him, but if a manager is getting worried, I’m more than happy to take Henry off their plate.
Ja’Marr Chase
I think you could wait maybe one more week on this move, but I want to put it on your radar because one of the keys to making big trades is opening the lines of communication. I’d start planting the seed to Chase’s current manager that you may be interested in riding the rollercoaster with Chase. This week confirmed our biggest fears: that Jake Browning was going to tank the entire Bengals offense. And if teams are smart, they are watching “Blitzing Brian” Flores’ defensive scheme and taking note. Unfortunately for the Bengals, they play the Broncos this week, so it could get worse before it gets better.
My reasoning for targeting Chase is twofold: first, and most obviously, his owners are panicked, and everyone is wondering if we’re going back to 2023 when Chase averaged 10.1 Half-PPR PPG with Browning under Center.
Career splits for Ja’Marr Chase + Tee Higgins with Jake Browning at QB
Get well soon, Joe Burrow
(via @FTNFantasy NFL Splits Tool) pic.twitter.com/pIscVhlUYE
— Colin McTamany (@Colin_McT) September 14, 2025
That’s all fair, so his value should be depressed into the realm of attainable. But my bigger belief is that the Bengals can absolutely still salvage their season and make a run. Reports say that Burrow could possibly return in December, and the Bengals would only likely push him to return that soon if they are still in the hunt. I think this team needs to think long and hard about how they remain in a position to make a playoff run in Burrow’s absence, knowing that if he is back healthy by the playoffs, they have a legitimate chance to make some noise. So, if I’m the GM or Coach of the Bengals, I’m either finding a way to win games with Jake Browning (max protect, double-tight, quick hitters, magic tricks, etc.) or I’m looking at bringing someone else in who can steady the ship until Burrow returns. And if they can find a way to manage through these next 8-10 weeks, I think Chase will maintain WR2 value during that stretch and could once again be a league winner if/when Burrow returns. Of course, if they bring in Jameis… TO THE MOON.
Players to Trade Away
Matt Marton-Imagn Images
George Pickens
CeeDee Lamb suffered the dreaded high-ankle sprain and is likely to miss some time. Reports are all over the place, including CeeDee saying he may try to play through the injury and Jerry Jones hinting at the possibility of an IR stint. Either way, I believe people are jumping all-in on George Pickens as the presumptive WR1 in Dallas while CeeDee works through the injury. Pickens is coming off two strong games in a row with identical production: Nine targets with 5/68/1 TD in each. These are solid WR2 numbers, and I do believe Pickens can typically produce in a WR2/WR3 range. But this trade is more about capitalizing on the perceived overvaluation of Pickens. If there is a belief that the upcoming WR1 weeks, plus gaining more trust with Dak, will lead to Pickens ascending to fringe WR1 status the rest of the season, I’m happy to trade him away.
Let’s assume Lamb misses 2-3 weeks, an average of the estimates that have been floated. Then, let’s take a look at what the Cowboys’ schedule looks like over the next few weeks. They’ve got Green Bay this week, which has been absolutely shutting people down so far this year. Then they’ve got the Jets and Sauce Gardner. The Jets haven’t been nearly as stifling as the Packers, but I don’t typically expect much against a Sauce shadow. What if CeeDee is back after the Jets game? So much for Pickens WR1 szn. If I can trade him for Courtland Sutton, Zay Flowers (coming off a dud Week 3 performance), or even maybe Ja’Marr Chase, I’m doing it.
A.J. Brown
Big game alert! Time to sell! This one is actually super straightforward. We all believe that A.J. Brown is one of the best WRs in the league. He’s an absolute freak, and his career stats will never properly give justice to how dominant he is. He’s just a victim of a scheme and a team that doesn’t need to give him true WR1 targets in order to win games. He will have more games like this (6/109/1 TD), but he will also have duds like Weeks 1 and 2 (combined 6/35/0 TDs), and I just don’t need that headache on my roster.
The Eagles are still a great team, and they are going to continue to find ways to win. Usually, that’s going to mean playing sound defense and running the ball. And that darn tush push. They won’t be trailing often, which means they won’t be in obvious passing situations often. They can drain the clock, move the chains, wear teams down, and keep their defense fresh. I truthfully don’t think they’ll be in another potential shootout, from a game script perspective, until Week 11 against Detroit. I’m sure A.J. will have good games between now and then, but I don’t know when to expect them, and I don’t know how many there will be. So I’m selling high off this strong week and seeing if I can get a JSN, Puka, or Amon-Ra deal done.
DK Metcalf
Similar to college teammate A.J. Brown (can you imagine the weight room in Oxford during that time?!), DK is a physical freak. The narrative coming into the year was that he was Aaron Rodgers’ clear #1 target, and Rodgers has a history of force-feeding his #1. Call me crazy, but 17 targets through three games isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I thought of force-feeding. For reference, Puka Nacua has 35 targets through three games.
DK has found the end zone in back-to-back games, but with yardage totals of 83, 20, and 32 yards respectively, it hasn’t been impressive. And I’m not putting all my faith in him scoring 17 TDs this year. There’s a brutal schedule ahead as well, with games against the Vikings, Browns, Packers, Colts, and Chargers coming up (not to mention a Week 5 bye). This could be a classic case of Arthur Smith hating fantasy football or just a mismatched skill set. Either way, I want out of the DK Metcalf business while (hopefully) people are still riding the #1 WR preseason narrative. Give me Keenan Allen or Cam Skattebo all day over DK. Send your trade partner all these videos and get yourself someone who actually helps your fantasy team in return!
THIS RODGERS AND METCALF DUO 🤩
DK Metcalf any time TD: (+145) ✅
via @NFL pic.twitter.com/Bd3OPFrNDF
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) September 21, 2025
Hit me up!
I’m loving all the messages about potential trades, and I hope I’m steering you in the right direction! Holler at me on X (@kempertrull) with any deals you are thinking of, and I’ll give my input. Trades you make at this point in the season can determine the direction of your fantasy season. Be aggressive and go get your guys!
Comments
Should I trade Marvin Harrison Jr for Brian Thomas Jr? I have Trey Benson and don’t love starting two Cardinals.