From an availability standpoint, not much has changed from a week ago. A pair of starting quarterbacks -- the Bears' Mitch Trubisky and the Bills' Josh Allen -- will miss at least some time with injuries sustained Sunday. At the skill positions, Davante Adams suffered turf toe while T.J. Hockenson and Jarvis Landry could miss time with head injuries. Furthermore, the byes shouldn't impact many fantasy managers in Week 5, as only the Dolphins and Lions sit out.
But fantasy managers don't need to wait for a need to present itself before making a trade, and this week offers some good value propositions.
Trade for:
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals: As with many of the Cardinals' skill-position players, the move to new head coach Kliff Kingsbury's air-raid offense has brought David Johnson back to his pre-2018 levels of productivity. Outside of an odd game against the Ravens in Week 2, Johnson averages over 22 combined touches and targets per game. However, Johnson might not have peaked yet in 2019 as Arizona faces the Bengals, Falcons and Giants over the next three weeks. Try to land him before then.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Green Bay Packers: Though Marquez Valdes-Scantling has only produced in spurts so far in 2019, his role should change with lead receiver Adams on the shelf with turf toe. Aaron Rodgers has looked Valdes-Scantling's way more often in recent weeks, peppering the second-year wideout with 17 targets in the Packers' last two games. If Valdes-Scantling absorbs some of Adams' workload while still operating as Green Bay's top deep threat, some big fantasy games likely lie ahead.
Mile Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles' ground game struggled through the first few weeks of the season before breaking out last Thursday against the Packers. Both Miles Sanders (6.6 yards per carry) and Jordan Howard (5.8) delivered their most efficient games of the year, and Philadelphia has an enticing matchup with the Jets defense this week. Both Sanders and Howard likely won't both see as much work as they did in Green Bay, and Philadelphia's investment in Sanders makes him the better bet moving forward.
Trade away:
Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams: Two touchdowns against the Buccaneers obscured a frustrating day for Todd Gurley. The Rams fed their star running back just five carries, and though Gurley did receive 11 targets in the passing game, that figure stands in stark contrast with his target total over the first three weeks (two per game). Whether because of his knee or some other issue, the Rams just haven't deployed Gurley as they have in previous seasons. Given the misleadingly high fantasy output last Sunday, managers have a nice window to move him right now.
Tyrell Williams, WR, Oakland Raiders:Tyrell Williams has scored a touchdown in every game thus far, and those scores account for a concerning amount of his fantasy output. Over the next three weeks, the Raiders play two strong pass defenses (Bears and Packers) and have a bye sandwiched in between. Williams' fantasy value has likely already peaked and might hit its nadir by the end of that stretch.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders: As with Williams, the Raiders face a difficult schedule in the coming weeks that could negatively impact Josh Jacobs' production. Jacobs hasn't reached the end zone since the season opener and hasn't become a regular figure in the passing game as expected, receiving just five total targets this year. Until that changes, he remains a risky proposition from a fantasy perspective.
Trade-call hotline:
Granted, you might not have any chance to buy low on Odell Beckham given the Browns' slow start to the year and his lack of production Aaron Jones has finally moved past the hardest part of the Packers' schedule from a defensive standpoint. However, I think you give up too much here. Keenan Allen has played as well as any wideout in football and Sterling Shepard's production has improved significantly since the Giants made Daniel Jones the starting quarterback. David Montgomery has also seen his workload tick up since the start of the season. Beckham might explode in the coming weeks and make this look silly, but I'd stick with the players you have.
I can't recommend this for the team losing David Johnson. As discussed above, Johnson appears locked into a high volume role and could have a nice run of big weeks with the Cardinals' upcoming schedule. Matt Breida will have to contend with other running backs in the 49ers' backfield the rest of the season given their depth and Peyton Barber just doesn't do enough to make up the difference.
Stick with Alvin Kamara. While you would expand your running back depth, Kamara has produced with or without his All-Pro quarterback on the field, something that not a ton of running backs can claim. Meanwhile, Sanders has some upside as detailed earlier and Gurley could net you something else of value in a trade.
This deal makes sense for the team receiving Nick Chubb and Adam Thielen. Chubb broke out in a big way this past week, compiling 165 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Even when Kareem Hunt returns in a few weeks, Chubb should remain a focal point of the offense. DeAndre Hopkins should see his numbers tick up eventually, but I think you'd rather have Chubb at this point. As for the other players, Thielen looks like the Vikings receiver to own and the Broncos have more evenly split the workload between Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman than a year ago, limiting his upside.
*-- Jason B. Hirschhorn is a fantasy analyst for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter: **@byJBH*
