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<div>Fantasy Football Week 11: Examining Trade Value for This Year's Top 100 Players</div>

Fantasy Football
November 19, 2015

“These are not the droids you are looking for.”

In a sense, every fantasy trade comes down to that one moment between Obi-Wan Kenobi and a pack of Stormtroopers. Every negotiation comes down to convincing your opponent to see what you want them to see, to give you what you want while thinking they are making that decision for themselves. 

You don’t have the Force to rely on, of course, but the right information goes a long way. That’s where my weekly trade value chart comes into play. May the fantasy points be with you!

 

Trade Chart

 

Matt Camp’s Fantasy Advice

 

Analysis

This week, the biggest question marks when it comes to trade value surround the skill-position players on the Denver Broncos with Brock Osweiler starting, namely that of wideouts Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. 

Let’s call a spade a spade—the Broncos offense is a bit of a mess (and Vernon Davis isn’t fixing it). Ronnie Hillman has his moments, but for the most part his fantasy production is touchdown-reliant. C.J. Anderson has been the biggest bust of the fantasy season outside of maybe Eddie Lacy. Peyton Manning is no longer a fantasy starter. 

But what do we make of Sanders and Thomas?

Sanders is probably safe and should hold value as a nice WR2, assuming he’s healthy. Even with Manning struggling, he’s been a pretty safe bet, and given his role in the offense, he should produce with Osweiler under center.

Thomas is harder to read. He’s struggled to get into the end zone and his production this season has suffered. One of fantasy’s safest receivers coming into the season has clearly been affected by Manning’s waning arm strength. 

Maybe Osweiler‘s bigger arm will help. But can you really rely on that? And unless Osweiler plays like, well, a younger Manning, he isn’t going to hold onto his job.

So what’s the moral of this story? Sell on the Broncos receivers if you can. Based on this season, their upside is the WR2 tier, though you might still be able to get WR1 value for them based on name recognition. 

If you think they’ll have an uptick in production down the stretch, however, try to buy as low as possible and harp on their unreliability to this point and the questions with Manning. You might be able to talk your way into paying a WR3 price for players that should remain in the WR2 tier of production. 

This is the sort of approach you should take with a player like Jimmy Graham, another disappointment who is nonetheless a TE1 in a brutal season for the position outside the top four of Rob Gronkowski, Gary Barnidge, Tyler Eifert and Greg Olsen.

If you are selling, make sure you emphasize his past as an elite tight end. If you are buying, make sure you emphasize the fact that the Seattle Seahawks seemingly have no idea how to use him, as they haven’t adjusted their offense to design ways to get the ball into his hands or create mismatches like the New Orleans Saints did. 

Perception vs. reality. Potential output vs. actual production. You either want to sell them on the hope of a resurgence or buy from them based on the grim reality of their actual production. Other players who fall into the Sanders, Thomas and Graham camp: Justin Forsett, Jeremy Hill, Russell Wilson, Calvin Johnson, T.Y. Hilton, Randall Cobb and Jeremy Maclin.

Use the fantasy Force, folks.

 

All fantasy stats via ESPN standard leagues. You can also find Timothy Rapp on Twitter and on Twitch

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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