Another week in the books means another batch of trending players. This week we get a smattering of options to examine across all four positions. Some are trending up for good reasons and others down for bad reasons, but some seem a little over-reactionary to me. Enough yapping, let’s get into it!
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Fantasy Football Roster Trends: Adds, Drops & Most Traded (Week 3)
Trending Up
Once again, the most added player on the list makes a ton of sense. Steele was added in 7.6% of leagues linked to FantasyPros, which still feels low to me. Steele is in line for a significant uptick in carries with the injury to starting RB Isaih Pacheco in Kansas City. However, Steele will likely split touches with veteran Samaje Perine. Both could be flex-worthy but it’s hard to imagine either one being a trusted starting option this week. Given all of the injuries in fantasy, you may need to start Steele this week, and that’s fine, but I would temper your expectations just in case he doesn’t produce immediately.
Derek Carr (QB – LV)
What Carr has done is hard to ignore. He was added in 5.6% of linked leagues which includes a lot of 1QB formats. I assume Carr was on waivers because the Saints weren’t supposed to be all that good. However, through the first two weeks, Carr is QB2, scoring 21.3 and 21.8 points. You can’t let that kind of scoring go unused, so adding him makes perfect sense. It also makes sense when you think about all the teams that have lost Jordan Love or Tua Tagovailoa, or those that have suffered under bad weeks from supposed studs like Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert. Carr has already proven he’s worth starting, so hopefully you added him this week if your team needs points at the position.
Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC)
Apparently, Johnston can catch after all. Who knew? His rookie year was quite underwhelming, catching only 38 of his 57 targets (56.7%) with only two touchdowns. Through two games this year he’s caught eight of 11 targets (72.7%) for two touchdowns, both in Week 2. This Johnston is much better than the rookie version, and seeing him added in 5.2% of leagues makes sense. One week could be an outlier, but two weeks is the start of a trend. He’s seeing some attention in the Chargers offense and I don’t think that’s a fluke. I’m probably starting Johnston in a few leagues myself this week to try to ride the hot hand.
Trending Down
Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)
At the top of the drops list at 2.6% is Mr. Concussion himself, Tua Tagovailoa. After leaving Week 2 with his fourth concussion in five seasons, Tua has officially landed on IR. This has forced many fantasy managers to drop the QB outright rather than wait for his return. I understand the thinking here, but I’d rather hold on given his talent and the team around him in Miami. That being said, he will miss the next four games, and if you can’t stash him on IR, dropping him might be your only option. You can’t take a zero at the QB position regardless of the scoring in your leagues.
Colby Parkinson (TE – LAR)
After a very surprising Week 1 in which Parkinson scored 8.7 PPR points, he came back down to earth in Week 2 with 2.2 PPR points. The Rams looked dreadful against the newly resurgent Cardinals, and Parkinson only saw two targets. I definitely stashed Parkinson on a couple of rosters where I waited to draft a tight end, but I would rather put my chips on another option on a better offense. Parkinson was dropped in 2.4% of leagues and I’ll bet we see him on the roster bubble all season. Tight end is still a brutal spot if you don’t have one of the top options, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see Parkinson on the most added list if he has another above-average game.
Allen Lazard (WR – NYJ)
Lazard was on the most added list last week but sees his value come crashing back to earth after his 3.1 PPR point performance in Week 2. After going six for nine and two touchdowns, it was rough seeing him only get two catches for 11 yards. 2.1% of fantasy managers said “Enough is enough” and sent Lazard back to waivers. Fantasy football is a game of recency bias and riding the hot hand. Lazard’s hot hand got cold real quick and managers were willing to move on for another hotter hand rather than wait to see how things shake out on the Jets offense.
Most Traded
JK Dobbins (RB – LAC)
The RB4 on the season is indeed Dobbins, which is the main reason why he tops our most traded list this week. In FantasyPros linked leagues, Dobbins was traded in 1.6% of them. This may not sound like much, but trading in leagues is a lot harder than adding from waivers. Many leagues don’t have any trading, so when you think about it, 1.6% is pretty impressive. I totally understand too. Dobbins seems like the perfect asset I want to get rid of. I just can’t trust it to continue as the defenses get tougher and Father Time continues to catch up to the aging RB. If you traded him, I hope you got a great return.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
On the flip side of Dobbins is the vastly underperforming Chase. The top 3 WR in drafts is currently WR40 in PPR scoring after the usual rough start for the Bengals. The team is historically slow to start under Burrow, so I’m not panic selling just yet, but perhaps the 1.4% of teams that traded him this week disagree. It’s tough holding your first-round pick when they’re healthy and just not producing. I get it. However, Chase will get his, and I would much rather trade for him than trade him away right now.
Tony Pollard (RB – TEN)
Third on the list of most traded players is the Titans’ RB who is currently RB12 in PPR scoring. Pollard is tied for fourth at RB in targets and has been very consistent in his first two games. He scored 18.4 and 15.2 PPR points in those games, making him a very attractive RB, a position where we’ve seen a lot of injuries. Pollard was traded in 1.3% of linked leagues, likely to teams needing immediate RB help and from teams needing WR help. Very few teams have RB depth at this point, but if you have the depth to send Pollard I say do it. You should be able to get a great piece in return due to his terrific start. If that can help you win a title, then I’m all for it.
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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.