Trade Value Rankings: Joe Burrow takes off; DeAndre Hopkins back as a WR1 (2024)

Eric Karabell ranks players for their fantasy football trade value for the rest of the 2022 NFL season every week until the fantasy football trade deadline (noon ET on Nov. 30). Use the information to propose or assess trades and to optimize the players on your bench for their future potential. Eric's top 100 can be found below the positions in this column.

Quarterback

Rankings changes: Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow threw four interceptions in Week 1. He has one interception since and, over the past two games, he scored more than 70 PPR points. He forces his way into the top 5 at QB and passes Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson, who has fallen short of 17 PPR points in four consecutive games. Hey, Green Bay Packers starter Aaron Rodgers hasn't reached 17 fantasy points yet! At least he's still playing. Cross Matt Ryan off your lists. The Indianapolis Colts are going with Sam Ehlinger as the new starter.

Trade for: Certainly Burrow looks like a building block, a younger version (just two years) of Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. Seven quarterbacks rank among the top 50 in the overall rankings, and then nobody else cracks the top 90. Perhaps the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady get going. Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott played it safe in his return. They're the back end of the top 10, for now. Feel safe about the top seven QBs and probably Minnesota Vikings starter Kirk Cousins. That's about it, though Jacksonville Jaguars starter Trevor Lawrence and healthy Miami Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa are certainly closing in.

Be cautious: We say it every week, but there are no signs of Brady and Rodgers turning things around. Name value counts for only so much. The fantasy value of New York Giants starter Daniel Jones is a bit dependent on his legs; it's dangerous to count on that. He's not Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson. All hail Seattle Seahawks surprise Geno Smith, but he has fallen short of 14 fantasy points two consecutive weeks. Listen to that trend and plan ahead.

Running back

Rankings changes: Minor change at the top, as Los Angeles Chargers star Austin Ekeler forces his way back into the No. 1 spot. Ekeler has flown past 30 PPR points in three of four weeks. Giants star Saquon Barkley remains solid but has fallen short of 20 PPR points in four consecutive games. Maybe it's all that Jones running. Las Vegas Raiders surprise Josh Jacobs has surpassed 30 PPR points in three consecutive games and moves into the top 10 at the position, as does Seattle Seahawks rookie Kenneth Walker III. Next up for them to conquer may be Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor.

We must discuss the big trade and the injuries. Christian McCaffrey is now a member of the San Francisco 49ers. He retains a top-10 overall spot here, but fellow pass-catcher Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and non-catchers Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry are right there with him. Moving to the West Coast isn't likely to keep McCaffrey healthy. The Panthers turns to D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, and each ran well on Sunday. They are flex options, but if one of them gets hurt, the other should be an RB2 choice.

In addition, New York Jets rookie Breece Hall tore an ACL. Football is a brutal game. Michael Carter returns to flex value, though the Monday night acquisition of James Robinson from the Jaguars clouds things a bit. Baltimore Ravens star J.K. Dobbins and his injured knee never got going this season. He's out at least a month, returning Gus Edwards to flex relevance. As for the Denver Broncos, well, who knows?

Trade for: It took some time, but Walker is now the top fantasy rookie in the rankings. Jacobs also looks unexplainably excellent. Jaguars sophom*ore Travis Etienne Jr. moved further into safe RB2 range after the Robinson trade and looks safe to deal for. Not sure what the Packers are doing, but Aaron Jones remains relevant.

Be cautious: Just because the 49ers spent considerable assets to acquire McCaffrey, it hardly means fantasy managers must do the same. Durability remains a problem regardless of which team he catches passes for, and his efficiency on rushing attempts is another issue. It's also reasonable to wonder if Detroit Lions star D'Andre Swift may be compromised all season. That offense was great in September but not so much anymore.

Wide receiver

Rankings changes: Little movement among the top 20 options, though returning Arizona Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins zooms right back into WR1 range, and Saints rookie Chris Olave isn't far behind. Healthy Charger Keenan Allen and the Chiefs' JuJu Smith-Schuster are WR2 options again. New quarterbacks clearly helped Washington Commanders star Terry McLaurin and Panthers star DJ Moore return to WR3 value. They can keep rising.

Trade for: Hopkins looks safe again, and the targets will obviously be there as long as he remains healthy. Olave is tremendous, whether Michael Thomas plays or not. Smith-Schuster boasts two excellent outings in a row and seems like the preferred Mahomes WR.

Be cautious: Lion Amon-Ra St. Brown and underutilized Bronco Courtland Sutton leave the top 20, as their offenses are in flux. The Bengals' Tyler Boyd remains the No. 3 receiver on his team, so do not assume more monster games. We need to see more from McLaurin and Moore to trust them.

Tight end

Rankings changes: The 49ers' George Kittle moves back into the top three at the position. Atlanta's Kyle Pitts remains in the top 10, but that says more about the lack of high-end producers at the position than anything else. The Rams' Tyler Higbee and Chargers' Gerald Everett (who knew?) likely pass Pitts next week if things continue this way. Cleveland's David Njoku would have passed Pitts, but he's out two to five weeks with a high-ankle sprain. Watch out for Denver's Greg Dulcich and perhaps Carolina's Tommy Tremble.