Fantasy Football: Trade Targets for Week 2

Sep 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tennessee Titans defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 42-14. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks to Trade For

Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos

This may be an obvious one, but it seems unlikely that Manning will have many more games with a total of 5 fantasy points in ESPN standard leagues. Anyone who took Manning high may be currently panicking and looking to get rid of him. However, don’t expect Manning to have elite numbers this season. Going back to last season, Manning has scored over 15 fantasy points only once in his last nine games.

Sam Bradford – Philadelphia Eagles

After a hype-filled preseason, Bradford struggled a bit in his team’s season opener against Atlanta. The Eagles have an elite offense though, and it will take a lot for the former Offensive Rookie of the Year to lose his starting gig to Mark Sanchez. Even if he isn’t elite, he should still put up decent fantasy numbers in the future, and I don’t expect him to throw 2 interceptions every week. Most Bradford owners also drafted a higher-tier quarterback and took Bradford more as a flier, meaning they may even be considering dropping him, and could get rid of him for cheap.

Quarterbacks to Trade Away

Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans

I’m a big Marcus Mariota believer, and think he will be the most successful of the top two quarterbacks taken in this season’s draft. That being said, it is unlikely Mariota will be able to sustain his numbers from the season opener when he finished as fantasy’s No. 3 quarterback and No. 4 player. If you drafted Mariota, you likely took him as a backup for your starter, so it may be worthwhile to get some value out of him after his outstanding NFL debut.

Alex Smith – Kansas City Chiefs

Alex Smith is another guy I like this season in terms of NFL success, but I don’t think he will put up such high fantasy numbers every week. He was the No. 5 fantasy quarterback in Week 1, but likely belongs just outside the top-ten. The Chiefs are unlikely to continue to throw the ball so much, even with the addition of Jeremy Maclin this season. Get something out of Smith now before he regresses to his No. 10-12 fantasy statistics.

Next: Running Back Trade Targets