Trade Value Rankings: Geno Smith rises; Alvin Kamara looks good (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: Surprise! We never thought we'd be ranking new Seattle Seahawks starter Geno Smith ahead of old Seahawks starter Russell Wilson in any end-of-season rankings, but here we are. Smith enters Week 6 as the No. 6 quarterback in fantasy scoring. Wilson, who does have a torn muscle near his throwing shoulder, has scored single digits in fantasy two of the past three weeks. New York Giants starter Daniel Jones -- whom few consider for fantasy purposes at all -- has more fantasy points. Smith moves into the top 100 overall and is knocking on the door of the top 10 QBs. Stunning!

Meanwhile, the rest of the news at QB is mostly negative. Wilson drops precipitously to the No. 15 QB, and it would have been more but many of the players in that value range are struggling, too. Los Angeles Rams starter Matthew Stafford has failed to reach the blatantly low bar of 11 PPR points in four of five games! Sophom*ores Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Zach Wilson of the New York Jets are not playing well. The Detroit Lions' Jared Goff was -- until Sunday when he got shut out at New England. It's a mess out there at QB and makes one appreciate the top options more.

Trade for: Put simply, it is hard to remember a recent time with less reliable QB depth in fantasy. Can't believe we're admitting this, but one is absolutely within rights to dump Wilson and Stafford for Smith, but who else? Jimmy Garoppolo? Justin Fields? The first seven QBs ending with the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow are more valuable than ever, because whom else can you truly trust? It remains risky to presume big numbers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady, Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers and injured Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.

Be cautious: Well, Smith, for one. Yeah, he's playing wonderfully, and we recommend adding him as a free agent and running with him until you can't. Trade for him? Nobody would be surprised if this run of excellence is temporary. It would be easier to trade for Denver's Wilson if he wasn't hurt. He might have to sit a few games. The Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa might return to active duty this week, but again, just as noted last week, it is tough to assume he plays every game from here on out.

Running back

Rankings changes: Positive news at this position this week as the New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara looked like the player from previous seasons and rookies Dameon Pierce of the Houston Texans and Breece Hall of the Jets continue to emerge. Seahawks starter Rashaad Penny broke a leg, and another first-year player, Kenneth Walker III, gets his chance to shine. It is quite the time for rookie running backs. C'mon, Tyler Allgeier of the Atlanta Falcons, you have an opportunity, and now-healthy Washington Commanders RB Brian Robinson should get his soon.

Perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers had no chance with a rookie QB (Kenny Pickett) in his first start for their game against the mighty Buffalo Bills, but second-year RB Najee Harris continues to struggle, and it is hard to overlook. Harris has scored single-digit PPR points in consecutive games, and he hasn't reached 14 PPR points in a game yet. He did this regularly as a rookie. He remains in RB2 range, with other RBs coming off rough Sundays (the Arizona Cardinals' James Conner, Jaguars' James Robinson), for now. Trading for Harris as if he remains an RB2 seems risky.

Trade for: The Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor missed Week 5 recovering from a sprained ankle, and the team is optimistic he plays this week. Sure, get Taylor, but not at the price of him being fantasy's top RB. He has to prove it first. Kamara proved it, and he returns to our good graces. The Las Vegas Raiders' Josh Jacobs is definitely in our good graces. Perhaps we should be more positive about San Francisco 49ers star Jeff Wilson Jr. As with everyone else, staying healthy is a skill, and perhaps Wilson now has this skill.

Be cautious: And that brings up another discussion of the Carolina Panthers' Christian McCaffrey, who traded in rushing yards for receptions the past two weeks, and he is providing better statistics. Now the Panthers have fired coach Matt Rhule, and QB Baker Mayfield is injured. Does that change anything? Well, the concern with McCaffrey was more about durability than ability. Perhaps he will play all 17 games. Let's be optimistic but cautious. Speaking of durability, it's great that Miami's Raheem Mostert has played all five games and is occasionally productive, but we have years of proof about the risk with him.

Wide receiver

Rankings changes: As Seattle's QB rises, so does WR Tyler Lockett. He boasts four consecutive games in double-digit PPR scoring. Buffalo's Gabe Davis and intriguing Khalil Shakir also rise. The Los Angeles Chargers' Mike Williams has played well in three of four weeks, though that might change with Keenan Allen returning to action soon. Offensive ineptitude is hurting the Jaguars' Christian Kirk and Commanders' Terry McLaurin, while injuries take down the Chargers' Allen, Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown and Saints' Michael Thomas.

Trade for: The pending return of Prescott should aid CeeDee Lamb and a healthy Michael Gallup. The schedule eases up on Tampa Bay's Brady and his WRs. Pittsburgh rookie Pickett wasn't so bad against the Bills. His WRs get a small value bump. At least he's throwing downfield.

Be cautious: Hard to be interested in the Denver, Carolina and Washington receivers at this point. The Lions will return from a Week 6 bye (yes, the bye weeks have arrived!) with a tougher schedule. It is no fun presuming an injured player might be compromised for a while, but after the past few seasons, we are there with the Saints' Thomas.

Tight end

Rankings changes: Saints surprise Taysom Hill entered the weekend 30th in these rankings, averaging 8 PPR points in his three games. Then he scored a whopping 34.08 PPR points Sunday, thanks to a passing touchdown and three rushing touchdowns. Is he really a tight end? Well, it's up for debate. He has one reception this season. Still, he moves way up in the rankings, but with extreme caution. Volume is an issue.

In other news, productive Arizona Cardinals TE Zach Ertz moves all the way up to become the No. 3 TE, though somewhat by default. The Falcons' Kyle Pitts did not play and has disappointed. The Raiders' Darren Waller did play and has disappointed. Who can we trust? Ohio options David Njoku and Hayden Hurst are certainly interesting now, so that's good news!