Fantasy Football Trade Targets Week 3: Omarion Hampton's Gotta Go

And Sometimes You Need to Buy High

When you draft a RB within the first two rounds, you’re banking on early production. Despite his team’s 0-2 start, Hampton got the carries and the fantasy points in Week 2. But there are multiple gnawing issues that should make you uncomfortable.

He fronts a “sell” group that also includes an early-round receiver and a tight end coming off a big game.

This week’s “buys,” on the other hand, lead with an uncommon buy high suggestion. Let’s check ‘em out.

Week 3 Buys

• Parker Washington
• Jaylen Warren
• George Pickens

Week 3 Sells

• Omarion Hampton
• Jake Ferguson
• Rashee Rice

Buy These Fantasy Trade Targets

Sometimes you need to “buy high” to capture top value.

Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

We love to “buy low” on players and then profit when they achieve what we’re expecting. But if we only chase underachievers, then we’re blocking ourselves from plenty of guys who could help make our championship dreams come true.

Washington sits 10th among WRs in PPR points through two weeks, matching his WR10 ranking in expected PPR points per game.

That’s significantly ahead of where drafters were selecting Washington, which is bound to boost his price. Here’s why we’re still buying.

The Usage is Matching the Buzz

There are plenty of examples every year of player performance failing to match the offseason chatter. That’s clearly not the case here, however.

Washington has clearly established himself as Jacksonville’s lead receiver, even more so than he did late last year.

Washington ranks third among all wideouts in target share (35.7%) and second in rate of targets per route (31.9%). He also works further downfield than you’d probably guess from Washington’s size (5’10) and status as Jacksonville’s slot leader.

His 15.5-yard average depth of target ranks seventh among all WRs with 10+ targets this season, and Washington has increased that number each year:

• 2023: 7.4
• 2024: 11.8
• 2025: 12.5

 A deeper aDOT boosts efficiency by loading up more potential yards per catch.

But Who’s Gonna Sell This Guy?

Sure, the Washington manager in your league might scoff at your offer. But our numbers say he’s just WR23 in market value right now. That’s a climb from his WR29 ADP, but it also signals that the market might not yet have caught all the way up.

Washington’s getting WR1-level usage and delivering WR1-level numbers. And the way Jacksonville’s targeting him suggests he might climb even higher.

Take a shot now before he becomes impossible to acquire.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Warren sits a solid RB22 in PPR scoring so far but hasn’t posted the kind of big week that might make his manager scared to give him up.

He has seen RB16-level usage and outproduced Rico Dowdle despite similar touch distributions.

Dowdle has managed just 2.5 yards per rush and 7.0 yards per catch so far, vs. Warren’s 4.2 and 8.7. Warren has crushed Dowdle in success rate as both a runner (42.9% to 26.7%) and receiver (50.0% to 28.6%).

He also leads Dowdle so far in yards after contact per attempt (3.48 to 2.00) and rush yards over expected per attempt (0.34 to minus-0.75).

That could earn Warren more opportunities, and the Steelers might be forced to move that way.

Teammate Injury Vaults the Upside

Dowdle injured a toe in the Week 2 loss to New England, initially trying to return before finishing the day on the sideline. He missed Wednesday’s practice and had a walking boot on his right foot.

That sure makes Dowdle seem like a rough bet to play Sunday against the Bengals. And that makes this the perfect time to make an offer for Warren.

I already mentioned how Warren has posted merely decent production through two weeks. The lack of clarity on Dowdle’s status could further obscure the opportunity boost likely to come Sunday. And Warren has just four career games of 100+ rushing yards; just two of those since the start of 2024.

My point is not to question his upside. I’m highlighting that a dearth of big games in Warren’s history might keep his current managers from realizing his potential.

Upcoming Schedule Looks Enticing

Warren’s first usage boost appears likely to come against a Bengals defense that ranks 10th in pass DVOA so far but just 16th against the run. Then comes a Cleveland D that’s 29th in total DVOA (20th vs. the run) and a Colts D that sits 31st overall and against the run.

Even if Dowdle’s injury proves minor and he returns after Week 3, Warren might get the chance to show his new coaches that this backfield shouldn’t split work evenly.

Grab the RB now, and see how high you both can climb.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas offense rebounded big time from a rough Week 1 in Sunday’s win over the Commanders. It just forgot to bring Pickens along.

He was fine: 6 catches for 40 yards on 8 targets. That placed Pickens 34th among WRs in PPR points for the week. But your league mate didn’t draft him late in Round 2 to be “fine.”

Pickens sits 48th at the position in total PPR points so far, tied with Jack Bech and Khalil Shakir, and just behind Malik Washington and Cody White. Teammate CeeDee Lamb is sitting on the fourth-highest WR score.

Time to see if the Pickens drafter in your league doesn’t believe they can co-exist.

Lamb’s 2025 Injury Leaves Room for Doubt

Pickens’ biggest outing last season -- his first with the Cowboys -- came in Week 4 against the Packers. That also happened to be the first full game Lamb missed with his high-ankle sprain.

He would miss another two after that, check in just 20th in total PPR points for the season, and trail Pickens even in points per game for the year.

Lamb still finished 10th among all WRs in that last category, though, if you remove his limited Week 18. From his Week 7 return through Week 17, Pickens and Lamb ranked 11th and 13th in PPR points per game, respectively. They ranked 13th and third over that span in expected points per game.

My point: They’ve shown us they can produce together. But a fantasy manager who doesn’t dig that far into the numbers might think his Pickens is headed for a much tougher year now that Lamb’s all the way back.

Send an offer to see if that’s the case. And if it doesn’t work this week, you might get another opportunity if he goes quiet in a difficult Week 3 matchup with Baltimore.

Houston might look scary as well on the other side of that, but the Texans sit just 30th in pass DVOA so far and yielded 56 points over the first two games.

How Do Last Week’s “Buys” Look?

Let’s look back at our Trade Target recommendations from last week and how we’d treat those players now …

Week 2 Report

• McLaurin got the usage we were hoping for against Dallas on Sunday and got so close to delivering a big fantasy day. But he didn’t. He caught just two balls and lost his QB to a dislocated left elbow. A Seattle matchup makes McLaurin unlikely to pay off in Week 3, but Marcus Mariota isn’t necessarily bad news. McLaurin drew a target on 31.2% of Mariota’s passes at Dallas on Sunday -- vs. 18.8% of Mariota’s passes for Diggs -- and racked up 3.53 yards per route with Mariota last season, according to Ryan Heath of Fantasy Points. You still don’t need to buy McLaurin, but he’s bound to be even cheaper now than he was a week ago. And that window could easily extend if he struggles to score vs. Seattle
• That Loveland plays a one-starter position (for most leagues) obviously challenges the decision on him even further. I refuse to believe that the targets will continue avoiding the No. 10 overall pick from last year’s draft, though. So he’s still a buy for me. The condensed week before Thursday night’s clash with the Eagles makes any move more difficult this week. But the QB injuries could knock the asking price down even further.

Sell These Players

Time to take advantage of some fraudulent Week 2 scoring.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Hampton was basically the only thing that worked for the Chargers in Week 2 (if we elect to ignore his fumble late in the fourth quarter).

The second-year back accounted for 37.1% of the team’s total yardage and half of its TDs in an embarrassing home loss to the Raiders. That included a nice 23-94-1 rushing day. So what’s the problem here?

Offense and Usage Look Problematic

First off, the Chargers are a problem for everyone involved. If L.A. can only muster 14 points in consecutive home losses to Arizona and Las Vegas, that bodes ill for when even better opponents -- I assume; it’s still early -- begin to arrive. And an offense struggling overall certainly won’t help its lead back.

And that problem could be exacerbated by the way the Chargers are using Hampton.

He sits just 37th among all RBs in route rate so far and 46th in target share. Even if we narrow down to the Week 2 contest in which he caught two passes for 21 yards, Hampton still finished the week just 29th in route participation, 23rd in target share, and 25th in routes per pass snap.

Get ready for that area to matter even more, because the Chargers now get these four matchups ahead of a Week 7 bye:

• at Buffalo
• at Seattle
• vs. Denver
• at Kansas City

That stretch includes two of the top three scoring offenses to date and three of the top 11 scoring defenses.

Counting on Hampton to repay his Round 2 ADP now requires two specific bets:

1. That the Chargers’ offense will improve dramatically (currently 30th in expected points added per play).
2. That Hampton’s receiving usage will improve.

Both things can happen, but I’d rather sell that pair of maybes for a surer bet to help my team right now.

According to our up-to-date PPR trade value chart, the market still values Hampton well ahead of RBs such as D’Andre Swift and Breece Hall, and higher than WRs such as Christian Watson and DeVonta Smith.

Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys

The Ferguson manager in your league is much happier at the moment than the person stuck with Colston Loveland. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could get Loveland for Ferguson straight up right now, and that’s a move I’d be thrilled to make.

Don’t Let the TDs Fool You

Ferguson flashed with a two-score outing in the win over Washington, good for fourth among PPR scorers for Week 2. He did it on just 4 catches, though, tied for 12th with three others.

His 4 targets tied six others for just 14th among TEs in Week 2. Ferguson’s 6 targets through two games ties him for just 25th. And he might have a growing playing-time issue.

As I wrote earlier this week, Ferguson’s route share dipped from 75% in Week 1 to 63.9% in Week 2. That placed him clearly behind Dallas’ top three receivers, and the other two TEs gained ground on him.

According to PFF, Ferguson played only four of the team’s 11 snaps in “12” personnel (one RB, two TEs) against Washington. He also played just 53.1% of early-down, single-TE snaps. Ferguson played in 68% of those situations in 2025 and 62.9% in Week 1 of this season.

How Much Do the Cowboys Need Him?

Of course, what looks like a downward trend in playing time could reverse and wind up as a mere blip. But what’s the incentive for Dallas?

Third-year WR Ryan Flournoy has seen significant role growth this season. He’s at 74.4% route participation through two games, vs. 49.8% for last year. And that 2025 number includes three full games without CeeDee Lamb.

Flournoy presents more receiving upside than Ferguson. And the Cowboys’ uptick in usage for TEs Brevyn Spann-Ford and Luke Schoonmaker says they’re not feeling great about Ferguson’s blocking.

Does that all mean he’s about to tank? Probably not. Ferguson remains the best bet to lead Dallas tight ends in fantasy scoring this year. But he’ll probably need at least one WR to go down for that role to include good weekly target shares.

In short: Trading Ferguson away now isn’t likely to leave you missing anything special. Try shopping him to the TE-needy teams in your league ahead of a challenging Week 3 date with Baltimore.

Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Rice corralled a TD in a seemingly difficult Week 1 matchup with Denver. His team has racked up the most yards and third-most points in the league so far. And Rice’s WR27 ranking in PPR points per game sits well short of his WR13 ADP.

That would normally be the formula for a buy-low No. 1 receiver. But therein lies the problem with Rice’s outlook.

You’re Not Like Most No. 1s

Rice developed into Kansas City’s lead wideout more out of necessity than special ability over the past three years. He ranked just 37th among WRs in ESPN’s WR score from 2023 through 2025. His PFF receiving grades have declined each season:

• 86.1 in 2023 (14th among WRs)
• 85.5 in 2024 (12th; season ended in Week 4)
• 77.2 in 2025 (28th)
• 62.5 in 2026 (52nd)

Rice’s route participation has been right in line with last year’s. But he sits just 70th among WRs in expected PPR points per game. That means his WR27 ranking actually marks significant over-performance through two games.

Rice Might Not Remain a Staple

Could this simply be small-sample noise that corrects over the next few weeks? Sure, especially when you factor in that Rice is working back from offseason knee surgery.

But the Chiefs also just might not need him as much anymore.

Here’s the team’s target hierarchy through two games:

• Kenneth Walker 16
• Travis Kelce 16
• Xavier Worthy 13
• Rice 8
• Tyquan Thornton 5
• Emmett Johnson 4
• Jalen Royals 2
• Noah Gray 2
• Jake Briningstool 1
• Cyrus Allen 1

Rice has not only watched targets get spread around more. He has also seen more interlopers claim targets in the short range that used to belong to him.

Worthy’s average depth of target has shortened from 12.9 yards last year to a career-low 6.3 so far this season. And Walker ushers in a huge backfield shift.

This year’s Chiefs have tallied the second-most RB receptions so far. The first three years of Rice’s career saw that ranking decline from ninth, to 16th, to 21st. Kansas City’s also down from a 59.7% neutral pass rate over the past three seasons (second-highest in the league) to 57.0% in 2026 (eighth).

That’s fewer total passes and fewer short-range targets available. Either of those factors continuing would damage Rice’s outlook. If both do, he’ll be in real trouble. And that doesn’t even address the injury risk (“very high” by our Injury Predictor algorithm).

Two Ways to Leverage the Week 3 Matchup

Sunday’s visit to Miami makes this a particularly good time to try to move Rice, and you can factor that in one of two ways:

1. Wait until after Sunday’s high-upside spot to see if he racks up points to help his market price.
2. Shop him now to other managers with the attraction of that Miami matchup potentially boosting interest.

Either presents some risk. Wait and you might see Rice fail to deliver against the Dolphins. That would almost certainly hurt his market price, especially with a Week 5 bye coming. Jump now, of course, and you risk missing a good Week 3 fantasy score.

Given the risk factors at play, though, I’d rather err on the side of trading too early if you can find a good offer this week. And if you don’t get anything good, fall back on waiting through the Miami game.

How Do Last Week’s “Sells” Look?

Let’s look back at our Trade Target recommendations from last week and how we’d treat those players now …

Week 2 Report

• If you sold Montgomery between his huge Week 1 and his terrible Week 2, you’re probably feeling great about it right now. If you’re still holding him, I’d still be willing to sell. But beware of overreacting too much to his down week and underselling. The next three weeks present high-upside matchups with the Colts, Cowboys, and Titans. Selling anywhere inside that window might prove more fruitful than this week.
• The sell call on Mahomes, on the other hand, looks pretty rough after he delivered the position’s third-best score of Week 2. But keep in mind that Mahomes simply delivered a strong outing against a bad Colts D. He should do similar this week against an even-worse Dolphins defense. So feel free to hold him at this point and consider selling on the other side. Like I said last week, I expect Mahomes to be fine. We’re trying to sell him to someone who’s buying “elite.” Should be an easier sell right now. But if you can’t get that kind of price, feel free to keep holding.

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