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Fantasy Football Trade Targets Week 5: Go Get This Underrated WR

We’ve Got Our First Repeat Guest!

The first set of byes make this week different.

That can alter who’s looking for help. It can shift the values on players you’re looking to buy or sell. And you’ll need to look ahead a little to make sure you’re not paying up for immediate help that’s gonna sit out a week or two later.

But that bye can also help lower the price for a guy who’ll deliver you value long beyond his week off.

Just one more factor to keep in mind. Now let’s get to the targets.

Week 5 Buys

• Jakobi Meyers
• Rashee Rice
• Jameson Williams

Week 5 Sells

• Derrick Henry
• Jordan Mason
• Khalil Shakir

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Buy These Fantasy Trade Targets

We’re going with a 3-WR set this week, including a who’s still got a couple more league imposed “bye” weeks and our first encore of the year.

Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Whew! It doesn’t get more exciting than to start this off by tapping a pass offense that just threw for 117 yards and 3 INTs against the soft pass defense (we thought) of the Bears.

Meyers didn’t help much either, collecting just 30 yards in a game that saw RB Ashton Jeanty (finally) carry the offense. And that contest followed Meyers catching just three of four targets while watching Tre Tucker explode in a loss at Washington.

Of course, all that is exactly why we’re highlighting Meyers first.

All That’s Missing is a Couple TDs

The Raiders aren’t exciting. They sit 18th in yards, 24th in scoring, and 14th in yards per play. And no one’s organizing Jakobi Meyers watch parties. But that’s what makes him sneaky valuable.

Meyers sits just 34th among WRs in PPR points per game through four weeks. But he’s 17th in expected PPR points per game.

The Raiders’ top wideout stands:

• tied for 13th in targets (among all WRs)
• tied for 14th in receptions
• 21st in receiving yards
• 16th in target share
• tied for 33rd in red-zone targets
• tied for 24th in end-zone targets
• tied for last in TDs (cuz he has none)

It’s pretty clear what’s missing. And although Meyers has never been a TD magnet, he’s obviously headed for some positive regression.

The past three years found Meyers scoring 18 times among 225 catches (8% rate) with these world-beating QBs:

• Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe (in New England)
• Aidan O’Connell
• Jimmy Garoppolo
• Gardner Minshew
• Desmond Ridder

Geno Smith’s been inconsistent through four weeks. But he’s better than that crew.

Look for Meyers’ fantasy total to improve in matchups with the Colts, Titans, and Chiefs the next three weeks.

Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

This acquisition won’t be for everyone. You’ll still have to wait two more weeks before getting Rice back on the field. And we probably won’t know until Week 7 what his initial role will look like. The third-year wideout hasn’t been able to practice with the team during his suspension.

But this is probably your last chance to make a run at bargain Rice. And Week 4 gave us a couple factors that could affect his market.

Did Week 4 Raise or Lower Rice’s Price?

After three alarming offensive performances -- by Chiefs standards -- Patrick Mahomes threw for 270 yards and 4 TDs in Sunday’s surprisingly easy victory over the Ravens.

On one hand, that reinvigoration of the pass offense could remind the Rice holder in your league why they’re holding the suspended wideout. On the other, Kansas City had that game without Rice. And with TE Travis Kelce posting just a 5-48 line.

The scoring got spread around, including three WRs catching a TD apiece.

A fantasy manager who has spent four weeks struggling to compete might welcome getting rid of that dead spot on their bench rather than waiting to dump into that diffuse route distribution.

What if the Chiefs are Spreading it Around Because They’re Missing Rice?

Marquise Brown leads all Chiefs so far, drawing 23.4% of Mahomes’ targeted passes. Half of his 32 targets came in Week 1, though, when K.C. lost Xavier Worthy to an early shoulder injury. Since then, he has seen a target on just 15.5% of Mahomes’ total attempts.

Worthy returned last week to garner a team-high eight targets, 22.9% of the team total. Thanks to Rice’s 2024 knee injury, we’ve only seen three full games of those two playing together -- the first three of Worthy’s career.

That three-game span, though, found Rice ranking third among all WRs in target share and 25th in air-yards share, even while ranking just 51st in route share.

That stretch followed Rice overtaking Kelce as Mahomes’ top target over the second half of his rookie season. From Week 12 through the playoffs, Rice’s playing time never dipped below 67%, and he ranked 15th among WRs in expected PPR points per game; 11th in actual points per game.

You Don’t Need to Bet Against Worthy to Bet on Rice

We haven’t seen a whole lot of Rice and Worthy together. We have seen Kelce follow a down 2024 with a sluggish start to 2025.

The 36-year-old (as of Oct. 5) TE is sitting on career lows in:

• receptions per game (3.8)
• yards per game (45.5)
• and average depth of target (4.9, according to Pro Football Reference)

That’s despite no Rice and Worthy missing basically the first three games.

It sure seems like these Chiefs will count Rice and Worthy as their top two pass-catchers over the second half of this season, in either order.

If you can afford the patience, chase Rice now. The ceiling: top-15 production over the season’s second half.

Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions

Williams appeared among our Week 2 Trade Targets, the article’s first run of the season.

If you bought him then … you’re probably not loving the return so far. But there’s still reason to pursue the upside. And Week 4 might have presented the best case yet.

When He Realizes Those Air Yards … Watch Out

Let’s first look back at Week 2. Williams’ first game after our initial “buy” call produced 108 yards and a TD, but that came on just 2 catches among four targets. That’s not the kind of usage we can trust in lineups. And his 2-43 receiving line on three targets at Baltimore didn’t improve things.

Williams added a 2-40 receiving line against Cleveland on Sunday, but this time it came on a season-high eight targets. Williams’ 214 air yards -- the total yards a player’s targets travel in the air -- not only led the league for the week. His total sat 42 yards ahead of No. 2 George Pickens.

For the season so far, Williams ranks 11th among WRs in total air yards and seventh in air yards share, despite ranking just 51st in target share.

That points to the upside he can present even on limited target volume. And Williams leading the team in Week 4 targets points to either the team trying to enhance his usage, or at least that he can lead that category in any given week.

Upcoming Schedule Presents Breakout Potential

If the Lions are looking to get Williams the ball more, then they’ll certainly get chances over the next three weeks.

First comes a Week 5 visit to the Bengals, who aren’t doing much of anything well right now. That includes providing the third-best scoring matchup for WRs so far. 

Then comes a visit to Kansas City to face a Chiefs squad that might be ready to push shootout conditions. And Week 7 brings to town the Bucs, who rank first in run-defense DVOA vs. just 19th against the pass.

Recent Buys

Let’s look back at our Trade Target recommendations from the past two weeks and how we’d treat those players now …

Week 4 Report

• Jacobs probably got tougher to buy after his huge fantasy night against Dallas in the Week 4 tie. But the Week 5 bye might also mitigate that change for certain managers. He's worth a look, but you might have to wait for a different time to avoid overpaying.

Week 3 Report

• The first two weeks of Jake Browning Part Deux have gone worse than anyone expected (13 total points, 330 total yards). That has surely lowered Brown's price further from when we first mentioned him, and his receiving has been solid (as expected). But it's tough to actually chase this offense. So Brown's OK to pick up in the right move, but I would pursue him too hard.
• Golden appears to be trending up by the numbers, but he also trailed Dontayvion Wicks in Week 4 playing time. We'll see if Packers coaches say anything about his role coming out of the buy. The rookie's fine to try to get as a throw-in on a multi-player deal.

Sell These Players

Not gonna lie, this first one never feels comfy. But I think it’s time.

Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Henry’s coming off a rough outing in the loss to the Chiefs, where he rushed just eight times for 42 yards.

That’s a nice 5.3-yard average, at least, and Henry doubled his season receiving production with a 2-16 line on three targets. But the single-digit fantasy score across formats obviously won’t help anyone.

Combine that with a mere RB19 ranking in PPR points so far, and you might think Henry looks like more of a buy low. Here’s why he’s not.

Usage and Situation Have Stunk

Henry’s down numbers have actually found him outperforming his usage through four weeks. He ranks just 34th among RBs in expected PPR points per game. Henry sits tied for 24th among RBs in total carries and tied for 51st in targets.

We knew the receiving wouldn’t be there. His 1.0 receptions per game so far sits only slightly behind the 1.1 he averaged in his first Baltimore campaign.

That didn’t matter nearly as much when he was getting 19.1 carries per week in 2024. But Henry’s down to 12.3 per contest amid Baltimore’s 1-3 start.

Perhaps this Lamar Jackson hamstring injury winds up being no big deal and the offense turns around. Or maybe it forces Jackson out of this week’s controllable matchup with Houston and then lingers for a while.

That issue joins a defense that ranks just 24th in DVOA through four weeks and has watched injuries befall:

• DL Nnamdi Madubuike
• Edge Kyle Van Noy
• LB Roquan Smith
• CB Marlon Humphrey
• Among others

The Run Game’s Not Helping Either

Week 1 found Henry racking up 169 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Looked like we were off to more of the same. But he and the blocking haven’t been the same since.

Henry’s four-week numbers in yards before and after contact match last year’s rate. But 52% of his before-contact yardage to date came in Week 1, as did 68% of his after-contact production.

The past three games have seen Henry average just 2.3 yards before contact (vs. 3.1 in 2024) and 1.4 after (vs. last year’s 2.7). And the blocking looks like a problem.

Adjusted line yards tell us that Ravens blocking is accounting for more than a yard less per run so far this season (3.56) vs. last year (4.75). And LT Ronnie Stanley’s dealing with an ankle sprain. Just another issue for the list.

But Why Would Anyone Buy Right Now?

I just went full-negative on Henry. But if you just look at his stats, you’ll see 3 TDs in four games and the second-best yards-per-carry mark of his career (5.8, just 0.1 short of last year).

He doesn’t look like a player in crisis. And he isn’t.

Henry’s just a good RB more dependent on his surroundings than many others because of his receiving deficiency. And right now his surroundings looks significantly worse than we all anticipated.

That makes this a good time to shop him before the rest of your league realizes. That said, you don’t want to panic and undersell. Make sure you’re getting a good return.

Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings

This could be a guy to shop to the Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs, or D’Andre Swfit manager in your league. Those three teams -- along with the Steelers -- get the league’s first bye in Week 5, and that could make those league mates more likely to overlook Mason’s disappointing Week 4.

Despite rushing for just 57 yards and missing the end zone, though, Mason still managed 10.2 PPR points, following a 23.6 PPR score the week before. So there’s enough to make him attractive.

And reasons to be apprehensive he’ll deliver big stuff the rest of the way.

Mason’s Outscoring His Usage

The Minnesota RB has scored the 14th-most PPR points over the past two weeks, following Aaron Jones’ Week 2 injury. His expected points sit 24th over that span, and the main culprit has been limited receiving.

Mason did improve to three targets against Pittsburgh after none the week before. But he also watched some guy named Zavier Scott run more pass routes for the game and out-target him 8-3.

(Scott, by the way, is an undrafted free agent who finished college in 2022 but didn’t take an NFL snap the two seasons since.)

The Vikings elevated their passing volume for the game in Ireland while trailing Pittsburgh by double digits for most of the day. Neither Carson Wentz nor J.J. McCarthy is likely to attempt 46 passes most games.

Challenging Matchups and Aaron Jones Loom

The Browns certainly don’t look likely to jump out to a big lead and push that kind of passing volume in Week 5. And the Browns arrive as the No. 2 run defense by DVOA and fifth-worst matchup for RB scoring by our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

After that comes a Week 6 bye and then at least three straight opponents who’ll be favored to beat Minnesota (and thus more likely to push anti-Mason game scripts).

Jones will be eligible to return in Week 8, further complicating the usage and scoring outlook for Mason.

Just like we say with nearly all players in this article, none of that means you should dump Mason without getting a worthwhile return. But especially in full-PPR formats, he runs the risk of frustrating you the rest of the way.

Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills

Shakir finished 37th among WRs in PPR points per game last year. He sits 33rd through four weeks of this season.

Seems like we’re getting just what we expected, and probably a little more than the draft cost we paid to get him, right?

Yep, now let’s try to sell before that changes.

What Makes This the Moment?

Shakir has scored in two straight games. And his Week 4 TD against the Saints came on a truly impressive play where he took a short pass and then bumped, weaved, and scooted his way to the end zone. You know, the kind of TD that’s tough to repeat.

His score against Miami the week before similarly started with a short pass, and then Shakir took it to the end zone from 15 yards out.

That’s why he scored just four times last year. He’s not drawing end-zone targets. Shakir needs to create those scores, a model that’s tough to sustain. Moreover, his consecutive games with a TD came despite just four and five targets.

Iffy Role Has Gotten Iffier

Shakir finished a decent 36th among WRs in target share last year, getting 21.2% of Bills looks. That’s OK, in line with last year’s fantasy production. But even that’s tough to turn into meaningful fantasy value when you’re running short routes (159th in aDOT last year among 169 WRs who ran at least 50 routes).

Well, that aDOT’s the same this year (actually 0.1 shorter, depending on where you look). And the target share has dropped by 6 percentage points. Shakir ranks 59th among WRs in that category.

The dip makes sense, too. WR Keon Coleman’s in his second season and looking more ready.  TE Dalton Kincaid’s healthy. And the Bills are even down slightly in neutral pass rate: from 51.6% last year (17th in the league) to 50.0% so far this season (24th).

Try to work Shakir into a multi-player deal this week.

Recent Sells

Let’s look back at our Sell recommendations from the past two weeks and see how we’d treat those players now …

Week 4 Report

• Metcalf probably got easier to sell after his big Week 4, though a Week 5 bye complicates that a bit.
• Andrews set season highs in targets (eight) and catches (7) last week, which would seem to boost his value. But he also ran a route on just 57.5% of Baltimore dropbacks, a decline in Isaiah Likely's return game. He remains a sell.

Week 3 Report

• I mentioned the change for Egbuka last week.
• Johnston continues to score above his usage, but the level is absurd: fourth in PPR points per game vs. sixth in expected. I guess I'd be willing to sell for a big return. But I'm not sure I'd shop him around right now.

Next Up

Don’t Trust The Box Score: Brian Thomas Jr. Is Closer to Breaking Out Than You Think

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Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.