Welcome to our Week 1 Redraft Trade Targets guide! As the fantasy football season kicks off, savvy managers are already looking to capitalize on early market inefficiencies. This article highlights key players to target in trades, focusing on those undervalued gems you can buy low to bolster your roster. Whether it’s a slow-starting star or an under-the-radar breakout candidate, these trade targets offer high-upside opportunities to gain an edge in your league. Let’s dive into the players you should be pursuing now to set your team up for long-term success!
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Note: After each player’s write-up, I include a “Trade Away” section. These are a few players that are similar in Expert Consensus Rankings, whom I would be willing to trade 1 for 1 for the targeted player.
Week 1 Redraft Trade Targets – Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (ECR QB14)
The first quarterback on my target list is my favorite of the trio due to his discounted price tag in a revamped Jaguars offense. After a disappointing 2024 season, where injuries limited him to 10 games, his fantasy stock fell to an all-time low.
The arrival of new head coach Liam Cohen, who orchestrated a career-best season for Baker Mayfield in 2024, signals significant potential. The Jaguars have bolstered their receiving corps by drafting rookie Travis Hunter to go along with Brian Thomas Jr. This offensive overhaul, combined with Lawrence’s flashes of QB1 production, gives him potential for a top 6 season.
Trade Away: Jared Goff, Caleb Williams, Brock Purdy
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (ECR QB13)
Prescott is a high-floor, high-upside target who comes with a solidly discounted price tag. Prescott has a favorable situation with the addition of receiver George Pickens and should improve after a disappointing 2024 season that was marred by injury. He averaged only 15.5 fantasy points per game, and that has caused his ADP to plummet.
Concerns over Dallas’ offensive line have led to his ADP falling even further to the point he can’t underachieve it. Prescott has top 5 upside with a floor of top 10 production and should see plenty of volume with all his receiving weapons.
Trade Away: Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray, Justin Fields
CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (ECR QB19)
Stroud is a prime trade target due to his elite talent and breakout potential in an improved Texans offense. He is being massively undervalued as QB19 after a disappointing 2024 season. As a rookie, he was a top 12 quarterback, so last season was not what managers were expecting.
Stroud, much like Lawrence, is a prime example of how high expectations and a slightly underwhelming season can lead to a market overreaction by fantasy managers. Acquire Stroud now, and hope he can get things straightened out and bounce back to his rookie form.
Trade Away: JJ McCarthy, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love
Week 1 Redraft Trade Targets – Running Back
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers (ECR RB30)
Warren was largely disappointing in 2024, finishing as RB41 in 1/2 PPR scoring. He spent much of the season in a timeshare with Najee Harris. Harris has moved on to Los Angeles in free agency, and Warren looked primed to get a chance to be the lead back for Pittsburgh.
His ADP saw a brief spike in dynasty leagues with the belief that he would lead the Steelers, but that plummeted when Pittsburgh drafted rookie Kaleb Johnson. This has quickly dropped his ADP to a palatable point. Most fantasy managers believe that Johnson is going to be the starter for Week 1, but that isn’t going to be the case, as Johnson was awful during the preseason and struggled to pick up blocks.
Warren is going to get the first crack to lead this backfield and is certain to be a great value if he can run away with the job before Johnson gets his feet under him.
Trade Away: Kaleb Johnson, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (ECR RB42)
During his three seasons with the 49ers, Mason has never been the lead back. For that matter, he has never been fantasy relevant outside of a few weeks where he filled in for an injured Christian McCaffrey.
Mason has joined the Vikings and aims to fill a similar role to the one he had in San Francisco. While McCaffrey was injury-plagued, there may not be a more likely running back to miss time than Vikings starter Aaron Jones. Rumblings out of camp suggest that even if Jones is healthy, this backfield will be a 50/50 split. Consider Mason a worthy flex-play with a healthy Jones and a league-winner if he gets hurt.
Trade Away: Aaron Jones, RJ Harvey, Tyjae Spears
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (ECR RB36)
This offseason, rookie fever took over, and Bhayshul Tuten was the highest-ranked Jaguars back. All this despite no indication that he was any better than third on the depth chart.
This is a target that is format-dependent. Bigsby is going to get most of the early-down and goal-line rushing work and is a great target in 1/2 PPR or standards leagues. If you play in a full PPR league, Travis Etienne is the Jaguars rusher for you to target, as he is going to have the majority of the receiving work. Either way, there is a profit to be made in the Jacksonville backfield. This ambiguous backfield isn’t ambiguous at all.
Trade Away: Cam Skattebo, Braelon Allen, Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Week 1 Redraft Trade Targets- Wide Receiver
DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers (WR17)
If there is one thing the aging veteran Aaron Rodgers still knows how to do, it’s pepper his only good receiver with targets. Metcalf may not be the stud he once was, but he is easily the best pass-catcher on the Pittsburgh roster.
In his first season with the Steelers, look for Rodgers to target Metcalf early and often, which will lead to a career high in targets. If Metcalf can be efficient with those targets and find his way into the end zone frequently, a top 12 season could easily be in the cards.
Trade Away: Terry McLaurin, Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Brown (WR26)
It was a great day for fantasy managers when the Browns announced that Joe Flacco would be their starter for Week 1. The veteran is a far more fantasy-friendly option than their two rookie backups.
Flacco will employ the YOLO-ball strategy and is likely to throw more passes than any quarterback in the league. The veteran gunslinger is going to turn the ball over often, but that will only fuel a high pass volume that will funnel directly through Jeudy.
Trade Away: Ricky Pearsall, Rashee Rice, Travis Hunter
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (ECR WR26)
All offseason, the one player the Detroit Lions coaching staff has talked up was Jameson Williams. You would never know they had Jahmyr Gibbs or Amon-Ra St. brown on their team. It was all about Williams and his incoming breakout season.
Williams is going to start the season as the WR2 behind St. Brown and could trail Sam LaPorta and Gibbs in targets, but he could quickly take over as the lead in the Detroit offense.
It’s not crazy to envision a scenario playing out where Williams finishes the season as the Lions’ leading receiver and a top 10 player.
Trade Away: DJ Moore, Tetairoa McMillan, Devonta Smith
Week 1 Redraft Trade Targets- Tight End
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts (ECR TE9)
For the past three seasons, a rookie tight end has finished top 3 overall, with them finishing as TE1 on two of those occasions. Tight end is the easiest position to make a profit when drafting rookies, as there are only two that matter for redraft leagues.
Going into the draft, I would have said Warren and Colston Loveland were 50/50 on which one would be this year’s tight end stud, but the draft changed all of that. Loveland went to a Bears team with far too many mouths to feed, while Warren landed on a Colts squad with far less target competition. Warren may not be able to keep the top 3 streak alive, but he is a surefire bet to finish in the top 10.
Trade Away: Evan Engram, Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ECR TE18)
Otton finished the 2024 season as TE13, and it’s like everyone has forgotten it. Sure, TE13 isn’t exactly ground-breaking, but it’s consistent. He fell in drafts due to the nature of his production. Never outstanding, always just consistent.
His draft stock fell further with the addition of rookie Emeka Egbuka in the draft. Many feel that this will be a crowded offense and there will be no room for Otton to produce, but that isn’t going to be the case. Mike Evans is in his 30s, and Chris Godwin is going to start the season on the PUP list. That leaves only Egbuka and Jalen McMillan left to compete for targets. Otton may not have league-winning upside, but he is a safe target that can be acquired cheaply.
Trade Away: Hunter Henry, Zach Ertz, Chig Okonkwo
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (ECR TE16)
Pitts is the definition of a post-hype sleeper. After years of the fantasy community putting him up on a pedestal, managers have finally given up and have ignored him completely. Michael Penix Jr. showed potential in limited starts in 2024 and should be a decent producer for fantasy.
I don’t believe Pitts has the upside that we once saw in him. He isn’t likely to ever finish as the overall TE1, but there is still the potential for him to be a middling TE1 if things break right for him.
Trade Away: Dallas Goedert, Colston Loveland, Mike Gesicki
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