Cooper Kupp, Ja'Marr Chase and Other NFL Stars Fantasy Managers Should Trade

With the fantasy football trade deadline rapidly approaching in most leagues, managers have one last chance to swing deals that can help them succeed in the upcoming playoffs.

This is a good opportunity to offload players whose value will never be higher for a hefty asking price, as well as a chance to buy low on certain targets who appear due to turn things around soon.

With that in mind, here are some NFL stars managers should be looking to acquire or deal away this week:

Ja'Marr Chase was one of fantasy's breakout stars during his sensational 2021 rookie season. He was off to an equally impressive follow-up before suffering an injury in Week 7.

The Cincinnati Bengals star had a few massive outings during the first two months of the season but hasn't been on the field since injuring his hip against the Atlanta Falcons.

Hip issues can be troubling, but the Bengals ultimately declined to place Chase on the injured reserve in hopes he would be able to return before missing the mandatory four games that an IR stint would require.

While ESPN's Adam Schefter initially revealed that the wideout was expected to miss four-to-six weeks, Chase is reportedly ahead of schedule and eyeing up a potential return in Week 11.

Quarterback Joe Burrow said that his No. 1 receiver "feels good" and will "hopefully maybe" be back after the team's Week 10 bye.

Fantasy managers in need of high-end production at the wideout position should do their best to acquire Chase before his return.

Prior to his injury, the wideout was on an absolute tear, ranking No. 4 in PPR fantasy points scored at the WR position through Week 7, a rank buoyed by four touchdowns over his last two healthy contests.

If Chase is truly healthy—and there's little reason to believe Cincinnati would rush the 22-year-old back into service if he's not—he should pick up right where he left off. Despite this, desperate managers fighting for a playoff spot may be willing to offload him for a cheaper cost while his status remains in the air.

Najee Harris was one of the better fantasy running backs last year due to the sheer volume of touches he saw during his rookie year. That workload has remained high in 2022, but the Pittsburgh Steelers star has been woefully inefficient with his totes.

After averaging a ho-hum 3.9 yards per attempt in 2021, Harris has seen his YPA drop to just 3.6 this season. While the entire offense is struggling during the first year of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, Harris has had some ugly performances.

The 24-year-old is coming off his best rushing performance of the season, however, racking up 99 yards on 20 carries against an underwhelming New Orleans Saints defense. That showing could boost his trade value at the deadline.

Managers should take what they can get for Harris and try to find a more consistent back to lean on during the playoffs.

PPR managers should be particularly concerned about Harris being phased out of the passing game. He's caught just 24 passes on 29 targets through nine games after reeling in 74 receptions on 94 targets last year. Most concerningly, he only saw a single target this past Sunday.

With undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren coming on strong, there is a chance Pittsburgh's backfield morphs into a more even timeshare down the stretch. The backup was the preferred pass-catching back in Week 10, hauling in all three of his targets for 40 yards.

Warren has also been far more efficient with his carries, posting a commendable 5.0 yards per attempt on the year. The coaching staff has taken note of this development, giving him a season-high nine totes against the Saints.

Considering Harris could continue ceding more work to Warren—especially in the passing game—it's time to get rid of the Steelers back before it's too late.

J.K. Dobbins has been a frustrating fantasy asset for the last two seasons. The Baltimore Ravens running back followed up a promising rookie year by missing the entire 2021 campaign with a torn ACL, an ailment that has hindered his availability in 2022.

While Dobbins did eventually get back on the field in Week 3, his return was short-lived. The 23-year-old saw action in four mostly underwhelming games before undergoing surgery to clean up scar tissue from his previous procedure.

Although Dobbins only tallied up 123 yards and one touchdown on 35 carries during his limited action, he should be back with a vengeance soon.

In an interview with WJZ Sports, the Ohio State product recently spoke about how he's not hurt and opted for surgery to get back to 100 percent (h/t Kevin Eck of BaltimoreRavens.com):

"I didn't get reinjured. I didn't hurt myself or anything. I just didn't feel like myself. We looked at it, and there was some stuff in my knee that was making me not feel like myself. It wasn't bad, I could have still played, but I'd rather be 100 percent going into the playoffs towards the end of the year so I could really do what I really need to do to help the team win."

Those who drafted Dobbins may be disappointed with his output thus far, but shrewd managers will want to acquire the back before he returns to action.

Head coach Jon Harbaugh said Dobbins' procedure was a "smashing success" last Friday and is looking forward to the running back returning in "three or four weeks," setting a timetable for his return.

If Dobbins can get back to the form that helped him average six yards per carry and score nine times in 15 games as a rookie in time for the fantasy playoffs, managers will be happy they bought the back for a low price ahead of the deadline.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers running game has been a mess, but rookie running back Rachaad White finally energized the unit during a Week 10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Drawing the start for the first time in his burgeoning career, White finished the day with 22 carries for a career-high 105 yards.

While the showing was impressive, White may be more valuable to managers who had him stashed away or recently picked him up on waivers as a trading chip.

It's too early to tell whether White will continue to dominate the backfield. He earned a season-high 48 snaps—representing 64 percent of the offensive snaps—on Sunday, but that workload coincided with Leonard Fournette exiting with a hip injury in the third quarter and staying sidelined for the remainder of the game.

While Fournette has had a rocky campaign, he has the trust of head coach Todd Bowles. Before Week 10, the veteran had greatly out-snapped and out-touched his first-year counterpart, logging 474 snaps to White's 227 and 178 touches to White's 80.

Fournette was also having one of his better performances of 2022 before the injury. He finished the day with 57 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and caught his lone target for one yard. White failed to find the end zone for the 10th straight week and wasn't involved in the passing game at all.

With ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting that Fournette isn't likely to miss any time due to a fortunately timed Week 11 bye, it may be time to capitalize on the hype and ship White out at peak value.

Take advantage of White’s career-best day and try to secure a more reliable starter or a high-end bench option to help you through the playoffs.

Cooper Kupp was one of the jewels of this fantasy draft class following his incredible Triple Crown-winning campaign in 2021. While most of his Los Angeles Rams teammates have disappointed during their Super Bowl defense, Kupp had remained an elite wideout who has greatly rewarded managers who took him early.

Through the first 10 weeks of the season, only Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson have scored more PPR points than Kupp.

Unfortunately, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Kupp is now expected to miss "some time" recovering from an ankle injury suffered this past Sunday in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Editor's Note: Head coach Sean McVay told reporters Tuesday that Kupp will be placed on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain that requires surgery.

It's a major blow to all of Kupp's fantasy managers who have been relying on his consistently high floor and seemingly unlimited ceiling.

While some managers will be able to withstand the loss of the WR1, many are fighting for their playoff lives and can't afford a drastic drop in production at this crucial time. Because of this, managers in cruise control at the top of the standings should consider making a trade that brings Kupp aboard.

While it's unlikely anyone will give Kupp up for a dirt-cheap return, his value has certainly declined in wake of the injury.

Those who are benching decent talent on a week-to-week basis could package a top bench guy and their lowest-end starting wideout to upgrade to Kupp, taking a hit over the final weeks of the regular season with the upside of becoming a juggernaut in the playoffs upon the superstar's return.