Top 10 Fantasy-Relevant Trade Candidates

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching on Tuesday, Nov. 5, there is a lot of chatter around the league about players who could be on the move. From Cooper Kupp to Mike Williams, we could see a handful of trades that change this year’s fantasy landscape.

Here, I will break down the top 10 fantasy-relevant trade candidates in order of importance. In other words, the best and most important players are ranked first, and the least important players are ranked last.

1. Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams

• Guess at chances of deal: 30-40%
• Winners if deal happened: Puka Nacua (slight boost), Jordan Whittington (big boost)
• Losers if deal happened: Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, WRs on Kupp’s new team

There seems to be real smoke around a Kupp deal happening before the deadline, with Diana Russini stating the Rams are “definitely open to trading Kupp”. I would guess their willingness to trade Kupp hinges on the team’s performance over the next few weeks against the Vikings and Seahawks. If they can win one or both of these games and claw their way towards .500, I’m skeptical Sean McVay would be willing to punt off the season and trade away his star WR.

If Kupp is traded, I expect the Rams’ 3-WR rotation, when healthy, to be Nacua, Whittington, and Demarcus Robinson, with Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson on the outside looking in. Whittington, a rookie who has flashed impressive per-route metrics (2.1 YPRR, 24% TPRR), would be the biggest winner of a Kupp deal, as I suspect the Rams would use the rest of the season without Kupp to see what they have in the rookie. Barring some unlikely dream destination (e.g., Chiefs), Kupp would be a major loser in any deadline deal. The rapport he has with Stafford combined with McVay’s elite offensive scheming would be tough to replicate anywhere else in the NFL.

2. Diontae Johnson, WR, Panthers

• Guess at chances of deal: 40-50%
• Winners if deal happened: Diontae Johnson (potential big boost depending on destination), Xavier Legette (big boost)
• Losers if deal happened: WRs on Diontae’s new team

ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that “the expectation around the NFL is that Carolina Panthers WR Diontae Johnson will be on the move by the Nov. 5 deadline.” Given the Panthers’ struggles and Johnson’s open frustration with his team, it makes sense that Johnson could be on the move.

Though Johnson lacks target competition in Carolina, the improvement in QB play he would be likely to see in any trade destination would