Some fantasy football managers get a little too obsessed with the idea of "winning" a trade. They will only make a deal if it overtly benefits them on paper and are generally not fun to deal with.
But you, dear reader, know that fantasy football is just a long series of calculated bets. There are too many injuries and weird bounces of the ball to know for certain how the rest of the season is going to shake out. Trades that win Week 1 could look horrible by midseason. All you can really do is try to research enough to sell high, buy low and hope for the best. The only surefire way to lose a fantasy season is to not make any moves at all.
With that said, here are eight fantasy football trade targets for Week 3:
Week 3 fantasy football players to buy
Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers
We had Herbert listed in this column
for Week 2 and he rewarded us with a touchdown, but also just 192 yards, two interceptions and three fumbles (one lost) for a Chargers team that at times looked like it was trying to play a different sport. Thanks, Mr. Beer.
Making this trade would be risky, but it's only been two games with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and Herbert has the talent to figure it out. Even if he doesn't and the Chargers' struggles continue, Herbert managers are probably freaked out enough right now that the price tag will be cheap. We could look back at this as a fantastic buy window.
Drake London, WR, Falcons
Atlanta can't get any worse on offense, right? That's the bet for London here. If you can find another manager panicking about his pedestrian six catches through two weeks, see if you can get London for much cheaper than the second or third round price tag that he was drafted with. Michael Penix might not be an All-Pro, but he physically cannot be worse than what the Falcons have been trotting out at quarterback so far in 2026.
Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens
Baltimore's 24-17 loss to the Saints in Week 2 was one of the more shocking results of the weekend, and the game made it clear that the Ravens really missed their WR1, Zay Flowers. There are just not quality receivers catching passes from Lamar Jackson when Flowers is out.
There's a chance Flowers can't play again in Week 3 with an injured hamstring, but he did return to practice in a limited capacity at the end of last week and could potentially suit up in Week 3. Even if he doesn't play and even with the injury risk baked in, Flowers is still a buy here. He's just that important to what Baltimore and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle want to do on offense.
Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks
Chances are that someone drafted the injured Charbonnet to stash on their bench until he returns from a torn ACL suffered in January. If there's any fantasy luck on your side, that manager has started 0-2 and feels desperate for healthy reinforcements. Normally we try and avoid trading for injured players, but this Seattle offense is looking like one to invest in, especially after career backup Emanuel Wilson ripped off 21 carries for 92 yards with rookie Jadarian Price sidelined with a chest injury.
Charbonnet also might be returning to the field soon. Last Friday, before the Seahawks embarrassed the Cardinals in Week 2, Seattle coach Mike McDonald said, "Zach's doing great. We're getting down to possibly finding a date where he could start practicing again. So that's coming – it's coming soon." If he starts playing in October, we're looking at a potential workhorse RB1 in a good offense for the last half of the season. Buy, buy, buy.
Week 2 fantasy football players to sell
Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons
The consensus No. 2 overall pick in fantasy drafts has been solid in 2026 but is plagued by the same Atlanta offense that has London frustrated. Though life should get easier with Penix, Robinson is going to be fighting an uphill battle to match his draft capital all season. Your league probably doesn't have RB1s come to the trade market often, so you might be able to get a haul of multiple top-tier starters in return.
Kalif Raymond, WR, Bears
Through two weeks, the 32-year-old Raymond leads the hyped Bears offense in receiving yards (124), catches (13) and targets (14). He is on pace for 110 catches and more than 1,000 yards, which would be wild for a WR who has never topped 50 catches or 650 yards in a season. Old guys in the middle of career-best boom stretches generally fit the profile of players we're trying to sell high on.
Bryce Young, QB, Panthers
The anti-Herbert for the purposes of this article, Young was a sell last week but then threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns in a nice Week 2 win over the Falcons. You can probably keep Young for a bit longer, as the Panthers are playing the Browns and Lions the next two weeks, but their schedule gets significantly harder following the Week 5 bye.
Young could certainly be in the middle of a breakout season in his fourth year and continue making the doubters look silly, but he's still the smallest QB in the league. Small QBs are generally a profile to fade over the course of a long NFL season. Don't run to the door to sell him, but if someone wants to pay a QB1 price, by all means.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Texans
The veteran tight end posted 12 catches for a career-high 140 yards in Week 2 with star wide receiver Nico Collins out. Even if Collins misses more time, any time you see the phrase "career-high" attached to a veteran in Year 9, it's a good time to sell high.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football buy, sell: Eight trade candidates for Week 3
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