Fantasy Football Trade Value Risers: Analyzing Woody Marks & More

At least for me, one of the broader takeaways from the Thursday night game is that teams need more than one star. Don’t get me wrong. Having a QB that’s willing to throw the ball farther than 4.1 air yards per attempt would be nice. But one skill player can’t always shoulder the load. A drive starting with an explosive from a receiver, followed by a long run from an RB, and ending with a TD to a TE could make the difference. Smaller contributions across the board can be vital to long-term success.

Our fantasy rosters are the same way. Sure, getting a 40-burger from our first- or second-round is always nice. But seeing constant production from our QB1 to our FLEX is a sure sign of a solid roster. With that in mind, let’s find some of the WR2s and RB2s with rising value that we should add to our squads ahead of Week 6.

Risers In Fantasy Football Trade Value

Woody Marks | RB | Texans

The main driver for Woody Marks’ surge in the ranks is David Montgomery’s groin injury. His last carry came in the second quarter against the Titans. Afterward, Marks took all of the RB carries. Montgomery’s absence puts Marks on a path toward an RB1 workload. But Houston’s potential shift in offensive philosophy is the bigger story.

Week 3: -5.7% (PROE)
Week 4: -1.2%
Week 5: +4.4%

The Texans’ move for Marvin Harrison Jr. at least hints at a “we should try something different” mentality. Coincidentally, Week 5 was Marks’ highest route and target rates of the season. And with Jacksonville being the stingiest of run defenses (no 100-yard rushers allowed since 2025), his utility as a receiver alone should have him on our trade target list.

Rachaad White | RB | Commanders

Like David Montgomery, Jacory Croskey-Merritt is also dealing with a groin injury. Accordingly, Rachaad White should be in line to start for Washington. However, White was already chipping away at the split through five weeks.

If it wasn’t White’s usage in short-yardage situations one week, he’d pop up as a high-end target earner the next. Along with playing in the two-minute drill, White’s varying utility put him in the RB3 discussion. Of course, Jayden Daniels’ penchant for calling his own number will limit White’s upside. But with the 49ers yet to allow a 100-yard rusher, White’s receiving skillset will be his best asset as the Commanders’ RB1.

Blake Corum | RB | Rams

Before you ask, no, I don’t think Blake Corum will repeat his Week 5 performance. But Week 5 was the third straight outing for the Rams that came down to a one-score game. And with LA pushed to the limit, Corum’s workload got a (small but) meaningful shift.

Goal-line carries up to 25% (had zero entering Week 5)
Targets per Route Run up to 50% (season-high was 31% from Week 3)

Essentially, he was more than the guy spelling Kyren Williams. Sunday was Corum’s second-highest red-zone snap of the season. Combined with his four targets (tied for the most in a single game this year), Corum’s floor gets a boost. But given the Rams’ next five opponents (2 x ARI, LV, LAC, and WAS), the chance for competitive matchups, forcing more of a rotation, may be hard to come by.

Xavier Worthy | WR | Chiefs

Kansas City will be down two WRs coming out of the bye. Traditionally, Xavier Worthy has fit the “Jameson Williams” receiver archetype because of his deep aDOT. But that hasn’t been the case for the third-year receiver for much of ’26.

Worthy’s been in the short and intermediate parts of the field in three of four games. As a result, his catchable target rate has soared, decreasing his volatility. But with more pass-catching options in the mix, his volume has dropped. Now, with fewer receivers in the rotation, Worthy should at least be a low-end WR2 until we see more of the Chiefs’ offense.

Brenton Strange | TE | Jaguars

I’d bucket Brenton Strange the same way as I’d assess Tucker Kraft’s value: on the rise, but there will be ebbs and flows. Both play with top-12 WRs headlining their passing games. But the averages after Strange’s last three games are hard to ignore.

Route Rate: 77%, 10th (out of 30 TEs, min. 50 routes)
Target Share: 25%, 3rd
Air Yard Share: 23%, 3rd

Trevor Lawrence has the eighth-highest MoF throw rate of any starter. Over 40% of Strange’s targets have gone to the same area. His only issue is lack of red-zone usage. However, as Lawrence will need more than one option to get past Houston’s defense, Strange should be on our radar.

Let’s Make A Deal

So, with today’s theme focusing more on the studs side of a “stars and studs” team build, cost shouldn’t be an issue. You should be able to trade for any of them. But the return should also get you a viable starter that fills a gap elsewhere on your roster.

For instance, let’s say you have Isaiah Likely but could use some help at WR. Tiering down to Strange (a two-tier drop by our rest-of-season fantasy football rankings) for a WR3 with WR2 upside isn’t impossible.

I used our Trade Rater tool to ballpark the long-term values of all three pieces in the proposed trade. Combined with our ranks, the names are just starting points. The person with Emeka Egbuka may have some hope after he caught nine passes and scored a touchdown against Dallas. DJ Moore sits in the same tier. You could even swap to a fringe RB2 if you need to pivot.

The key to this has two parts. First, identify the strengths and limitations of your roster. Everyone (hopefully) has their star, with weaknesses elsewhere. But the harder, more critical element is finding the right player to target in a trade. The tiers give us a reasonable starting point. Afterward, it’s identifying the optimal situations (i.e., positive usage trends, efficient offenses) worth investing in to get us the players we need.