Fantasy Football Trade Value Risers: Analyzing A Jalen Coker-Germie Bernard Trade

Guillotine Leagues™ have taken over my season. If you haven’t played one, the lowest-scoring team gets chopped each week, and its entire roster hits waivers. My guys Marcas and Tipp (with some help from yours truly) break down the strategy every week. And every Tuesday turns into a bidding war. Someone always drops half their FAAB on the biggest name available. Sometimes it works. Other times, they’re left with a star and a lineup full of holes.

The same idea applies to traditional leagues. Most of us don’t have a first-rounder hitting the wire, and trading for one is expensive. Last week, we talked about needing production from your QB1 down to your FLEX. Upgrading a shaky RB2 or WR3 can swing a matchup just as much as landing a superstar, at a much easier price. So, let’s skip the big swings and find the risers worth targeting to shore up the middle of your lineup.

Risers In Fantasy Football Trade Value For Week 7

Germie Bernard | WR | Steelers

There are two things we have to acknowledge with Germie Bernard. First, we only have two weeks out of the six-game season of him performing well. Second, it took injuries to two other pass-catchers for him to get there. Said another way, who knows what his workload will look like when everyone’s healthy. And before you push back on that idea, I have two words for you: Jaylen Warren. However, even with those things in mind, it’s hard not to buy into his success.

Full-time snap share. Out-targeted DK Metcalf in one outing. Has more opportunities and output than Metcalf over the two-game span. Plus, with Bernard running 59.5% of his routes from the slot and having a short-area aDOT (3.6), he should continue to feast on high-percentage throws. Our rankers have him as a high-end WR3 in our rest-of-season fantasy football rankings. However, with his usage pointing to a larger workload, I’d pay that price now with the idea he’ll exceed it by the end of December.

Omar Cooper | WR | Jets

With Omar Cooper, our sample size is even smaller. He has just one full game with Geno Smith, but he had an immediate impact on the passing game.

New York Jets rookie Round 1 WR Omar Cooper Jr. Every Week 6 target https://t.co/OLiwlHPZgs
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 19, 2026

Coming into the game, Garrett Wilson had top-12 marks in targets and yards amongst all WRs. Finally, with a competent QB, he was turning into the WR1 in both real life and fantasy that we always wanted for him. Cooper returned to the lineup and immediately jumped Wilson in every stat.

To be clear, I’m not saying Cooper’s return is a death knell for Wilson’s value. Smith’s PROE has been on a steady rise, at least suggesting there’ll be enough volume for the two to coexist. Besides, at least in Week 6, they operated in separate areas.

Cooper ran over half of his routes from the slot on primarily in-breaking routes. Wilson kept to the perimeter on go-balls and timing routes to the outside. But what's lost in the big plays is Cooper’s route diversity, which, with his usage, should make him a buy as a WR3.

Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Texans

OK, so I’ll admit I’m reaching with putting Marvin Harrison Jr. here. This analysis is more of the “buy it before you see it” variety. But let’s walk through my three-part logic.

ABSURD Throw from CJ Stroud 😳 https://t.co/BGCZUTCWqF
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) October 18, 2026

Not only is C.J. Stroud playing better, but he’s passing more often. Since Week 3, Houston’s PROE has flipped from -5.7% to +3.6%, with positive pass rates in back-to-back games to close out Week 6. The Texans are putting their hopes of re-entering the playoff race in Stroud’s hands. And they’re going about it the right way.

Week 3: 66.7% (11 personnel rate), 33.3% (2+ TE rate), 3.3% (use of 6+ OL)
Week 4: 75.8%, 15.2%, 9.1%
Week 5: 69.4%, 22.2%, 8.3%
Week 6: 64.7%, 23.5%, 17.6%

On its own, Houston’s offensive line is a liability. So, OC Nick Caley has been using more multi-TE sets or bringing in extra linemen to keep Stroud upright. That’s good for Stroud. But it pulls away from the number of receivers on the field at once. And one of the Texans’ WRs is already feeling the squeeze.

Per TruMedia, Jaylin Noel has played just two snaps when two or more TEs are on the field. Essentially, if the concept calls for just two receivers, you’ll find Noel on the sideline. Meanwhile, in his debut with the team, Harrison (who’s larger than Noel in both directions) not only got on the field but earned a target, setting up a key third down. He even blocked downfield, springing Noel for a huge play.

After sitting at a 31.5% and 30.8% rate of in-breaking routes in Arizona, Houston immediately got him running across the field to get the ball in his hands on half of his targets. I recognize it’s just one game. But the talent (that’s still there), pass-friendly environment, and past connection with the QB would have me sending out offers for the Texans’ new WR.

Tyler Higbee | TE | Rams

Let’s add even more context to Tyler Higbee’s UR game log.

Terrance Ferguson went down in Week 3, opening up more looks for Higbee. Puka Nacua returned in Week 4 and hoarded all of the targets. While Davante Adams ran 81% of the routes in Week 6, Matthew Stafford was getting rid of the ball in 2.45 seconds, benefiting Higbee. But now with Adams out and Nacua hurt, Higbee becomes one of the Rams' primary pass catchers.

Fantasy Football Trade Strategy For Week 7 - Let’s Make A Deal!

I wanted to try something different this week. I went through the trade market over on Yahoo and found some recent deals. Let’s look at a couple, run them through our Trade Analyzer tool, and see if they pass the sniff test or if we could make them a bit better should you be on either side of the negotiations.

Personally, I’d stick with Jalen Coker. He’s earned more targets than Tetairoa McMillan when both have been healthy. But I get needing depth at RB. However, with RJ Harvey specifically, his path to touches only becomes more uncertain with Jonah Coleman expected back. But by using our tiered rankings, we can identify a few options depending on how soon you need help at your RB2 spot.

With all three rushers, only a single teammate is impeding their touches on a weekly basis. And all of them are attached to better offenses. However, both Mason and Etienne are still on IR. So where you sit in the standings and your depth become a factor. Regardless, narrowing the outcomes for the players you’re acquiring should be a part of the process in any deal. Let’s look at another.

Admittedly, seeing both rosters would help here. I’d be surprised if anyone would have the luxury of offloading Derrick Henry without getting at least a backup RB in return. Besides that, neither of the Vikings’ pass-catchers has put together enough production to justify moving on from those starters. Maybe they know something about the 49ers’ and Ravens’ offenses that we don’t. Regardless, let’s make this a bit more realistic.

Despite the high-end target share, Amon-Ra St. Brown’s output has lagged behind his peers as the Lions went into their bye. There’d at least be some uncertainty about what to expect, even though the Lions’ defense will continually keep the team in a pass-first script. Regardless, if the goal was to bring in more talent at WR, aiming for a single piece in a deal won’t always have the effect we need. Instead of St. Brown, Garrett Wilson and DJ Moore (along with Harrison) would also raise the floor of your team. Said another way, instead of always reaching for stars, build a lineup that doesn’t need one to win every week.