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The NFL season is only three weeks old, but it's aged us all in several ways. If an injury hasn't plagued you yet, consider yourself lucky. Then again, you might be unlucky because if the injury bug hasn't taken a bite out of you, maybe the crappy-early-round-running-back bug has.
C.J. Anderson, DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Hill, Justin Forsett and Lamar Miller were all taken with an Average Draft Position between 10th and 27th overall. Combined, they have four total touchdowns and are averaging 2.7 yards per carry. Just what you wanted when you drafted them, right?
So for the owners of these backs, these first three weeks have felt like an eternity -- and patience is wearing thin. But no one can expect to get a great return on an underperforming running back. These guys were taken with a first- or second-round pick, but you won't get a first- or second-round pick back.
That is, unless, you deal them off for another underwhelming player from the early rounds. That's the only move you can make where you won't be pawning off a once-perceived stud for pennies on the dollar.
From the above group, Hill still carries the most weight. When the Bengals have a favorable matchup and figure to run a decent amount, he'll get the work. Murray is next-best even though he missed Week 3 -- there's plenty of time for him to turn around his season, and the Eagles ran the ball well in his absence. And even though he hasn't scored a touchdown yet this season, C.J. Anderson still figures to have some good opportunities in the Denver offense.
Maybe the move is to trade for one of these three, even if you have to throw something in with Forsett or Miller. Or you could chase a slow-starter at receiver like Alshon Jeffery or Brandin Cooks. Regardless, you don't have to be stuck with a running back you don't like anymore if you don't want to. You just shouldn't have to settle for peanuts.
Here are some trades made by CBSSports.com Fantasy owners involving some of those disappointing running backs.
C.J. Anderson for DeMarco Murray: Both backs will split reps for the foreseeable future, both work behind less-than-stellar offensive lines, but one is in a pass-first offense and one is in a run-first offense. Murray is the better back.
C.J. Anderson and Allen Robinson for Matt Forte: There's no way Forte should be dealt for just Anderson and Robinson. This isn't even close. Anderson and Robinson for Hill or Arian Foster would be more even.
DeMarco Murray for Carson Palmer: As great as Palmer has been, quarterbacks grow on trees. I'd take a chance with Murray for the rest of the season if it meant trading Palmer.
DeMarco Murray for Amari Cooper and Alfred Morris: Cooper is more valuable at this point than Murray, so getting the Raider and Morris for Murray is just an amazing deal.
Jeremy Hill for LeSean McCoy: You should be able to get another player with McCoy for Hill, but a lot of people are ready to move on from Hill after a pair of poor games. Be patient with him.
Jeremy Hill and Sam Bradford for Peyton Manning and Karlos Williams: This is another case of selling too low on Hill, though one might argue Bradford carries virtually no value, which would mean this deal is practically even.
Jeremy Hill and Odell Beckham for Adrian Peterson and Ameer Abdullah: Here's an owner trading his first two picks in Hill and Beckham for a pretty nice payoff of Peterson and Abdullah.
Justin Forsett for Giovani Bernard: An even deal, and not necessarily a horrible one for either owner. Both Forsett and Gio have plenty of potential to improve as well as decline further.
Justin Forsett and Marvin Jones for Tevin Coleman and DeSean Jackson: The Forsett side is stronger, but there's no denying Jackson's gamebreaking potential and Coleman's ability. This might be a fun one to revisit in a few weeks.
Lamar Miller for Karlos Williams and Breshad Perriman: As we read this now, Miller still has just enough value to offset the rookies. But Williams might wind up as Buffalo's best back and who knows what Perriman will be able to deliver Fantasy owners down the line. People ready to dump Miller should make a move to get Williams.
Lamar Miller for LeSean McCoy: Even with McCoy hurting, there's no way I'd move him straight up for Miller.
What are the Trade Values? The chart is designed to help guide you in making fair trades in your standard-scoring or PPR leagues. The values assigned to the players below are a long-term measurement of their Fantasy value. By adding two players' values you could determine what one player you should be able to get in return. This list should also work as a " Rest of Season" rankings. Also, any player not on the chart should be considered valued at no more than three points.
| Player | Stnd | PPR | Player | Stnd | PPR | Player | Stnd | PPR |
| Julio Jones, WR, ATL | 37 | 42 | Steve Smith, WR, BAL | 15 | 19 | Derek Carr, QB, OAK | 8 | 8 |
| Le 'Veon Bell, RB, PIT | 37 | 41 | Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN | 15 | 18 | Steve Johnson, WR, SD | 7 | 10 |
| Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN | 37 | 40 | Greg Olsen, TE, CAR | 15 | 18 | Dez Bryant, WR, DAL | 7 | 10 |
| Antonio Brown, WR, PIT | 36 | 41 | Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET | 15 | 17 | Anquan Boldin, WR, SF | 7 | 10 |
| Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE | 36 | 41 | Joseph Randle, RB, DAL | 15 | 17 | Pierre Garcon, WR, WAS | 7 | 9 |
| Jamaal Charles, RB, KC | 34 | 37 | Melvin Gordon, RB, SD | 15 | 17 | Danny Woodhead, RB, SD | 7 | 9 |
| Eddie Lacy, RB, GB | 33 | 36 | Russell Wilson, QB, SEA | 15 | 15 | Darren Sproles, RB, PHI | 7 | 9 |
| Matt Forte, RB, CHI | 31 | 36 | Cam Newton, QB, CAR | 15 | 15 | Matt Jones, RB, WAS | 7 | 9 |
| Odell Beckham, WR, NYG | 30 | 34 | Donte Moncrief, WR, IND | 13 | 16 | Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL | 7 | 8 |
| Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN | 29 | 33 | James Jones, WR, GB | 13 | 16 | Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI | 7 | 8 |
| Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA | 29 | 31 | Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL | 13 | 15 | Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN | 7 | 8 |
| A.J. Green, WR, CIN | 28 | 31 | Drew Brees, QB, NO | 13 | 13 | Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE | 7 | 8 |
| Tom Brady, QB, NE | 28 | 28 | Brandin Cooks, WR, NO | 12 | 15 | Doug Martin, RB, TB | 7 | 7 |
| Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB | 28 | 28 | Allen Robinson, WR, JAC | 12 | 15 | LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE | 7 | 7 |
| Latavius Murray, RB, OAK | 27 | 30 | C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN | 12 | 14 | Tyrod Taylor, QB, BUF | 7 | 7 |
| Randall Cobb, WR, GB | 24 | 28 | Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ | 12 | 14 | Jason Witten, TE, DAL | 6 | 9 |
| Arian Foster, RB, HOU | 23 | 25 | Todd Gurley, RB, STL | 12 | 13 | DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS | 6 | 8 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU | 22 | 25 | Andy Dalton, QB, CIN | 12 | 12 | Eric Decker, WR, NYJ | 6 | 8 |
| Andrew Luck, QB, IND | 22 | 22 | Andre Ellington, RB, ARI | 11 | 14 | Rishard Matthews, WR, MIA | 6 | 8 |
| Julian Edelman, WR, NE | 21 | 26 | Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN | 11 | 14 | Charles Clay, TE, BUF | 6 | 8 |
| Calvin Johnson, WR, DET | 21 | 24 | Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT | 11 | 13 | Crockett Gillmore, TE, BAL | 6 | 8 |
| Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN | 20 | 24 | Jordan Reed, TE, WAS | 11 | 13 | Delanie Walker, TE, TEN | 6 | 8 |
| Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN | 20 | 21 | Justin Forsett, RB, BAL | 11 | 13 | Ryan Tannehill, QB, MIA | 6 | 6 |
| Mark Ingram, RB, NO | 20 | 21 | Lamar Miller, RB, MIA | 11 | 12 | Sam Bradford, QB, PHI | 6 | 6 |
| Peyton Manning, QB, DEN | 20 | 20 | Eli Manning, QB, NYG | 11 | 11 | Matthew Stafford, QB, DET | 6 | 6 |
| Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI | 19 | 23 | Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA | 10 | 14 | Golden Tate, WR, DET | 5 | 8 |
| Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ | 19 | 23 | Keenan Allen, WR, SD | 10 | 13 | Davante Adams, WR, GB | 5 | 7 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI | 19 | 23 | Kendall Wright, WR, TEN | 10 | 13 | Marvin Jones, WR, CIN | 5 | 7 |
| Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA | 19 | 22 | T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAC | 10 | 11 | Ty Montgomery, WR, GB | 5 | 7 |
| T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND | 18 | 22 | Terrance Williams, WR, DAL | 9 | 12 | Eric Ebron, TE, DET | 5 | 7 |
| Frank Gore, RB, IND | 18 | 20 | Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF | 9 | 12 | David Johnson, RB, ARI | 5 | 6 |
| Amari Cooper, WR, OAK | 17 | 20 | Karlos Williams, RB, BUF | 9 | 11 | Knile Davis, RB, KC | 5 | 5 |
| Travis Kelce, TE, KC | 17 | 20 | Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR | 9 | 9 | C.J. Spiller, RB, NO | 4 | 7 |
| Dion Lewis, RB, NE | 17 | 20 | Alfred Morris, RB, WAS | 9 | 9 | Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI | 4 | 6 |
| LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF | 17 | 19 | Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT | 9 | 9 | Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK | 4 | 6 |
| Carlos Hyde, RB, SF | 17 | 19 | Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC | 8 | 11 | Jordan Cameron, TE, MIA | 4 | 6 |
| Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI | 16 | 19 | Kyle Rudolph, TE, MIN | 8 | 11 | Travis Benjamin, WR, CLE | 4 | 5 |
| Mike Evans, WR, TB | 16 | 19 | Martellus Bennett, TE, CHI | 8 | 11 | Vincent Jackson, WR, TB | 4 | 5 |
| DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI | 16 | 18 | John Brown, WR, ARI | 8 | 10 | Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG | 4 | 4 |
| Carson Palmer, QB, ARI | 16 | 16 | Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN | 8 | 8 | Chris Johnson, RB, ARI | 4 | 4 |
| Matt Ryan, QB, ATL | 16 | 16 | Philip Rivers, QB, SD | 8 | 8 | Tre Mason, RB, STL | 4 | 4 |
