Trade season is upon us, which means rumors and speculation will be rampant. Sometimes the potential trade bait is obvious -- like wide receiver Zay Jones, who was dealt from Buffalo to Oakland last week -- but other candidates seem to come out of nowhere.
One way to discover these potential sleeper picks is to sort through the league's deepest position groups, where there is usually an odd man. Yes, having quality depth is important, but for a contending team, trading a bench player for a regular contributor at another position could help toward a Super Bowl run. For a rebuilding team, a future draft pick can help accelerate the plan.
Here are 10 of the league's deepest position groups, as well as a player from each that makes sense as a potential trade piece at the deadline:
Los Angeles Chargers running backs
The group: Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson, Troymaine Pope
We'll start with the obvious one. Gordon unsuccessfully held out the first four weeks of the regular season while backup Ekeler shredded the NFL for 490 scrimmage yards (fifth among running backs) and six offensive touchdowns (first).
Meanwhile, second-year back Jackson racked up 142 yards on only 18 carries (7.9 YPC). Gordon, who couldn't come to an agreement with the Chargers this past offseason, is headed to free agency after the campaign, meaning the 26-year-old will have a new home no later than March.
Ekeler (a restricted free agent this offseason) and Jackson (signed through 2021) are near locks to return in 2020. Gordon makes sense as the one to go if the injuries continue to push the Chargers out of the playoff race.
Odd man out: Gordon
What he could bring in trade: 2020 Day 2 and Day 3 draft picks
