Whether you’re buying or selling, here’s a list of players to consider making a move on before it’s too late.
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Players to Buy
Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)
It might be time to go out there and see what it would take to acquire Chubb. The Browns have clearly lost their biggest star in the backfield, as Kareem Hunt has struggled to fill his shoes while gone. The Browns had their bye in Week 9, so two weeks might’ve been enough time for Chubb to return just in time for the fantasy stretch run.
Tyler Lockett (WR – SEA)
It’s been boom-or-bust for Lockett over the last six weeks, as he’s either finished as THE No. 1 wide receiver or outside the top-50 wide receivers. The upcoming schedule should allow for some of those big performances, as the Rams will have Jalen Ramsey shadow D.K. Metcalf, while Lockett reaps the benefits of that. The following week they’ll play the Cardinals, the team Lockett crushed for 200 yards a few weeks back. Buy while you can at discounted prices.
David Montgomery (RB – CHI)
If you’re looking to trade for a running back, or add some depth before the trade deadline, making a move for Montgomery would make sense. He’s not someone fantasy managers are excited to roster, as he just doesn’t offer any upside. However, we constantly look at rankings and think, “I really don’t love this player, but given the state of the running back position, he’s ranked as a top-25 option.” Montgomery’s schedule from Week 12-16 is among the best in football, going against the Packers, Lions, Texans, Vikings, and Jaguars in that time. He can be a role player on a fantasy championship team.
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
Trade deadlines are coming up in leagues here shortly, and that means you need to look beyond just a few weeks of schedule. If you’re looking like a playoff team, a trade for Jackson makes a ton of sense. From Weeks 11 through 16, he’ll play the Titans, Cowboys, Browns, Jaguars, and Giants. The lone bad matchup in those weeks is against the Steelers in Week 12, which is before the fantasy playoffs begin. Jackson is a prime buy-low quarterback.
Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
I’m all about playing the fantasy football stock market, which is why Taylor was a sell prior to last week, but he’s a buy now that his price has tumbled. After a brutal matchup with the Ravens, the Colts’ schedule really opens up over the next six weeks with games against the Titans (twice), Texans (twice), Packers, and Raiders. It doesn’t get much better than that for a running back.
Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)
He returned before their bye week, which tells you he was healthy, as they wouldn’t have pushed him into that game with two weeks of rest coming. The trade deadline is nearing in fantasy leagues, so you need to look forward to playoff schedules, and there aren’t many tight ends with better schedules than Goedert in Weeks 14-16, as he’ll play against the Saints, Cardinals, and Cowboys during that time. He’s a borderline top-five tight end the rest of the way.
Latavius Murray (RB – NO)
When you make a trade for someone like Murray, you’re trading for someone his manager views as a bye-week filler or RB3/4 option. Now that most bye weeks are out of the way, your goal should be to collect as many league-winners on your bench as possible. If Alvin Kamara were to miss any time, Murray would be an every-week RB1, which is worth much more than Murray’s bye week filler/RB3/4 pricetag.
Le’Veon Bell (RB – KC)
This is the time of the year to make deals for guys like Bell. I’m sure you’re wondering why considering he hasn’t been playable in each of his three games with the Chiefs. It’s because his managers will trade him at this point for RB4 prices. That’s great, because not only will he deliver that type of value moving forward through bye weeks, but he also offers league-winning upside should Clyde Edwards-Helaire be forced to miss any time.
Jamaal Williams (RB – GB)
Now that Aaron Jones is back, you might see Williams hit the waiver wire in some leagues. While that shouldn’t happen, we know it does. Even if he’s on someone’s roster, go and see what it’d take to acquire him. We already know how things would go down in the Packers backfield if Jones were to miss any time, and that amounts to an RB1 in Williams. These are the types of players who win fantasy championships.
Allen Lazard (WR – GB)
The Packers had Lazard back at practice the last two weeks, which means he’ll be on the field very soon. Rodgers hasn’t had a consistent option outside of Davante Adams, who teams are going to start bracketing and doubling in coverage. This is going to benefit Lazard massively, as his slot-heavy role should be filled with targets. He’s probably available on waiver wires in most leagues, but even trading for him makes sense given the way Rodgers has played through the first half of 2020.
Players to Sell
Todd Gurley (RB – ATL)
He keeps falling into the end zone, which is what’s holding up his fantasy stock, but his inefficiency cannot be ignored. Neither can his schedule, which ranks as the third-toughest in the NFL over the remainder of the season, including two games against the Saints and one against the Bucs, two teams you really don’t want to start running backs against.
Darrell Henderson (RB – LAR)
Remember how we saw Ronald Jones‘ fantasy value disappear overnight? The same thing can happen to Henderson, who’s stuck in a three-way timeshare with Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers. On top of that, the Rams have the fifth-hardest remaining schedule in football.
Marquise Brown (WR – BAL)
Based on what I see Brown ranked as every week, there are many who are still sky-high on Brown as a buy-low. Unfortunately, there comes a time where we have to admit the truth. Brown has topped 57 yards just four times over his last 20 games. Lamar Jackson hasn’t gotten it together as a passer, and though there’s going to be a week where Brown completely goes off in the box score, you won’t be able to predict it. He hurts your starting lineup more often than he helps it.
Zach Moss (RB – BUF)
Some will see the trending usage and think Moss is going to be an every-week RB2, and while he seems to have passed Devin Singletary as the top back on the team, he’s still going to be sharing goal-line duties with Josh Allen on a team that doesn’t run the ball very much. Singletary won’t go away, either, making Moss more of a touchdown-dependent RB3-type option with a limited ceiling.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.