It’s decision time for a lot of fantasy leagues out there. Luckily, FantasyPros has you covered. Not only is there the ‘Who Should I Trade?’ tool where you can get instant trade feedback but every week in this space, we’ll dig even deeper into players that should be moved. There will be the classic one-for-one deals but also deals where multiple pieces would equate to one piece which will be indicated with a ‘-plus’ next to the players’ name.
The Trade: Justin Fields (QB – CHI) for Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
The Reasoning: There is no hotter player in football, let alone fantasy football, than Justin Fields. The Chicago Bears quarterback has not only thrown multiple touchdowns in his last three games but has rushed for nearly 400 yards in that same span. He’s the top fantasy quarterback over the last month and it’s not even close. Not even Patrick Mahomes has topped Fields when it comes to fantasy scoring lately.
The question now for Fields managers is can he keep it up? Fields hasn’t even finished his sophomore season yet so it’s not as if there is a large sample size to have confidence in. Even this season, he had just one multi-passing touchdown game before this recent stretch and didn’t top 52 yards rushing until Week 6. This isn’t to say it’s guaranteed that Fields can’t keep this up but it’s a huge gamble.
Meanwhile, we have last year’s winner of ‘hottest quarterback down the stretch,’ Joe Burrow. The Bengals quarterback is having another great season – completing 70% of his passes, averaging over 280 passing yards per game, and is up to 18 touchdowns with half the season left. The only thing going against Burrow at this point in the season is the loss of All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase to a hip injury with an uncertain return date.
Don’t let that stop you from swapping Fields for Burrow. The Fields story is nice but the Bears are not a great team and have lost the last three games that Fields went off in. Burrow, with or without Chase, is more of a sure thing for your fantasy team down the stretch.
The Trade: Rachaad White (RB – TB) for Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)
The Reasoning: Week 10 appeared to be the breakout game for Bucs rookie running back Rachaad White. After not seeing more than eight carries in any game this season, White handled 22 carries and turned them into 105 yards, almost as many rushing yards as he’s had all season. White got the start in place of veteran Leonard Fournette who ended up leaving the game anyway with a hip injury. Between the sudden shift in who starts and the injury to Fournette, White has a firm grip on the job going forward.
But could another rookie running back be even more valuable down the stretch? Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. Pacheco has started the last three Chiefs games over Clyde Edwards-Helaire and appears to have a pretty long leash – he fumbled last week in the red zone but still saw the carries over CEH. Pacheco has very little to do with the passing game but is averaging nearly five yards per carry on the season.
When comparing the two, neither has a significant athletic edge over the other nor serious draft capital – White was a third-round pick while Pacheco was a seventh-round pick. But they do play for very different teams and offenses. The Chiefs have the highest-scoring offense so far this season, averaging 30 points per game; Tampa Bay is in the bottom-six of scoring offense at 18 points per game. Patrick Mahomes is the superior quarterback compared to Tom Brady (for this year anyway) even if Pacheco isn’t going to be catching passes; White didn’t see any targets when he totaled 22 carries so he may be in a similar role to Pacheco, just on a worse offense. If you’re going to gamble on a rookie running back to make a championship run, take the one on the more explosive offense.
The Trade: Parris Campbell (WR – IND) for Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
The Reasoning: It only took until his fourth season but Colts receiver Parris Campbell is finally showing why he was a second-round pick. Showing a rapport with quarterback Matt Ryan (who has started most of the Colts games this year), Campbell has surpassed his career receiving yardage total through just 10 games this season and his three touchdowns are one more than he’s scored in his previous three seasons combined. Congratulations if you are one of the few who not just rostered Campbell but started him this season.
But like most things that have to do with the Colts this season, can we trust it? The Colts started with Matt Ryan under center and Frank Reich as their head coach. Reich then went with second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger for a spell but Reich was fired and replaced by Jeff Saturday who promptly went back to Matt Ryan. Campbell fantasy managers would love for the good times to continue with Ryan but who knows anymore?
In Houston, we have some clarity at least when it comes to the quarterback and coach. And for Nico Collins managers, it could be even more clear with the status of fellow receiver Brandin Cooks as a Texan nearing a conclusion. Cooks wasn’t happy about not moving on to a contender and voiced his frustration where we all do – on Twitter. That didn’t go over well with the Texans and it seems divorce is inevitable. He has already been benched a game and even if he returns, it’s doubtful the Texans lean on him. Enter Collins who is nearing his rookie stat totals in just half the games. Through seven weeks, Collins has caught 23 balls for 354 yards and a touchdown compared to 33 receptions last year for 446 yards but through 14 games.
If you’re looking to cash in on Campbell for a possible WR1, Collins would be your best shot.
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Michael Moore is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @DLF_Moore.