A lot of action on the field this past weekend has changed the calculus when it comes to the trade market. 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.
With just a few weeks until most fantasy football trade deadlines, now is the best time to check out Trade Central to make finding and executing trades dead simple. See your league-mates’ top positional needs, and find trades that are the most likely to get accepted.
A lot of action on the field this past weekend has changed the calculus when it comes to the trade market. 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.
With just a few weeks until most fantasy football trade deadlines, now is the best time to check out Trade Central to make finding and executing trades dead simple. See your league-mates’ top positional needs, and find trades that are the most likely to get accepted.
The Trade: Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA) for Kyler Murray (QB – ARI)
The Reasoning: From being potentially replaced in the off-season to an MVP candidate, Tua Tagovailoa has had one of the most eventful seasons for any NFL player in recent memory. Thanks to the addition of All-Pro Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins’ passing game has taken off with Tua throwing for 1,980 yards and 15 touchdowns and that’s with missing two games due to a concussion. No matter your league scoring settings, Tua’s been a top-five quarterback. This is why now is the perfect time to swap him for a more reliable quarterback.
It’s not a knock against Tua – he’s been fantastic for his fantasy managers. But because we have yet to see a full season in which Tua keeps it up, he’s entering uncharted territory. The whole offense, save for Tyreek Hill, all the way on up to new coach Mike McDaniel is entering the upper echelon of fantasy scoring for the first time.
Meanwhile, there’s a reliable option that could be swapped and potentially be even better for your fantasy team. With star receiver DeAndre Hopkins back in the fold, it appears to be all systems go for Kyler Murray. Since Hopkins’ return, Murray’s thrown six touchdowns in three games (after throwing just six in his previous six games). It’s extremely possible Murray throws for just as many yards and touchdowns as Tua, but Murray has a bonus feature – his legs. He’s averaging almost 40 yards per game on the ground, typically four points per game in most fantasy leagues, and has added two more touchdowns.
Now is as good a time as any to sell high on Tua and get more of a sure thing.
The Trade: Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET) for JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – KC)
The Reasoning: Amon-Ra St. Brown is on a cold streak. Since Week 2 when St. Brown totaled nine receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns, he hasn’t scored or even topped 73 yards receiving. Some of that is injury related but it’s also been St. Brown himself. Other players on the Lions’ offense are doing well. Quarterback Jared Goff has several games of 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns and the backfield is one of the best in the league between D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. Even veteran Josh Reynolds has about as many fantasy points as St. Brown.
It’s a tad disappointing as St. Brown was widely viewed as a breakout candidate before the season. But he has yet to improve upon his rookie numbers including just a 10.2 yards-per-reception from his 10.1 last year and is averaging just 57 yards-per-game this year compared to 53.6 last year. So far St. Brown is on the WR2/3 line.
Meanwhile, Juju Smith-Schuster is on a hot streak. He’s averaged over 100 yards per game and scored twice in his last two games with the Chiefs. It seems he has figured out the most efficient way to work with Patrick Mahomes. Travis Kelce will always be Mahomes’ favorite target but Smith-Schuster can certainly be his favorite receiver with his ability to line up all over the field.
Going forward, experts still rank St. Brown ahead of Smith-Schuster but it’s not clear why. Smith-Schuster is on a much better offense with a much better quarterback and has put up WR1 numbers in the past. There’s no reason he can’t do it again.
The Trade: Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL) for Cole Kmet (TE – CHI)-plus
The Reasoning: It may seem like blasphemy to suggest such a thing but consider the seasons these two players have had. Kyle Pitts, widely viewed as the heir apparent to Travis Kelce as fantasy’s top tight end, has been the biggest flop this season. In eight games, he has just 23 receptions for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Pitts fantasy managers thought the season might turn around two weeks ago when he totaled five receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Alas, he came back down to earth last week with just two receptions for 27 yards.
Those stats might be confusing for Cole Kmet. And, in fact, they are! Kmet, through the same eight games, has 19 receptions for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Both Pitts and Kmet are just low-end TE2s when it comes to fantasy scoring.
To predict what Pitts may do the rest of the season, we have to accept that the first half of the season was not a fluke. You can chalk up a game or two as an outlier but Pitts is halfway through the season and hasn’t shown any flashes of being a TE1. Kmet, on the other hand, has scored more touchdowns (three) in the last two games than Pitts had all season. For Justin Fields‘ part, he’s thrown eight touchdowns in his last five games while throwing just two interceptions in that same span. And while no one will mistake Justin Fields for Patrick Mahomes when it comes to the passing game, if Fields can at least be more efficient and find Kmet in the red zone, Kmet can be a contributor to fantasy teams.
Beyond our fantasy football content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Trade Analyzer – which allows you to instantly find out if a trade offer benefits you or your opponent – to our Trade Finder – which suggests trades that will help you improve your team – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.