As we approach trade deadlines in many fantasy football leagues, we also get closer to the playoffs. This is when you need to shore up whatever weaknesses your team has left and make some moves for the title.
Here are some players I’m targeting and players I’m moving on from in my own leagues:
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Waiver Wire Picks
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Week 8 Trade Values
Trade Value Risers
It may surprise you to hear that Tommy DeVito finished as the QB5 in Week 11. He finished just ahead of studs like Josh Allen, Kyler Murray and Justin Fields. In addition, DeVito has gotten better each of the last four weeks. In Week 8, he scored a meager 7.16 points, followed by 8.7 in Week 9, 13.54 in Week 10 and then 22.54 in Week 11. He’s now passed for zero, one, two and three passing touchdowns consecutively in his four starts.
It’d be crazy if he scored more fantasy points or threw for four touchdowns in Week 12, but the pattern is there. As far as waiver wire QBs go, you could do worse. It seems that the coaches have been game-planning around him better, or he’s finally settling into his role. Either way, it’s hard to ignore him as a trade value riser any longer. I’m not sending the farm for him; he’s still a solid QB2 option. However, if you just lost Joe Burrow you could do worse, right? It all depends on who’s available or which QB you can add for the lowest cost.
While starting RB Dameon Pierce has been dealing with an injury, his backup has taken full advantage of the opportunity at hand. Devin Singletary finished Week 11 with 112 yards on 22 carries, good for a 5.1 yards per carry average. He also rushed for a touchdown, finishing as RB8 on the week.
The Houston Texans seem to be firing on all cylinders under rookie QB CJ Stroud, but Singletary is holding his own as well of late. He scored his other touchdown of the season against the Bengals in Week 10 when he rushed for 150 yards. Needless to say, Singletary has become a surefire starting RB. Even once Pierce returns, I still expect to see Singletary having plenty of flex appeal.
I called Calvin Ridley a trade value faller last week and apparently, that upset him. He’s been very hit-or-miss this year, but in Week 11 he was a dead-on bullseye. He was the only receiver to catch more than one touchdown on the slate and finished as the WR1 with 103 yards on seven catches and two touchdowns.
Ridley is still very spotty, and in fantasy that can be a killer, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge that his trade value sees a bump after this week’s finish. I’m not sure I’d acquire him before the trade deadline, but I’d be fine sending him away on the right team. I love his highs but I just don’t know if I can weather the lows with the playoffs coming up.
Similar to Singletary, Dalton Schultz has benefitted greatly from the Stroud-led Texans being good. He only caught two passes of his three targets in Week 11, but one of them was for a touchdown, allowing him to finish as TE6 on the week. Schultz’s volume may be low but for tight ends, finding the end zone is all it takes. Schultz is tied for second at the position with five TDs, helping him to a TE7 overall ranking.
With the injury to Ravens TE Mark Andrews, a lot of fantasy managers will be turning to Isaiah Likely, but I’d much rather send an offer for Schultz instead. Chasing injuries can often be a bad move, and chasing points can too, but chasing touchdowns feels a little more secure. You might not have to give up much if the Schultz manager hasn’t been paying much attention or if they have a better option they’re playing ahead of him. Either way, check the price before you go crazy on waivers this week.
Trade Value Fallers
Yet again my trade value faller at the QB position is someone who finished behind two QBs on the same team. Kenny Pickett’s QB29 finish was pretty bad. He only threw for 106 yards against a brutal Cleveland defense, which wasn’t all that shocking. What is shocking is that he has only broke 10 fantasy points five times out of his 10 starts this year.
The team fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada, but it might be too little, too late. With Canada gone, there’s no longer anyone left to blame if and when Pickett eventually messes up. For fantasy purposes, he’s droppable outside of leagues where you can start two QBs. It’s just time to cut your losses here.
Austin Ekeler has been as steady as they come at the RB position when he’s on the field, but something looked different in Week 11. He only saw 10 carries and three targets, amassing a total of 70 yards on the day. The Chargers just look lost, and Ekeler suffered as a result, only scoring seven PPR points due to a lost fumble.
It’s hard to say why, but it looks like Ekeler might be starting to lose his mojo for fantasy. If the team won’t lean on him, then he can’t be trusted in my lineup. I’m fine moving on at the right price, especially if you have other RB options you can pivot to.
Jordan Addison had the second-worst performance of his young 11-game career this weekend, finishing as WR49 with 7.4 PPR points Sunday night against the Broncos. He saw six targets from new starting QB Joshua Dobbs, catching three of them for 44 yards. His ho-hum performance might be the sign of things to come, as defenses might finally be catching on to the new offensive scheme.
Also considering that WR Justin Jefferson is scheduled back any day now, Addison could be in for a significant downturn in output. I’d try to trade him now before he has another bad week. Still, don’t sell him for pennies. He’s worth rostering for now, even if he’s no longer a definite starter in my book.
Oddly enough, much like my TE riser Schultz, Cole Kmet is also tied for second in the league with five TDs. He’s also one spot ahead of Schultz in the season-long rankings. So, how is he a faller? It’s largely because Kmet is much more of an all-or-nothing player than Schultz. Kmet has scored his five touchdowns in just three games, scoring two in a game twice this year. He’s getting more volume too, but on a much less competitive team in the Bears.
I’d much rather send Kmet away for a player like Schultz because I prefer more stability as my starting tight end position. Many will disagree and opt instead for the boom-or-bust style of Kmet. While Kmet has outscored Schultz on the year, he’s scored five or fewer PPR points four times, the same amount of times he’s scored over 10 PPR points. He’s all or nothing, and I can’t take a zero in my lineup when my whole season is on the line.
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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.
