Thankfully there weren’t any byes to worry about this week so everyone got to play. Some did better than others, as always, so let’s take a look at a few that might have seen the biggest changes. Some of these are younger players finally seeing their potential and some are older players that are past their prime. Either way, see what you can do to make some moves in your league before you miss the boat.
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
Trade Value Risers
Howell and the Commanders played a great game against their divisional foes, the Eagles, in Week 8. Even though they lost, Howell looked solid. He threw for a week-high 397 yards, four touchdowns, and a single interception. This was enough to finish as QB1 on the week, ahead of Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, and Joe Burrow. Howell is also QB8 on the season overall, QB10 in points per game. All of this signals he’s definitely a buy moving forward and someone I’m happy to pay up to get if need be.
Just like Howell, my RB riser finished at the top of his position in Week 8 in PPR scoring. However, Gibbs finished just 0.1 PPR points ahead of Christian McCaffrey, so it was close. All that aside, Gibbs finally got used in the way that every fantasy manager wanted. The Lions won so maybe they’ll keep this up too. Sure, David Montgomery is due to come back soon, but two weeks of scoring over 27 PPR points is hard to ignore, even for the Lions coaching staff.
A career high in yards (108) and targets (10) is worth calling out, in my opinion. Dotson had a career day thanks to Howell’s career day, but both deserve a shoutout on this list. Dotson hasn’t been stellar this year, but that could be changing for the better. If Howell can keep it up, Dotson should benefit as well. A rising tide raises all boats, as they say. I’m not saying that Dotson will be a top-10 receiver most weeks, but that’s not a bad ceiling for someone who was drafted to be a WR3 or flex option on your roster. If nothing else, now that he’s shown what he can do, you might be able to trade him for a more stable player, like a running back, if that’s what your team needs.
The no-brainer pick for the rising tight end has to be the TE1 on the week, right? McBride stepped into the role that Zach Ertz left behind after going on IR. The Cardinals have a lot of issues, but McBride doesn’t seem to be one of them. Now, I don’t expect McBride to see 14 targets every week, especially with QB Joshua Dobbs being traded to Minnesota, but I still like his upside. If you don’t have him on your roster, go poke the McBride manager right away. Don’t sell the farm for him, but see if they’re willing to sell at a discount on the news of the QB change. He could be a league winner down the stretch, regardless of who’s under center in Arizona.
Trade Value Fallers
After Week 5 I called Purdy a trade value riser but the 49ers have lost all three games since then. In those games, Purdy has scored 7.7 (QB24), 12.78 (QB21), and 18.3 points (QB13). In nine games last year, Purdy threw four interceptions, and he’s thrown five in the last three weeks. Something just feels off so I’m fine moving on from him if you can get a good offer while they’re on a bye. If you have another QB on your bench, it might be time to make a permanent change. Maybe you can try to send Purdy to the Cousins manager who could still be looking for a long-term option. Either way, I’d be shopping him given his recent struggles.
I had very high hopes for Harris this season, but through eight weeks he’s currently RB32 in PPR scoring. His best week was Week 7 when he scored 15.8 PPR points, when he finished as RB13. His RB22 finish in Week 8 wasn’t great, which is an excellent way to describe Harris’s season as a whole. Teammate Jaylen Warren, on the other hand, has looked fairly solid in limited work and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get more touches as the team’s postseason chances go down. They’ll want to see if he can be their guy in the future at some point, and Harris should slowly fade into the background, both in terms of the NFL and for fantasy. Get out now while you still can.
The entire Saints team has confused me lately. Derek Carr has looked downright washed and that’s affecting the entire offense, sadly. Olave finished as WR49 in PPR scoring in Week 8, tied with Rashee Rice. He’s getting targets, but Carr’s targets aren’t the same as normal ones, they just seem worse. Volume is great, but if Olave can’t catch the ball then it doesn’t matter. Unless your team gives points per target, I’d be looking to move on from Olave if possible. Maybe you can target the Justin Jefferson manager before he comes back from IR. Perhaps you can move him for an RB2 player instead. Either way, I’d explore my options and see if I can make a move before the team’s Week 11 bye.
I hate to put Gesicki on this list but I genuinely think he deserves it. He hasn’t scored over 10 PPR points this season and hasn’t seen more than six targets in a game, and that was in Week 2. He’s just not being used how a lot of people expected, and the Patriots aren’t at all as good as people expected either. It’s possible that Gesicki has been on waivers in your league, or is on waivers now. If not, rectify that and put him back there if you can’t find a way to package him with someone else and upgrade at tight end.
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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.
