Whether you’re buying or selling, here’s a list of players to consider making a move on before it’s too late.
Analyze any potential deal with our Trade Analyzer 
Players to Buy
Cam Newton (QB – CAR)
It was a solid fantasy performance by Newton in Week 11, but the stench of his Week 10 game against the Steelers is still likely on his owners’ minds. The reason you want to buy him is due to his playoff schedule playoff schedule where he’ll get the Bucs, Browns, Saints, and Falcons in Weeks 13-16.
Mitch Trubisky (QB – CHI)
We consider Cam Newton an elite fantasy quarterback, right? At what point do we realize that Trubisky is a very similar option. While they don’t offer consistency in the passing game from week-to-week, their legs can carry them through. Look at their numbers side-by-side as they were heading into Week 11: Trubisky 2,304 yards and 19 passing touchdowns. Newton 2,086 yards and 17 passing touchdowns. Trubisky 320 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Newton 352 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Now done with Minnesota, he won’t have another bad matchup for the remainder of the season.
Todd Gurley (RB – LAR)
Some will look at this and think, “duh, of course Gurley is a buy.” For those who know how to negotiate, when you make an offer to Gurley’s owner, make sure they’re aware of the fact that the Gurley will play against the Bears and Eagles during the first two weeks of the playoffs. They are both top-five run defenses who some are scared of. We’ve been here before with Gurley and if you haven’t learned your lesson that he’s matchup-proof by now, you never will. He won’t come cheap, but he’s the best player in fantasy football.
Sony Michel (RB – NE)
There may be a lot of Michel owners souring on the rookie after his knee injury and his bad performance against the Titans defense before their bye week. They’re also concerned about Rex Burkhead. This is your chance to get the low-end RB1 for a fraction of his cost. The Patriots always run the ball well in December and Michel will get matchups with the Dolphins, Steelers, and Bills. While the Steelers are the only tough matchup on paper, they’ve allowed 357 total yards and four touchdowns to running backs the last two weeks.
Marlon Mack (RB – IND)
He hasn’t lit the world on fire over the last two weeks, so it’s possible that he can be bought for cheaper than he’s worth. He plays in a top-five offense that’s scoring touchdowns at an incredible rate. He also just got through two of the toughest matchups on the remainder of his schedule. He’s squarely in the mid to high-end RB2 conversation.
Phillip Lindsay (RB – DEN)
If you’re a team who is looking forward to the playoffs, Lindsay should be a prime trade target for you. The Broncos will play at San Francisco, at home against the Browns, and then on the road against the Raiders. Not only are they all winnable games, but they all struggle against the run.
Josh Gordon (WR – NE)
There were high expectations for Gordon as he went into Tennessee, though those expectations were not met with his four-catch, 81-yard performance. While he had Adoree Jackson shadowing him, it didn’t stop him from seeing 12 targets, which is what attracts us. He’s now seen 43 targets over the last five games and should benefit from Gronkowski’s presence in the lineup.
Amari Cooper (WR – DAL)
After a disappointing game against the Falcons, Cooper should be a prime buy-low target. He’s got arguably the best schedule in the NFL over the remaining five weeks, as he’ll play the Redskins, Saints, Eagles, Colts, and Bucs. He should post top-20 numbers for the remainder of the year.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – GB)
Judging from the hate we’ve seen on social media, Valdes-Scantling can probably be had for pennies on the dollar. Seeing your fantasy player let you down on prime-time television does something to fantasy owners that they overreact more than usual. With Randall Cobb dinged-up, Jimmy Graham out for a month, and no true passing-down running back, Valdes-Scantling is the clear-cut No. 2 option for Aaron Rodgers. He’s still a high-end WR3 for the remainder of the season.
Jack Doyle (TE – IND)
His quarterback, Andrew Luck, has now thrown at least three touchdowns in each of his last seven games. Doyle has caught just one of them, but he’s seeing a solid 15.7 percent target share and playing three times the snaps of fan-favorite Eric Ebron. Doyle is an every-week starter and one who could win you a fantasy championship if those touchdowns start going his way.
Players to Sell
Drew Brees (QB – NO)
Since Mark Ingram returned to the offense, Brees has yet to tally more than 35 pass attempts, so we’re trending towards 2017 volume. Not just that, but they’re using Taysom Hill all over the field, including the red zone. Knowing that Hill, Alvin Kamara, and Mark Ingram are available in the red zone, Brees is going to have some serious volatility in his fantasy performances. He’s a better real-life quarterback than fantasy quarterback at this point in time.
Tom Brady (QB – NE)
If you just removed his name, you’d be looking at Brady completely differently. Coming into Week 10, he was the No. 16 quarterback on a points-per-game basis, so it’s not just one bad game for him. There had been 75 quarterback performances of 22-plus points this year. Brady has one of them. If you can sell him based on name-brand value, you should.
Matthew Stafford (QB – DET)
We’re now at the point in the season where you have to look at playoff schedules, and Stafford’s does not look pretty. The opening week will be at Arizona, who have been a top-five defense against the pass, then at Buffalo who have been top-three, and then at home versus the Vikings who he was just sacked 10 times by in Week 9. He’s borderline droppable at this point.
Adrian Peterson (RB – WAS)
Not only are three starting offensive linemen out of the lineup, but so are the top two wide receivers, top pass-catching running back, and top quarterback. This offense is going to struggle to score points going forward and though the touchdowns fell Peterson’s way in Week 11, it doesn’t mean it’ll happen that way moving forward. Use that performance as a way to get out, especially knowing he’ll play the Cowboys, Eagles, Jaguars, and Titans in four of this last five games, who are all top-12 defenses against the run.
Jordan Howard (RB – CHI)
If you’ve sat down and watched the Bears this year (I’ve watched every game), you know why Howard is being phased out of the offense. He’s strictly a clock-killing running back who’s shown almost no explosion when handed the ball. It’s why we’ve seen Tarik Cohen on the field for more than half the plays in each of the last four games. He’s a gamescript-dependent running back and the Bears aren’t going to be in clock-killing mode against the Rams or Packers, who just happen to be the two opponents Howard will get at the start of the fantasy playoffs.
Lamar Miller (RB – HOU)
Ask yourself this question really quick. Do you want to win a fantasy championship? Miller won’t help you when it’s most important, as the Texans will be playing in Philadelphia during the championship game, Week 16. The Eagles have been a top-three run defense each year under Doug Pederson, and they’re even more dangerous at home. Miller is a very unexciting option even in the weeks leading up to the fantasy playoffs.
A.J. Green (WR – CIN)
With the possibility of Green coming back seemingly increasing, some may be interested in trading for the receiver who’s been a legit WR1 all year. If you have potential buyers, you should be listening, as wide receivers who try to play through foot injuries seldom work out. When you factor in his team not being one who’s suited for the playoffs, they could decide to shut him down. You should be trading risk while you still can.
Sammy Watkins (WR – KC)
We’ve seen this story with Watkins before, as he’s dealt with foot injuries throughout his career. He tried playing through them back in 2016 and it was easily the least-efficient season of his career. You cannot afford to be questioning his health as we head into the fantasy playoffs.
Find and analyze trades for your team with My Playbook
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
