Top Trade Candidates for the Fantasy Playoffs (Fantasy Football)

The trade deadline has already come and gone for some, but many fantasy managers still have about a week to make those last-minute deals. Contenders can start looking ahead to the playoff weeks, but for the rest of us, now is the time balance our roster by trading away excess talent at positions we’re strong at to solidify the weak areas of our team. You should consider prioritizing players with soft upcoming schedules while looking to sell those with a slew of rough matchups. With that said, our featured analysts have some athletes in mind that you should buy or sell as we enter the season’s stretch run.

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Q1. What one underperformer are you trying to acquire with the best remaining schedule and what would you give up to get him?

Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL) 
“Give me Jackson all day long. The doubt surrounding him is so real you can probably get him for a high-end WR3 right now (assuming the other manager has a QB they are itching to run out onto the field). Now, I like all these players (I am not doubting them), but you could maybe trade a Will Fuller or a D.J. Chark straight up for the struggling Ravens passer. Jackson’s final seven matchups are @NE (11th worst in the league in stopping the run),  vs. TEN, @PIT,  vs. DAL (second-worst giving up passing touchdowns and No. 1 in the league in surrendering rushing yards), @CLE (hovers around the bottom 10 in yards/touchdowns), vs. JAC (near seventh-worst in passing yards, rushing yards, and passing touchdowns), @NYG (second in the league in surrendering passing touchdowns). He is a dual-threat quarterback, so he is matchup proof for the most part and he should have mostly big games going forward. Buy low entering Week 10 — this is your last chance!”
– Smitty (SleeperU)

“Trade deadlines are coming up in leagues here shortly and that means you need to look beyond just a few weeks of the schedule. If you’re looking like a playoff team, a trade for Lamar Jackson makes a ton of sense. From Weeks 11 through 16, he’ll play the Titans, Cowboys, Browns, Jaguars, and Giants. The lone bad matchup in those weeks is against the Steelers in Week 12, which is before the fantasy playoffs begin. Jackson is a prime buy-low quarterback. If you can get him for someone like Josh Allen, I would.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
“I think this is a good time to trade for Taylor. He has lost carries to Jordan Wilkins the last two weeks, but Taylor is playing through an ankle injury and lost a critical fumble last week against the Ravens’ No. 1 DVOA run defense. He should have a much easier time going forward, facing just the Steelers among the top-10 run defenses and the Packers, Texans, Raiders, and Jaguars are all 20th or worse. I’d try to acquire Taylor for an overachieving player like Christian Kirk, Melvin Gordon, or Zack Moss.”
– Scott Spratt (Football Outsiders)

“It’s not going to feel great trading for Jonathan Taylor, but we can’t deny his upcoming schedule. Taylor has several plus matchups in front of him that make him worth buying low in fantasy right now. He certainly has questions surrounding his workload, but the Colts aren’t going to put him on the bench with his draft capital. Taylor should be able to get back on track and he’s worth acquiring in the event that he does jump back to the lead back role in this offense. JT can be acquired for dirt cheap right now, so if you have WR depth and want to sell high on someone like Curtis Samuel, I’d have no issues with that trade right now.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

Q2. What player in the top 70 half-PPR ROS rankings would you want to avoid having in the playoffs and who would you look to trade him for?

Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN) 
“Avoid is obviously too strong a word for this, but I hate to say that Cook has a horrendous fantasy playoff schedule. Between Weeks 14 and 16, Cook draws the Bucs, Bears, and Saints, which are all in the top seven in DVOA run defense. If you like big bets with the potential for big rewards, approach dispirited Christian McCaffrey or Aaron Jones holders and see if they’ll trade you their star backs and an impact wide receiver like Julio Jones or Robert Woods for the year-to-date No. 1 fantasy back. If you would consider it, now is definitely the time to trade him. Cook likely owes at least some of his 478 yards and six touchdowns the last two weeks to matchups against the Packers and Lions. respectively ranked 20th and 25th in run defense DVOA.”
– Scott Spratt (Football Outsiders)

Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN)
“I’d avoid Gordon going forward for 2020. For starters, his offense limits him. Plus, three of his last five games have been games with eight carries or less. His bread and butter has always been PPR too, and with no games over 21 yards receiving, where is the appeal? Stay clear of Gordon in Weeks 10-16. If you roster him, I recommend trading him away (and you may have to give up another player) for a struggling Mark Andrews at TE, or a QB like Lamar Jackson (especially if you had a QB like Ryan Tannehill that you could toss in). Even Jonathan Taylor, risk and all, is worth a shot over Melvin Gordon.”
– Smitty (SleeperU)

Adam Thielen (WR – MIN) 
“Right now, it’s hard to feel optimistic with Thielen and the playoff schedule against Tampa Bay, Chicago, and New Orleans. While New Orleans is a fine WR matchup, Tampa and Chicago are two very difficult pass defenses. However, the issue is that selling him right now for top value is going to be difficult. He hasn’t been performing well for fantasy recently, so you might not be able to get someone in your league to give you what you need. Right now, if you can try to flip Thielen for someone like Michael Thomas, who hasn’t exactly had the season everyone was expecting this year, I’d look to make that move in a heartbeat. However, it might be easier said than done.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

Todd Gurley (RB – ATL) 
“He keeps falling into the end zone, which is what’s holding up his fantasy stock, but his inefficiency cannot be ignored. Neither can his schedule, which ranks as the third-toughest in the NFL over the remainder of the season, including two games against the Saints and one against the Bucs, two teams you really don’t want to start running backs against. If you can get someone like Tyler Boyd for him, I would, as long as you have another running back to plug in. ”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Thank you to the experts for naming their trade candidates. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.

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