Fantasy trade deadlines are rapidly approaching. Do you need to make a deal? Are you vying for a playoff spot or first-round bye? Are you simply feeling left out because you haven’t cut a deal yet? Well, hopefully, this list of players whose prospects changed this past week can help.
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Rest of Season Rankings Risers
CeeDee Lamb: The coveted spot of WR1 on the Cowboys … First it was Amari Cooper, then it was Lamb, then back to Cooper, now back to Lamb! The second-year standout has been targeted fewer than five times just once this season. Against the Falcons on Sunday, Lamb caught six of seven targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Oh, and he did that in just 42% of offensive snaps, the Cowboys never even broke a sweat, winning 43-3. With a solid matchup against Kansas City on the horizon, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamb builds on this performance.
Rashod Bateman: Despite a pretty pedestrian effort from the Ravens on Thursday, losing 22-10 to the Miami Dolphins, Bateman logged another impressive performance. Just four games into his NFL career, his consistency is commendable. Bateman is making his way into weekly flex territory with 16 targets and 11 receptions over his last two games. His snap counts still aren’t there, he hasn’t surpassed 66%, but the sky is the limit if those jump up.
Patrick Mahomes: I mean, nobody was actually buying the Chiefs’ offense suddenly descending to mediocrity, right? We’re not inside the locker room or on the field, so we have no idea why the most talented quarterback in the NFL put up only 36 points in the three games prior to week 10. All we can say is, those worries are likely a thing of the past. Mahomes completed 35 of 50 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns against a solid Raiders defense. This is why his Average Draft Position (ADP) was unwaveringly high because he’s liable to erupt against any team on any given Sunday.
Stefon Diggs: I had Diggs on my buy low list last weekend, and it appears that window has promptly closed. One of the premier talents at Wide Receiver, Diggs’ fantasy performance hasn’t been spectacular. However, unspectacular for Diggs was still pretty dang good, so when he got back to being spectacular on Sunday, fantasy players rejoiced. He notched 13 targets, eight catches, 162 yards, and a touchdown playing just 79% of offensive snaps in a rout of the New York Jets. I’d be surprised if Diggs fell outside of anyone’s top-eight WRs in rest of season rankings.
Rest of Season Rankings Fallers
Melvin Gordon: Gordon’s snap percentage has decreased for three straight weeks. This past Sunday, he played 53% of offensive snaps. He also tied his season-low in touches (10). Typically, a low-volume, low-output (though he did score a touchdown) game happens, but when a talented rookie is breathing down your neck, as Javonte Williams is for Gordon, there is cause for concern. Gordon is still a fine running back, but you have to be pretty desperate to start him going forward. Though Gordon has 22 more touches than Williams on the year, Williams averages more yards per touch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the workload keep ticking towards Williams.
Elijah Mitchell: Broken finger aside, Mitchell’s role as the workhorse back in San Francisco is all but over. It was fun while it lasted, and Mitchell proved to be a rock-solid option for many fantasy teams, a true waiver wire darling. However, Jeff Wilson returned Monday, and Kyle Shanahan made it clear he would be involved in the game plans. Though Mitchell was the lead back, Monday was Wilson’s first NFL game in nearly a year, and he still logged 10 touches. Mitchell is still a flex consideration when healthy, but the days of his putting the San Francisco run game on his back are gone with the wind.
Laviska Shenault and Marvin Jones Jr.: I’m really at a loss here. I knew the Jaguars were an incompetent football team but so incompetent they can’t sustain at least one objectively above-average wide receiver? Due to a season-ending injury, D.J. Chark isn’t even in the picture, and neither Jones nor Shenault have stepped up. Over the last three games, Shenault and Jones combined averaged 6.3 catches for 47.7 yards … COMBINED.
Myles Gaskin: Despite 56 touches in three weeks, Gaskin has totaled just 157 yards. That’s fewer than three yards per touch for those scoring at home. The Dolphins are now involving Salvon Ahmed and Patrick Laird in the run and pass games. Malcolm Brown is slated to return soon. All of these things do not bode well for Gaskin. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gaskin is on many league waiver wires by the end of the season.
Buy Low Players
Bryan Edwards: Maybe the signing of DeSean Jackson and being out-snapped by Zay Jones is what Edwards needed to light a fire under him? Coming into the season, Edwards had plenty of hype. He’s 6’3, fast, and strong. The Raiders didn’t have a bonafide WR1. In 2020 he caught 11 of 15 targets for 193 yards and a touchdown. However, that hype fizzled after 81 yards in week one and 89 in week three. Now, Edwards sneakily has two touchdowns in his last three games and is coming off an 88-yard day. The ceiling is clearly in play for Edwards. If you’re in a deep league, it’s worth gauging the price of whoever rosters him.
Lamar Jackson: The likelihood the person who rosters Lamar Jackson is parting with him for a discount is low, but it’s at least worth pursuing. He’s been held without a rushing touchdown for seven straight games. As we know, touchdowns are often random and regress to the mean. Will Lamar have eight rushing touchdowns in the last eight games of the season? Probably not, but I’d be shocked if there weren’t better days ahead for the 2019 MVP.
James Robinson: Robinson was worked back into the swing of things last week following his week nine absence due to an injury. His fantasy total wasn’t anything incredible (18.4 PPR points), but the meat and potatoes of his stats say much more. Robinson played only 59% of snaps on Sunday. Again, I suspect this is workload management as he returned from an injury. When healthy, the Jaguars are willing to let Robinson play nearly the entire game. In just 59% of snaps, Robinson had 12 carries for 57 yards (4.75 yards per attempt), a touchdown, and four receptions. Mix this promising performance with the fact that the Jaguars play the Texans and Jets in weeks 15 and 16, and you just might have a running back who could lead your team to a fantasy trophy.
Sell High Players
Jaylen Waddle: Even in a win, Miami couldn’t get their first-round pick going. Waddle caught four of six targets for 61 yards. The Dolphins insist on working other receivers into the game plan much to the dismay of fantasy players. Albert Wilson and Isaiah Ford led the Dolphins in receiving yards Thursday. Though Waddle will still be a fine, high-ceiling player because of his unique talents, I am worried about his volume. Will Fuller is slated to return soon. It’s unlikely Mike Gesicki catches zero passes again and DeVante Parker‘s hamstring injury isn’t reported to be anything worse than a three-week IR stint (two weeks left). Waddle had as ripe a situation as ever Thursday Night to post a breakout game, and it didn’t happen.
Darrel Williams: Despite a miraculous catch and great game through the air, Williams hasn’t been an earth-shattering runner in the absence of Clyde Edwards-Helaire. This season, Williams is averaging just 3.7 yards per rushing attempt. I would be shocked if Edwards-Helaire didn’t immediately reclaim his role as the lead back upon returning. Williams will still be involved, maybe as a third-down running back and occasional touchdown vulture, but his days as a weekly starter are long gone when CEH returns.
Ezekiel Elliott: Elliott has a tough last five weeks of the fantasy season in terms of matchups. The Cowboys get New Orleans, Washington twice, the Giants, and Cardinals in weeks 13-17. Though Zeke is a great running back and will likely have moments against any team, matchups are always important. He had two touchdowns against the Falcons, which saved his week, but the volatility of his snap counts has been concerning. In week five, he dipped to 60% of snaps. Then in weeks six and eight, he bounced back to 71% and 75% respectively, but he hasn’t surpassed 53% over the last two weeks. Of course, Tony Pollard is always a candidate to steal touches, and now Corey Clement has emerged as someone who could earn a few touches of his own. Again, don’t sell Elliott for table scraps, but if someone has an appealing offer, it may be worth considering.
The Trade Market
Here’s my take on some of the most popular questions on the FantasyPros “Who Should I Trade?” tool.
Michael Pittman Jr. or AJ Dillon: In a vacuum, Pittman. He’s an uber-talented WR1 on a team with a quarterback who’s willing to sling it. When Aaron Jones is healthy, AJ Dillon is a timeshare back at best. However, if I have Dillon and I need to start him this week, I’m not trading him.
D.K. Metcalf of Michael Carter: Metcalf. The ceiling he’s displayed is unfathomable, and with Odell Beckham Jr. officially not a Seahawk, Metcalf’s floor is pretty high as well. Carter is talented, but he’s still on the Jets, not a great situation for a running back to succeed at the moment consistently.
David Montgomery or Ja’Marr Chase: I’m taking Chase because I’m still unsure of how the Chicago backfield will look when Montgomery is back. Will Chicago rotate running backs, knowing Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert are fine options? Despite a couple of down weeks from Chase, the target share and talent are there. He’ll turn it around.
DeAndre Hopkins or Joe Mixon: Still Mixon. I’m on the sell Mixon high train, but I’m going to need more than Hopkins.
Ezekiel Elliott or Justin Jefferson: Zeke. I’ll need more than Jefferson to make this deal, though it’s close. I’d take the Jefferson side if, say, James Robinson or Darrell Henderson were attached.
Myles Gaskin or Tee Higgins: Higgins. He hasn’t seen fewer than six targets since week one and is averaging nearly ten targets per game over his last three. As I mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re cutting Gaskin in two weeks.
Stefon Diggs or James Conner: Diggs. Rest of the way, Diggs is my WR6. Conner is a rock-solid RB option with Edmonds out, but he just doesn’t stack up. If you’re WR-rich and desperate for a running back, I wouldn’t fault you for this, but try to get a bit more than just Conner for Diggs.
Dalvin Cook or Deebo Samuel: Cook, barely. He’s the consummate fantasy running back. He’s a candidate to see 20+ carries any given Sunday, gets goalline carries, receptions, and is on a competent offense. Samuel is an elite receiver and elite option going forward in fantasy, but I’ll take the running back because of positional value.
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