As the trade deadline of the NFL season approaches and studs are on the move, there is a lot of change in fantasy football as well. Now is the time to make fantasy football trades to push your team over the hump for a championship. Let’s take a look at some guys who you should be buying and selling to improve your odds at the oh-so-glorious fantasy championship.
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Fantasy Football Week 9 Buy Trade Targets
Aaron Jones (RB, MIN)
Jones is operating as a true workhorse this season and dominating. Now is the time to buy off of a “down” week. He played a season-high 92-percent of snaps and racked up 95 scrimmage yards in Week 8. Jones has now hit 95+ scrimmage yards in five of his six healthy games and is averaging 112.5 yards and 20.2 opportunities in those six games. He’s currently pacing for 1,768 scrimmage yards, 53 receptions, and seven touchdowns. We know Jones has touchdown upside, as he averaged over 12 total touchdowns per season from 2018 to 2021. Positive touchdown regression can be expected in the back half of the season based on his utilization and his previous history of finding pay dirt.
George Pickens (WR, PIT)
Pickens has been the king of “almost” fantasy points this season, from close catches on the sidelines to touchdowns and yards taken away from penalties. Unfortunately, we all know that almost points don’t matter at the end of the day, but they’ve been a good sign in addition to the increase in production that he’s seen with Russell Wilson at QB. The difference between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields is that Russ gives Pickens a chance to catch the ball and their skill sets around the sideline match up perfectly.
Pickens saw a 36-percent target share and put up 5-111-1 in Wilson’s first start in Week 7, but he finished with just four catches for 74 yards in Week 8. However, Pickens was incredibly close to having two touchdowns in Week 8 against the Giants. One of them was called back due to a penalty, and the other was an odd case of getting just one foot down … but twice. Regardless, it’s clear that having Russell Wilson at QB has elevated Pickens’ fantasy stock, and with the Steelers headed to the bye, now is the perfect time to cash in on the third-year wide receiver. It’s easy to see the talent, and the career progression through two seasons makes it clear that a third-year jump is imminent after the Steelers’ bye week.
DeVonta Smith (WR, PHI)
Smith’s utilization has been hard to piece together this season, with extreme highs and lows to go along with a couple of games without A.J. Brown. Smith has been reliable this season, with 75+ yards in four of six games. He saw a 35-percent target share in Week 8 to go along with a season-high 20.5 fantasy points. Smith has a 28-percent target share on the season and still averages over 14 fantasy points and seven targets per game with Brown in the lineup. The Eagles’ wide receivers also have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. Despite a good Week 8 performance, you may still be able to get a discount on Smith, who had a dreadful Week 7 performance with negative receiving yards.
Fantasy Football Week 9 Sell Trade Targets
Chuba Hubbard (RB, CAR)
Hubbard’s production has tanked over the last two weeks, and the Panthers’ offense is likely going to regress with Diontae Johnson getting shipped out of town. He’s seen just two targets over the last two weeks combined after seeing four or more in his previous five games. His yards per carry also took a drastic hit, going from 5.9 over that five-game span to just 3.4 over the last two games. Now Jonathon Brooks is likely going to be activated and steal some work in Week 9. The Panthers spent a second-round pick on Brooks and likely want to see what they have in the young running back as their playoff hopes are out the window. Chuba will still be the primary running back in Carolina, but his best days are likely behind him for the 2024 season.
Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, NE)
Stevenson has had a rough couple of weeks efficiency-wise but cashed in with two touchdowns in Week 8. His 2.5 yards per carry over the last two weeks is not entirely his fault and a testament to the Patriots’ offensive line play. The Patriots’ offense is abysmal even when Drake Maye is at the helm. Rhamondre’s efficiency in the receiving game has been just as bad, averaging just 4.8 yards per reception on his five catches over that span. Stevenson is a prime sell candidate coming off a 23.5-point game in Week 8 against the Jets. His schedule gets rough going forward with outings against three top-half running defenses over the next month. Look to upgrade Stevenson to guys like David Montgomery or Aaron Jones, who are in good offenses.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR, SEA)
The hope for JSN to take that next step and have a breakout season seems unlikely at this point. He’s having the same struggles as he did last year with a low average depth of target (8.2) and sub-par yards after catch per reception (4.5). He’s coming off his second-highest yardage game in Week 8, where he put up six catches for 69 yards without DK Metcalf. He has just one top-24 finish on the season and just three finishes inside the top 40, one of which was exactly the WR40. However, he still seems to have name value among the fantasy community, and now is a perfect time to cash in for a guy like Keon Coleman or Josh Downs.
With fantasy trade deadlines approaching, the window to improve your team is becoming tighter and tighter each week. Even if you have locked up a playoff spot with an undefeated team, there is always something you can improve. Don’t get complacent; only one team can win the championship. Go out there and take risks where necessary and build an indestructible juggernaut for your playoff run!
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