2nd Half Fantasy Football Breakouts, Trade Targets: TreVeyon Henderson, Oronde Gadsden, Zay Flowers

November 9, 2025

Kyle's fantasy football breakouts, risers, trade targets to acquire for the second half of 2025. Breakout candidates include TreVeyon Henderson, Oronde Gadsden, Zay Flowers.

In fantasy football, we have to place our bets. Whether that's dumping all of your FAAB on a potential breakout star off the waiver wire, see Puka Nacua in 2023, or trading for an underperforming player that is bound to see better days, these decisions aren't easy. But at the end of the day, while there is a ton of uncertainty and randomness at play, we have to play with conviction.

As the second half of the season is underway, the playoff picture is starting to form, and fantasy managers sitting with a 2-7 or 3-6 record may be losing hope. There's still time to make a late-season surge and build a roster that, if you do make the playoffs, will have a good chance of winning three straight playoff rounds and taking home the championship. The odds are already against you, but placing these bets can incrementally boost your chances.

Here we identify a few players who have some breakout potential in the second half of the season. These are guys who may have underperformed to this point of the season, or players that we want to buy high on before they ascend even higher. Rookies emerging as second-half studs as their roles evolve has also been a consistent cheat code over the years. With that, let's dive into the players.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

Fantasy managers who spent a third or fourth-round pick on Henderson during draft season definitely don't feel great about it. However, the rookie out of Ohio State could make it all right with a second-half breakout. Hopefully our Henderson teams aren't already in the tank by the time that happens.

Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) has been ruled out for his second straight game, and the Patriots reportedly don't know when he will be back, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. We've already seen one game of Henderson without Stevenson, and the usage was very promising.

Henderson played 75% of the snaps, handled 42.4% of the team's rush attempts, and ran 67.5% of routes in Week 9 versus the Falcons, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. It wasn't the gaudiest stat line with 14 carries for 55 yards to go with four catches (six targets) for 32 yards, but this coaching staff trusting him to play 3/4 of the team's snaps was huge.

Yes, it wasn't ideal to see Terrell Jennings steal the touchdown. But both backs had one carry each inside the 10. And Henderson's 71.4% success rate was the sixth-best mark of all running backs with at least five carries in Week 9. The rookie's rushing peripherals up until this point haven't been favorable, but the coaching staff has mixed in more outside runs to maximize his explosiveness and cutting ability, in addition to getting more involved as a receiver.

Rookie TreVeyon Henderson gets a carry for 13 yards

NEvsBUF on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/BzPRW9YMEI

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2025

This is partly why the very first game of the season provided me with a good bit of optimism for Henderson. He caught six balls right out of the gate, which was a key part of the breakout thesis. Week 9 was his first game with more than three targets since Week 1. And then in Week 4, he tied for the team lead for rush attempts inside the 10, scoring his first career touchdown on one of them.

If we can Frankenstein some of his best high-value touch weeks with the snap volume that he had in Week 9, combined with his game-breaking speed in a high-powered offense led by an MVP candidate that also has one of the softest remaining schedules in the league, Henderson has all the makings of a rookie that breaks out as a potential league winner in the second half.

Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

What a start to the Gadsden's NFL career. Since becoming the full-time tight end in Week 6, the fifth-round rookie has compiled 24 catches on 27 targets for 377 yards and two touchdowns. That's the most receiving yards ever by a rookie tight end over a four-game span. Gadsden is on quite the trajectory as a 22-year-old rookie.

It doesn't stop there as far as historical accolades for the former wide receiver at Syracuse. Gadsden has posted at least 65 yards in each of the last four games, something that only 22 tight ends have done since 2000. And when you watch Gadsden play, it feels like you are watching the beginning of a special player, who has rare movement skills at the tight end position that are reminiscent of future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce.

.@GregCosell analyzes how the Chargers route concepts have paved the way for a big year for Oronde Gadsden II#BoltUp

Live on ESPN2 & Streaming on ESPN+.@GregCosell | @DariusJButler | Sal Paolantonio! pic.twitter.com/oKcowdOvuJ

— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) November 9, 2025

Gadsden has had to earn his targets in a super crowded Chargers group of pass catchers. The rookie has stepped right into the league and has been right alongside second-year stud wideout Ladd McConkey and long-time target hog Keenan Allen in targets.

In a high-volume passing offense led by one of the best quarterbacks in football in Justin Herbert, there is a ton to love about Gadsden's scoring profile. The rookie has already shown that he is a total mismatch against man coverage due to his size and athletic ability, plus an advanced feel for zone coverage. And when you hear how his teammates and the coaching staff talk about him and his work ethic, it validates the belief even more.

After the Chargers' Week 12 bye, they have matchups against the Raiders, Eagles, Chiefs, and Cowboys. The final three matchups all have shootout potential and scoring environments that could create a massive single-week upside for the playmakers in these offenses.

Gadsden had a very strong prospect profile as an early age breakout player, and now he's dominating at the NFL level, doing things that we haven't seen from a rookie tight end in their first four games. I'm buying Gadsden as a top three to five tight end the rest of the way.

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens

The case is more straightforward with an established player like Flowers and his star quarterback returning in time for a second-half-of-the-season playoff push. But Flowers has also taken a big step forward in his third year in the league.

Flowers has always been a strong target earner with elite short-area quickness and the ability to separate in an instant. Then, with the ball in his hands, it's anyone's best guess in regards to which direction he will go. The 25-year-old has distanced himself as the obvious alpha of Baltimore's passing game.

Flowers' 60 targets are 27 more than the next closest Ravens pass catcher. His 46 receptions are 20 more than the next closest, and his 550 receiving yards are 320 more than the next closest, all of which belong to Mark Andrews. Flowers has only one touchdown on the season, but more of those will come now that Lamar Jackson is back in the lineup.

South Florida to South Florida!

Zay Flowers gets inside the 10 ‼️

BALvsMIA on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/YkVRJ4XnvL

— NFL (@NFL) October 31, 2025

The main nit to pick with Ravens' pass catchers will always come down to pass volume. While that is a fair concern, it was more of an issue with the vast number of efficient weapons that Baltimore has at their disposal, which risks targets not consolidating. But that hasn't borne out this season as Flowers has been the emphasis while the others are mixed in. His 33.6% first read target share is a top 10 mark among 153 wide receivers with at least 100 routes, per Fantasy Points Data Suite.

This season, Flowers has shouldered even more volume while maintaining his per-target efficiency of 9.2 yards. He ranks seventh highest in missed tackles forced per reception (0.28) in the league, and has seen his share of the team air yards rise 32.1%.

The weekly floor should be high for Flowers because they do like to scheme him looks and manufactured touches to utilize his dynamic ball-in-hand ability. And the upside is immense as well, fueled by the efficiency that comes with playing with Jackson in a high-powered offense. Add in the fifth-easiest rest of season schedule according to RotoViz's strength of schedule streaming app, and Flowers is primed for a monster second half of the season.

Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer Tool for Week 10

Want more fantasy football trade advice? Be sure to also bookmark our free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer tool to assist with your trade offers. The Trade Analyzer tool allows you to add up to three players on each side of a trade and calculate whether it is fair or not for fantasy football. You instantly get a recommendation on which side of the trade is a better deal.

The Trade Analyzer tool will display various information side by side for you to compare the players involved in any trade and help you make better decisions. Compare projections and stats, read the latest fantasy football news, and see upcoming schedules.

Fantasy Football Trade Rankings Values

The higher the Trade Value number, the higher the priority for targeting in trades. Find your players, add up the trade values of each side of the offer, and see which side of the trade wins.

Who Should I Trade For?

Week 10 Trade Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - TreVeyon Henderson, Oronde Gadsden, Zay Flowers. These are some key fantasy football names heading into the second half.

Using The Trade Values. This is a simple trade value tool, but very powerful. In our fantasy football trade value rankings above, you will see the Trade Value for each player. The higher the number, the higher the priority for targeting in trades. Players with a high trade value number are players that you should be targeting more in trades.

How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings, projections, and trade values based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this trade value rankings.

How To Calculate Trades. Fantasy football managers will make 1-for-1 trades, or 2-for-3 trades, or 3-for-2 trades, or many other combinations. For each side of the deal, add the trade values together. Whichever side has a higher total number wins the trade. For example, if someone is offering you three players, add the trade values of those three players together. Does the value of those three players exceed the values of the player(s) you are trading away? If so then it's a good deal for you.

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