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The fantasy football trade deadline is vastly approaching. Depending on your league or the platform you play on, chances are the last day to make trades is on the horizon. This might be the last time to improve your team before the fantasy playoffs begin in just four short weeks.
In Yahoo leagues, most trade deadlines are this Saturday (November 18). So make sure to get those last trades in before then. In ESPN leagues, though, the trade deadline isn't for a couple more weeks. The general deadline on that platform is set for after Week 12 on November 29.
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Fantasy Football Buy-Low Trade Targets
WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua's fantasy value will never be lower than it is right now. After a strong start to the year, Nacua has cooled off just a bit due to Cooper Kupp's return. The rookie wideout had four top-12 fantasy finishes in four of the first five weeks of the season. Since then, though, he has just one over the past four games.
With Kupp in the lineup, Nacua likely doesn't have a safe floor anymore in fantasy. In three of the past four games, the 22-year-old has finished outside the top 50 at the wide receiver position three times.
However, Nacua still has a high ceiling in one of the most pass-heavy offenses in the NFL. Even alongside Kupp, the rookie still has finished as a top-12 wide receiver twice, which included a monster eight-catch, 154-yard performance on 12 targets in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, the past two games haven't been great for Nacua, so that's why his value is as low as it is now. But don't forget, Matthew Stafford left the game with an injury in Week 8 and didn't play in Week 9. Before the injury, though, the young rookie actually had a 35% target share with Kupp active.
Nacua has seen at least seven targets in every game this season and should remain heavily involved on offense. The Stafford injury threw his value off. But in an offense that on average threw 40.6 times in Week 1 through Week 5, better days are ahead of the rookie.
WR Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Like Nacua, wide receiver Marquise Brown has cooled off in fantasy after a solid start to the year. Over the past five weeks, Brown has only finished inside the top 45 for wide receivers in a week just once. Even last week with Kyler Murray back, the 26-year-old had just one catch for 28 yards.
That likely has fantasy managers panicking, so now is the time to reach out to those who own Brown and acquire him. He not only can provide great value down the stretch, but he also has a favorable playoff schedule.
Brown will go up against the San Francisco 49ers secondary in Week 15, the Chicago Bears secondary in Week 16, and the Philadelphia Eagles secondary in Week 17. As surprising as it is, the hardest fantasy matchup for him is actually against the Bears, who rank middle of the pack. The Eagles give up the most fantasy points per game to wideouts, while the 49ers rank ninth in that category.
On top of the nice playoff matchup, Murray's return is huge for Brown's fantasy value. Last year, when the Cardinals were without DeAndre Hopkins, Brown filled in as the WR1 and was a fantasy superstar with Murray under center. He was a top-six fantasy wide receiver before Hopkins eventually returned in Week 6. Better days are ahead for the speedy wideout in a solid offense.
Fantasy Football Sell-High Trade Targets
RB Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
It's surely been a turnaround season for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. After a slow start to the year, Harris has provided RB1 value over the past month. In Week 10, Harris put together his best fantasy day of the year, rushing 16 times for 82 yards and one touchdown while catching three passes for 14 yards.
With the RB10 finish last week, Harris now has three top-12 running back finishes in three of the past four games. In Week 7, he ran 14 times for 53 yards and one touchdown, and he had 16 carries for 69 yards and one touchdown in Week 9.
To no surprise, Harris's best games this year have come when he has scored a touchdown. But when he hasn't, he has just one top-25 running back finish. So, now might be the perfect time to sell him, especially with backup running back Jaylen Warren continuing to get more involved on offense.
Last week, Warren played a season-high 51% of the Steelers' offensive snaps. He was also more efficient with his touches in the contest, rushing 15 times for 101 yards and one touchdown. There could be a scenario where Harris sees fewer and fewer opportunities in this offense because of Warren's emergence. Sell high on the touchdown-dependent running back before the trade deadline.
TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
It pains me to put San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle on this list because he is one of the best in the NFL. But his lack of volume in San Francisco's offense when both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are healthy is pretty evident.
Last week, Kittle had a solid game, headlined by a massive 66-yard touchdown to begin the second half. On the day, he finished with three catches for 116 yards and one touchdown. However, what's most notable about his performance was his lack of targets. He finished with just four for the game.
The touchdown was great for Kittle and saved his fantasy day, as he finished as the TE2 in Week 10. But the volume remains suspect for the All-Pro tight end.
In games Samuel or Aiyuk have missed this season, Kittle averages nine targets and seven catches for 105.6 yards. It's a small three-game sample size, though it shows just how much more the tight end is involved when either wide receiver misses. Those games happened in Week 3, Week 7, and Week 8.
However, in games where Samuel and Aiyuk both play this season, Kittle averages just 3.6 targets and 2.6 catches for 48.2 yards. There have been five instances of both wideouts playing together in 2023, and the tight end only saw more than four targets just once in those games. He also didn't record more than three catches in any of those contests.
From the above averages, I did not include the Week 6 game where Samuel got hurt. In that game, though, Kittle had just one catch for one yard on two targets. With the tight end's recent performance, now might be the perfect time to upgrade your roster by trying to acquire Dalton Kincaid or even Sam LaPorta.
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