RADIO
The NFL trade deadline has passed and fantasy football trade deadlines are soon to follow in many leagues. Whether you need reinforcements or upgrades at specific positions, time is running out to make the moves required for your team to become a true contender.
Heading into Week 8, I highlighted Zay Flowers and Joe Mixon as players to target in trades. Flowers was immensely disappointing against the Cardinals but still paced the Ravens in targets. Meanwhile, Mixon had his best fantasy performance of the season with over 100 total yards and a touchdown. I recommended trading away Brian Robinson Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. While Robinson didn't do anything special, Tagovailoa passed for 324 yards and three scores.
Of course, fantasy trades aren't meant to be one-week solutions. I believe Flowers will bounce back and I will stand by my take on Tagovailoa as his schedule for the fantasy playoffs is terrifying. Nevertheless, I'll be hoping to provide even stronger suggestions this week to get your team primed for fantasy glory. As always, let's start with two undervalued players I would be looking to trade for right now.
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Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
When the Seahawks drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, many assumed he would eventually usurp 31-year-old Tyler Lockett as Seattle's WR2 with fifth-year pro DK Metcalf entering his prime. Smith-Njigba, who has delivered in recent weeks, is still clearly the third option, but Metcalf has not produced like a WR1.
In six games this season, Metcalf has only eclipsed five receptions three times and has finished with less than 50 yards twice. He has still been extremely efficient, however, averaging about 15 yards per catch.
Several factors could be contributing to his slow start, but it seems pretty safe to assume that Metcalf has not been playing at full strength for most of the season. Since sustaining injuries to his hip and ribs in Week 2, Metcalf has been frequently limited in practice sessions and missed the first game of his career in Week 7.
With Metcalf logging multiple full practices ahead of last week's contest against the Browns, it seems that the 25-year-old is as healthy as he has been since the season opener.
Although Metcalf didn't have a huge performance in Week 8, he earned a whopping 14 targets from quarterback Geno Smith. He has been Smith's favorite target since the start of the 2022 campaign. Taking a deeper look into the numbers, Metcalf should have had a much bigger game against Cleveland.
30-30 club Week 8:
(L - Target share)
(R - Air yardage share)41% - CeeDee Lamb - 49%
39% - DK Metcalf - 55%
39% - Trey McBride - 41%
38% - Garrett Wilson - 61%
38% - Ja'Marr Chase - 40%
37% - Amari Cooper - 50%
37% - George Kittle - 31%
35% - Diontae Johnson - 53%
33% - Jerry…— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 31, 2023
Going into Week 8, the Browns had allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. Of course, Tyler Lockett managed 81 yards and a touchdown, but this was not by any means an easy matchup that Metcalf was expected to dominate in. His schedule for the rest of the season, however, is very enticing.
A difficult opponent in the Baltimore Ravens awaits in Week 9, but Metcalf will then get to face the Washington Commanders, who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to receivers. His schedule for the fantasy playoffs includes matchups against the Eagles, Titans, and Steelers, teams that all currently rank in the bottom seven against wideouts.
Lockett has shown that he can still perform at a high level and the rookie Smith-Njigba has flashed potential. Nonetheless, Metcalf remains the primary weapon in Seattle's passing attack and should be able to take advantage of a soft schedule now that he is fully healthy.
Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
Tony Pollard finished as the RB7 in 2022, so it makes complete sense that he was drafted as a top-10 back this past summer with Ezekiel Elliott out of town. Unfortunately, Pollard has not lived up to his second-round ADP.
Pollard found the end zone twice in Week 1 but somehow hasn't scored since. This is made even harder to believe by the fact that the Cowboys have scored at least 30 points in three different contests from Week 2 on.
Tony Pollard has gone an NFL-high 121 consecutive touches without a touchdown
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 30, 2023
When comparing his numbers this year to seasons past, it's difficult to ignore the drastic decline in efficiency. Heading into 2023, Pollard had averaged 5.1 yards per carry throughout his four-year career. This season, he is gaining just 3.9 yards per attempt.
Pollard did suffer a fractured fibula during a playoff game in January and he may be still regaining the explosiveness he was once known for. Even if he continues to run inefficiently, he can still return value as a buy-low fantasy running back.
Dallas' offense looked completely revitalized in its 43-20 victory over the Rams last week. After four straight contests with exactly one passing touchdown, Dak Prescott exploded for 304 yards and four scores. This offensive outpouring came immediately after the Cowboys' bye, and that may not be a coincidence.
The Cowboys have the weapons necessary to be one of the better offenses in the league. If they can continue to score at a high rate, Pollard is sure to benefit. He is still among the top running backs in the league in snap share and utilization rate this season. Backup running back Rico Dowdle played on a season-high 35 percent of snaps in Week 8 but did not receive a touch until Dallas had a comfortable 23-point lead.
As the RB18 in half-PPR scoring, Pollard has not been ruining fantasy lineups. He simply has not performed up to expectations. If the Pollard manager in your league is starting to panic, you should be able to acquire him relatively easily. He is likely performing at his floor right now, but his ceiling for the rest of the season remains incredibly high.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
After starting the season 1-4 and losing their best player to injury in Week 5, the Minnesota Vikings appeared to be writing a comeback story with three straight victories. Rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison began to blossom in a WR1 role, averaging over five receptions, 77 yards, and a touchdown per game without Justin Jefferson.
Jordan Addison said gimme that pic.twitter.com/puR1Ew7Hdp
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 24, 2023
Things took a sharp turn for the worst when quarterback Kirk Cousins sustained a devastating Achilles tear in Week 8. With fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall in line to start this week, there was little hope for the fantasy value of Addison and T.J. Hockenson going into Tuesday morning.
Fortunately, the Vikings aren't giving up just yet. Minnesota acquired Josh Dobbs before the trade deadline as the team prepares to make a playoff push in a competitive NFC North division.
While this is great news for fantasy purposes, Dobbs is still a massive downgrade from Cousins. He found some success as a starter in Arizona, but the Cardinals averaged fewer than 19 points per contest with Dobbs under center. Additionally, Marquise Brown has just 38 receptions on 69 targets with only 69 percent of those targets considered catchable. For comparison's sake, Addison has recorded 36 receptions on 52 targets from Cousins.
It's also worth noting that Arizona tight ends combined for a 31 percent team target share with Dobbs this season. Most of these targets were earned by Zach Ertz and Trey McBride, neither of whom should be considered on the level of the aforementioned Hockenson.
With Jefferson reportedly returning sooner rather than later, Addison's opportunities should be expected to decrease in the coming weeks. It's unlikely that an offense led by Dobbs can support two productive fantasy wideouts and a stud tight end.
Addison has a very promising career ahead of him, but his time as a fantasy WR2 in 2023 is probably coming to an end. Although he won't be worth as much as he was a week ago, he should still yield something of value in a trade as the WR10 on the season.
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
The 6-2 Miami Dolphins have the most high-powered offense in the league through eight weeks of the season. The dominance of Tyreek Hill was predictable, but I doubt that anyone expected Raheem Mostert to be a top-three fantasy running back.
Mostert has already posted a career-high in total touchdowns with 12. Because he was frequently selected in the 10th round of drafts, he's shaping up to be a true fantasy league winner. His astounding 5.4 yards per carry makes him one of the most efficient runners in the NFL right now, but he's not the most efficient back in Miami.
Reminder that Achane is still in the Top 10 rushers after Week 8 with 38 carries. pic.twitter.com/U7F1IiIm88
— Jonathan Keller (@JKeller5) October 31, 2023
De'Von Achane managed 12.1 yards per attempt before injuring his knee in Week 5. This is absolutely not sustainable, but Achane is one of the very few players in the NFL who is a threat to score from anywhere on any given play. He is expected to return in Week 11 and will certainly be a nuisance for Mostert's fantasy managers.
Still, a two-man split on the best offense in football doesn't sound like the worst possible scenario for fantasy. A three-man committee, however, could be cause for concern. Mostert took 56 percent of Miami's offensive snaps in Week 8, but both Jeff Wilson Jr. and Salvon Ahmed were involved.
#Dolphins Week 8 RB opportunities (carries + targets):
Raheem Mostert - 13
Jeff Wilson - 7
Salvon Ahmed - 6— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) October 30, 2023
Wilson and Ahmed each received multiple touches in the first half with the game still looking very competitive. There would be little reason to worry if they saw some work late in the fourth quarter, but it seems as though all three backs were part of Miami's game plan. This was also just Wilson's second game back from injury. While he shouldn't be expected to take over the backfield, it's reasonable to project him for more opportunities going forward as Wilson was often utilized as the RB1 ahead of Mostert last season.
On top of all of this, Mostert will have a difficult test against the Chiefs this week with Kansas City surrendering the eighth-fewest fantasy points per contest to opposing RBs. Miami will then have a Week 10 bye before adding Achane back into the mix.
Unless your team is flush with depth at the running back position, I definitely don't recommend trading away Mostert without getting a running back in return. That said, if you can get a haul for him, now is the time to pull the trigger. The fantasy RB3 could quickly turn into the second man up in a three-man timeshare with Achane returning before the fantasy playoffs.
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