Welcome to the Week 9 Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, where I’ll be sure to answer the questions you haven’t asked. Trading is not only fun, but a critical element to a championship roster. It’s a key way to improve your team by capitalizing on movement in the market. So, let’s get to it. Let’s make some moves to gear up for the fantasy football playoffs.
Week 9 Trade Analyzer: Three players to trade for this week
We’ll start with three players to trade for. There might be a buy window for some top-tier fantasy assets that are worth looking into. As is always the case, the price for a player changes dramatically from league to league, and it often has to do with the motions of that player’s manager. Who should you be trying to acquire this week?
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Sometimes, it’s okay to “buy high.” I’m in full support of this approach with the Pittsburgh Steelers running back. Najee Harris is seeing one of the highest workloads in all of football. He’s been given the fourth-most carries in the NFL this year despite not topping 16 attempts until Week 5.
Since then, he’s topped 23 carries in three straight weeks, averaging 98 rushing yards, 5 targets, 31.7 receiving yards over that stretch while scoring 3 total touchdowns. He is the engine that drives the Steelers’ offense, and that shouldn’t change. If you’re looking for an injury replacement (maybe for Derrick Henry?) on your way to the playoffs, it’s worth the price to acquire Harris.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
While Harris is a buy-high, a buy-low window might be open for Ezekiel Elliott. In his last two games, Elliott has seen plenty of work through the air. But he’s failed to top 69 rushing yards and hasn’t found the end zone. In fact, since Week 6, Elliott is the RB27 in fantasy points per game with 12.4.
Elliott is seeing more competition for touches out of the backfield this year from Tony Pollard, but he should still be considered a low-end RB1 at worst. If his manager in your league is panicking about his recent production, see if you can take advantage.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Having an elite tight end is a huge difference-maker, and the TE1 for the last three seasons might actually be affordable. I love having a tight end that gives me a positional advantage over my opponent. Travis Kelce, who hasn’t reached the end zone since Week 5, is still the overall TE1 on the season.
He’s coming off an uncharacteristically quiet game in which he matched his season-low with only 4 receptions for 27 yards. There is a world of panic around the entire Kansas City offense, but Kelce is still the best tight end in the game. It’s a great time to send a trade offer.
Week 9 Trade Analyzer: Three players to trade away this week
Looking to capitalize on name value and some big performances to add more depth to your roster? Step into my office. Let’s discuss.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Last year’s overall RB1, Alvin Kamara, still carries a ton of name value, and even in the post-Drew Brees era, he’s been delivering for fantasy managers this year. He’s currently tied for RB3 in fantasy points per game at 17.7 in half-PPR, but there’s cause for concern.
Firstly, Jameis Winston is now out for the season, so Taysom Hill will step in at QB. In the four games that Hill started last year in place of an injured Brees, Kamara averaged only 4 targets and 16.1 fantasy points in half-PPR. While 16.1 is good, it’s a steep decline from the 22.7 he averaged through the first nine weeks of last year.
Kamara also now has running mate Mark Ingram back in the fold, which caused Kamara to see his lowest snap percentage of the year. There is a distinct possibility that Kamara has given us the best of what we will see from him this year.
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel has been — hands down — the greatest value in fantasy football drafts this year. The overall WR4 while playing in one fewer game than the other receivers in the top seven, Samuel is averaging 117 receiving yards and 10.3 targets per game this season.
He’s killing it. If you wanted to hold, I would completely understand. However, if you need depth, you can get a truckload for him right now in advance of top-tier tight end George Kittle returning to the lineup and rookie quarterback Trey Lance taking over at quarterback — which will inevitably happen at some point.
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Lance is a rushing quarterback, and head coach Kyle Shanahan featured that part of his game in his lone start this season. In that Week 5 contest, Lance carried the ball 16 times while posting only 15 completions on 29 pass attempts.
That game was also Samuel’s worst game of the year, as he caught only 3 passes for 58 yards. There’s reason to be concerned about Samuel’s finish to this season.
Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Robert Woods posted 19.2 fantasy points in Week 8 despite only catching 3 passes for 35 yards. How? One of the receptions was a touchdown, and he was also given 3 carries that he turned into 22 yards and another score.
Outside of a game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5 where Woods was peppered with 14 targets, Woods has averaged just 6.4 targets per game and hasn’t topped 70 receiving yards in any single outing. LA’s offense runs through the ground game and Cooper Kupp, leaving Woods with whatever is leftover. If you can cash in on his big game, do so. It’s unlikely to be a consistent occurrence this year.