The fantasy football trade deadline is here for a lot of leagues and just around the corner for others. Before your rosters are 100% locked in, we have the names you should be targeting in your fantasy leagues.
Let’s look at the quarterback position to give you our top picks for who you should consider targeting and who you should consider trading away.
If you’re looking for more trade advice, head to our Week 12 Buy Low or Sell High article, where we look at all the skill positions and players you should consider.
Justin Herbert | LAC
Buy Low
Averaging just 14.9 fantasy points per game on the season, fantasy managers seem to have forgotten that Justin Herbert is an excellent NFL quarterback. His poor fantasy production is due to a combination of the Chargers’ run-heavy approach, his preseason foot injury, and bad touchdown luck.
After failing to reach 15 fantasy points over the first seven weeks of the season, Herbert entered Sunday Night Football scoring 19+ fantasy points in three straight.
Justin Herbert drops an absolute DIME for six. 🎯 #BoltUp
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/YNyQBrVbx2
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 18, 2024
The Chargers may still want to run, but the schedule may not let them. Over the next four weeks, the Chargers play some of the best offenses in football. Three of them are in the bottom seven in the league against the pass. Herbert sure looks like a potential QB1, and he is likely being valued as a QB2.
Baker Mayfield | TB
Buy Low
Baker Mayfield limped into the Bucs’ bye week with his team’s fourth consecutive loss behind his worst game of the season, throwing for 116 yards and a touchdown. But prior to Week 10, Mayfield had scored at least 18 fantasy points in six straight games, including a stretch of five weeks with at least 23 fantasy points.
Now, the Bucs are not only past their bye, but they have a much easier rest-of-season schedule. From Weeks 13-17, four of the Bucs’ opponents are bottom-six against the pass. Add in the fact that Mayfield is about to get Mike Evans back, and he should return to being an elite QB1 with the potential to carry fantasy managers to championships.
Jordan Love | GB
Sell High
The Packers narrowly escaped with a victory over the Bears, but it was not pretty. Jordan Love does not look like the same quarterback we saw last season. It was a minor miracle he managed to eclipse 20 fantasy points for the first time since Week 6. If not for a flukey QB sneak touchdown, he wouldn’t have gotten there.
Looking ahead, it’s not an easy schedule for the Packers’ passing game. They have just one game remaining against a bottom-half pass defense.
If you’ve been banking on a Love turnaround, this may be your last chance to pivot. There are a few solid options on the waiver wire you can work with. Turn Love into a useable player and replace him with someone just as good off waivers.
Jared Goff | DET
Sell High
Selling anyone on the best offense in football never feels great. But hear me out. Jared Goff just threw for 412 yards and four touchdowns in a game where the Lions had an extremely positive game script throughout.
This wasn’t a real game. The Jaguars are not a real team. The Lions were able to do whatever they wanted.
In Week 12, Goff has another favorable matchup against the Colts. After that, it’s tough sledding. The remainder of the Lions’ opponents are not only against top-10 pass defenses but against bad run defenses. If someone in your league is salivating over what Goff just did, sell.