The 2023 fantasy football season is now firmly in the second half. Fantasy managers now have their eyes set on the playoffs. With the fantasy trade deadline near, the time is running low for fantasy managers to improve their rosters. Here are a handful of players to explore trades for and buy low or sell high on.
Fantasy Football Week 11 Buy-Low Trade Targets
Here are a few players fantasy managers should be looking to acquire at a low price, if possible.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Some might look at Lamar Jackson’s one-touchdown, two-interception performance in a loss to the Browns and be worried. The reality is Jackson has really been victimized by bad luck and touchdown variance.
Jackson has actually played really well this season. Yet, he hasn’t scored over 15 fantasy points in three straight games.
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The Ravens do still have their bye in front of them, which isn’t great. But there is good news. The Ravens’ remaining schedule is mostly favorable for the passing game.
Jackson remains one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. His upside is still as high as ever. If your team is safely in the playoffs but struggling at QB, Jackson is the guy to target.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Can you really buy low on Travis Etienne Jr. after one down game? Probably not. But fantasy managers can be very reactionary. Etienne turned 11 touches into 44 scoreless yards in the 49ers’ demolition of the Jaguars.
While the schedule is about to get better for the Jaguars, perhaps you can scare Etienne’s fantasy manager with his tough slate from Weeks 14-16. I do think he can overcome it, or I wouldn’t advise buying him. But if you can use it to acquire Etienne cheaper, make that move. He remains an elite RB1.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
The Jonathan Taylor takeover is complete. He has completely relegated Zack Moss to seldom-used backup. Yet, despite Taylor’s dominance of the snaps and touches, he hasn’t really had that smash game.
Over the past four weeks, Taylor has just one game over 15.4 fantasy points and has yet to score 20 in a game. Rest assured, those games are coming.
I view Taylor as a mid-RB1 for the rest of the season. This one isn’t so much a buy low as it is a buy. Don’t overpay, but be willing to pay fair value for one of the best running backs in football.
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Has any wide receiver had worse touchdown luck than DK Metcalf this season? The man has 552 receiving yards but just two touchdowns.
I believe the touchdowns are coming. The Seahawks’ schedule from Weeks 14-17 is as good as it gets. Metcalf could absolutely smash in fantasy’s most important weeks. He remains the Seahawks’ WR1 with the highest weekly ceiling. When the time comes, I expect him to excel, largely at the expense of Tyler Lockett (a bit of foreshadowing). Buy him now.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Tennessee Titans
I am including DeAndre Hopkins here for a second straight week because I still believe in what I’m seeing. Hopkins only caught three passes for 27 yards, but he saw eight targets. That’s now 25 targets in three games with Will Levis.
It’s certainly disappointing that Hopkins couldn’t take advantage of a favorable matchup against the Bucs. But I remain optimistic that big games are coming. If you can buy Hopkins as a lowly WR3, you should do it.
Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s hard to take anything away from the Jaguars’ loss to the 49ers. Quite simply, they didn’t show up.
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Even in a disastrous outing, Evan Engram saw seven targets. It was the eighth consecutive game with at least seven targets for Engram.
He’s not an exciting option, but he’s a reliable one, with at least four catches in every game this season. I wouldn’t pay a lot for him, but he’s better than a replacement TE.
Fantasy Football Week 11 Sell-High Trade Options
Here are a few players fantasy managers should be looking to sell at a high price, if possible.
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Over the past five weeks (four games), Dak Prescott has been the best quarterbacking fantasy, and it hasn’t been close.
With Tony Pollard ineffective on the ground, the Cowboys have gone extremely pass-heavy, and it’s worked. Additionally, their schedule is very nice going forward. This is not me raising any alarms about Prescott.
This is just me pointing out how amazing Prescott has been. If someone out there wants to buy high, and you can get one of Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, or Patrick Mahomes, you should make that move. Otherwise, there’s an argument to be made for Prescott as the rest-of-season QB4.
Brian Robinson, RB, Washington Commanders
What an incredible performance by Brian Robinson against the Seahawks. Fantasy managers are most pleased with his 24.7 fantasy points, an elite RB1 performance. But Robinson is primarily a runner. And he only ran the ball eight times for 38 yards.
Somehow, Robinson amassed 119 yards through the air on six receptions. He came into this week with 137 receiving yards on the season.
It goes without saying this is quite the anomaly. Robinson is still a useful fantasy back, but he hasn’t been efficient on the ground, and he won’t do this through the air again. There won’t be a better time to try and sell him if you want.
David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions
Earlier in the season, David Montgomery was an elite RB1. He was playing over 70% of the snaps and dominating touches. But after he got hurt, Jahmyr Gibbs proved he could be a three-down back. And most importantly, he looked fantastic doing so.
Now, this is no longer a starter/backup situation. Gibbs is the 1A, and Montgomery is the 1B. Gibbs even got multiple goal-line carries.
Montgomery posted RB1 numbers because of a 75-yard touchdown. He didn’t see a single target and wasn’t the clear goal line back. If he didn’t have that huge gain, fantasy managers would likely be panicking about him. Well, you should probably panic anyway. Just don’t let your prospective trade partners know as you try and sell him off this strong fantasy outing.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
I really like Tyler Lockett — I always have. This isn’t about getting rid of a player likely to decline in production. This is about trying to capitalize on a player posting a big game.
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Lockett just caught eight of 10 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. It was his second-best game of the season. He now has three games with 18+ fantasy points but five with less than 7.5 fantasy points.
The reality is Lockett has been erratic this season. He will have more of these games. He will also have more games where he completely flops. He’s more of a WR3 than a WR2. So, if you can sell him as a WR2, that is a +EV move for your fantasy team.
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel’s 2021 elite WR1 season is one of the biggest outliers in the history of fantasy football. Yet, it feels like his valuation continues to be as if that is still in his realistic range of outcomes.
Samuel has battled several injuries this season, which have undoubtedly hurt his production. But even when he’s been healthy, he hasn’t really been that great.
Samuel’s 129 yards in Week 3 came with Brandon Aiyuk out. In his other healthy games, he’s never topped 63 receiving yards. He’s hit double-digit fantasy points without a touchdown just once.
There’s no denying Samuel has a high weekly ceiling. But he is the farthest thing from a reliable option. This past week, he got to 13.9 fantasy points because of a rushing touchdown. Use that to your advantage. Claim he’s trending toward being a WR1 again. And sell him for an actual WR2 because Samuel is nothing more than a WR3.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
I remain steadfast in my belief that George Kittle is the best tight end in football. But in fantasy football…not so much.
This week, Kittle had one of those games where he broke free for a long touchdown. He does that. But he also only saw four targets. His three catches were par for the course when all the 49ers’ weapons were healthy. The 116 yards were not.
Kittle has more than three receptions in a game just three times this season. He has four games with under 5.0 fantasy points.
I’m not saying get rid of Kittle. But if someone is interested in treating him like a top-five TE, you can sell him because he’s closer to replacement level than a high-end guy.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!