We are now at the end of the fantasy football regular season. Fantasy managers should always be looking to improve their rosters, but now with a specific focus on winning playoff matchups.
Given that trade deadlines have passed, consider this more of a guide as to which players might be trending upward and which might be trending downward.
Top Trade Targets To Buy in Your League
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
This isn’t the strongest of recommendations, as C.J. Stroud hasn’t played well this season. His 17.68 fantasy points this past week marked his best outing since Week 6. He has just one game of 20+ fantasy points all season. The Texans also still have their bye in front of them.
With that said, Stroud’s remaining schedule is very favorable. Outside of the Dolphins in Week 15, Stroud exclusively plays bottom-10 pass defenses. Particularly in Week 13, Stroud could have his best game of the season. That one 20+ point game he had was against the Jaguars, the Texans’ next opponent. We could see Stroud turn it around over the final quarter of the season.
56-YARD BOMB TO NICO COLLINS 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Qt1lOTJgEY
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 24, 2024
Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings
With two straight 20+ point games and three in his last four, Sam Darnold is not exactly someone you can buy low on. To be fair, you can’t really “buy” anyone anymore, as trade deadlines have passed. So, consider Darnold someone I think will trend upward over the remainder of the season.
Darnold just threw for an impressive 330 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears. Over the next two weeks, he gets the Cardinals and Falcons, before getting the Bears again. Consider him a solid back-end QB1 going forward.
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
I generally don’t like recommending buying players on teams with nothing to play for. However, we saw Breece Hall give it his all and command heavy volume down the stretch of the 2023 season, and that was his first year back off his ACL tear. As long as he’s healthy, I expect him to play.
In Week 11, Hall snapped a three-week slump to explode for 31.1 fantasy points. He’s now had the bye week that afforded him some timely rest. Over the remainder of the season, Hall faces one of the easiest schedules for running backs. His most difficult opponent is the Rams in Week 16, and they rank 12th against the run. Everyone else is bottom 10. Hall could very well be the overall RB1 from Weeks 13-17.
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
This is a very specific recommendation hinging upon the Chase Brown manager not understanding what they have. Brown is an elite RB1. I would rather have Brown than guys like Kenneth Walker III, Alvin Kamara, James Cook, and even Jonathan Taylor. But, since he’s merely Chase Brown, the guy who opened the season in a timeshare with Zack Moss, I’m not sure he’s being valued properly.
Brown is basically 2023 Kyren Williams. Since Moss went down, Brown has seen over 95% of the touches in the Bengals’ backfield and played over 80% of the snaps. He is one of a select few true three-down backs and plays on one of the best offenses in football.
The Bengals’ remaining schedule is a mixed bag of run defenses, but I’m not sure it matters, given the volume Brown is receiving. With 19 receptions in his last three games, he brings a high floor and a high ceiling. Buy.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
I was pretty excited for Rome Odunze against the Vikings. Turns out, it was a Keenan Allen game.
Yet, amidst Allen’s massive game, Odunze still saw 10 targets. It was unfortunate that he only caught five of them for 39 yards, but the usage was very encouraging.
The Vikings’ remaining schedule is very favorable. Three of their next four opponents are against bottom-five pass defenses. There’s still a deliberate effort to get Odunze involved. You have to figure he and Caleb Williams will connect on some of these downfield throws in the future.
George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ever since Russell Wilson took over as starter, George Pickens has been a WR1. But on Thursday night, he underwhelmed with just four receptions for 48 yards, both lows since Wilson took over. It was also a game heavily impacted by weather.
Going forward, the Steelers have a relatively favorable schedule. They also play four teams capable of forcing them into negative game script.
Given Wilson’s still elite deep ball, there are definitely some long touchdowns in Pickens’ future. He could be a WR1 rest of season.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Please note this was written prior to Sunday Night Football. Not including whatever Dallas Goedert did on Sunday night, all season, he’s been far better without one of DeVonta Smith or A.J. Brown in the lineup.
With at least one of the Eagles’ top two WRs out, Goedert has averaged about 15 fantasy points per game.
Smith is currently dealing with a hamstring strain. I’m not entirely sure this is a short-term injury. He could miss multiple weeks, making Goedert into a clear TE1. He’s certainly trending upward.
Will Dissly, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
It may be entirely unexpected, but I completely buy what we’ve seen from Will Dissly over the past month. The veteran tight end has 8+ fantasy points in four of his last five, including two games with 16 and 18.1 fantasy points.
The Chargers’ remaining schedule for tight ends is glorious. Each of their next four opponents ranks in the bottom 10 at defending the tight end. Because he’s Will Dissly, fantasy managers might be reluctant to treat him as an every-week TE1. You should.
Top Players To Sell in Your League
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There will definitely be another big game or two in Baker Mayfield’s future. But they will all be contingent upon how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers score their touchdowns.
Against the Giants, the Bucs exclusively scored on the ground, with all three of their running backs rushing for a score, plus Mayfield himself diving into the end zone. That won’t happen every week. However, Mayfield benefited heavily from negative game script in the first half of the season. The Bucs have one of the softest remaining schedules. They will almost certainly be favored in four of their next five games. That could lead to more running.
Mayfield should still be fine, but the days of 30+ fantasy points may very well be over.
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
This one is very specific to team circumstance. If you need to win make the playoffs, Jayden Daniels is probably someone you should look to move off of. The Commanders face a solid Titans pass defense in Week 13. Then, they don’t play in Week 14.
The Week 14 byes are brutal. In specific situations, fantasy managers have to make decisions directly around them.
Daniels likely just had his best game of the season, scoring 32.4 fantasy points. His value may never be higher.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
I fully expect Isiah Pacheco to return this Friday. Obviously, every fantasy manager knows this will severely reduce Kareem Hunt’s fantasy value. The question is how much. My prediction is Hunt becomes completely useless in fantasy. No timeshare. Maybe in the first game, but nothing more. Pacheco fully gets his job back and Hunt gets 3-5 touches a game.
Even in a plum matchup against the Panthers, Hunt only managed 11.7 fantasy points. It just doesn’t get any easier.
Now, with Pacheco back and a very difficult Week 14-17 schedule, it’s hard to see a path to Hunt ever being a confident start again.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
I’ve had D’Andre Swift as a sell for a while now. It’s nothing against his talent. But on Sunday, we already saw glimpses of why.
The Bears’ remaining schedule is very difficult. Swift carried the ball 13 times for 30 yards against the Vikings. For the second consecutive week, he had a touchdown vultured by Roschon Johnson, which appears to be a thing they’re doing now.
Over the next four weeks, the Bears’ easiest opponent is the 16th-ranked 49ers run defense. Their other three opponents are top-five units against the run. Swift could be a touchdown-dependent RB2 who doesn’t get goal-line carries.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns
The Cedric Tillman situation was always going to be an enjoy-it-while-you-can thing. It was always unlikely that Tillman, who had one of the worst rookie years from a Day 1/2 WR ever, suddenly became a go-to WR out of nowhere.
We shouldn’t be overly critical of Tillman’s poor outing on Thursday night against the Steelers. The conditions were horrible, Jameis Winston only attempted 27 passes, and Tillman got concussed midway through the game.
At the same time, Jerry Jeudy was able to continue producing, catching all six of his targets for 85 yards. He also didn’t commit a very soft fumble like Tillman.
It’s pretty clear Jeudy is the No. 1. Are we sure Tillman is even the No. 2 ahead of Elijah Moore? Will it matter?
The Browns have a very difficult remaining schedule, facing just one defense that ranks bottom half against the pass. Even if he can clear the concussion protocol by the time the Browns play next, consider Tillman’s value firmly on the decline.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
I am sure Week 12 was the moment fantasy managers decided to finally bench Jaylen Waddle. Eight catches, 144 yards, and one touchdown later, everyone is kicking themselves. I get it’s frustrating, but the process was correct. Look at what he’s done all season.
Prior to his 28.4-point explosion, Waddle had nine straight games with single-digit fantasy points. What are we supposed to do with that?
This is what I was hoping to see from Jaylen Waddle on a weekly basis when I drafted him in almost every fantasy league this preseason. pic.twitter.com/jJTGsM2OJg
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) November 24, 2024
Given Waddle’s history of production prior to this season, many fantasy managers will likely think he’s back. I’m not buying it. This is the exception, not the rule, at least in 2024. Do not buy a sudden Waddle resurgence.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
Is anyone still treating Sam LaPorta like a startable tight end? I hope not. Even on weeks when he produces, it’s completely random, just like any other unexpected tight-end performance.
LaPorta has hit double-digit fantasy points a total of three times all season. It is entirely dependent on whether he scores. While he remains an elite end-zone target, the Lions are just fine running Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery as often as they can. You really don’t even need to roster LaPorta anymore.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It was a great run for Cade Otton. He really stepped up while the Bucs were missing all of their receivers. Now, Mike Evans is back, and the negative game scripts are gone. That means more running and fewer targets for the tight end. Otton saw a mere three targets against the Giants, catching one pass for 30 yards.
The Bucs’ next two opponents are the two worst defenses at defending the tight end. That’s certainly a reason to be reluctant to move away from Otton. However, they are always bad against the pass in general. I’m just expecting Bucky Irving and Evans to dominate the touches, leaving Otton as a touchdown-or-bust TE2.