Happy Friday after Thanksgiving, everyone. Hopefully, by now, your Thanksgiving feast has been digested, and someone other than you volunteered to do the dishes. If you’re looking to make some moves ahead of the weekend slate, the fantasy football trade analyzer is here to help guide your trading decisions before the deadline.
Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer Week 12 | Three players to trade for this week
Let’s start with who to trade for. After all, getting new toys is always more fun than giving away the old ones.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have established their new identity as a run-heavy offense, using their running backs and mobile quarterback similarly to the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson. Still, there’s been room for DeVonta Smith to flourish on the outside in this offense.
Between Week 9-10, Smith logged 182 receiving yards and 3 TDs on 9 receptions. He topped 20 fantasy points in each of those two games, then proceeded to follow it up with a lower total of 4 receptions and 61 yards and no scores in Week 11. With the lack of passing volume in this offense right now, it will be hard to project Smith as anything more than a WR2 or flex play, but his upside is clearly there. Capitalize on the usage concerns and add a valuable piece to your roster for cheap.
James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
James Robinson’s yardage totals have been lacking lately, with two of his last four performances failing to reach 30 rushing yards. Fortunately for Robinson, and his fantasy managers, Robinson has scored a touchdown (or two) in every game other than one since Week 2. He is essentially the only way this offense puts up points.
His red zone usage and efficiency have helped him to double-digit fantasy performances in the last two weeks, against two very tough defenses in the Colts and the 49ers — both defenses rank in the top three in terms of least fantasy points allowed per game to running backs. With Atlanta allowing the eighth-most FPPG on deck for Sunday, now would be a great time to trade for Robinson.
Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“Uncle Lenny,” or “Playoff Lenny,” or whatever you want to call him is consistently one of the most disrespected running backs in fantasy football. He’s the same age as Dalvin Cook but people treat him like he’s Frank Gore.
Since Week 4, Fournette is the RB9 in half-PPR. He averages 15.4 fantasy points per game, the same as D’Andre Swift. In that timeframe, he has averaged 5.7 targets per game in an offense that is rich with wide receivers. I don’t know what else to say. People discount him because of narratives or biases, but he’s been solid this year. Go trade for him.
Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer Week 12 | Three players to trade away this week
Now that we have our trade targets in order, here are three players to trade away.
AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers
AJ Dillon had one monster game when Aaron Jones went down with an injury, and that will be the high point of the rest of the season for him. That game, where he ran for only 66 yards on 21 attempts, was aided by two touchdowns — the only touchdowns he has scored this year.
With Jones out last week, Dillon again saw a low rushing output, with only 53 rushing yards. He was heavily used in the passing game though, getting 6 targets and catching all 6. The receiving work, which was the most he’s seen this year, saved his day for fantasy managers. Prior to Week 11, Dillon averaged only 1.8 targets per game.
Jones was seen at practice yesterday, giving him a chance to return this week against the Los Angeles Rams. Whenever Jones makes his return, Dillon will return to his typical flex value. Sell high if you can.
Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots
Sometimes it’s okay to sell when the value is low if you don’t see a reasonable path to the value coming back up. That’s what I’m feeling about Damien Harris right now. While Harris was on the shelf with an injury, Rhamondre Stevenson played very well. I was nervous about a timeshare when Harris returned, and that’s exactly what we saw in Week 11.
In their matchup with the Falcons, Stevenson had 12 carries for 69 yards. Harris had 10 for 56. This looks like a full-on running back by committee, with #Belitricks back in full swing. If someone in your league believes that they were just easing Harris back in and that he’s still the lead back, let them have Harris.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
I love Stefon Diggs, but he’s been more of a WR2 than a WR1 this year. In fact, last year’s overall WR1 has only two top-12 finishes this year through 11 weeks. That’s not going to get it done. His targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns are all down compared to his 2020 campaign.
Last week, Diggs found the end zone twice, accounting for 12 of his 16.3 fantasy points in Half-PPR. He had only 23 yards on 4 receptions. We know the ceiling that he’s capable of, but we haven’t seen it enough this year to justify thinking of him as a WR1. If you can trade him on his name value for two assets that will provide you with more depth/consistency, that’s a trade I would consider making.