Fantasy Football Buy Low Sell High Targets

Buy Low Sell High: Trade Targets Before the Deadline

Before week one started, I traded Sam LaPorta and Matthew Golden for Saquon Barkley; I was loaded on talent and needed an RB2. Looking back, this trade was an impulse buy, something I should have waited on. I know better; you never trade too early in the season. If I had waited, I could have gotten more value, and obviously not an injury-prone old RB. That being said, entering week 8 is a great time to push the chips into the middle. Get busy living or get busy dying. 

Most Fantasy trade deadlines are closing in, and this is the last real window to reshape a roster for the stretch run. The best trades happen when the box score and the role tell two different stories. Some players are seeing elite volume but haven’t had the touchdowns or big plays to show for it, and their managers are getting impatient. Others have ridden a couple of long scores or an injury ahead of them to numbers their role can’t support. The first group is where you buy. The second is where you sell, while someone else still believes the hot streak is real. Every player below falls into one of those buckets, and I’ve noted the role, injury, and depth chart details behind each call.

Buy Low

Chase Brown 🛒

RB, Cincinnati

Brown’s box score hasn’t matched his workload, and that’s exactly what makes him a target. He has handled about 63 percent of Cincinnati’s carries, plays more than 70 percent of the snaps, and draws around 15 percent of the targets, including an 11-target game in Week 4. That’s the profile of a top-12 running back. His production has landed closer to the low-end RB2 range because of a few quiet weeks, including just eight fantasy points on 13 carries in Week 5 and fewer than 10 last week. A back with this kind of role in an offense with Joe Burrow under center should find the end zone more often than he has. Cincinnati’s bye week is already behind him, so you won’t lose a game to it. Offer a receiver with a hot streak and see if his manager bites.

Ollie Gordon II 🛒

RB, Miami

Gordon is still being valued like a backup, and he isn’t one anymore. De’Von Achane is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Jaylen Wright has been dealing with a hamstring injury, which leaves Gordon as Miami’s lead back. He handled a season-high 25 carries on 83 percent of the snaps last week, and he has taken about 65 percent of the Dolphins’ carries inside the red zone. His season averages look ordinary because he barely played in the first two weeks, but since taking over the backfield he has averaged close to 18 fantasy points per game. Miami’s bye week has passed, so he’ll be available every week from here through the fantasy playoffs. Game script is the risk, since Miami is often playing from behind, but workhorse volume is hard to find this late in the season. Buy him now.

DeVonta Smith 🛒

WR, Philadelphia

This is the classic injured-star buy. Smith has missed three games with a hamstring injury, including last week, and he didn’t practice Wednesday, so his manager may be running out of patience. When he’s on the field, he’s one of the most heavily targeted receivers in football. Among receivers with at least three games played, only Jaxon Smith-Njigba has a higher target share, and Smith drew 13 targets in Week 2 and 14 in Week 6. There are real risks. The hamstring has bothered him since training camp, and Jalen Hurts is on injured reserve, leaving Tanner McKee at quarterback. That’s why the price should be low. If you have the bench room to stash him for a week or two, you’re buying a WR1-level role at a WR3 price. Philadelphia’s bye is in Week 10, so plan around it.

Michael Wilson 🛒

WR, Arizona

I’ve written about Wilson’s gap between volume and production all season, and it still hasn’t closed. He has drawn more than 24% of Arizona’s targets, plays about 90 percent of the snaps, and has 13 red zone looks, the kind of usage that usually produces a WR2. Instead, he’s scored fewer points than that role normally delivers, with several single-digit weeks mixed in with his big outings. That’s the kind of profile that frustrates managers into selling. Jacoby Brissett keeps leaning on him, including weeks of 17 and 13 targets earlier this season, and Arizona’s defense keeps putting the offense in throwing situations. The one note is Arizona’s bye in Week 14, which falls at the end of the regular season in many leagues. If you can absorb that week, Wilson is a strong buy for the fantasy playoffs.

A.J. Brown 🛒

WR, New England

His stock couldn’t be lower. Brown’s first two games back from a high ankle sprain looked rough on the scoresheet, with fewer than eight fantasy points in each. Look past that. He drew 10 targets, a third of New England’s looks, in his return, then played 91 percent of the snaps last week. That’s a full-time role, and it should only grow as he gets further from the injury.

The depth chart is helping him too. Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins are both on injured reserve, which leaves Brown as Drake Maye’s clear top receiver. His name still carries some value, but his season totals are ugly after missing four games, and that’s the window. A manager who’s been staring at those totals might take a reasonable offer. New England’s bye is in Week 11, so factor that in. He’s a WR2 with upside for the second half.

Malik Washington 🛒

WR, Miami

Nobody wants to hold fantasy players on the Dolphins, but Washington’s role has been one of the most consistent in the league, and his price has never been lower.

He drew between 25 and 31 percent of Miami’s targets in each of his first five games and ranks among the top 10 receivers in target share for the season. Last week was an outlier, with just three targets while Caleb Douglas turned three looks of his own into 21 fantasy points. One down week shouldn’t change his outlook. He’s still on the field for more than 80 percent of the snaps, and Miami will likely be trailing in plenty of games the rest of the way, which means more dropbacks for Malik Willis and more short targets for his most trusted receiver. Washington’s bye has already passed too. He won’t cost much, and in PPR formats he’s a reliable WR3 for the rest of the season.

Tyler Warren 🛒

TE, Indianapolis

Tight end is the hardest position to fill, and Warren is one of the few who has delivered every week when healthy. Among tight ends with at least three games played, he ranks third in fantasy points per game, behind only Brock Bowers and Trey McBride. He has drawn between 17 and 29 percent of the Colts’ targets in every game and has played at least 85 percent of the snaps in every game. A groin injury has kept him out the last two games, which has dropped his perceived value, but he returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, a good sign he’s close. With Alec Pierce on injured reserve, there are plenty of targets to go around in Indianapolis. The Colts’ bye is in Week 13. If his manager has been scrambling at tight end in his absence, now is the time to make an offer.

Colston Loveland 🛒

TE, Chicago

Loveland’s season numbers still look modest because of a slow start, with fewer than two fantasy points combined in his first two games. Over the last two weeks he has drawn 19 targets, including 12 last week, a remarkable 40 percent of Chicago’s looks. Cole Kmet is out for the season, so Loveland has the position to himself, and he’s already handling a big share of the Bears’ red zone targets. His price may rise quickly, but there’s a window to watch. Chicago faces Seattle this week, one of the toughest defenses in the league against tight ends. If Loveland has a quiet game there, his manager may be willing to move him for less than his role is worth. Chicago’s bye is in Week 10. Make your move after this week’s matchup.

Sell High

Christian Watson 🏷️

WR, Green Bay

Watson has been one of the best fantasy receivers this season, but two games are doing most of the work. He scored more than 35 fantasy points in Weeks 1 and 5. In his other five games, he has averaged under 13. His target share has settled around 20 percent over the last two weeks, and he’s posted 9.4 and 10.7 points in his last two games. That’s a solid WR3 role, not a WR1. The market hasn’t caught up. Consensus rankings still treat him as a top-10 receiver this week, which means his name will carry real value in a trade. With Jayden Reed out for the season, his role is safe, so this isn’t a panic sell. It’s about cashing in on a perception that’s ahead of his weekly output. Shop him for a back or receiver with a more stable role.

Chuba Hubbard 🏷️

RB, Carolina

Hubbard has been one of the season’s best surprises, averaging about 19 fantasy points per game and ranking among the top eight backs in scoring. The concern is how he’s getting there. He has drawn fewer than nine percent of Carolina’s targets, so his production depends almost entirely on rushing yards and touchdowns. He’s outscored what his role would normally produce by a wide margin. Last week was a warning sign. He played just 61 percent of the snaps and handled seven carries, while Trevor Etienne, back from injured reserve, took six. If that split continues, Hubbard’s touchdown-heavy production becomes very hard to count on. He’s still being ranked as a top-10 back this week, so his value is near its peak. Sell him to a manager who needs running back help, and target a back with a bigger passing-game role.

Omar Cooper Jr. 🏷️

WR, New York Jets

Cooper has scored at least 25 fantasy points in both games since returning from an ankle injury, and he’s been one of the most popular waiver-wire pickups over the last two weeks. That makes this the perfect time to sell. Those two big games came on seven and five targets, which means long plays and touchdowns are driving the numbers. That kind of efficiency almost never holds. Garrett Wilson is still the top receiver in this offense, with about a quarter of the targets this season, and Breece Hall is working back from a quad injury, which could pull the offense back toward the run. If you have Cooper, start him in a good matchup this week, then shop him to a manager who’s chasing the last two box scores. You can get far more for him now than his role is likely to be worth over the rest of the season.

Tre Tucker 🏷️

WR, Las Vegas

Tucker has been on fire, topping 24 fantasy points in each of his last two games and drawing a season-high 12 targets last week. Before that run, he drew between 13 and 18 percent of the Raiders’ targets in most games, the role of a boom-or-bust WR4. Two things make this the right time to sell. His production has run ahead of his volume all season, a sign that big plays are carrying more of the load than his target share can support. And Las Vegas just activated Dont’e Thornton and Jack Bech from injured reserve, which adds two more receivers to a target pool that was thin during Tucker’s hot streak. Las Vegas also has a Week 13 bye. Ride him this week if you need to, but his trade value probably won’t get any higher than it is right now.

Keon Coleman 🏷️

WR, Buffalo

Coleman’s best stretch came after DJ Moore went down with a shoulder injury. He posted 26.6 fantasy points in Week 4 and 15.9 in Week 6, drawing more than 20 percent of the targets in those games. Before Moore went down, Coleman was an afterthought, drawing one and two targets in two of his first three games. Moore was on the practice field Wednesday in a no-contact jersey, which suggests his return may not be far off. Once he’s back, Coleman goes back to fighting for targets behind Moore and Khalil Shakir in an offense that spreads the ball around. His season numbers still look like a usable flex, and that’s the version of him you want to sell. In deeper leagues, see if a receiver-needy manager will give you a more stable piece before Moore’s return makes the decision for you.

Mike Gesicki 🏷️

TE, Cincinnati

Surprisingly, Gesicki ranks among the top 12 tight ends in fantasy points per game, which looks great on paper at a thin position. The role says otherwise. He has drawn just eight percent of Cincinnati’s targets this season and played fewer than half of the snaps in most games, including one target last week. His production has come from touchdowns and a handful of efficient catches, like a 12.7-point game on three targets in Week 3, and that’s not something to count on with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins demanding the ball. Tight end is the position where managers get most desperate, which is exactly why Gesicki has trade value right now. Find a manager who just lost their starter or has been streaming all season, and move him for a piece that will help you more in the second half.