Let’s say you had to deal with the losses of Jerick McKinnon and Tyler Eifert. These players might have seriously affected the performance of your fantasy team and you are looking down the barrel of a last-place finish this year. Don’t tear your hair out because here are some great candidates to acquire and trade away to seriously improve your roster. No need to draw out this introduction, let’s just get to those players worth trading for and players worthy of flipping to other teams.
Fantasy Football Trade Targets And Trade Bait Through 6 Weeks
Quarterbacks
Trade for: Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers
Similar to legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield, Rivers gets no respect. A perennial candidate to be a top-10 fantasy quarterback, he always is among the quarterbacks that are being drafted late in drafts to be a quarterback on the bench. Well if that is the case, this is a good opportunity to get him for a lower price. If you had to suffer from Jimmy Garoppolo being lost for the entire year and are now streaming quarterbacks every week, Rivers is a good quarterback to trade for. Rivers faces a good stretch of opponents that are good for his fantasy prospects. In a three week span, he will face Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Kansas City right before the fantasy playoffs. If you are in a need for a late season push, you could not ask for a better option to trade for.
Other candidates to acquire: Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams; Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Trade away: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are a real mess right now. Their defense is not even close to resembling the legendary Steel Curtain defense of old and their offense lacks consistency. Roethlisberger is running hot and cold this season so far and he faces a real tough stretch of games in the next few weeks. Facing opponents like the Browns, Jaguars, and Panthers will limit the scoring chances for Roethlisberger. If you can find a trade partner for him, flip him and don’t even think about hesitating. Leverage Roethlisberger’s recent good performance to bring in a good haul to shore up any holes on your roster.
Other candidates to flip: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts; Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Running Backs
Trade for: Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears
Tarik Cohen’s ability in the passing game is currently keeping Howard on the sidelines. Head coach Matt Nagy has stated that he wants to get Howard more involvement, and that involvement should be coming down the stretch. Howard is playing well, but his projections for the rest of the year look for him to breakout. Having games against the Giants, Lions, and Dolphins can lead to big output coming from the former fifth-round pick. Howard is waiting in the wings for his chances, but he will have a serious coming out party when he gets those opportunities. Get him for a low price now before fantasy owners over-value him and you lose this golden opportunity. Acquire this great running back and your playoff projections seem very promising.
Other candidates to acquire: Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers; Royce Freeman, Denver Broncos
Trade away: Isaiah Crowell, New York Jets
After an absolute outburst against the Denver Broncos a couple weeks ago, you would think Crowell is a guy worth hanging onto. This is the exact opposite case as looking behind those numbers against the Broncos, you can see he had three long runs of 36, 54, and 77 yards. Take away those long runs, and his stat line would have been 12 attempts for 52 yards which translates to 4.3 yards a carry. Not a bad number to have, but this is not a reason to hang on to him. You can use this information to flip him for a large haul as you can find someone who would be more susceptible to the gaudy numbers he just put up. His schedule doesn’t pay him any favors either as he faces Tennessee, Chicago, and five more games against his division opponents. They all boast stout running defenses and that translates to bad projections for Crowell to perform well. Trade him while his value is going to be at its highest and reap the rewards.
Other candidates to flip: Kenyan Drake, Miami Dolphins; Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
Wide Receivers
Trade for: D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
Before the bye week, Moore had four targets through three games. After the bye week, Moore had nine targets in two games. The Panthers know that getting Moore involved in the offense can spell more trouble for opposing defenses. Head coach, Ron Rivera, has stated that it takes his receivers a little time to get used to the offense they run in Carolina. He referenced fellow receiver Devin Funchess in his rookie year having struggles early then becoming a legitimate option in the passing game. Looking at Funchess’ rookie year, he saw 24 targets in the first eight games of the year and that increased to 39 targets in the final eight games. This means that Moore is going to get involved more and more as the year progresses. Perfect opportunity to buy really low on Moore and get a real steal to add to your roster.
Other candidates to acquire: Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals; John Brown, Baltimore Ravens
Trade away: Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is currently averaging 197 passing yards a game through six weeks. This is a logical reason as to why Baldwin is appearing here as opposed to the buy-low section. Through his first five games, Baldwin has six receptions, off of nine targets, for only 42 yards and no touchdowns (albeit being injured the first few games). This nagging knee injury is clearly an attributing factor to Baldwin’s poor performance. It clearly seems to be affecting him and this can mean that his fantasy stock may never rise for the entire season. The value for Baldwin may not be that high, but you can leverage his name to possibly acquire a Nyheim Hines, Austin Ekeler, or Jack Doyle. No need to worry about his fantasy season becoming better this year; trade him away and wash your hands of his poor year that will continue for the rest of 2018.
Other candidates to flip: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts; DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tight Ends
Trade for: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Garoppolo is done for the 2018 season and the optimism in the Bay Area has seriously dropped ever since that fateful play against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now most fans may be swimming in sorrow, but there are two players that are showing some light in this dark tunnel the 49ers are in. Those two players are running back, Matt Breida, and tight end, George Kittle. Kittle is getting closer and closer to cementing himself as a fantasy tight end to start every week. Even with the loss of Jimmy G, second-string quarterback C.J. Beathard comes in with a history with Kittle. Former teammates at the University of Iowa, Kittle will look to continue his breakout season with the former Hawkeye under center. See if you can acquire him for a reasonable price and bolster your lineup with a possible top-five fantasy tight end when 2018 has come to its conclusion.
Other candidates to acquire: Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts; Trey Burton, Chicago Bears
Trade away: Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts
Ebron is finally having the season that fantasy owners have been waiting for all these years. Yes, he has been a great tight end every week and worth starting regularly, but his stock will hit zero once Doyle returns to the Colts offense. This is perfect trade bait for another fantasy owner as Doyle is still out for a week or two. You can send Ebron away and acquire a real treasure trove of players to upgrade your roster to make a serious playoff push. Quarterback, Andrew Luck, is a big fan of his tight ends and especially Doyle when he makes his return to the starting lineup. Ebron may get some looks every so often because of his athletic ability, but it’s not worth stashing. If you have some gaps to fill in your lineup, trade away Ebron and patch up those gaps with better players that will pay better dividends throughout the rest of the year.
Other candidates to flip: Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings; Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins