The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching, but fortunately most fantasy football leagues won’t have thiers for several more weeks. That should give fantasy managers plenty of time to figure out what they need to be playoff contenders.
But that doesn’t mean it’s necessary to wait until right before the deadline to get a deal done. In fact, this is perhaps the best time to make trades with six NFL teams going on bye in Week 8. If your roster is blessed with some positional depth, there’s no better time to take advantage of others in your league who will be scrambling to fill the holes in their lineups.
WEEK 8 BYES: Arizona, Detroit, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, L.A. Rams, Seattle
Here are some of this week’s best trade candidates:
Fantasy football players to buy for Week 8
WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
The big bye week presents big buying opportunities. At the top of the list is Nacua, who missed Sunday’s game against the Jaguars in London with an ankle injury. Had the game been played stateside, Nacua might have tried to play, but with the Rams having a bye this week, it made sense for him to stay home. Obviously, the offense was just fine with QB Matthew Stafford tossing five TD passes. But if someone in your league is desperate for a win, snagging the top WR in fantasy points per game is worth waiting a week to use him.
RB De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
As bad as things seem in Miami, there’s still one bright spot. Achane has such a high floor that even when the Dolphins can’t seem to get anything going, he still manages to have a solid fantasy performance. In Sunday’s 31-6 loss in Cleveland, the offense totaled just 219 yards. But Achane accounted for 82 of those rushing and another 16 on three receptions. He’s scored double-digit PPR points in every game and has some excellent matchups ahead of his Week 12 bye.
WR Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders
This might seem dumb on the surface (and could be in total), but with the NFL trade deadline coming up in less than two weeks and the 2-5 Raiders seemingly going nowhere, Meyers is as good a trade candidate as anyone. In reality as well as fantasy. He didn’t play in Week 7 because of knee and toe injuries – and the Raiders are on bye this week. It shouldn’t cost hardly anything to speculate on Meyers exiting the desert for greener pastures.
Fantasy football players to sell for Week 8
WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Smith was the WR2 this week (pending Monday night’s games), hauling in nine of his 11 targets for a career-high 183 yards and a touchdown. While it was a fantastic performance, it was just Smith’s second game of the season with more than 60 receiving yards. The Eagles’ offense can be maddeningly inconsistent, not to mention unpredictable, from week to week. At some point, they’re going to have to get RB Saquon Barkley back on track.
RB D’Andre Swift, Chciago Bears
Swift’s reunion with coach Ben Johnson has paid immediate dividends, especially lately. He’s had back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts, bumping him up to the RB11 on the season in fantasy points per game (full PPR). And coming up next are a couple more potential smash games against the Ravens and Bengals. So why deal him now? Certainly the short-term gains are enticing to a potential trade partner. But rookie backup Kyle Monangai is seeing a increase in playing time, and the Bears have perhaps the worst playoff schedule for any running back with games against the Packers, Browns and Packers again in Weeks 14-16. An apparent downgrade now could be an upgrade later when it means the most.
TE Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
The veteran had a huge game against the Bengals on Thursday, catching five passes for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Thing is, he wasn’t the only Steelers tight end to stuff the stat sheet. Jonnu Smith (three catches, 28 yards) and Darnell Washington (3-2) also got into the end zone in the shootout in Cincinnati. While they can continue to play more than one TE at a time, the receiving load figures to be much more evenly distributed going forward.
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