For many fantasy football leagues, the trade deadline is quickly approaching. If you’re new to fantasy, that’s basically a set date after which you are not able to make trades. This means that if your team is trending toward playoff contention, the next few weeks are paramount to securing your bid in the postseason. After all, if you’re not willing to take a measured risk to win your league championship, what’s the point of playing fantasy football? 

 Hopefully, this list will help any team on the brink of contention that may need an extra push to get themselves over the top. It won’t be too long before the deadline hits and players will be locked into lineups. If you want to add a player you’ve been looking to grab all season, now is the time. Let’s get into this week’s list.

Buy Low

Josh Downs - WR, IND

Week 9 Stats - 9 Targets

6 Receptions, 60 Rec Yards

This selection may be somewhat surprising but stay with me. When Colts second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson was benched after a Week 8 loss to Houston, veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco was pushed into the starting spot. This was an extremely controversial decision and one that wasn’t positively reflected after Indianapolis fell to 4-5 after a 21-13 loss to the Vikings. 

Nonetheless, before the game, many fantasy managers were excited about Downs’ fantasy prospects with Flacco under center. After all, the duo of Flacco and Downs performed well together while Richardson was out with a hip injury. 

However, fantasy expectations weren’t exactly met after Flacco had a poor outing and the Colts failed to score an offensive touchdown in Week 9. Many fantasy managers will most likely panic with Downs, but now is the perfect time to trade for the second-year slot receiver. He still had a solid performance and led the team in targets. What we saw in Minnesota was simply his floor. Downs has received at least nine targets in every game in which Joe Flacco has been the primary starter. 

A poor offensive showing against a good defense led to a down week, but Downs and Flacco have produced together in the past. Expect a bounce-back from the receiver in the coming weeks. 

Breece Hall - RB, NYJ

Week 9 Stats - 15 Carries

74 Rush Yards, 4 Targets

2 Rec, 11 Rec Yards

There’s no doubt that now is the time to trade for Breece Hall. After back-to-back poor fantasy performances, it is easy to forget that the star running back had 103 receiving yards in Week 7. Hall already has 50 targets through nine weeks, so his value as a receiver is impossible to question. 

Breece Hall is still one of the premiere players on this Jets offense, so I doubt it will take long for him to return to his successful role as a receiver out of the backfield. Hall has registered five or more targets in six out of the Jets’ nine games in 2024. 

While he has disappointed over the last few weeks, if you have the chance to add him to your squad at a discount, the move is a no-brainer. If you’re looking for a PPR superstar to add to your contending fantasy team, buy the dip on Hall’s fantasy value. 

Tyrone Tracy Jr. - RB, NYG

Week 9 Stats - 16 Carries

66 Rush Yards, 1 Target

1 Rec, 3 Rec Yards

Tyrone Tracy has been fantastic during his rookie season in New York. He seems to have completely taken the starting job from fellow running back Devin Singletary, who the team acquired in free agency this offseason. 

Tracy didn’t have a great week against the Washington defense, who limited his explosiveness to 69 total yards. However, there is hope for the rookie running back out of Purdue. The volume he has received in his rookie season gives him a high floor in fantasy football. He has been given at least 17 touches in four of his last five games. That should tell you enough about how much this offense plans on using him.

He’s also shown to be a solid receiving threat for the Giants offense, which was to be expected as Tracy spent time in college at the wide receiver position before switching to running back. Tracy could be a solid sleeper to add to your starting roster before the fantasy playoffs begin.

Sell High

Rhamondre Stevenson - RB, NE

Week 9 Stats - 10 Carries

16 Rush Yards, 1 Rush TD

5 Targets, 5 Rec

38 Rec Yards, 1 Rec TD

This one isn’t hard. Stevenson’s efficiency has plummeted over the last three weeks. The only factor that has rescued his fantasy value from total destruction is the fact that he’s scored four touchdowns in his last two contests. Stevenson is averaging 2.2 yards per carry over his last three games. That is less than ideal. 

If rookie quarterback Drake Maye continues to show promise, it would make sense for New England to run their offense through the passing game. Free agency acquisition Antonio Gibson has already threatened some of Stevenson’s workload, and negative game scripts should compel the Patriots to throw the football when they inevitably trail over the next few contests. 

Trading away Rhamondre Stevenson for a more secure and efficient fantasy asset is a great move for a team looking to take home a championship by battling their way through a win-or-go-home fantasy football playoff tournament.

Tyler Lockett - WR, SEA

Week 9 Stats - 4 Targets

3 Rec, 63 Rec Yards

1 Rec TD

In Week 9, Tyler Lockett had a solid game but was overshadowed by fellow wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had a career-best outing. Lockett has been a great veteran receiver for a number of years and has continued to be reliable into the 2024 NFL season. 

My main issue with Lockett’s fantasy outlook is the emergence of Smith-Njigba as well as Lockett’s middling production in the absence of Seattle’s superstar wide receiver, DK Metcalf. It seems as though Lockett is firmly within the team’s third wide receiver role, meaning his fantasy value is still capped even with Metcalf’s injury woes. 

Trading Lockett away from your fantasy team is a solid choice, as his fantasy football relevance is limited by the two star wide receivers who lead the team in targets, Metcalf and Smith-Njigba. 

Javonte Williams - RB, DEN

Week 9 Stats - 12 Carries

42 Rush Yards, 3 Targets

2 Rec, 42 Rec Yards

Javonte Williams wasn’t very efficient in Denver’s Week 9 blowout loss to Baltimore. However, he was impressively involved in the passing game, hauling in two catches for 42 yards. However, it’s become unfortunately clear that Williams is not the answer in the running game for the Broncos. Denver is better than many expected this year and can’t afford to have a major liability in their offense if they hope to make the playoffs. 

Reports have recently surfaced speculating that rookie running back Audric Estime could receive an uptick in touches in the coming weeks as Denver tries to figure out their running game. This could cause problems for Williams’ fantasy outlook, as another threat in the backfield could pose major competition to his role on the team. 

If Estime puts together a few solid games, Williams could end up losing the starting job to the rookie out of Notre Dame sooner rather than later. Williams is simply too risky to move forward with in fantasy football. There are too many mouths to feed in Denver’s backfield, so trading Williams in exchange for a running back with more job security is a great way to go if you are looking to make the fantasy playoffs.