The fantasy football trade deadline is approaching for many leagues. That increases the need to be eyeing up potential trade targets and investigate every possible avenue to buy low and sell high entering Week 10 of the 2020 fantasy season. If your league has a late trade deadline or does not have one at all, then you may still have scope to push any deals back a couple of weeks, but for many, Week 10 is possibly the last opportunity to add those desired trade targets to help your push to the fantasy playoffs.
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Four Week 10 buy low candidates you should pursue
QB: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
If you did not buy low on Lamar Jackson last week, then you will likely have another opportunity to target a trade for the 2019 MVP heading into Week 10. Jackson scored under 20 fantasy points for the fifth time this season in the Ravens Week 9 contest with the Indianapolis Colts. An interesting stat is that of the 18 fantasy points he scored this week, 11.8 of them were scored in the running game.
Jackson has faced some tough matchups this season, with the likes of the Steelers, Colts, and Chiefs all having been on the schedule. The other tough matchup he had was with the Washington Football team, but he provided a 25-point day in that contest.
Chances are heading into 2020, you would have thought Lamar Jackson was more likely to be a sell high than a buy low, but entering Week 10, that narrative has flipped. The schedule for the Ravens opens up a little down the stretch, with games against the Patriots, Titans, Cowboys, Browns, and Jaguars all serving as potential opportunities for Jackson to succeed.
RB: Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
The last four weeks have been tough for the fantasy GM with Aaron Jones on their team. They were probably feeling very smug about their choice when Jones posted over 40 fantasy points in Week 2. However, that should have been the opportunity to sell high on Jones, because as we enter Week 10, his value has fallen to a point where he is a clear buy low.
Part of the frustration with Jones is that he has missed two weeks through injury, but there is also concern that he has under 15 PPR-fantasy points in both of his last two games. However, what makes Jones one of the top fantasy trade targets entering Week 10 is the fact that he has seen over 20 opportunities (carries + targets) in all but one game this season. Jones is the number one back for the Packers and the number two skill-position weapon on the roster.
WR: Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers
The frustration surrounding Robby Anderson from a fantasy perspective is starting to tell. The Panthers wide receiver has not found the end zone since Week 1 and scored less than 15 PPR-fantasy points in three of his last four games. Given that he averaged over 18 PPR points per game through the first five weeks, the drop-off to an average of 12.55 the last four weeks will be driving frustration.
However, what is so attractive about Anderson as one of the trade targets you should be eyeing for fantasy entering Week 10 is that his floor on a weekly basis is one of the safest in the NFL. Anderson has scored under 10 PPR-fantasy points in just one game this season and has seen five or more targets in every single game. Right now, he is more of a PPR threat than a standard-scoring threat, but an average of 8.89 targets per game is not to be taken lightly.
Given Anderson has relatively little name value, and he has not found the end zone for eight weeks, his price currently makes him a buy low entering Week 10, with the potential to flip him as a sell high ahead of a late trade deadline if he can find the end zone in the next couple of weeks.
TE: Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers
There is not a lot of good happening in San Francisco right now. The injury report is filled with names like Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, and Nick Bosa. Those injuries, plus some mediocre performances, have likely meant that attentions are moving away from the 49ers providing consistent fantasy value. However, Week 9 saw the return of Jordan Reed, and while he did not do very much against the Packers, it does present some opportunity.
Reed impressed earlier in the year when Kittle was missing. In those two games, Reed saw 14 targets, through which he posted nine receptions, 73 yards, and two touchdowns. In his first game back, he played just 13 snaps, but with a 10-day break, he should see more snaps in Week 10.
Reed’s value entering that Week 10 game, and following what will be viewed as a prime time flop, will make him a buy low candidate, especially if you can convince his current fantasy GM that they are selling high on an injury-prone player. Trading for Reed is never a comfortable option, but at the tight end position, I am willing to throw some darts in the hope it pays off down the stretch in the playoffs.
If you look at his schedule down the stretch, Reed has a number of opponents who have favorable ranks when it comes to both fantasy points allowed to the position and Pro Football Network’s Defensive Points Allowed Consistency Score. Reed could be a valuable piece of your playoff push, even if his health means he only contributes for a couple of weeks.
Four Week 10 sell high candidates it’s time to trade
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers
Bridgewater has been a frustrating enigma this season. His game against the Chiefs in Week 9 will grab plenty of headlines, but it is the preceding three games that should elicit concern. In those three games, Bridgewater averaged 13.5 fantasy points per game. That low stretch has been sandwiched by three 20-plus point games.
If you look at the schedule for the Panthers, you could argue that Bridgewater is a player to ride. They have a tough game with the Buccaneers in Week 10, but after that, it is the Lions, the Vikings, their bye, the Broncos, and the Packers. That is a pretty nice stretch of defenses for sure. However, Bridgewater has struggled to exploit soft matchups at times this season, only topping 21 fantasy points when he has a rushing touchdown.
My advice here would be to shop Bridgewater as a sell high in Superflex leagues entering Week 10, and then look to try and buy low coming out of the Buccaneers matchups. Ultimately, I am comfortable selling Bridgewater and riding with other options because of his inconsistency and limited ceiling.
RB: Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders
Considering who you should move on from at the running back position should always be a decision made with extreme caution. Coming out of the Week 6 game against the Buccaneers, there was an opportunity to buy low on Jacobs, but two weeks later, it feels like that has flipped to be an opportunity to sell high entering Week 10.
The biggest concern for me with Jacobs is that Devontae Booker seems to be seeing more touches in the running game, as well as the likes of Jalen Richard and Alec Ingold getting mixed in the passing game. Jacobs has now posted double-digit fantasy points in two straight weeks but lacks extreme efficiency running the ball and is not involved in the passing game. If you can convince someone that Jacobs is a top-10 fantasy back and a very attractive trade target down the stretch, then parting ways heading into Week 10 feels like a smart move to make.
WR: Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers
Curtis Samuel is playing the football of his career right now. Over the last three weeks, he has topped 10 fantasy points in all three and has been making plays in both the running and passing game. However, with Christian McCaffrey now back and likely to see even more opportunities in the coming weeks, Samuel could see his opportunities drop.
When McCaffrey got injured, Samuel was a sneaky buy low, but coming off a game in which he topped 100 yards receiving and caught a touchdown, his value is definitely in the territory of sell high. That is only the second time this season that Samuel has topped 50 receiving yards. Part of that is due to the fact that Teddy Bridgewater threw the ball over 40 times for just the second time this season. Samuel should go back to being the third or fourth pass-catching option on this roster in the coming weeks.
TE: Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans
Tight end is another position at which I am hesitant to sell anyone who sees targets on a regular basis. But Jonnu Smith is extremely frustrating. The Titans tight end has seen just 10 targets in his last four games and has under 100 yards in that time. If you can convince someone to buy Smith after his touchdown in Week 9, then you should sell as soon as possible, especially if you can get a tight end with a reliable target share coming in the other direction.