The fantasy football trade deadline is here for a lot of leagues and just around the corner for others. This means you have a limited amount of time to get your roster right for the playoff race.
Let’s look at the wide receiver position to give you our top picks for who you should consider targeting and who you should consider trading away.
If you’re looking for more trade advice, head to our Week 10 Buy Low or Sell High article, where we look at all the skill positions and players you should consider.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans
Sell High
Perhaps the sophomore WR is starting to feel like himself and about to get rolling. Tank Dell had his best game of the season on Thursday night, catching six of nine targets for 126 yards. It also came in a game without Nico Collins or Stefon Diggs. C.J. Stroud had no choice.
Collins is expected back in Week 10. He will immediately resume his spot as the clear WR1. With Stroud not playing particularly well, I’m not sure he can support a second fantasy-relevant WR.
If you can’t sell Dell for anything worthwhile, you’re better off holding him. But if there’s a desperate fantasy manager out there looking for anything at WR, this may be the peak of Dell’s value.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Sell High
I fully buy that DeAndre Hopkins is not done and that he could be a weekly WR2 in the right environment. If you think that environment is in Kansas City, then don’t sell him.
I think Monday night created the perfect set of circumstances for Hopkins to have a big game. It was his second game with the team. The Kansas City Chiefs actually experienced a negative game script. The Bucs are a massive pass-funnel defense. And the team needed Hopkins because Xavier Worthy might be the worst WR on an NFL roster playing significant snaps right now.
Hopkins caught eight passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. It was Patrick Mahomes’ first three-touchdown game of the season.
Of the Chiefs’ remaining opponents, only two of them have realistic shootout potential. Otherwise, we are looking at very good pass defenses or soft pass defenses, opponents that won’t make the Chiefs have to throw.
Please do not just give away Hopkins. This is not a sell-at-any-cost proposition. Rather, this is an “I think this is the highest we’ll see Hopkins’ value all season” play. If you are going to trade DHop, now is the time.
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
Sell High
I wonder if anyone still views DJ Moore as a WR3. He’s not. I’m not sure what changed in the Chicago Bears offense, but Moore is not being used like he was early in the season.
Even from Weeks 1-5, when Moore hit double-digit fantasy points in every game, it was mostly a mirage. He barely got there in three of those games. Outside of his 27.5-point Week 5, he was mostly a low WR3, at best.
Since Week 6, the Bears have faced three average to bad pass defenses. Moore has posted receiving totals of 20, 27, and 33.
The Bears have a very favorable rest-of-season schedule. That’s your path to trying to sell Moore as a buy-low player when, in reality, he is a sell-low player.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Buy Low
It’s been a pretty good stretch for Jaxon Smith-Njigba over the past month or so. He’s hit double-digit fantasy points in six of his last eight games. However, just two of those games gave fantasy managers WR1-level production.
This was the first time we really saw downfield usage for JSN. I just don’t buy that it wasn’t a product of DK Metcalf’s absence.
JSN just caught seven passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. His value will never be higher.
The Seattle Seahawks are headed into their bye week. Metcalf will be back the following week, which should relegate JSN to the same random WR3/4 he’s been most of the season. If you can sell him as something more than that off the big game, do it.