Fantasy football is at its most exciting when you spot the right trade targets before your league-mates do. This week, there are several intriguing players whose recent performances might raise concerns, but who also have upside for the rest of the season.
By keeping an eye on changing roles and upcoming matchups, managers can get ahead of the curve. Consider what’s happening behind the box scores and you might land a league-winning piece.
Trade Targets to Buy: Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
The Carolina Panthers headed into Sunday as the 11th-best defense against quarterbacks in fantasy. However, their reputation as one of the worst teams in football will take a while to shake off.
That makes Jordan Love’s disappointing Week 9 even more concerning for fantasy managers, given that the Green Bay Packers were widely expected to dominate. Love completed 26 of his 37 pass attempts for 273 yards, but with zero touchdowns and one pick.
That landed him with just 10.2 fantasy points, ranking 20th among quarterbacks on the week, even before Sunday Night Football. Love was the QB1 overall in Week 8, but has only registered two top-10 fantasy weeks all season.
Moving forward, though, Love faces a mixture of high-powered offenses and questionable defenses, giving him plenty of opportunities for production. With Josh Jacobs seemingly over his recent calf troubles, the Packers offense should be able to get moving, although they’ll likely be without star tight end Tucker Kraft.
The Packers are accustomed to playing without their star playmakers, though, with Christian Watson having missed significant time in the past. Love was PFSN’s second-ranked quarterback on the year heading into Sunday, and any doubt from current owners should be pounced on.
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Rookie running back Woody Marks has been slowly taking over the Houston Texans’ backfield in recent weeks. Since the team’s Week 6 bye, Marks has had double-digit carries in every game and has also handled the majority of the team’s pass-catching work.
Unfortunately, two of those three games have been against the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, two of the league’s best run defenses. Marks still managed an RB16-overall finish against the Seahawks, thanks to a receiving touchdown, and totaled 111 yards against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8.
Things get a lot easier from here on, and Marks’ role should continue to grow as the season progresses. If the rookie continues his ascent, there’s no reason he can’t be a weekly RB2 with touchdown upside over the second half of the season.
Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
Week 9 was always going to be tough for Troy Franklin, as it was for every offensive player on the field. The Broncos faced the Texans in a battle of two elite defenses, with the Broncos emerging victorious in an 18-15 win.
Heading into Sunday’s games, the Houston defense had allowed only 178.4 passing yards per game, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. Moving forward, things should get easier for Franklin, who won’t have to worry about double-teams as long as Courtland Sutton is healthy.
Franklin has been targeted 28 times in his last three games; that, coupled with his natural explosiveness, is a recipe for fantasy gold. Franklin has the potential to break out as a regular WR2 in fantasy in the second half of the season, on an offense that totaled 77 points in Weeks 7 and 8.
He won’t be cheap, but after he was widely available on waivers a week ago, Franklin’s league-winning potential makes him worth being aggressive in trades this week.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson has immediately regained his role as the Packers’ deep-ball threat, following up his 33-yard catch in Week 8 with one of 52 yards against Carolina.
Like his quarterback, Watson should benefit from some questionable secondaries down the stretch, as well as some high-powered opposing offenses. The 2022 second-round pick has been a regular touchdown scorer in the past, when healthy, and he should have plenty of scoring opportunities in the second half of the year.
The likely season-ending injury to Kraft, who is second on the team in targets (44), should add significant volume to Watson’s big-play ability. A key piece of a typically high-scoring offense, Watson’s best days this season are yet to come.
Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
Second-year receiver Malik Washington seemed to be everywhere for the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. It’s a surprise, therefore, that he was only targeted three times. He caught all three of those targets for 48 yards, but also carried the ball three times and returned two punts.
Mike McDaniel appears to have survived a firing, for now, and needs to find a playmaker beyond Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, whose targets have become too obvious. The Miami offense has become incredibly predictable, making it far too easy for opposing defenses to shut them down.
Washington is explosive and can be utilized in various ways. He remains a desperation flex, for now, but carries considerable upside if his role increases moving forward. The receiver is available on waivers in most leagues and would be a savvy upside stash if you have a roster spot for him.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle wouldn’t have been cheap if you’d have enquired about him after his Week 1 injury, let alone two games into his return. However, eight catches for 75 yards and a touchdown is an underwhelming, if understandable, return from his two games back.
Kittle will still command a fee that will feel like an overpay, given his disappointing season so far, but he is still among the elite options at tight end. Brock Purdy could be returning in Week 10, which would be good news for the veteran, who has a great connection with his starting quarterback.
Kittle has averaged 3.67 targets per game this season, significantly less than the 6.27 targets he averaged per game last year. That, admittedly, was with Christian McCaffrey sidelined for much of the campaign, but he also averaged 5.63 targets per game in 2023, when McCaffrey was running riot.
Kittle will cost you a significant amount of compensation, but he is an elite fantasy player who has underperformed so far this year and could be available at a slight discount.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
We are now one game into the Tyler Shough experience, and things went about as well as could have been expected against the LA Rams on Sunday. The second-round rookie completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 176 yards, one touchdown, and a pick.
Taysom Hill wasn’t targeted with any of those 24 attempts and rushed only four times for 30 yards, making his inclusion in this list a massive gamble, admittedly. However, it’s not inconceivable to think that Hill will continue to see more quarterback usage if things don’t improve for the Saints.
Shough will be given a fair shake, but Hill has thrived in a part-time quarterback role in the past, which has made him a fantasy cheat code in years past. Kellen Moore is a talented play-caller, and Hill remains one of the most intriguing playmakers at his disposal.
The versatile veteran is a stash, but his proven TE1 ceiling makes him one to watch, and you could avoid a potential waiver wire bidding war with a speculative add this week.