Fantasy football managers should always stay alert to shifting player roles and team situations throughout the season. Making strategic trades can help boost your roster for the playoffs. Some running backs are rising while others face tougher schedules ahead. If you want to make the most of your fantasy football team, keep an eye out for new trade targets and potential sell-high opportunities.
Trade Targets to Buy: Woody Marks, 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.
Trade Targets to Sell: Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears
Similar to Williams is rookie Kyle Monangai, in that Week 9’s shootout with the Bengals will likely be his best week of the season. The powerful runner torched Cincinnati’s frail defense for 198 total yards, including 176 rushing yards on 26 carries.
Many have tipped Monangai as a buy-low in recent weeks, after his carries spiked against the Saints in Week 7. However, most of those carries didn’t come until Chicago was already two scores ahead and looking relatively safe.
While his most recent opportunity came as a direct result of an injury to D’Andre Swift, Monangai has earned more playing time moving forward. If Swift misses Week 10, the New York Giants offer another mouthwatering opportunity for the young star.
That creates a dilemma, with Swift’s eventual return likely to impact Monangai’s production and fantasy value significantly. After the Giants, the matchups get far trickier for Chicago’s run game, with multiple games against top run defenses.
Monangai has RB1 potential in Week 10 if Swift is out, but an RB2 ceiling over the rest of the year once the veteran returns. If you can get a solid RB2 value for him this week or next, you should probably take it; anything less, his upside makes him worth holding onto.
Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
Like Monangai, Ashton Jeanty certainly isn’t a sell-at-all-costs, but his future looks far more challenging than his past. The Raiders looked to click into gear against the Jaguars in Week 9, albeit mainly because of Geno Smith funneling the offense through Brock Bowers.
Jeanty finished the overtime loss with 19.9 fantasy points, his second-best return of the season, and is all but guaranteed his second top-10 finish of the year. However, even in an overall-productive week, Jeanty averaged only 3.23 yards per carry.
The rookie’s rushing efficiency has held him back all season, but for two spike weeks against the Bears and the Indianapolis Colts. Moving forward, Jeanty faces the Broncos twice, the Texans, the Chargers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The rookie has faced the Chargers once already, tallying 7.4 fantasy points, his third-fewest of the season. Meanwhile, the Broncos, Texans, and Cleveland Browns are among the best run defenses in the league, and the Eagles remain a formidable matchup for any team.
Jeanty still has significant name value and also has one or two friendly matchups to look forward to, but he will probably disappoint more often than not. If you can secure a high-end RB2 value or better, you should consider it this week.