Fantasy football trades can make or break a season, especially as the playoff push begins. This week’s targets feature players whose value doesn’t quite match their potential — yet. Some have underperformed and might be available at a discount, while others are riding a wave that’s unlikely to last. Savvy managers will know which side of each deal they want to be on.
Trade Targets to Buy: George Kittle, 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, 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.
Trade Targets to Sell: Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
For similar reasons, Sam LaPorta is a sell-high this week, after a monster game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. The third-year fantasy favorite caught six of his eight targets for 97 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win.
The Lions played from behind for most of their 27-24 divisional loss, a scenario they don’t often find themselves in. It was a similar situation in Week 1, when the Lions started the season with a loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Not coincidentally, LaPorta’s eight targets in Week 9 were his most since the nine targets he received in that loss to Green Bay. What’s also no coincidence is that those targets correlate with Jared Goff’s highest passing volumes of the year.
LaPorta has had two good weeks beyond those two games; one came in Detroit’s other loss, to the Chiefs, and one came against the miserable Bengals defense. In the remaining four games of LaPorta’s season, he hasn’t recorded a top-20 week at tight end.
The Lions don’t trail too often, and run through most of the questionable defenses they face. LaPorta is a boom/bust option, with significant name value, and he could be worth more in a trade than he is on your roster moving forward.
