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For many fantasy football gamers, the end of Week 11 marked the last opportunity to make trades ahead of the fantasy playoffs. However, there are plenty of leagues that have a later deadline and some that have no deadline at all. This is especially true of dynasty leagues, and while this week's column will still focus on redraft, you can certainly keep the players featured in mind for dynasty trades if you have a contending team.
Last week, I highlighted Christian McCaffrey and Calvin Ridley as players to acquire. Unfortunately, neither of them exceeded expectations in Week 11, but neither of them completely busted, either. McCaffrey totaled over 100 scoreless yards and Ridley had a 51-yard touchdown nullified due to an illegal formation penalty that would have made him a top-10 receiver on the week. Nonetheless, both still appear primed to become difference-makers down the stretch. Najee Harris and Brian Thomas Jr. are the players I suggested trading away. Harris struggled to produce on the ground against Baltimore but surprisingly contributed in the passing game, while Thomas had a fine day against the Lions as expected. Thomas will have to deal with a very difficult schedule and a shaky quarterback situation when he returns from a Week 12 bye.
All in all, I'd call it a solid week, but there is definitely room to improve. I'm hoping to help you win a fantasy championship with this week's recommendations, starting with two players to target in trades.
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Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
In just his second week back from a torn ACL he suffered in late 2023, T.J. Hockenson delivered a performance that reminded fantasy managers why they stashed him for over half the season, leading the Vikings in receptions and receiving yards in a low-scoring battle with the Jaguars.
Last week, Hockenson disappeared against the Titans. He finished with just two receptions for 13 yards while fellow tight end Josh Oliver gained 34 yards on three catches. Oliver has been productive this year, especially over the past four weeks. He may not be available in Week 12, though.
KOC at the podium: Says Josh Oliver sprained his ankle. They are still trying to figure out his availability for next week
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) November 18, 2024
We will have to wait to hear more about Oliver's status, but even if he can give it a go on Sunday, Hockenson's utilization should increase. Although he has yet to see the field for 50% of offensive plays, his snap count has slowly trended upward over the past three weeks.
Minnesota has been easing Hockenson back into a featured role, despite feeding him nine targets in Week 10. He should have a good opportunity to get back in the swing of things with additional playing time and an enticing upcoming schedule. Hockenson will face the Bears, Cardinals, Falcons, and Bears again before the Seahawks and Packers to round out the fantasy season.
The Falcons and Seahawks stand out as the best matchups here but only the Cardinals have been stingy against tight ends the entire season. Chicago and Green Bay have particularly struggled to contain tight ends over the past four weeks.
We all know how much attention Justin Jefferson demands, and Jordan Addison is always a big play waiting to happen. Hockenson will have plenty of room to operate and is sure to get more looks in the coming weeks, especially if Oliver misses any time. He became the second-highest-paid tight end in the NFL last offseason and then earned nearly nine targets per contest before his devastating knee injury.
Consistency is rare at the tight-end position, especially from a fantasy perspective. But Hockenson is the type of player you lock into your lineup and, more often than not, end up happy with the result.
I'd rather have Hockenson than Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews, and Evan Engram the rest of the way. As the cherry on top, Minnesota had its bye in Week 6, so you won't need to roster any other tight ends after adding him.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
At different points this season, I suggested trading away both Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. I never expected either of them to render the other irrelevant, but I did assume they would be inconsistent for fantasy while sharing the backfield during a difficult stretch in the middle of the year.
To my surprise, they've been somewhat consistent, even though the distribution of touches in Tampa Bay prevents either of them from hitting their ceiling. White, a reliable pass-catcher, has yielded more fantasy output through 11 weeks, but Irving is the one I have my sights on heading into the fantasy playoffs.
Irving is averaging just over 12 opportunities per game, which typically isn't enough to warrant consideration in starting lineups. In Irving's case, however, this is plenty.
Missed Tackles Forced vs. Yards from Scrimmage per touch
[Through Week 10, via @FantasyPtsData]
- Bucky Irving and James Conner clearly the most elusive runners in the league right now
- Gibbs/Henry/Barkley are explosive play demons this year
- Greg Roman loves Gus Edwards pic.twitter.com/Y18Dy9HQYz
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) November 14, 2024
The 22-year-old ranks sixth amongst all running backs in yards per attempt this season and is incredibly tough to bring down in the open field. He shouldn't have much trouble maintaining this level of effectiveness, given the opponents he has on tap.
The Bucs will return from a Week 11 bye to face the New York Giants. The Giants surrender the most yards per carry in the league and have allowed an opposing running back to score or rush for over 100 yards in five straight games.
In Weeks 12 and 13, Tampa Bay will take on the Panthers and Raiders, respectively. Carolina gives up the most fantasy points to running backs, while Las Vegas gives up the sixth most.
Furthermore, Mike Evans is expected to suit up on Sunday following a three-week hiatus due to a hamstring injury. This is great news for Irving and the Buccaneers offense as a whole. Tampa Bay should be heavily favored for all three of the aforementioned matchups and can likely lean on the running game in the second half of each.
Irving could struggle against the Chargers in Week 15, but fantasy managers will be rewarded for making it through the first round of the playoffs with a showdown against the Cowboys in the semifinals. Dallas is the third-easiest matchup for running backs. And if you make it to the fantasy championship, Irving could carry you to a title in his second meeting with Carolina.
The rookie may not get the guaranteed workload that most of the league's top rushers receive, but he has already proven that he doesn't need it to be a viable fantasy option. He could be a true league-winner if he gets more volume to close out the campaign, which is why I'd trade away guys like Rico Dowdle, Nick Chubb, and Isiah Pacheco for him.
If you want to take a bigger swing, I'd consider trading D'Andre Swift or Rhamondre Stevenson for Irving and a depth piece.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Just a few weeks ago, I strongly considered featuring Josh Downs as a player to trade for. I decided against it because he was already getting plenty of hype and I figured he would be difficult to acquire with Joe Flacco starting at quarterback for Indianapolis.
For fantasy purposes, Downs didn't quite live up to expectations while catching passes from Flacco in tough matchups against Minnesota and Buffalo. It came as a surprise that he finished as a WR1 in Week 11 with Anthony Richardson back under center.
Same play. Two Games.
Week 8: Anthony Richardson badly misses schemed up play to Josh Downs out of the backfield
Week 11: Richardson hits it for a touchdown
experience! pic.twitter.com/DaBmXuxlkz
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) November 18, 2024
It is possible that Richardson learned a lot after getting benched for Flacco, but we can't simply throw away his other five full starts this season. His showing in Sunday's win over the Jets was the first of the year in which he completed more than 50% of his passes.
Downs has played four full games with Richardson in 2024. In two of them, he scored over 16 fantasy points. In the other two, he scored less than four. This seems to perfectly sum up the Anthony Richardson experience so far this season. He has the arm talent to hit on a big play or two every week, but you're probably not going to be happy starting his receivers if the explosive plays miss.
Out of all the Colts wideouts, Downs is by far the most valuable for fantasy and the only one who can be started. He also has two favorable matchups over the next two weeks coming against the Lions and Patriots. But if you are a strong contender with a playoff spot locked up, you might want to pivot off Downs while you can.
Indianapolis will return from a Week 14 bye to face the Broncos and Titans in the first two rounds of the fantasy playoffs. Denver allows the fewest and Tennessee allows the fourth-fewest fantasy points to receivers in the NFL. The Titans also surrender the fewest passing yards per contest.
Downs' Week 17 meeting with the Giants isn't particularly challenging nor appealing, but making it to the finals is going to be a daunting task if you're relying on him in Weeks 15 and 16. Maybe he goes off again this week, but I would rather capitalize on his Week 11 performance than watch the window to sell him slam shut if Richardson reverts to his old ways.
I would trade Downs away for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Khalil Shakir, DeVonta Smith, or Ladd McConkey on any redraft team.
D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
After a downright miserable start to the season, D'Andre Swift is the fantasy RB7 since Week 4. He has been the only trustworthy fantasy asset on a brutally unreliable Chicago offense.
Not to take anything away from Swift's play, but he has been treated to one of the easiest possible schedules for running backs during this stretch. Despite this, the Bears went 3-3.
Chicago fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after its Week 10 loss to the Patriots. Thomas Brown, the team's pass game coordinator, took over play-calling duties last week. Although Swift tallied 84 all-purpose yards and found the end zone against the division-rival Packers, his utilization wasn't the same as it was with Waldron.
in the bears first game w/o shane waldron, Roschon Johnson saw:
• 88% of short down-and-distance snaps
• 82% of long down-and-distance snaps
• 67% of inside-the-5 snaps
• 100% of 2-minute-drill snaps
• saw 10 carries for the first time since WK 5data per (@MBFantasyLife)
— nick ercolano (@nickercolano) November 18, 2024
Second-year pro Roschon Johnson played on a season-high 42% of snaps. He isn't likely to take over Swift's role as RB1, but Johnson was a well-regarded prospect coming out of Texas and could get additional run to end the season with the Bears firmly last in the NFC North.
No matter how Chicago's backfield duties are split moving forward, Swift is going to be a shaky starting fantasy option over the next five weeks as his schedule goes from dreamy to nightmarish. He'll play both the Lions and Vikings twice and the 49ers once before a soft matchup against the Seahawks in Week 17.
The Lions and Vikings are two of the four most difficult opponents for fantasy backs. The 49ers are a middle-of-the-pack matchup on paper, but touchdowns have accounted for roughly one-third of the fantasy points they have surrendered to the position. San Francisco gives up just 3.76 yards per carry to running backs, the fifth-fewest in the league.
Swift may have helped put you in a position to make the fantasy playoffs, but you can't feel confident in his ability to help you win once you get there. His workload may be trending negatively and his upcoming schedule couldn't be much worse.
Some players I'd target when trading away Swift include Chuba Hubbard and Aaron Jones, and as I mentioned before, I'd tier down to Bucky Irving in a package deal.
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