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With Week 12 officially in the books, we are just three weeks away from the start of the fantasy playoffs. Whether you are cruising comfortably in first place or fighting to sneak in at seventh or eighth place, anything can happen once the playoffs begin. No one remembers regular-season records or who drafted the best team; all that matters is who walks away victorious in Week 17. If your league has not had/does not have a trade deadline, you should explore any last-minute deals you can make to put your team in the best position to win.
Heading into Week 12, I mentioned T.J. Hockenson and Bucky Irving as players to trade for. It's only been one week, but yes, I'm feeling pretty good about those calls. Hockenson surpassed the century mark in receiving yardage for the first time since November 2023 and Irving exploded for 151 total yards and a touchdown. Both players are set up to become league winners, given the matchups they have ahead of them. I suggested trading away Josh Downs and D'Andre Swift, both of whom followed up big games with fewer than 10 fantasy points. If you had decided to sell these players high after Week 11, you should feel relieved as it doesn't seem likely that things get much better for either of them in the coming weeks.
This will be my last redraft-focused trades column of the season before shifting my attention to dynasty. I'll hope to repeat last week's success and end the season on a positive run. Thanks for reading, RotoBallers, and good luck the rest of the way! Now, let's dive in, starting with two players to acquire before it's too late.
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Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills
It's been quite a ride for Amari Cooper and his fantasy managers this year. He started on a dormant Cleveland offense in which he had one strong showing in six weeks. Then, he was traded to the Bills and immediately displayed chemistry with quarterback Josh Allen, going for 66 yards and a score on just 19 snaps played in his debut.
Unfortunately, he hasn't contributed much at all since. Cooper was active but caught just one pass against the Seahawks in Week 8 and then missed the next two weeks with a wrist injury. He returned in Week 11 and turned two receptions into 55 yards.
Outside of Cooper's 17.7 yards per catch as a Bill, the thing that stands out most when looking at his numbers is his low snap count. He took the field for 51% of offensive snaps in Week 11, the most he has played in Buffalo. For reference, Cooper did not play on fewer than 82% of snaps in any of his six games with the Browns in 2024.
As we've seen with Diontae Johnson in Baltimore and Mike Williams in Pittsburgh, it can be difficult to integrate receivers into a new system while chasing a division title. Cooper's situation is much different, however. Johnson was traded for a bag of chips, Williams was traded for a fifth-round pick, and neither player has had a bye with his new team.
Buffalo acquired Cooper and a sixth-round NFL Draft pick for a 2025 third-rounder and a 2026 seventh-rounder. Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman have been solid, but this move indicated that the team wanted and needed a proven WR1.
The Bills had their bye in Week 12 and are staring down a meeting with the 49ers in Week 13. Cooper is surely acclimated to Buffalo's offense at this point and will likely be much more featured now that head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Joe Brady have had some time to work him in.
Although San Francisco has been solid against wideouts, Sunday night's showdown isn't a game we can expect Buffalo to win by simply leaning on James Cook and the running game. This should be a competitive battle between two Super Bowl hopefuls. And after this week, Cooper's schedule looks juicy.
The five-time Pro Bowler will get the Rams, Lions, and Patriots before facing the Jets in fantasy championship week. Los Angeles, Detroit, and New England have all given up plenty of production through the air this season, and who knows what the reeling Jets will look like by Week 17.
Finally, any concerns about Cooper's wrist injury can be dismissed. Even in limited playing time, Cooper managed to make this impressive grab in a win over the Chiefs two weeks ago.
Amari Cooper on this catch with his injured left wrist: "It was a routine catch, really. It wasn't that tough. It might've looked tougher than it was, but no, I've been in that situation a lot, so, it wasn't that tough." pic.twitter.com/E13h9dzNZq
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) November 18, 2024
There is a chance that Cooper takes a backseat to the aforementioned Shakir and Coleman, even with a full allotment of snaps, but I'd personally bet against it. The risk is well worth the potential reward as Cooper has a clear top-12 upside in this offense. I'd be willing to trade Jameson Williams, Jordan Addison, Tank Dell, and other players with low-end WR2/flex value to take a shot on Cooper.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Trade targets don't always have to be sleepers who fly under the radar or underperforming players. Alvin Kamara won't come cheap, but he might just be your ticket to a title.
Technically speaking, this is a buy-low opportunity for Kamara. He hasn't found the end zone since Week 6 and has just one top-12 performance since Week 4. That said, he is still the RB4 on the season, so you're going to have to be bold to get a deal done.
The 29-year-old should be fresh coming off a bye for a Week 13 bout with the Los Angeles Rams. Throughout the season, the Rams haven't been horrible against running backs, but this is the same defense that just got eviscerated for 302 total yards and two touchdowns by Saquon Barkley last week.
In Week 14, Kamara will face the New York Giants, who surrender 5.2 yards per carry, the most in the NFL. After that, he'll take on another NFC East opponent in the Washington Commanders, who give up the fifth-most yards per carry and the fourth-most rushing yards in the league.
He'll finish off the fantasy campaign in Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16 and at home against the Las Vegas Raiders in the fantasy championship. Although both of these teams have been susceptible to RB production this season, the Raiders are especially appealing because of their dreadful offense. We should see a heavy dose of Kamara on the ground in that one.
Of course, I have to talk about Taysom Hill, the ultimate touchdown vulture. He scampered for 138 yards and three touchdowns in New Orleans' last contest, leaving Kamara's fantasy managers infuriated. We've seen Hill have a massive output like this before, though, and it has never been sustained.
Hill is averaging just over seven touches per game this season, and that is including his 17-touch explosion in Week 11. The Saints are hardly involving any other running backs, so Kamara has a pretty safe floor of close to 20 opportunities every week. With this amount of volume, his touchdown luck is going to bounce the other way eventually.
Players whose touchdown rates should improve starting in Week 13:
Aaron Jones📈
Alvin Kamara📈
Jonathan Taylor📈
Chase Brown📈 pic.twitter.com/uWZtsld1k5— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) November 25, 2024
It's unclear whether or not receiver Chris Olave will return this season, but with the Saints extremely unlikely to make the playoffs, he's not going to be rushed back. Hill is electric in spurts, as is Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but Kamara is this team's only healthy and reliable pass-catching threat.
The only challenge here is coming up with a tempting offer to pry Kamara away from someone in your league. I would consider adding a piece to Jonathan Taylor or Kenneth Walker III to make the upgrade, and some more aggressive offers could include Joe Mixon or Derrick Henry, who are both yet to have their bye and face a few stout run defenses in the weeks ahead.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Second-year wideout Zay Flowers is having an incredibly productive season as the top target for MVP candidate Lamar Jackson. He was especially impressive from Weeks 5 through 9, scoring as the WR3 with four 100-yard outings.
Outside of a few big plays and one touchdown, Flowers has been relatively quiet since. He has still been steady enough for fantasy purposes to make him a mainstay in starting lineups. I just don't believe Flowers will bounce back to being a top-15 receiver over the final five weeks of the fantasy season.
For one, Baltimore has a bye in Week 14, so Flowers can't help if you end up in a "win to get in" scenario right before the playoffs start. And if you're currently fighting to get or stay in the playoff picture, he may not be of much assistance this week, either.
The Eagles are on tap for Flowers and the Ravens this Sunday in what definitely should have been a prime-time game. Philadelphia's defense was one to attack through the air in 2023, but a few key additions to its secondary have made all the difference this season.
#Eagles remain the No 1 defense in the #NFL entering Week 13. Offense up to No. 3, obviously No. 1 in rushing but down to No. 25 in passing. Defense is No. 7 against the run and No. 3 against the pass.
— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) November 26, 2024
On the season, the Eagles have allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing receivers, but they became truly dominant once their two rookie cornerbacks got acclimated to the NFL.
Over the past seven weeks, Philadelphia has given up the second-fewest fantasy points in total to the position. It has played in all seven weeks, but more than 20 teams with only six games played in the same span gave up more wide receiver production.
Last week, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp had great showings against the Eagles, but the Rams operate much differently than the Ravens on offense. Matthew Stafford attempts roughly seven more passes per contest than Lamar Jackson, with Nacua and Kupp earning over half of his looks.
Flowers has certainly made the most of his opportunities in a run-heavy offense but targets are spread around much more in Baltimore than in Los Angeles.
His schedule for the fantasy playoffs doesn't look so hot, either. The Texans are a great matchup for him in Week 17, but he'll have to get through the Giants and Steelers first. Derrick Henry should have a field day against New York and we just saw Jackson and the Ravens offense struggle against Pittsburgh two weeks ago. Both teams have been very difficult to throw on this year.
While he has weekly upside as a key player in a high-powered offense, I'd be surprised if Flowers ends up on a lot of fantasy-title-winning rosters. I would send him straight up for Garrett Wilson or Calvin Ridley, and I'd consider tiering down to Darnell Mooney for an additional player in return.
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
You might be thinking it's an oversight on my part to suggest trading away Kareem Hunt when he tops the list of "players whose touchdown rates should improve" in the X post I included earlier. Like Kamara, Hunt has been held scoreless for multiple weeks now, despite handling virtually all of the carries in Kansas City.
The elephant in the room is that Hunt won't get all of the rushing work for much longer. Isiah Pacheco is practicing in full and has a good shot of suiting up for the first time since Week 2. This is going to affect Hunt's fantasy value, but no one should expect Pacheco to be a bell cow immediately, especially with how well Hunt has been playing. Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy all but confirmed that Pacheco's workload would be managed upon his return.
#Chiefs OC Matt Nagy on getting RB Isiah Pacheco back: "The best part about that is you just don't have one where they're getting worn down by the time you get to the fourth quarter."
He mentions that workload will be determined in-game, situationally.
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) November 26, 2024
With this in mind, Hunt is looking like a must-start fantasy asset this week against the Raiders. He should be utilized heavily even if Pacheco is active, and we've already established that Las Vegas is a favorable matchup for running backs. Because of this, you should still be able to trade Hunt for someone else worth rostering.
Starting in Week 14, Hunt's schedule takes a turn for the worse. He'll get the Chargers, Browns, Texans, and Steelers in consecutive weeks. On paper, Pittsburgh is the best matchup of the bunch, but it surrenders just the 13th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Houston have been shutting down the running game all season.
Assuming Pacheco's snaps increase down the stretch, Hunt's viability for fantasy could vanish. It will be hard to depend on him throughout the fantasy playoffs with that brutal schedule, even if he retains RB1 duties.
You'll probably have the most success trading him in a package or to a team that needs a running back in exchange for a receiver. Some players I'd target in this type of move are Jameson Williams, Jayden Reed, and, of course, Amari Cooper.
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