Trading is the quickest way to take your team from sitting on the bubble of a playoff berth to a championship contender, or vice-versa if you make the wrong deal, which is why it is so important to make sure you are targeting (and selling) the right players at the right time.
And yes - every player has a price. It doesn't matter whether they are the best player in fantasy football or a dwindling kicker - every player has a price that they should be traded away for or should have something given up to get.
For people in leagues that are more active in trading, this is for you. These are my favorite players to target and my favorite players to shop as their current value and future value don't necessarily align due to easy matchups, surrounding injuries, improving/changing scenarios, etc.
Top Trade Targets/Buy-Low Candidates This Week:
Evan Engram (TE - Jacksonville Jaguars)
Well, we're back to it being the Evan Engram show in Jacksonville.
Both Christian Kirk (collarbone) and Brian Thomas Jr. (chest/ribs) exited Week 8 and did not return to the game. Kirk has already been confirmed to be out for the rest of the season and Thomas is day-to-day and likely to miss anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks. It'll likely be Evan Engram as the lead receiver in Week 9 and the second threat (to Thomas) for the remainder of the season.
We've already seen the rapport with Lawrence and the production Engram gets when force-fed the ball, having finished as the TE2 and the TE5 in fantasy the last two seasons as the second receiving threat in the Jaguars' offense.
At a position where we've seen little consistency beyond the top guys, now may be the time to spend up and make a move for Engram as a likely top-5 (and potentially top-3) TE down the stretch in PPR formats.
Bucky Irving (RB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
It is back to being a two-horse race in the Buccaneers backfield with Sean Tucker fading back to his definitive 3rd-string role (7 snaps, 3 touches) and Bucky Irving remains the lesser of the White/Irving duo in terms of snap share (42% to White's 56%) but he continues to be neck-and-neck with White in terms of rushing work.
This past week was actually the first time since Week 3 that both backs played and Irving was the leader in carries, though they had been almost identical each week. However, Irving did see a notable uptick in receiving utilization in Week 8, actually finishing second to Cade Otton on the team in targets (7) and catches (7).
Having already established consistency this season with 10+ points in all but two games and 11+ points in five of his last six, the increased receiving workload in the absence of Evans and Godwin may be pushing Irving from borderline-FLEX value to that of a weekly FLEX/fringe-RB2 option.
He shouldn't necessarily cost much, especially given the split with White, but the unfortunate injuries to the WR position are shifting the Bucs' offense to be more involving of the rookie RB, who could see an even greater uptick in utilization if the season starts to slip out of hand (they are 4-4 but face Kansas City and San Francisco the next 2 weeks), positioning him for an even better end of season situation (5th-easiest remaining SOS among RBs, 4th-easiest playoff SOS).
Najee Harris (RB - Pittsburgh Steelers)
It was a pretty routine start of the season for Najee Harris, scoring between 8.4 and 13.6 points in each of his first five games of the season, but the RB and the Steelers' offense seem to have found another gear, having Harris post 16+ points and 4.9+ YPC in each of the last three games while the Steelers have scored 30+ in each of those games.
The Steelers' offense has looked completely different under Russell Wilson with the threat of Wilson's deep ball taking significant pressure off the rushing attack and it has shown. Plus, it should only get better following the bye with starting Center, Zack Frazier, returning.
The schedule on the surface is far from good down the stretch for Harris and the Steelers' RBs from a fantasy perspective, but five of their next seven (and six of their remaining nine) games are against AFC North division rivals: smashmouth, Arthur Smith, and Najee-centric football.
I'm perfectly fine with spending up a bit to get Harris my RB2, coming off a 130-yard week that could've been significantly better if he had found the endzone. It's a narrow bye-low period, especially with the Steelers heading into a Week 9 bye.
Low-Cost Targets/Stashes:
Jerry Jeudy (WR - Cleveland Browns)
It's anyone's guess as to who the top target-earning receiver will be in Cleveland under Jameis Winston after the departure of Amari Cooper two weeks ago. The early indicators suggest it is David Njoku and then the rest, which isn't necessarily a problem given this will likely be a high-volume passing offense under gun-slinger Jameis Winston. The question does remain who will be that top WR for the Browns? In those the two weeks without Cooper (and Watson) it has been:
David Njoku: 21 targets
Cedric Tillman: 21 targets
Elijah Moore: 18 targets
Jerry Jeudy: 14 targets
Will this continue? Nobody knows for sure, especially with Jeudy being the team's "WR1" on paper.
At the very least, I want a piece of this offense - David Njoku was one of my top trade targets leading up to the Amari Cooper trade (in anticipation of it) while Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore were two of my top waiver wire targets this past week. That leaves Jerry Jeudy, who ultimately may or may not be on waivers (45% owned on Yahoo, 50% owned on ESPN), but if he is, he's a worthwhile investment for cheap.
Sitting at 15th among WRs in targets over the last two weeks and 24th among WRs in targets this season, he should be a WR3/4 option in PPR formats with the potential to be a WR2 option in fantasy, should he emerge as the definitive lead WR target for Winston. Worst-case scenario: you're getting an inconsistent WR4/5, but at the moment, that's the most that you're realistically going to have to pay for him. It's a low-risk gamble that should be made.
Jauan Jennings (WR - San Francisco 49ers)
Jennings seems to be a relatively forgotten man in fantasy, having missed the last two games due to a hip injury that he's likely to return from following the team's Week 9 bye. Now sitting in the WR2 role in the 49ers' offense, Jennings is likely to presume a similar workload to that of which he saw in the opening month of the season while Deebo Samuel dealt with injuries and Brandon Aiyuk was eased back to his typical self after holding out all of training camp.
In that opening month, he tallied 11+ points in three of the first four games, was a top-10 WR in catches, yards, and TDs, plus was the WR6 in fantasy. Now, he likely won't reach that same level (especially with those numbers being inflated by a 46-point Week 3), but he should still return to WR2/FLEX-type production with Brandon Aiyuk sidelined for the season.
Given the fact that he's been sidelined for the past few weeks and is currently on his bye, you can likely get him for a massive discount. He's a limited-risk/high-upside investment that realistically could be a league-altering pickup if he ends up being what is expected of him for his current limited price.
Top Trade Bait/Sell-High Candidates This Week:
Ladd McConkey (WR - Los Angeles Chargers)
Unfortunately, we're not seeing the Keenan Allen-esque role many anticipated for McConkey's rookie year, having drawn just 45 targets and 30 catches through the first 8 weeks of the season, but we have seen the ability for him to find the endzone, having done such 4 times already.
That has been his saving grace in games this season, hitting 15+ points in each game he scores (3 games) but failing to hit double-digit points in any game he hasn't found the endzone (4 games).
This past week was one where he did score, not once, but twice with one of those scores coming on a long 60-yard catch-and-run. His 2-TD, 29.1-point performance was one that likely inflates his trade value in the short term and is one to capitalize on in the trade market.
I'd love nothing more than for McConkey to become the next Keenan Allen alongside Justin Herbert, but it's an unfortunate situation he's in: a short-distance role in a low-volume passing offense. The opportunity simply isn't there for him to be anything more than a matchup-based, inconsistent FLEX option.
Take what you can get on the trade market after his monster performance. Trade up for a true WR2.
Zay Flowers (WR - Baltimore Ravens)
The consistency for Flowers (and every individual receiver in the Ravens' offense, for that matter) has been all over the place this season, having posted four 18+ point games and three games of 5.3 points or less.
It likely won't get much better with Flowers set to be shadowed by Pat Surtain and Joey Porter Jr. in two of the next three weeks, part of the 5th-hardest SOS among WRs over the next month. And that's not even mentioning the questions about his workload coming up with the addition of a similarly skilled Diontae Johnson, who was just acquired yesterday from the Carolina Panthers.
I'm looking to move off of him after a big game this past week where he went for 19 points. His inconsistency and the uncertainty within the Ravens' offense (with respect to volume), especially come the colder months, is not something I necessarily want to be invested in when he can be flipped for a true WR2 option or paired with another player in a potential move for a top-15 WR.
Kareem Hunt (RB - Kansas City Chiefs)
It was more of the same from Hunt in Week 8, having seen his fourth game as the Chiefs' lead back and having drawn his fourth 10+ point performance with 16+ touches. Once again, he found the endzone on a short-yardage situation and had a minimal role in the receiving game (1 target).
I had him as my top "trade bait" piece last week off of his 2-TD performance against San Francisco and the impending return of Isiah Pacheco. We're another week closer to that return from Pacheco, who will likely be back in Week 10 or 11.
Hunt hasn't necessarily played his way into a significant role once Pacheco returns, having posted just 3.7 YPC this season and having seen his YPC drop with each game he's played. It's very likely the first week or two Pacheco is back it'll be a 1A/1B split in terms of rushing work with Pacheco being the 1A, but beyond that, it'll be all Pacheco.
It's the last opportunity to get RB2/FLEX value out of Hunt. I'd recommend capitalizing on that.