With five weeks left in the regular season in most fantasy football leagues, the clock is ticking on being be able to upgrade your roster via trade. Week 12 is a typical time frame for the trade deadline across fantasy football, so let’s lock in and find some buying and selling options before it’s too late. The Vikings may be in panic mode trying to trade for a quarterback (as this is being written prior to the 4pm eastern trade deadline on 11/10), but we want to trade from a position of leverage instead of desperation. Here are some potential ways to do just that.
BUY
Tony Pollard, Running Back, Tennessee Titans
Week 8: 21 carries, 117 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, 5 targets, 3 receptions, 20 yards
The 29-year-old was a popular trade candidate for the Titans, who have found themselves in another lost season. Acquiring a draft pick for Pollard would have made sense in another lost season, but Tennessee opted to keep him at the expiration of the trade deadline.
The RB1 and RB3 overall in Weeks 7 and 8 in PPR formats, respectively, has shown he can still be an elite option for contending fantasy managers. With him coming off his bye week, the excitement surrounding his recent outings may have waned a bit. If you’re going to buy high, this is the time to do it with his bye week in the rearview. A trade would have been exciting, as he could have landed in a better offensive environment. However, it would’ve added some uncertainty with his usage. We wouldn’t know exactly how his new offense would have deployed him. Staying put means we have more clarity with his utilization in a place where he’s clearly the best offensive weapon and will get plenty of volume. Pollard and the Titans also have the Cowboys, Colts, and Raiders still on the schedule, all who rank inside the top-ten in terms of most fantasy points allowed per game to running backs.
Schedule: vs. Jaguars, @ Cowboys, @ Jaguars, vs. Commanders, @ Lions
Malik Nabers, Wide Receiver, New York Giants
Week 9: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 43 yards
As a Giants fan myself, one of my favorite parts of this surprisingly fun season is Malik Nabers. Coming off a significant knee injury from 2025, my expectations weren’t particularly high. I figured he may not look fully like himself until next year, but that hasn’t been the case. The 23-year-old has played like the alpha WR1 he was drafted to be.
JJ Zachariason of lateround.com noted Nabers is the WR11 in PPR points per game as the WR6 in expected PPR points per game since week 2. Outside of JSN, Puka, and Ceedee Lamb, he’s seen more raw targets per game than anyone in the league. Sure, he had a middle-of-the-road performance on Sunday, but he’d be the first one to tell you he should’ve caught this ball, which would’ve made his Week 9 look very different. Take advantage of the so-so stat line and see if you can get Nabers at a slightly reduced cost before he puts up elite numbers again. His playoff schedule includes games against the Lions in Week 16 and the Cowboys in Week 17, which are both top-10 matchups.
Schedule: vs. Commanders, vs. Jaguars, @ Colts, vs. 49ers, @ Seahawks
Chase Brown, Running Back, Cincinnati Bengals
Week 9: 9 carries, 57 yards, 3 targets, 3 receptions, 18 yards
It’s been a discouraging season for Chase Brown, who commanded a second-round pick in most fantasy leagues during draft season. However, 2025 was somewhat similar in that things really picked up for him later in the year. The Bengals came up as a team inquiring about Jonathan Taylor, but ultimately he was never moved at the deadline. If I’m going to buy low on a player, I much prefer they’re part of a quality offense, and that sure is the case for Brown.
His fantasy playoff schedule is also advantageous. It includes matchups with the Panthers, who struggle mightily against the run, and the Colts, who are already on to 2027. The Illinois product had 11 total touchdowns last year, while he’s found pay dirt just once in 2026. I’ll bet on some positive touchdown regression coming Brown’s way with quarterback Joe Burrow playing at MVP level. The Chase Brown manager in your league is probably fed up at this point and could be desperate to try to stay in playoff contention. He can be acquired for a discounted cost.
Schedule: vs. Steelers, @ Commanders, vs. Saints, @ Browns, vs. Chiefs
SELL
CJ Stroud, Quarterback, Houston Texans
Week 9: 21/35, 384 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, 2 carries, 20 rushing yards
Stroud was out of control in Week 9, taking advantage of a bad Chargers team and unloading on them for over 35 fantasy points. The 2023 second overall pick has put together an overall impressive season after a horrible finish in the playoffs last year, to be fair, but obviously this is likely an outlier performance for Stroud. In the first seven games of the season, Stroud threw 11 touchdowns. He then threw five alone in Week 9, something we’re not going to count on moving forward.
One of the biggest reasons to sell Stroud is the cost it took to acquire him. Remember, the buzz around Stroud was nonexistent going into this season after how the playoffs went for him. He may not have even been drafted in your league, or you took him extremely late. In that case, if you’re a Stroud manager, you may have doubled up at quarterback and have another option on your roster. Maybe you waited at the position and took both Stroud and Jordan Love or Brock Purdy. Even if you don’t have another quarterback on your team, it’s one of the easiest positions to replace.
Schedule: @ Browns, vs. Colts, vs. Ravens, @ Steelers, @ Commanders
Javonte Williams, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys
Week 9: 20 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD, 5 targets, 4 receptions, 23 yards
Javonte Williams is coming off a really solid Week 9 performance. Considering some of the busts at the running back position, putting him on this list isn’t the easiest, but selling him could actually turn out to be a smart move. We’re digging into the weeds a bit, so stay with me.
According to JJ Zachariason, Williams’ fantasy production has been boosted by touchdowns. He’s the RB13 if you remove his touchdowns, but the RB7 when you add them in. I’m not knocking him for scoring touchdowns (that’s crazy), but a concerning stat is that the Cowboys have scored just 57% of their offensive touchdowns via the passing game this season, per Zachariason. So far, that’s the lowest touchdown rate through the air among all healthy
Dak Prescott seasons. The 2021 second-round pick paces the NFL in goal line rush attempts, also not something I feel great about relying on all year. A regression to the mean is potentially coming for this Cowboys offense in terms of how they get the ball in the end zone.
The December schedule is also a problem. Williams matches up against the Rams and Jaguars the first two weeks of the fantasy playoffs. Jacksonville has gone all in on boosting their defense, having just added run-clogger Jordan Davis to their front, who ranks at least in the top seven among all interior defensive linemen in run stops.
Selling Williams is going to apply to a select group of teams. If you drafted Chuba Hubbard or Jaylen Warren in the middle rounds, while also having Williams, it could make sense to do this move and bolster another position. A move like this is very roster-dependent, and context matters for you when considering this, but Javonte should provide a nice haul after another productive week.
Schedule: vs. 49ers, vs. Titans, vs. Eagles, @ Seahawks, vs. Rams
Photo by Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)
