For most fantasy football managers, the trade deadline is right around the corner. Whether your team is vying for a bye or a playoff spot, there’s a limited window to make significant roster improvements.
Right now is the time to be evaluating your roster and determining what trades you can make to help you in the stretch run. Things constantly change in the NFL – players get injured, starters get demoted, rookies earn more playing time. Fantasy managers should adjust accordingly.
Here are 10 players who saw their fantasy values increase or decrease most based on their performances in Week 9:
Fantasy football players to buy for Week 10
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants: Despite Devin Singletary now being fully healthy, Tracy isn’t showing any signs of relinquishing the starting job. The rookie had 16 carries for a game-high 66 yards against Washington, while Singletary had just seven touches.
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WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers: Another rookie who’s rolling is McConkey, especially for PPR fantasy managers. This young Ladd had five receptions for 64 yards, and he led the team with seven targets. He and Quentin Johnston have emerged as reliable fantasy options for the Bolts.
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans: Westbrook-Ikhine has been the biggest beneficiary of DeAndre Hopkins being shipped out of town and Mason Rudolph taking over under center. Westbrook-Ikhine has scored in four consecutive games, and he is worth a look in deeper leagues, TD-only formats and DFS play.
RB Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals: Demercado had just six touches in Week 9, but he showed such tremendous speed that it is hard to imagine his role won’t expand. He had a 53-yard touchdown run, and he totaled 80 scrimmage yards. As long as James Conner is healthy, Demercado’s fantasy ceiling is limited, but he is on the rise.
TE Drew Sample, Cincinnati Bengals: Sample ended up finding the end zone in Week 9, and his role is on the rise with Erick All suffering at knee injury. While Sample still has Mike Gesicki to contend with, Bengals tight ends racked up three total touchdowns in Week 9.
Fantasy football players to sell for Week 10
RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets: At one point, Allen looked like he would be seeing double-digit touches. Former coach Robert Saleh might have been a fan of Allen, but the new regime has been keen on pounding the ball with Breece Hall, leaving Allen mostly nailed to the bench. He is averaging just over five touches per game since Saleh was dismissed.
RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars: Etienne has just 12 carries the past three games, and eight total touches in the past two outings. The emergence of Tank Bigsby has diminished Etienne’s role, and at this point he is only worth starting in the deepest of fantasy formats.
QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears: Williams has completed just 49.2% of his pass attempts in the past two games, while totaling just 348 passing yards with no touchdown throws. After his breakout 4-TD game in London against the Jaguars, things have gone south again.
QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts: Richardson was benched in favor of 39-year-old veteran Joe Flacco. While that’s not a surprise, it may not just be a short-term thing. That’s bad news for Richardson’s fantasy appeal for the rest of 2024, and possibly beyond.
TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions: LaPorta was one of the best, if not the best fantasy tight end in 2023. What a difference a year makes. The 23-year-old has two or fewer catches in three of the past four outings, and he has registered 28 or fewer yards in two of the past three. He is mostly a TE2, which is not what fantasy managers expected when drafting him in the early rounds.
