Week 11 - Trade Deadline Approaches

The fantasy trade deadline is approaching (tomorrow for ESPN, Friday for Yahoo!). You've got players on your team you want to sell. You see players you want to buy. But should you? Do you want to risk breaking up a good team?

Yes. If you're bound for the playoffs, it may be time to liquidate your best assets to get some value plays for the end of the season. It doesn't matter if your guy gets you "just a few points, but he'll do better next week." This is the playoffs. You need the guy who will dominate for four weeks straight, even if he hasn't done squat all season.

Here's who I think will get you there, and who I think won't. At the bottom, I've listed some examples of trades as well. Good luck.

Buy!

QB: Tom Brady (GB, SD, Mia, NYJ, Buf)

Patriots always end the year playing hard – they win, win, win down the back stretch. Besides Miami, you’re not worried about any of these matchups.

QB: Drew Brees (Pit, Car, Chi, Atl, TB)

Look at these matchups. LOOK AT THEM. They’re insanely favorable to Breesy.

WR: T.Y. Hilton (Wsh, Cle, Hou, Dal, Ten)
T.Y. Hilton owners may be down on him right now. It’s a more expensive trade, but he’s turned into a surprise stud this year. And he has Andrew Luck throwing to him.

WR: DeAndre Hopkins (Ten, Jac, Indy, Bal, Jac)
He plays Jacksonville twice and is clearly the number one receiving option on this team. He’ll explode in your playoffs.

WR: Kelvin Benjamin (Min, NO, TB, Cle, Atl)
Benjamin is Cam Newton’s favorite target, and they’ll be feeding him non-stop to make it to the playoffs.

RB: Le’Veon Bell (NO, Cin, Atl, KC, Cin)

Bell will come with a huge price tag. But he’s a stud. They released Blount, so the job’s all Bell’s. And he will SUCCEED. Look at that schedule.

RB: Arian Foster (Ten, Jac, Ind, Bal, Jac)

See DeAndre Hopkins. He plays Jacksonville twice, and you saw what Jonas Gray did to Indy this past weekend. Alfred Blue is a must-own though.

RB: LeSean McCoy (Dal, Sea, Dal, Wsh, NYG)

He’s getting fed, and the only matchup here that worries you is Seattle. But seriously, what is Philly gonna do but try to stay in the playoff hunt? They have good divisional matchups down the stretch.

TE: Larry Donnell (Jac, Ten, Wsh, StL, Phi)

Jacksonville, Washington, Philly. I’m not saying he has another 3TD game… but he might.

TE: Delanie Walker (Hou, NYG, NYJ, Jac, Ind)
Walker just produces when he’s healthy. He’ll be out of the concussion protocol soon, and all of his matchups give points to TE’s. Besides him, Tennessee is a fantasy wasteland.

Sell!

QB: Russell Wilson (SF, Phi, SF, Ari, StL)

The only reason he’s even on your radar is because he gets you points with his legs. Do you really want to rely on Russell Wilson’s legs to win your championship?

QB: Peyton Manning (KC, Buf, SD, Cin, Oak)
Ok, this is not crazy. He’s got banged up receivers and he’s got tough matchups. You can probably get really good value for him too.

WR: Brandon Marshall (Det, Dal, NO, Det, Min)

It’s been a tough year for Brandon Marshall owners, and it will not get easier in the fantasy playoff season. He sees Detroit twice.

WR: Mike Evans (Cin, Det, Car, GB, NO)
This is less about matchup and more about the monster week he just had. He’s a legit WR2, but you may be able to get better value for him RIGHT NOW.

WR: Michael Crabtree (Sea, Oak, Sea, SD, Ari)
Don’t be fooled by the touchdown. If you still have Crabtree in a 12 team league then a) You’re an idiot, and B) sell him now. His schedule sucks. He sucks for fantasy.

RB: Matt Forte (Det, Dal, NO, Det, Min)

Are you sensing a theme of “I’m down on the Bears”? Again, he sees Detroit twice and you can’t have that. The other matchups don’t scare you, but Forte is great trade material anyway. Sell.

RB: Andre Ellington (Atl, KC, StL, Sea, SF)
KC, Seattle, and SF. He’s been good all year, but you need to sell him before the deadline. Get value, move on.

RB: Marshawn Lynch (SF, Phi, SF, Ari, StL)

He’s banged up, and his schedule stinks. Seattle is a running team, but they’re going to be grinding it out during the stretch. Lynch is not a lock to stay healthy or to score.

TE: Martellus Bennett (Det, Dal, NO, Det, Min)
Started the year hot, but what has he done for you lately? Another Bear who you need to sell.

TE: Antonio Gates (Bal, NE, Den, SF, KC)
He’s a great TE, and a future Hall of Famer. But Philip Rivers has cooled off and so have the Chargers receivers. Sell.

Examples!

Team A is your Team. Team B is their team. All of the following trades would be good for a playoff-bound Team A, and you can likely get them.

Team A receives Drew Brees/LeVeon Bell, Team B receives Peyton Manning/Andre Ellington.
Team A receives DeAndre Hopkins/ Delanie Walker/LeSean McCoy, Team B receives Matt Forte/Antonio Gates.
Team A receives Arian Foster/Alfred Blue, Team B receives Russell Wilson/Mike Evans.

If you have any specific questions, be sure to comment below, or Tweet them to us at @TheOtherFFGuys!