Fantasy Football: Trades to Make Before the Fantasy Football Playoffs

The fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner. How can you prepare for a championship run? Read here for trades you should make to your fantasy football team.

Author:
Ryan Frederick
Publish date:
Dec 10, 2021 6:00 AM EST

Fantasy Football Trade-A-Palooza Edition

The fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner. How can you prepare for a championship run? Read here for trades you should make to your fantasy football team.

We are nearing the closing bell on the 2021 trading window. Some have already passed, but most rosters are locking during this week, and the time is now to make your final moves before we have to wait for our commissioners to come back in the spring, grab our league's dues and open up the 2022 season.

To say 2021 was a challenging year to navigate would be an understatement. We had players like Allen Robinson and Robby Anderson get new quarterbacks and contracts, had their value skyrocket and then did not deliver for our teams this year. We had league-altering injuries to Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Cam Akers, Dalvin Cook, A.J. Brown, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Travis Etienne, and J.K. Dobbins, to highlight a few. We had to navigate COVID-19 problems around the league that made us constantly be on our toes and prepare with our star player's backups if a late test came back positive.

But yet, here we are. Just four weeks away from the end of the fantasy season, we are in a position to win a championship. It is time to go all in. It is time to get crazy. It's the Trade-A-Palooza.

TRADE FOR: DK. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

We are going to kick it off strong today. Seahawks had been anemic on offense since Russell Wilson came back, but part of that was because he wasn't fully healthy. He was supposed to be out until this game against the 49ers. He came back three games early. Those three games were quite possibly the worst stretch of Seahawks football we have seen in a long time. With no ability to move the ball in the running game, an inaccurate Wilson dealt with his finger injury leading to DK. Metcalf having just one catch in the loss to the Washington Football Team. In the days following, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said, "We have to get the guy the ball." Well, on Sunday, they did. Metcalf had five catches on eight targets and 60 yards. It isn't the best line, but with a slump like this, the manager of Metcalf might be willing to listen to a conversation at least about Metcalf more now than he was before. The Seahawks stretch run includes matchups with the Texans, Rams, Bears, and Lions, who all give up plenty of yards in the passing game this year. Metcalf will not come cheap, but he might win you a championship.

TRADE FOR: Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions

Now, this isn't Metcalf's name value, but let's talk about Jamaal Williams a bit. He averages 4.2 yards per carry on 110 carries this year and has added another 22 receptions. Starting running back, D'Andre Swift is out currently with a sprained AC Joint in his shoulder, and as we have seen with stars like Dalvin Cook, shoulder injuries start to become problematic if they are not addressed or taken care of early. In a lost season for the Lions, it would not at all be surprising to see them shut down Swift, or at the very least, minimize his touches down the stretch of our season and give a large chunk of the workload to Williams. If the Lions shut down Swift, Williams will be a solid option to play. He will get around 20 touches a game, and if he gets into the endzone, he has a chance of being a reliable running back option for you down the stretch. He will come much cheaper but has the upside and the potential for touches, making him a solid choice for your lineup.

TRADE FOR: Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Yes, that's right. Hunter Renfrow -- league winner. All he does is catch almost everything thrown at him, and lately, that has been a lot. In four out of the last five games, he has less than nine targets one time. There has been a trust established between Renfrow and quarterback Derek Carr, and it is vital. With Renfrow getting this many targets weekly, he will be a top 20 wide receiver on most weeks without scoring a touchdown. If he gets into the endzone, he could easily sneak into the top ten. Tight end Darren Waller returning from injury might eat into his target share a little bit but not enough to make a considerable difference. Renfrow has averaged around seven targets per game, even with Waller in the lineup. He will come cheaper than some stars and boost any lineup instantly.

TRADE FOR: Zach Ertz, TE, Arizona Cardinals

Another one for the Trade-A-Palooza? Sure, let's do it! The Cardinals were heavily reliant on tight end Maxx Williams before he went down with a season-ending injury and the offense seemed to change after that happened. They made a trade to acquire Zach Ertz from Philadelphia to fill Williams' void the following week. Ertz has not disappointed, even with Colt McCoy as the quarterback while Murray was out with his ankle injury. Week 13 was his first off game, but that was weather-driven as no Cardinal player had more than two catches. Zach Ertz will be a valuable piece for this offense from now on and will pick his target share back up once the Cardinals are back in better-throwing weather, and he will be a potential league winner for you at the tight end position.

TRADE FOR: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

Another one? Why not! Happy Trade Deadline week, everyone. This one might be a bit controversial because he is not the best quarterback for fantasy purposes, but the schedule lines up for a fantastic playoff run for you. He is on a bye week this week (which is an issue the NFL needs to fix. Having a bye week, the week before the fantasy football playoffs start, what are they doing to us?), but in the three games during the fantasy playoffs, he plays against the Jets, Saints, and Titans. This schedule is about as favorable as they come. Tagovailoa will provide you with a solid finish in quarterback rankings during this stretch and offer you a tangible asset moving forward in future years. If you are in a super-flex league, he will be an exceptional second quarterback to play in that flex position for you and give you a well-rounded lineup.

Thank you for reading along this year and enjoying the fantasy season with us from the bottom of my heart. Would you mind dropping some trades you made or the craziest trades you saw in your leagues? Hopefully, this article helped win championships throughout the year.

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