The six-team byes are done for the year, and while there are still plenty of high-quality players yet to take a week off, there's a decent chance last week was the worst overall week for most fantasy football teams. Couple that with the fact that we're past the halfway point of fantasy regular season, and there should be plenty of owners looking to make some trades. That requires identifying positions of need, finding the right buy-low trade targets on other teams and sell-high candidates on your own, and reaching out to an owner who's actually willing to make a fair deal. It's a complicated process, but, as always, FantasyPros is here to help with tips and trade advice in their Week 8 Stock Watch that includes Patrick Mahomes, Khalil Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Tyler Higbee, Calvin Ridley, and Darrell Henderson, among others.
Byes will continue to make trading complicated, but you can use them to your "advantage" in one of two ways. If your team is doing well (6-1 or 5-2) and has enough depth to withstand a future bye, then be willing to acquire a lesser player who's already had his bye for one whose bye is still upcoming. There should be a (decent) premium for players who have had their week off and a (slight) discount for those who haven't. Don't forget that. If you're struggling and need W's, then be willing to give up a little extra for immediate help. It's a risky strategy, but if you can't afford to lose, then you just have to "survive and advance." You can fill in next week's holes with another trade or on the waiver wire.
MORE FROM FANTASY PROS: Trade analyzer
Remember that trade values can change quickly in fantasy football, so don't get too locked in on a specific target. Change your thinking as the trends change, but don't be afraid to strike if you have a good offer on the table, even this early in the season. -- Matt Lutovsky
MORE WEEK 8: Top waiver pickups | FAAB budget planner
Week 8 Fantasy Football Stock Watch: Buy-low trade candidates
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs. The Chiefs have real issues right now. Tyreek Hill is battling a quad injury, 32-year-old Travis Kelce is being targeted on shallower routes more frequently than ever before, and the offense never found a reliable third receiver to turn to. Still, Mahomes is just too talented to struggle for too long. It’s unlikely that the Mahomes owner in your league is looking to sell now, but if anyone is panicking you should try and take advantage. Mahomes scored fewer than 10 fantasy points for just the second time in his career on Sunday. The first time was due to injury.
Darrell Henderson, RB, Rams. This was supposed to be Henderson’s smash week. Unfortunately, the lowly Lions wound up playing inspired football and kept things close enough to the point where the Rams weren’t in clock-killing mode for the entire second half (as many of us anticipated). Week 7 was Henderson’s first performance where he failed to finish as a top-20 PPR back. Better days are ahead, and the utilization remains elite.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams. Over the Rams’ past two games, Higbee has played 100 percent of the offensive snaps while running a route on 92 percent of Matthew Stafford's dropbacks. He has an 18.6-percent target share during this time and is someone to target moving forward.
For more buy-low targets from Fantasy Pros, including Michael Carter and Dallas Goedert, click here.
WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 8 Fantasy Football Stock Watch: Sell-high trade candidates
Khalil Herbert, RB, Bears. (Note: Fantasy Pros lists Herbert as a "hold," but Sporting News sees him as a "sell.") In Week 7 against the Bucs, Herbert became just the third running back to rush for 100 yards against Tampa Bay since the end of the 2018 season. However, it's important to note that Damien Williams missed almost all of practice the past two weeks because of COVID, and David Montgomery (knee) is likely to return within the next three weeks. It's tough to gauge Herbert's short-term or long-term value, and that's why we see him as a sell candidate as opposed to a hold. -- Matt Lutovsky
For more sell-high targets from Fantasy Pros, including Tee Higgins, click here.
WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 8 Fantasy Football Stock Watch: Players to hold
Calvin Ridley, WR, Falcons. This was supposed to be the "get-right" game for Ridley, but he wound up catching just four-of-10 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. The score helped salvage his fantasy performance, but it was frustrating to watch Matt Ryan be able to connect more frequently with Kyle Pitts. Ridley has seen double-digit targets in four-of-five games this year, and his target share has been above 20 percent in each of them. Hold tight for now.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles. Hurts was once again shaky as a passer in Week 7, but he still wound up finishing as a top-12 quarterback for the seventh straight game. The sophomore signal-caller has scored at least 20.5 standard fantasy points in every game this season. No other QB has hit 17 or more points in every contest.
For more hold targets from Fantasy Pros, including Robby Anderson, click here.