Welcome back to my weekly trade HUB article and happy Monday. Hope you had a fun filled holiday weekend that involved a lot of football, family, and food. Mike Hubbard Jr here, ready as always to help you with trade suggestions that can help your chances of winning your fantasy league. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) for all things fantasy football. Feel free to tweet me or message me with any comments or questions you might have regarding fantasy football.
Week 16 is coming to a close tonight with a MNF matchup between the 8-6 Chargers and the 4-9 Colts. Chargers are fighting for their playoff spot while Indianapolis is fighting for pride. Colts are starting former Superbowl MVP Nick Foles this week at QB. The over/under is 45.5 and the line favors LA by 4. I believe Nick Foles could get the offense going even though they are a run heavy offense. At the end of the day Herbert, Ekeler, Williams, and Allen should bode too much for the Colts. My prediction is a Chargers win by a score of 20-13. Week 17s MNF game will be a banger between the 12-3 Bills and the 11-4 Bengals. Get your popcorn ready.
Make sure you’re aware if or when your league has a trade deadline. Try to sell and/or buy players with strategy and the use of your persuasion and negotiation skills. Here are some players to buy and sell before week 17 begins. Like I always say, one trade could be the difference in winning or losing your fantasy football league.
PLAYERS TO BUY
Justin Fields – Chicago Bears
Fields got crushed by the Bills in a 22-point loss. Fields was held to 11 rushing yards which is the lowest for him in any game this season. He also was held to 119 passing yards which is the 3rd lowest for him this season. So that makes his owner a little vulnerable meaning its time to buy him low if possible. Fields doesn’t have games like this often and is usually good for a ton of rushing yards. The good news is that Fields and the Bears take on Detroit in week 17. Last time these teams met the Lions walked away with a 31-30 win. More importantly was Fields stats. Justin passed for 167 yards and threw 2 TD passes. He also rushed 13 times for 157 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. Epic fantasy performance. This time around the game is more important to the Lions, but the Bears will want to play spoiler. Buy Fields and his legs low if willing and able to.
Christian Watson – Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson scored 7 TDs in 4 consecutive games going into his week 14 BYE. After the BYE week Christian caught 10 of 14 targets for 95 receiving yards combined in his last 2 games. Don’t look now but the Packers are still in playoff contention and Aaron Rodgers is starting to gel with his WRs. Watson may be a rookie, but he has been a demanding presence for the Pack with 6+ targets in each of his last 6 games played. Green Bay gets the Vikings next which means it’s going to be a 1 score game come late in the 4th quarter. Watson is always a threat to score and now is a good time to buy him low if you need that WR with high ceiling potential.
Davante Adams – Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams and the Raiders are such a mess at times. Other times Adams looks like the best WR in the league and can score 2 receiving TDs in the blink of an eye. Adams has been targeted a total of 25 times in his last 3 games but has only caught 9 of them. 114 receiving yards total in those 3 games which he has surpassed in just 1 game 6 times this season. He is capable of masterclass performances so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to trade for him knowing he has been in a little slump. 49ers are a tough matchup for the Raiders next game but it feels inevitable that Carr will need to air it out to stay in the game and who better to target?
PLAYERS TO SELL
Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews continues his disappointing slump that started way back in week 7. No TDs since then and his best receiving game was a 63-yard performance. The Ravens get the Steelers next for the 2nd time this season. It’s still unclear if Lamar Jackson will return to playing just yet, but Andrews just hasn’t been his usual productive self. Lamar would obviously boost his chances this week at a better outing, but keep in mind he took on Pittsburgh earlier this month and caught just 2 of 6 targets for a measly 17 receiving yards. I would sell him and hope for something in return that has a higher ceiling in such a pivotal week.
Mike Evans – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans used to be Brady’s go-to target anywhere on the field but almost always in the red zone. Throw it up and let him do the rest. That was then and this is now. Brady is keeping games close most of the time, but they can’t score points and their defense is what is really keeping them alive. Brady and Godwin seem to have a solid connection and Fournette is great with catch and run plays, but other than that this team is not connected offensively, and the struggles are evident week in and week out. Evans hasn’t scored since week 4 and has been kept under 60 receiving yards in 6 of his last 7 games. Use his name to sell him for what you can get.
TJ Hockenson – Minnesota Vikings
TJ Hockenson had a really good Christmas Eve catching 13 of 16 targets for 109 receiving yards and 2 TDs. That is his 2nd game with 100+ yards with 2 TDs this season. After a peak performance it’s a good idea to see what you can get for him. Hock and the Vikings take on the surging Packers next who won’t be going quietly. The last time these 2 teams played were in week 1 prior to the Hockenson trade, and in that game, Minnesota TEs didn’t even reach 20 receiving yards combined. If you are willing to part ways with TJ for this finals playoffs week you might be able to get a big name. Sell sky high.