I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! As we near the end of the season, some players’ fantasy stock is on the rise due to increased performance, injury opportunities, or recent trades. Meanwhile, others’ have fallen due to poor performance, injuries, or recent trades. In this article, we dive into some fantasy trade advice for the top player targets heading into Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season.
Before we dive into this article, lets look at some historical data for “hit rates” on draft picks. Garret Price dove into the data and discovered some interesting data. Over the past five years (2018-2022), reveals that early first-round picks (1.01-1.04) have an 80% hit rate, while mid-first round picks (1.05-1.08) only hit 20% of the time. If you want the full episode, check it out below.
Quarterback Targets for Contenders | Fantasy Trade Advice
Russell Wilson | Nerds #147 | 17.8 FPPG | QB13 FPPG | 2025 Late 1st/Early 2nd
Russell Wilson is fresh off his best fantasy game of the season throwing for over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns on his way to a QB2 overall finish. Wilson has 3 top-9 QB finishes since taking over as the starting quarterback for Pittsburgh in Week 7.
As shown above, in the Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule from ESPN’s Mike Clay, Pittsburgh has the 6th-easiest schedule for quarterbacks. Another potential quarterback target I mentioned in a previous article was Baker Mayfield.
Quarterback Targets for Rebuilders | Fantasy Trade Advice
Michael Penix Jr. | Nerds #155 | .8 FPPG | QB58 FPPG | 2025 1st + or Veteran QB
If this upcoming rookie quarterback class is not looking appealing, I would pivot to Michael Penix Jr. The Atlanta offense is loaded with playmakers. Kirk Cousins’ time as the Atlanta Falcons quarterback could come to an end abruptly if Atlanta fails to make the playoffs.
During your negotiations with the Penix manager, I would start by offering my veteran quarterback first before my draft picks. Some veteran options could include Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, or Geno Smith. If Penix was included in this upcoming draft class, he would be my QB3 behind Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. I have also mentioned J.J. McCarthy and Justin Fields as trade targets for rebuilding teams.
Running Back Targets for Contenders | Fantasy Trade Advice
Isaac Guerendo | Nerds #213 | 3.5 FPPG | RB72 FPPG | 2025 2nd
Fantasy managers received terrible news when the San Francisco 49ers announced Christian McCaffrey suffered a potentially season-ending PCL injury. The bad news continued when Kyle Shanahan announced that Jordan Mason was also placed on injured reserved.
Next up in the San Francisco running back room is rookie Isaac Guerendo. He has been an efficient runner so far this season, averaging 5.9 yards per carry on his limited attempts. Guerendo also scored a rushing touchdown in San Francisco’s 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football. Some other potential running back targets would be Gus Edwards and Bucky Irving.
Running Back Targets for Rebuilders | Fantasy Trade Advice
I’d like to start with a disclaimer that I would not encourage trading for a running back when you are in a rebuild. The running back position is so fluid that it should be the last one to address when rebuilding. The 2025 NFL Draft class is loaded with RB talent and that’s where I would look to address running back. If you would like to get a peek at some of that class, check out our 3 Round Superflex Mock Draft below:
However, if you prefer trading instead of drafting, some interesting names include Trey Benson, Ray Davis, Roschon Johnson, Marshawn Lloyd, and Jaylen Wright. If you would like to hear my thoughts on Benson and Wright, I wrote previously about them in my trade article here:
Wide Receiver To Target for Contenders | Fantasy Trade Advice
Courtland Sutton | Nerds #157 | 13.7 FPPG | WR12 FPPG | 2025 2nd
If you need a wide receiver for your playoff run, look no further than Courtland Sutton. Since Week 8, Sutton is averaging 20.8 FPPG behind only Ja’Marr Chase. He leads the Broncos in receptions, targets, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
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Sutton’s playoff schedule is very appealing with matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cincinnati Bengals. If you are a contender, there is no better wide receiver to buy than Courtland Sutton.
Wide Receiver To Target for Rebuilds | Fantasy Trade Advice
Ladd McConkey | Nerds #48 | 13.6 FPPG | WR28 FPPG | 2025 1st +
Ladd McConkey is a great target option for your rebuilding fantasy teams. At 23 years old, he is tied to a franchise quarterback, Justin Herbert, and is the No. 1 wide receiver in the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense. Ladd McConkey leads all rookies in receiving yards with 815.
If the price tag for McConkey is too high, some other options that I have mentioned in past articles include: Jermaine Burton, Josh Downs, and Ricky Pearsall.
Tight End To Target for Contenders | Fantasy Trade Advice
Mark Andrews | Nerds #83 | 7.0 FPPG | TE6 FPPG | 2025 1st
This article was going to contain Taysom Hill. Unfortunately, he suffered a season ending knee injury this past week. Some of my past trade targets still apply including: Hunter Henry, George Kittle, Cade Otton, and Jonnu Smith. I would be very aggressive in attempting to acquire Jonnu Smith as he has finished as a top-3 tight end the past three weeks.
Mark Andrews would be another great trade target. Andrews had a rough start to the season, but over his last four weeks has finished as TE8 or better three times. While Andrews is on a bye in Week 14, he has favorable playoff matchups against the Houston Texans, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
