We have officially reached the halfway point of the fantasy football regular season. At this juncture, managers undoubtedly have a pretty good idea of whether their roster is a contender, pretender or just downright awful as currently constructed. No matter which of these categories your team falls into, pursuing buy-low fantasy football trade targets is a great strategy to employ.
Below, we break down some priority buy-low fantasy football trade targets, including Courtland Sutton, Travis Etienne and Rashod Bateman. The following breakdowns and analyses can be used to help guide your trade discussions and weigh fantasy football player values heading into Week 8.
Buy-Low Fantasy Football Trade Targets | Week 8
Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
It takes a whole lot of guts to consider trading for a piece of the Broncos’ offense right now. However, the same ugliness that will scare most buyers away can also be used to your advantage. If there is one Denver player worth acquiring as a buy-low fantasy football trade target, it’s Courtland Sutton. What better time to do so than this week on the heels of Sutton posting two straight scoring duds?
Despite having less than 10 total PPR fantasy points in the last two games combined, Sutton still ranks as the WR24 on the season. Volume means opportunity, and the Broncos’ alpha receiver has accrued at least seven targets in all but one game. While he only finished with three catches for 23 yards last week, Sutton still garnered nine targets from backup quarterback, Brett Rypien.
Of course, one has to imagine that this offense can make positive strides once Russell Wilson returns. It sure wouldn’t take much for Denver to be better than what we’ve seen over the first two months. The fact that Sutton still managed to score 12+ fantasy points in five straight games prior to the last two rough outings is certainly a positive sign.
Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
When it comes to Jaguars’ running back Travis Etienne, the buy-low fantasy football trade window is closing fast. Prior to last week, the second-year back had not been on the field for more than 53% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps in any game. That changed in a big way on Sunday as Etienne played 80% of the snaps and saw 14 carries.
Etienne made good on his Week 7 touches as well, averaging 8.14 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown. He tallied 18.9 PPR fantasy points, marking his highest output of the season. Had he been able to haul in more than one of his five targets in the passing game, the final line would’ve been even better. Even so, Etienne has now scored double-digit PPR points in four of the last five games.
James Robinson being traded to the New York Jets on Monday night is only accelerating what was an inevitable process of Etienne taking over the Jaguars’ backfield. As such, fantasy football managers have to act fast if they are to acquire him at anything less than a high-end RB price point. Etienne is explosive as a runner, has solid pass-catching abilities and has a rapport with Trevor Lawrence that dates back to their college days at Clemson. He could very well be an integral part of a championship-winning team.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
In his return from a two-week absence due to a foot injury, Rashod Bateman promptly led all Ravens pass-catchers in targets, receptions and fantasy football scoring. He also tied Devin Duvernay for the team lead in receiving yardage. Baltimore’s focus offensively still revolves around running the ball. That said, the now-healthy Bateman could prove to be a steal as a buy-low fantasy football trade target.
When Bateman has been healthy and on the field, he has been one of Lamar Jackson’s preferred targets. The second-year pro out of Minnesota has seen five targets or more in four of five games played to date. While it’s rather discouraging that he hasn’t been on the field for more than 66% of the team’s snaps in any game, such is life as a receiver on a run-oriented team.
Talent-wise, Bateman is far ahead of the rest of the Ravens’ receiving corps in terms of potential. The path to him carving out a Marquise Brown-Esque roll as the go-to wideout alongside tight end Mark Andrews is hardly far-fetched. The foot injury delayed that process for a time, but Bateman’s breakout could be just around the corner.
