It is always astonishing how quickly the Fantasy Football season can fly by. We have now reached the halfway point, and this is usually around the time that teams are seeking to make trades to bolster their championship-destined rosters. There are several struggling stars who have had slow starts to the year to target via trade. On the contrary, there are some sneaky options on the market that could prove to be diamonds in the rough for the second half of the season. Here are my top 10 trade targets that could help guide you to the promised land.
1. Joe Mixon
If you took Mr. Mixon with your first-round pick this season, odds are you have been pretty unamused with his production thus far. This is something that we should look to capitalize on in leagues where we did not draft him. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This statement could not be more true when it comes to the Bengals’ star running back. His yards per carry had been way down in the first four weeks of the season (2.65 YPC) but has increased to 5.60 YPC in his last two matchups. He additionally has three games with 19 or more carries this season, which is extremely rare at the position. He currently ranks in the top five for rushing attempts and receiving targets for all running backs. When trading for the services of Mixon, you are banking on these opportunities turning into more production.
2. Chris Godwin
The entire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense has been extremely disappointing to start the season. After missing the majority of the first three games to start the year, Godwin has looked pretty impressive in his return from injury through the last three. This includes ten or more targets in two of the matchups. In his last game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Godwin was on the field for a season-high 89-percent of the snaps.
This equated to the most targets he has received on the year (12) and receiving yards (95). Sitting at 3-3, and suffering some frustrating losses, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay offense should be hungry to make another championship run and prove some doubters wrong in the process. The team has a wonderful schedule to close out the year, and I expect Godwin to be an integral part of their future success.
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown
After exploding onto the scene in the first three games of the season, the flame has dimmed a bit on the hype for the Sun God. St. Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 3 that kept him out of action for the following week and extremely limited after.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Following both the missed time due to injury and Detroit’s BYE week, there is a chance that the team who rosters him forgot how amazing he was to start the year. If you can take advantage of a team presenting a slight trade window, I would recommend pouncing on the opportunity immediately.
4. Keenan Allen
The story for Keenan Allen is quite similar to that of St. Brown, but chances are the team rostering him is far more frustrated. In the first week of the season, Allen showcased an extremely small sample size of how effective he can still be at 30 years old. Unfortunately, he was only on the field for 33-percent of the snaps due to a hamstring injury that has caused him to miss every week since. Prior to suffering the injury, Allen caught all four of his targets for 66 yards.
Although the hamstring seems like it might not ever recover at this point, the veteran wide receiver is nearing a return to action and should be fully healthy once he does. Justin Herbert has been missing his security blanket, and it has been pretty evident in the last couple of weeks. I expect Keenan Allen to be a solid WR2 the rest of the way once he makes his return barring another setback.
5. Justin Herbert
We just discussed the reasons why Keenan Allen can be a splash play for the second half of the year. Now, it is time to talk about his underperforming quarterback. In most leagues, Herbert was the second quarterback drafted in your league(s) to only Josh Allen. While Allen has been scorching hot to start the year, Herbert has left much to be desired. The young quarterback has been battling a rib injury for several weeks and has been without his lead wide receiver. It is more than respectable to believe that far better days are coming for the gunslinger, and I would recommend attempting to buy low on him while you can. In case you forgot, Herbert is one-of-four quarterbacks to throw for 5,000+ yards in a season before turning 24 years old. The other three are Dan Marino, Matthew Stafford, and Patrick Mahomes. I repeat, buy low while you can.
6. Robert Tonyan
Tonyan is another player who was coming off of a serious injury to start the 2022 season. Returning from an ACL tear, Tonyan has had a relatively modest start to the year. We are only two seasons removed from when the burly tight end scored eleven receiving touchdowns in his breakout campaign with the Packers. In Week 6, Tonyan was on the field for a season-high 63-percent of snaps and caught 10 of 12 targets for 90 yards. This is exactly the type of activity that you would be hoping to see at the halfway point of the season. Expect his usage and targets to continue to increase with Randall Cobb sidelined with an ankle injury. He also should be due for positive touchdown regression and can be a solid option at a position that is very difficult to fill.
7. A.J. Dillon
While many would suggest trying to trade for Dillon’s backfield partner, Aaron Jones, I am recommending the cheaper option. Dillon exploded in his first week of the 2022 season. He rushed ten times for 45 yards and a touchdown while catching five passes for 46 receiving yards. Since then, he has been a major disappointment for those who have locked him into their starting lineups.
AJ Dillon Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Even with the drop in production, Dillon still has ten or more carries in all but one game and tied his season-high of six targets in Week 6. The Quadfather really picked things up in the second half of the year in 2021, and I think he has a solid chance to do the same this season. He is additionally still one of the most valuable handcuffs in the game and has solid standalone value if his situation remains the same.
8. D.J. Moore
This is one of those instances where it feels almost disgusting to suggest trading for a player. Moore’s 2022 season has been an absolute disaster so far, and the team’s quarterback situation is not getting any better. Even with these obstacles, there are two major reasons why I would suggest trading for D.J. Moore as soon as possible. First, the team just traded away Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson.
This creates an abundance of vacated targets that should go his way. The team has stated that they consider Moore to be an integral part of their future. Hopefully, it is time that they start using him that way. The next reason would be the hope that he is traded to a better situation. Moore is still one of the most talented receivers in the league and a new setting could do wonders for his future outlook. There is a chance that this season turns out to be a wash, but for the low cost, the juice feels worth the squeeze.
9. Jakobi Meyers
If writing this article a few weeks prior, I would have recommended buying low on Rhamondre the Giant. Unfortunately, we are way past the point of being able to do that. Instead, we can look to his often-ignored teammate. Meyers has produced in every game he has been active in so far this season.
Jakobi Meyers Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
He missed two games earlier this season with a banged-up knee but has been back to himself the last two weeks. This included a massive performance in Week 5 with seven catches for 111 receiving yards and a touchdown. Meyers might be the cheapest option on the market for a player who can give you consistent WR2 numbers. He additionally has proved to be a bit quarterback-proof. He’s played well with both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
10. Alec Pierce
The last trade target that I would recommend is rookie wide receiver, Alec Pierce. He went a bit ignored during the draft season due to a loaded wide receiver class, but Pierce has been turning it on recently. Pierce has commanded a total of 22 targets in the last three weeks, including two games with 80+ receiving yards. He also had the miraculous game-winning catch in a Week 6 showdown with the Jaguars. All of the hype is trending in the right direction for the speedy rookie, and he looks to have solidified the WR2 spot on the team next to Michael Pittman. Pierce should be a solid FLEX option moving forward and can serve to be extremely helpful during BYE weeks.
