Trade Targets for Week 17 (Fantasy Football)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: It’s championship week!!! This is what we as fantasy players live for. You have hustled all year long; you’ve found the edges; you’ve worked the waiver wire; you’ve harassed your league mates until you finally worked out the right trades. And now it’s time to finish the job.
You might need to make just one or two more last-minute deals to position yourself for the perfect Week 17 (remember last week, we talked about luck, matchups, and motivation). If that’s you, I’ve got some ideas for you!
Players to Trade For
Rhamondre Stevenson (Contender)
This one is a bit gross, but this is what happens when we get to Championship week! To my eyes, Rhamondre has mostly looked like a plodder this season (3.7 YPC), getting what the blocking has given him and lacking the explosiveness he showed at the beginning of his career. However, he’s got 101 yards on 14 carries (7.2 YPC) over the last two games, and now TreVeyon Henderson is in concussion protocol. This season, players have mostly missed one game while in protocol, which lines Rhamondre up for a potential workhorse role in an important game for playoff positioning against the putrid Jets defense. I expect to see 15+ touches and a fantasy points bonanza for Stevenson this week.
Rhamondre Stevenson pic.twitter.com/sUiVKP9zql
— Adam☘️ (@CelticsAdam34) December 22, 2025
Jakobi Meyers (Contender)
It was Parker Washington who showed out against the Broncos last week, but we knew Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. would have their hands full with Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss out wide. Things get much easier this week, as the Jags head into the dome against a struggling Colts secondary that just got torched by Brock Purdy on MNF. Meyers has been a target hog with 25 targets over the last three games and 6+ targets in each of his last six games. Trevor Lawrence has been on fire, and everyone should feast against the division-rival Colts.
The Jags signed Meyers to a hefty 3-year contract extension, but let’s not forget this team returns Travis Hunter next season as well. The WR room will be a bit crowded, so it’s hard to know if Meyers will be able to reproduce this year’s numbers. At 29, I doubt many teams consider Meyers a long-term asset, so you should be able to acquire him for a reasonable price, and you may get a couple more usable years out of him to boot.
I mentioned last week how much the #Jaguars gush over Jakobi Meyers. “It’s the little things” is what I kept hearing.
Great example here from yesterday: Meyers (#3 – bottom of screen) makes a key block on the DE & S to setup a big Travis Etienne run. pic.twitter.com/WNsdgbyYzW https://t.co/R4hzbhOKdZ
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 22, 2025
Javonte Williams (Contender & Beyond)
It’s only fitting that my worst call of the season (selling Javonte Williams after Week 1) turns up as a Championship Week buy. It’s also classic fantasy football that the guy no one believed in to begin the season goes off and has an incredible year, and then poops in his big boy pants in the fantasy playoffs. And the keyboard warriors go bananas.
I’ve got to give Javonte his flowers; he has had a heck of a season and is currently sitting at RB10 on the year. He’s a “B” in consistency and is walking into a dream matchup against the Commanders, who will be QB’d by (checks notes) Josh Johnson? Last time these teams squared off, Javonte ran for 116 yards and a TD on 19 carries, good for RB8 on the week. I think he should put up similar numbers this week, assuming this neck issue isn’t going to hold him out from playing (he played through the same injury last week).
The big question surrounds what Javonte’s future looks like with the Cowboys. It appears Jerry Jones would love to commit to Williams longer-term, as he mentioned that he likes the way Javonte “brings the wood.” I haven’t heard it stated exactly that way before, but I believe he’s referring to the physicality of the RB, which has been on full display this year. He could help bring you a championship this year and still be a centerpiece of your team in years to come. I value Williams as a back-end RB1 moving forward.
Javonte Williams
among 59 qual RBs (per @FantasyPtsData)
12th in explosive run rate
2nd in yards after contact/attDallas would be wise to re-sign him. Immediately.
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) December 22, 2025
Players to Trade Away
Jayden Reed (Contender or Rebuilder)
Reed has shown flashes of being a game-breaker throughout his young career. It’s just hard to trust any WR on this team. It’s a run-first team with no legitimate WR1 and a history of WR injuries. Reed plays like Deebo Samuel, but he is about 30 pounds lighter, which leads to potential durability concerns (he missed 11 games this season). He scores an F in the Ballers’ consistency ratings, and you have really felt that if you’ve started Reed over the last three seasons. He is one of those players who can literally score zero points or 20+. I personally don’t have a lot of desire to roster those folks, as they can end your season with one bad week.
The nice thing about Reed is that he appears to be still carrying a decent market value, as KeepTradeCut has him rated as WR40 in dynasty. That may not sound all that great, but he’s ranked similarly to Michael Wilson (WR41), Wan’Dale Robinson (WR37), Courtland Sutton (WR43), and Troy Franklin (WR38), all of whom I’d prefer to Reed. This value is also close to a mid-second-round Rookie pick, which could turn into a future first-round pick as well.
Injured players (Contender)
For this final week, it’s time to pull out all the stops to chase that championship. One often forgotten strategy is trading away injured players to rebuilding teams in order to secure that veteran who can put you over the top. What can you get for Brandon Aiyuk or Najee Harris these days? Could you couple them with a late-round Rookie pick to get one of the veterans listed above? Could you move Trey Benson for Derrick Henry, D’Andre Swift, or one of the Pittsburgh RBs? What about Travis Hunter? Can you move him for George Kittle (depending on health)? And as much as it would pain me personally, could you move Malik Nabers for CeeDee Lamb straight-up? It’s still a pretty even trade on the calculators, and I personally did this a few weeks ago.
The point is, you have to consider all your options in this final week. And there is only one team remaining in your league that is not a potential trade partner – your opponent in the championship. Every other team is rebuilding in some form or fashion. Every other team should be willing to give up a valuable asset this year for a more valuable long-term asset. In the long run, you may look back and feel like you lost the trade, but you will never regret going for a championship.
Hit Me Up!
I’m here for you this final week! Holler at me on X @kempertrull with any last-minute trade questions or sit/start conundrums. Let’s work through it together and get you that championship!
Comments
Trading in week 17?