Trade Targets for Week 9 (Fantasy Football)
As we approach the midpoint of the NFL season and the NFL trade deadline, our matchup data and player usage really start to crystallize. Now is a great time to target players who have already had their bye weeks and to consider trading those with late byes on your team. Every week counts in a playoff race!
Below are a few key players to target in trades for Week 9.
Players to Trade For
Parker Washington
Washington is having a bit of a rough stretch in the middle of the season, and it is tough to know what to attribute it to. He has gotten 9+ targets in three games this season and six or fewer targets in four games. The Jaguars have a juicy schedule remaining this season, but what we are really hoping for are competitive games. The Jags have steamrolled several opponents this season, and in those games, there just isn’t enough passing volume to make every WR viable (Lawrence threw the ball only 14 times in a rout of the Colts this week). Washington is firmly the WR1 on this offense, but they also have other playmakers in the WR corps.
That being said, the Jags will have two “plus” matchups against a feisty Titans team, a road game against a Giants team that can put up points, and games that should be competitive against the Bears, Texans, Cowboys, and Commanders. I like the way this schedule plays out for Washington, and I am fully in on him as the lead WR on this offense.
What is wrong with Parker Washington?
Nothing.
He's balling out on a per route basis, ranking top-12 in YPRR and FP/RR.
What's wrong is the Jaguars rank dead last in dropbacks per game. Because they lead the league in point differential by a mile (by +47%).
Unfortunately,… pic.twitter.com/IBqd42CpOp
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) November 2, 2026
Makai Lemon
Lemon has benefited from opportunity of late, as DeVonta Smith has missed time due to injury. The Eagles offense is in disarray, but the team would benefit long-term from giving Lemon extra reps down the stretch.
Lemon has seen his snap share increase all season, from 64% in Week 1 to 94% in Week 8, something that is both a direct result of Smith’s injury and also very common for rookie WRs. He also has 6+ targets in each of the last five games, and he is solidifying himself as a steady underneath chain-mover in the offense. I expect his target volume to remain mostly steady, even when Smith returns, and he looks poised for the traditional rookie arc to end the season on a high note.
Makai Lemon over the past two weeks:
– 26% target share
– 31% air yardage shareCaught 13 of 17 targets for 124 yards and a TD https://t.co/gc6Bg3yKeh pic.twitter.com/8O7TgBHOwv
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) November 2, 2026
Dylan Sampson
Sampson missed the first six games of the season due to a knee injury that occurred early in Opening Week against the Jaguars. He returned to action in Week 7 and immediately gave this offense a jolt in the backfield with six carries for 45 yards against Tennessee. Another seven-yard carry in Week 8 leaves Sampson with a 7.43 YPC rushing average on the season, albeit with only 7 total carries.
Sampson’s real value is in the passing game, however. Through two games, he has accumulated 11 targets for a 9/94 receiving stat line. This has led to two top-30 RB finishes in the last two games. Starter Quinshon Judkins is struggling to get things going on the ground (3.39 YPC), and it seems inevitable that Sampson’s workload will increase as the season progresses. He is a bit of a cheat code in Full-PPR formats.
Players to Trade Away
Ashton Jeanty
What a weird season it has been for Jeanty. His rushing efficiency numbers are horrid (3.12), but his receiving work has kept him as a back-end RB1 this year. It appears the Raiders are also perplexed, as they utilized Jeanty as a glorified scatback in Week 8; Rookie Mike Washington Jr. outcarried Jeanty 25 to 2 against the Jets! Jeanty also handled a season-low 40% of the RB snaps (the first game he has been below 50% in his career) in a competitive game against NY.
It is tough to know if Jeanty just isn’t fully comfortable with new Head Coach Klint Kubiak’s rushing system, or if he is dealing with nagging injuries. The good news is that he has still managed to produce decent RB numbers, despite the poor rushing performance. I just do not love counting purely on receiving production from my RB1s these days. This team also has a QB change lingering over the heads of the coaching staff, and that uncertainty, coupled with the change in his role, has me nervous enough to explore a trade. I would definitely prefer Bhayshul Tuten to Jeanty, and I would also be interested in trading for Ollie Gordon+ or Jonah Coleman+ (unless the Broncos bring in another RB before the trade deadline).
I noticed this same comparison a couple of weeks ago…
Ashton Jeanty vs. Trent Richardson [First 23 Games]
touches: 445 vs. 443
yards from scrimmage: 1885 vs. 1773
touchdowns: 13 vs. 14
runs over 25 yards: 2 vs. 2— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) October 19, 2026
Tony Pollard
I have been a Pollard fan for years, and I was doubly excited to welcome him to my hometown Tennessee Titans. He has performed admirably for this pathetic franchise, and it seems that the team has been showcasing him in hopes of a potential trade before the looming deadline.
For me, there are two likely outcomes, and I do not love either of them. If the Titans are unable to find the deal they want in the trade market, things go back to normal, and Pollard turns back into a pumpkin. The Titans are on bye this week, and then they get two matchups against the Jaguars’ incredible run defense in the following three weeks.
If Pollard is traded, who is to say he ends up in a better situation anyway? Too often, I have gotten excited about a player with trade buzz, only to see them traded to a crowded backfield and relegated to a third-down back. There are outcomes where Pollard gets an upgrade, namely Minnesota, but there are plenty of teams rumored to be in the market for an RB where Pollard gets nerfed immediately (Seattle, NY Giants, Denver). I don’t believe we will see another top-5 RB week from Pollard, so I am trading him away after he just went nuclear the last two weeks.
JK Dobbins
We might be a week too late on this one, but I would still be trying to offload JK Dobbins. He has logged under 25% of the snaps in this backfield in the last two games, and Jonah Coleman is absolutely comin’. Dobbins was featured as the rushing specialist while RJ Harvey was the receiving back earlier this season, but rookie Coleman has already flashed the potential to be better at both.
As a selling point, the Broncos have a really nice RB schedule for the rest of the season, including matchups with Carolina, Vegas x2, Miami, NYJ, and Buffalo. If Denver finds itself salting away the clock late in these games, Dobbins could actually pile on carries and yardage and be useful. See, I even sold myself on his value!
Hit Me Up!
Keep the questions coming on X @kempertrull. I am also very active in the dynasty space, so if you have dynasty trade questions, send those my way as well!