Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer: 5 targets ahead of Week 8 - Yahoo Sports

Optimize your lineups rest-of-season with these fantasy football trade targets ahead of Week 8.

Mason is coming off his third straight game with fewer than 10 fantasy points. But this needs more context. In Week 6, Mason totaled over 70 yards in the first half before leaving with a shoulder injury. But heading into Week 7, Mason wasn’t on the final injury report which suggested he’d see his normal workload, and he did.

Mason played a season-high 86% of the snaps in Week 7 and earned 14 of 15 RB carries. He failed to find the end zone, but the usage was great. Now the elephant in the room is Christian McCaffrey’s looming return. Let’s break this down.

It’s been reported that McCaffrey could return in Week 10 after the 49er’s bye. This isn’t a guarantee, however, and even when McCaffrey returns, it’s unlikely he sees his full workload right away. Achilles tendonitis comes with a high re-injury rate, Harvard-trained sports surgeon Deepak Chona notes. It’s likely the 49ers will ease him back in, which means there’s also a good chance Mason is highly still involved in this offense even when McCaffrey returns. Trade someone like Najee Harris for Mason if you can.

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Dowdle is coming out of his bye week and will take on the 49ers. But before the bye, coach Mike McCarthy stated that Dowdle definitely needs to touch the ball more. Now this is just coach speak, but McCarthy said something similar about Dowdle before the Cowboys Week 4 game against the Cowboys. In that game, Dowdle went on to see a season-high in snaps, touches and fantasy points.

Dowdle has been a solid FLEX option the past month. He’s finished as a top-25 RB in three straight games, and he’s earned at least 55 total yards in five straight contests. Dowdle is a talented player that you can buy low on in fantasy leagues right now. His end-of-season schedule is also strong, as he’ll face the Bengals, Panthers and Bucs — each ranked in the bottom-10 in rushing EPA per play allowed according to NFL Pro. Try to trade someone like Romeo Doubs or Alexander Mattison for Dowdle if you can.

Brown continues to see promising usage in the Bengals offense. In Week 7, Brown earned a team-high 58% of the snaps and commanded 71% of the backfield carries. This was Brown’s best usage of the season alongside Zack Moss. Unfortunately, it only translated to 54 scoreless yards on 17 touches — not a great fantasy day, but this opens up a buy-low window on Brown.

According to PFF, Brown commanded the majority of early down snaps in Week 7, while Zack Moss remained the third down back. This is likely due to the Bengals coaches trusting Moss more in pass protection right now. But this is something that could change as the season goes on, especially considering how explosive Brown has been when on the field this season. According to PlayerProfiler, Brown ranks top 10 in both explosive run rate and yards per carry this season. He has some strong matchups coming up against the Eagles and Raiders, now is the time to get a deal done. Trade someone like Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt for him if you can.

Smith earned just one target in Week 7. This was his first poor performance of the season, but Smith’s usage was still strong. He ran a route on 91% of the Eagles passing plays and continued to see usage both in the slot and out wide. The real issue was the Eagles got up early on the Giants and led by multiple scores all game.

This resulted in Jalen Hurts only attempting just 14 passes, by far a season low. Before this game, Smith had earned at least 11 fantasy points in every matchup and was a top-25 receiver in all of these contests. Smith currently ranks 12th in WR efficiency this season according to PlayerProfiler. Right now is the time to buy low on his fantasy value because his schedule is great moving forward. He'll face seven bottom half of the league secondaries over his next seven games according to PFF coverage rankings. Trade someone like Brian Thomas Jr. or Brian Robinson Jr. for Smith if you can.

Johnson entered Week 7 dealing with a hamstring, ankle and rib injury. Despite being less than 100%, he suited up and played, but he was clearly not himself because he ran a route on just 73% of the Panthers drop backs. This was his lowest in a game since Week 1, when he left early with an injury. Johnson finished Week 7 producing just one catch for 17 yards.

Johnson hasn’t been performing the past few weeks due to his own health and Andy Dalton playing poorly. We will now see Bryce Young back at QB for the Panthers in Week 8, which likely won't benefit Johnson. But there’s a chance Johnson is traded before the NFL trade deadline. A team like the Bucs could use a veteran receiver are a rash of injuries, which would be a massive upgrade for Johnson’s fantasy value if the Panthers are willing to trade within the division.

Trading for Johnson has some risks attached to it, the main one being Young not improving as a thrower, but for the right price, these risks may be worth it. Try to move someone like Kareem Hunt or Tank Bigsby for him if you can.