Week 9 Fantasy Football Trending Trade Targets: Jonathan Taylor Emerges As Prime Buy-Low Trade Candidate
Heading into Week 9 of the regular season, the struggling Jonathan Taylor has the highest Estimated Trade Interest (ETI %) in all of fantasy football. Though healthy again, Taylor’s fantasy production has taken a massive hit in comparison to the numbers he was pumping out last year.
Star receivers Michael Pittman and Justin Jefferson have produced good yardage through the season, but haven’t found the end zone since Week 1. Jefferson will surely bounce back but how will Pittman fare with Sam Ehlinger under center? And don’t forget Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is healthy again for the Lions. These receivers are the hottest trending fantasy football trade targets at the position right now.
Elsewhere, Alvin Kamara’s 158 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns for the Saints on Sunday have made his trade interest surge. Earlier this season, Kamara was the ideal buy-low candidate. If you took advantage of his discounted value in the first month of the season, you are likely sitting pretty in your league’s standings now.
Finally, the one quarterback fantasy owners are targeting the most heading into Week 9 is Dak Prescott. Prescott returned in Week 7 and had a spectacular game in Week 8. However, Dallas has a bye week after gaining some serious momentum last week. Prescott should be a beast when the Cowboys return in Week 10.
Let’s take a look at the hottest fantasy football trade targets with the most buzz as we approach Week 9 of the regular season.
Week 9 Fantasy Football Trending Trade Targets
RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts (24% ETI)
Last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Jonathan Taylor, simply isn’t having the year he had in 2021. Though he’s missed two games this season, Taylor’s production through six games hasn’t been all that impressive. He’s produced 462 rushing yards, 71 receiving yards, and just one touchdown in 2022. Bad news for Taylor owners surfaced this afternoon.
Taylor aggravated the ankle injury which caused him to miss two games already this year. As a result, Frank Reich revealed that their star running back did not practice today. We will have to see whether JT is available to go this Sunday. In addition to having an underwhelming season of fantasy production, Taylor’s nagging ankle injury continues to be an issue. He is now questionable to suit up for the Colts in Week 9. Considering the talent that was on display last season, it makes sense that fantasy owners are targeting Taylor more than anyone else. I can also see why Taylor owners are finally ready to deal him. The Colts’ offense simply isn’t very good this season. Fantasy owners should sell Taylor before his price drops even more.
WR Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts (18% ETI)
Pittman has been boom or bust each week of the fantasy season. Regardless, he hasn’t been finding his way into the end zone as much as expected this season. He’s posted 120+ receiving yards twice this season. This includes his Week 1 performance where he had nine catches for 121 yards and one touchdown (still his only touchdown of the season). Pittman has produced less than 60 receiving yards in each of the last two weeks. While he had at least six catches in each contest, his yardage hasn’t been there and he still hasn’t recorded a touchdown since the first game of the season against the Houston Texans. Now in his third season for the Colts, the wide receiver out of USC has combined for a respectable 51 receptions for 528 receiving yards and one touchdown this season. Fantasy owners (including myself) are certainly frustrated at his lack of scores. While his receiving yardage has been fairly consistent, the fact that he hasn’t recorded a touchdown since Week 1 has sent many fantasy owners into panic mode. The panic simply escalated when Matt Ryan was benched for Sam Ehlinger. Some think Pittman will bounce back while others think he’s on a downward trajectory which is why he’s involved in so many trades heading into Week 9.
RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars (17% ETI)
In his first game for the Jaguars this season without James Robinson in the mix, Travis Etienne exploded just as expected. The second-year back out of Clemson who only got his first NFL snaps this season, had 24 carries for 156 rushing yards and one touchdown in Jacksonville’s 17-21 loss to the Denver Broncos in London on Sunday morning. In his first real NFL season, Etienne has produced 571 rushing yards, averaging a whopping 6.2 yards per carry, and two touchdowns. He’s also had 17 catches for 157 receiving yards. His ability to make defenders miss and break tackles is outstanding and he’s an excellent pass-catcher out of the backfield. With Robison out of the mix for Duval Nation, Etienne’s fantasy value has skyrocketed. For that reason, he is one of the hottest fantasy football trade targets right now. That said, most fantasy owners aren’t going to want to get rid of Etienne now that he owns Jacksonville’s backfield.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions (16% ETI)
After getting off to an amazing start for the Lions in his second NFL season, Amon-Ra St. Brown missed Week 5, Week 6, and most of Week 7 due to various injuries. He finally got going again in Week 8 where he had seven catches for 69 receiving yards against the Miami Dolphins. St. Brown combined for 253 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the first three weeks of the regular season. Besides his first real game back in Week 8, St. Brown hasn’t done much since. As a result of his time missed and his very quiet October, St. Brown’s trade value has certainly slipped in recent weeks. However, he could be emerging as a huge buy-low target heading into Week 9. Fantasy owners could be looking to acquire him right before he rediscovers his early-season form as the second half of the 2022 NFL regular season kicks into full swing.
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WR Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals (16% ETI)
With Ja’Marr Chase expected to miss at least another four or five weeks, Tyler Boyd of the Bengals has seen his trade value increase exponentially. Though the Bengals struggled against the Browns’ defense on Monday night, Boyd still had three catches for 38 receiving yards and one touchdown. In Week 7, Boyd had eight receptions for 155 receiving yards (19.4 AVG) and a touchdown (and that was with Chase on the field). After the last two weeks, Boyd’s season totals have increased to 32 catches for 496 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Alongside Tee Higgins, Boyd should be one of Joe Burrow’s top targets while Chase continues to work through his hip injury. As a result, Boyd is another wide receiver who’s generated tremendous trade interest over the last week or so.
WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings (16% ETI)
Like Pittman, Justin Jefferson is another phenomenal route-runner who somehow hasn’t found his way into the end zone since Week 1. In that game, Jefferson had nine catches for 184 and two touchdowns and almost immediately became one of the hottest fantasy wideouts. He had very quiet outings in Weeks 2 and 3. In the four games Jefferson has played this October, he’s combined for 34 catches and 506 receiving yards. While he hasn’t scored a touchdown, the fact that he’s averaged 100+ receiving yards per game through his last four starts for Minnesota is making his fantasy football trade interest surge heading into Week 9.
Jefferson is probably the most reliable wideout in all of fantasy football. While he has yet to record his third touchdown of the season, it seems very unlikely that he goes another week without finding the end zone. Jefferson heads into Week 9 with 52 catches for 752 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the season. It would take a huge package for any fantasy owner to part ways with Jefferson.
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RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (15% ETI)
In the first four weeks of the regular season, a rib injury to Alvin Kamara kept him very quiet. He’s missed two games so far this season but has still produced 413 rushing yards, 287 receiving yards and three total touchdowns this season. He’s coming off an absolutely monster game against the Raiders in Week 8 where he had 62 rushing yards, 96 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns.
The fact that his first three touchdowns of the season all came in Week 8 should serve as a relief for fantasy owners who were waiting for AK41 to find the end zone this season. He’s been efficient producing rushing and receiving yards despite missing two games this season. However, his failure to get into the end zone before Week 8 has forced fantasy owners into a state of panic. At the same time, Kamara’s huge game on Sunday is reviving trade interest for the Saints’ star running back who seems to be back in full-form after running all over the Las Vegas Raiders in a 24-0 home victory this past Sunday.
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (13% ETI)
Dallas got their starting signal-caller back in Week 7, and he looked great. He also looked fantastic in Week 8. Heading into the second half of the season, the buzz around Dak has made him the quarterback with the most trade interest heading into Week 9. In Week 7, Dak completed 76% of his passes for 207 passing yards and one touchdown. He followed that up going 21-of-27 for 250 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown in Week 8. Dak finished Week 8 with an impressive 93.8 QBR. Prescott is back and looking great. As a result, fantasy owners are certainly looking to trade for him while his fantasy value should continue to surge in the weeks to come. Savvy owners may even think they can get Prescott at a discount this week since the Cowboys are on their bye week.
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