Late Fantasy Football Trade Ideas: Sell Cole Kmet, Kyle Pitts/Jonnu Smith and David Njoku | Buy Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid and Sam LaPorta

The fantasy football playoffs are approaching, so if you are hoping to make a deep run, having favorable matchups is always a positive. 

I started a series where we look at some of the top players at each position that have easy or tough schedules late in the season. You can target players with easier schedules in trades while dealing away some players with tough matchups and potentially strengthening your team that way.

I tackled the quarterback position first and then went over some running backs and just recently got the wide receiver story put together. Last up is the tight end position.

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including predictive waiver analytics to help prioritize waiver pickups, projections, auction values, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant. Use our fantasy football trade analyzer to break down trade scenarios.

Sell Cole Kmet, Kyle Pitts/Jonnu Smith and David Njoku

The tight end position is already a tricky one to predict, so take some of the stress out of things by trading away Kmet, Pitts, Smith and Njoku, who have tough matchups in the fantasy playoffs (weeks 15-17).

Kmet and the Bears have the Cleveland Browns in week 15, Arizona Cardinals in week 16 and Atlanta Falcons in week 17. The Browns are the best defense in the league when it comes to slowing opposing tight ends. If you were to make it through the week, the Cardinals are also a top-end defense. If you can get by without big games two straight weeks, you’ll be rewarded with an easier matchup with Kmet against the Falcons.

Kmet has been the Bears’ second-most productive pass catcher this season, behind D.J. Moore. A lot of Kmet’s fantasy production is touchdowns, which isn’t always sustainable. The health of quarterback Justin Fields and the team’s status as the season winds down also aren’t favorable things for Kmet. I’d move on from him while his value is still fairly high.

Pitts and Smith are the Falcons’ No. 2 and 3 fantasy pass-catching options, with Smith actually being the better fantasy performer so far. They’ve been pretty inconsistent contributors, and are limited in what they can do because of the other player.

The Falcons will be taking on the Carolina Panthers in week 15, Indianapolis Colts in week 16 and Bears in week 17. The Panthers have been surprisingly strong against opposing tight ends, while the Colts have been average. If you somehow make it through those weeks with either Atlanta tight end starting, then a more favorable clash with the Bears ends the season. 

The trade values of Pitts and Smith aren’t super high, but you might be able to package one of them and another depth player of yours for a more consistent tight end.

Njoku is on this list for many of the same reasons Amari Cooper was on the list of receivers to trade. Njoku has a difficult schedule late in the season, and now is without Deshaun Watson at quarterback. That hurts his trade value, but being one of the better fantasy TEs of late, you should be able to get a decent return for him.

The Browns have the Bears in week 15, Houston Texans in week 16 and New York Jets in week 17. The Bears and Texans are both pretty favorable matchups, while the Jets are an average one. Those aren’t horrible matchups, but they also could be better. I’m more a fan of trading Njoku because of his quarterback situation.

When trying to come up with a trade target, make sure to use the FantasySP trade value charts to create a fair offer.

Buy Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid and Sam LaPorta

These three young tight ends have some of the best fantasy performers at the position this season. Their trade values are high, but they are also pretty consistent and have some nice matchups late in the season, so targeting them are moves I’d suggest.

Ferguson is the Cowboys second-most productive pass catcher from a fantasy aspect this season, although that could change in the near future if Brandin Cooks continues his hot streak. Ferguson is a big-time red zone target for the team, which is a great thing for his outlook in the fantasy playoffs.

The Cowboys play the Buffalo Bills in week 15, Miami Dolphins in week 16 and Detroit Lions in week 17. The Bills are the toughest matchup of the three, and they are just above average. The Dolphins and Lions are bottom-10 defenses against TEs.

Kincaid has been a fun story, especially over these past few weeks. He’s one of the lone bright spots on the Bills’ struggling offense.

Kincaid will be going up against the Cowboys in week 15, Los Angeles Chargers in week 16 and New England Patriots in week 17. The Cowboys are average against TEs, while the Chargers struggle mightily. The Patriots are above average, but Kincaid went for 75 yards on eight catches against them already this season.

LaPorta has an argument for Offensive Rookie of the Year with the season he’s putting together. He’s remained involved on offense despite several other playmakers emerging as the season has progressed.

LaPorta will face the Denver Broncos in week 15, Minnesota Vikings in week 16 and Cowboys in week 17. The Broncos are the worst defense when it comes to slowing tight ends. The Vikings are above average while the Cowboys are simply average. 

LaPorta is the type of talent where it doesn’t really matter who he’s facing, as he can produce against any team. 

As you target one of these tight ends, especially LaPorta and Kincaid, it might take a TE to get them. I’d suggest sending along an average fantasy TE and pairing a depth QB/RB/WR of yours to pull off the trade.