Fantasy football managers are always looking for that perfect time to sell high, and Week 8 offers a few prime opportunities. Some big names are riding recent breakout performances that might not hold up as the season grinds on. Others are entering tougher stretches or facing new competition for touches. Here are the top trade targets you should consider moving before their value starts to slide.
Top Trade Targets To Sell in Your League: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers has surprised many with a string of impressive performances for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran has developed a productive understanding with fellow recruit DK Metcalf, and the Steelers look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Despite his advancing years, Rodgers proved in Week 7 that he can still keep up in a shootout, but that won’t be a weekly requirement moving forward. The quarterback will continue to be a streaming option in many weeks, but owners should be looking to cash in on a spike week against the Bengals.
Outside of two shootouts, in Weeks 1 and 7, Rodgers has almost exclusively put up low-end QB2 numbers in fantasy. In Week 7, Rodgers completed 23 of his 34 pass attempts for 249 yards and four touchdowns, all season-high numbers.
Rodgers was drafted as a depth piece, if at all, in fantasy this year. If you have better options, you should be looking to move Rodgers this week, with injuries continuing to create a need at quarterback in fantasy this year.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson continues to enjoy a seemingly bulletproof role in the New England Patriots’ offense and is still the team’s lead back despite multiple fumbles. In Week 7, he repaid that faith, rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
However, that performance is an outlier compared to his earlier performances this season. Stevenson’s previous season-high in rushing yards was 54 in Week 2. In fantasy, the Patriots’ back has recorded more weekly finishes outside the top 40 running backs than he has inside the top 20.
Stevenson’s best games have come against the Dolphins and the Tennessee Titans, two of the worst defenses in the NFL. The Patriots face the Browns in Week 8, who were the best run defense in the NFL heading into Week 7 (3.1 yards allowed per rush attempt).
Running backs are always in demand, and Stevenson should be able to return a flex-worthy asset. With rookie TreVeyon Henderson also still waiting in the wings, Stevenson is better off on someone else’s roster for the rest of the season.
Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears
On the subject of rookie running back breakouts, Kyle Monangai enjoyed the best day of his NFL career so far in Week 7. The Bears’ back saw a spike in opportunities and made the most of them, carrying 13 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.
That should see him fetch something reasonable, if not season-altering, in a trade. There will be managers in your league who need to take a chance or two, and the emergence of Monangai should tempt an offer or two.
However, 10 of the rookie’s 13 carries came after the team had already established a two-score lead in the second quarter. The Bears were up 20-0 in the second quarter, allowing them to adopt a run-heavy approach for most of the game.
Monangai made the most of his opportunities but remained behind D’Andre Swift, who handled the majority of the work until things were safe.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave has been solid this season, despite being the lead receiver on a team that refused to name a starting quarterback until the last minute before the season. Spencer Rattler eventually got the nod and has fared better than many expected, with Olave his clear top target.
However, while Olave has been productive in fantasy, his 26.8 fantasy points against Chicago in Week 7 are unlikely to prove anything more than a spike week. His 98 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns were both season highs, despite his seven targets and five catches both being his second-fewest of the year.
Olave should continue to put up WR2 numbers on volume alone, but there is a chance to trade him at his peak this week, with better defenses ahead. You shouldn’t be desperate to offload Olave, but if you can get high-end WR2 value for him this week, you should probably cash in.
Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots
Kayshon Boutte has feasted on poor defenses this season, with his only three fantasy-relevant weeks coming against the Raiders, Saints, and Titans. The Patriots receiver has topped three targets just twice this year, making him an efficiency-dependent fantasy asset.
That hasn’t been a problem over the last two games, with Boutte tallying 148 receiving yards and three touchdowns. However, in the four weeks before that, he failed to finish inside the top 50 wide receivers in fantasy, and he has caught fewer than three passes in four of his seven games.
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A one-off game would be a hard sell, but back-to-back performances and the great vibes around the Patriots should make Boutte sellable this week. You still won’t get much, but one poor performance in Week 8 would see his value disappear overnight.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Most of the tight ends that performed well in Week 7 were either on waivers or are legitimately solid fantasy assets, which made finding a sell-high difficult. I’ve decided to go with Travis Kelce, who still carries some trade value on name brand alone.
I’ve pushed Kelce as a sell-high throughout the season, with Rashee Rice’s return moving ever closer. That return came against the Raiders on Sunday, with the receiver scoring two touchdowns in a blowout win.
Meanwhile, Kelce was targeted three times, catching all three targets for 54 yards and a respectable 8.4 fantasy points. Kelce hasn’t been limited to three targets since Week 2 of last season, almost perfectly bookending Rice’s absence.
Kelce put up back-to-back top-10 fantasy weeks before his Week 7 drop-off, meaning you should still be able to get something for him. But Rice’s return has immediately stunted his opportunities, and that’s unlikely to change. You can stream tight ends that get three targets each week, so it would be wise to offload Kelce while you can.