With the NFL Season at about the halfway point, it's time to start gearing up for your playoff pushes. Now is the time to really get aggressive and make the moves you need to solidify your squad prior to the deadline. You should also begin to look at your players' playoff schedules. Do your FLEX level and other low end starters have tough matchups? These are the things that should be on your mind at this point. Keeping all this stuff in mind, let's take a look at some trade candidates for you.
Buys
De'Von Achane
Achane was put on IR after Week 5, and isn't expected to miss more than the 4 game minimum. This means he should likely be ready to roll for Week 11, where he'll return to an exceptional matchup vs the Raiders. If the Achane owner in your league has a losing record, you could get aggressive now while they need wins. Once week 11 comes around, you can sit back and enjoy your reward: the RB averaging north of 25 PPR points per game.
Kyren Williams
This is the same idea as trading for Achane, but with a few added bonuses. Achane is entering a similar situation to where he previously was upon his return. Kyren - on the other hand - might've found himself on this list either way. The run game is a mess right now in LA, and it felt like they had some stability when Kyren was playing. As an added bonus, the Rams play the Giants poor run defense during championship week.
Christian Watson
Here we go again. I think things are still looking up for Watson. He amassed a season high 8 targets this past week, and seems to be getting both healthier and more comfortable with Jordan Love. This offense really only has up to go, and Watson projects to be a big part of their growth.
Davante Adams
Adams has had a few real duds this season, but I'm not shying away from him at the most turbulent point in the Raiders' season. In Aidan O'Connell's lone start this year, Davante outtargeted Jakobi Meyers 13-4. In any offense that he's in, Adams will be the focal point, and this is no exception. Adams owners are surely panicking right now, and this is a great opportunity to find value.
Jerry Jeudy
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone and Jeudy still finds himself in Denver. He has a contract to play for, and we know what his role will look like for the rest of the year. At this point, you could probably acquire Jeudy for next to nothing. And for someone with a lot to prove, who is still the best receiver on his team, that is worth a shot.
Sells
Sam Howell
It seems like defenses have figured out Sam Howell's kryptonite: the blitz. As long as teams treat him like the Giants and Falcons have in weeks past, he is going to be very up and down. The Commanders also sold off players at the deadline and it feels like they're dangerously close to the tearing it down and head coach firing zones. If the cleaning out comes, I won't want to touch this team.
Kenneth Walker
Usually we see RB battles midseason when there is a rookie RB who after the bye begins to take over for a more experienced veteran. It is admittedly weird then, that the Seahawks seem to be phasing Walker's touches away and bringing in more work for Zach Charbonnet. Walker was a second round pick just last year, and spent a lot of the season hurt, his legs should be fresh. Charbonnet outsnapped Walker this week, and Ken only managed 9 touches. This is certainly a concerning trend, and I'm getting out of any ties I have to Walker going forward.
Darrell Henderson
When Kyren Williams comes back, Henderson will probably be useless. This one is self explanatory: trade him to someone who is desperate for points now, or a Kyren owner looking for a handcuff.
DeAndre Hopkins
Even if Will Levis is as good as he looked in game one, there's not way he's throwing 4 TDs a game, and there's really no way 3/4 go to Hopkins. He only made one catch that WASN'T a touchdown. If you can sell people on the Levis-Hopkins connection, this is the perfect time to make a trade.
Trey McBride
McBride was THE TE1 this week, but there is reason to believe that not only will this not continue, but it could fall off a cliff soon. Firstly, Josh Dobbs is gone, and I'm not expecting much from Clayton Tune. Then - when Kyler is back - I'm expecting that Kyler-Hollywood connection to rekindle quickly, leaving McBride as an afterthought. To compound the situation, Zack Ertz won't be on IR forever, which will further decrease McBride's value.
Holds
Joe Mixon
I think it's safe to say your window for buying Mixon is officially closed. The Bengals' offense looked all the way back last week in San Fran, and Mixon was a main beneficiary with a TD and north of 20 fantasy points. The Bengals will probably continue to roll, and if you are a Joex Mixon owner, good for you.
Javonte Williams
It seems like - finally - Williams has taken over this backfield. He dominated with 30 touches last week, and rewarded owners with 18.8 points. A workhorse back is a wonderful thing to have, so I'd hold onto him down the stretch if you can. However, I'm still a little suspicious of Sean Payton, and injury is always a question with a player like Javonte. I can't say I'm 100% comfortbale shipping away assets for him either.
Khalil Herbert
Roschon Johnson, D'Onta Foreman, and Darrynton Evans have all failed to take over this backfield in Herbert's absence. Even though he scored 3 TDs 2 weeks ago, Foreman was outsnapped by Evans that week and Johnson the week after. Out of the 4, Herbert has the best chance to be THE guy. I don't think you could get much for him right now, so just hold on for the ride. Best case, you have a workhorse back with a light last two weeks vs the Cardinals and Falcons. Worst case, you get nothing from a player who wasn't much of an investment to begin with, and who you have had out of your lineup this whole time anyway.
Chris Olave
The Saints went back to giving the ball to their WRs - Olave (9) and Thomas (7) both saw more targets than Kamara - and all of a sudden they were putting 38 points on the board. Who knows if they'll continue to look Olave's way, as this was an admittedly good matchup. If they do though, you have a low end WR1 here, who plays both the Giants and Rams in the fantasy playoffs.
Jordan Addison
What are you gonna do? We had a great thing going with Addison filling in that Justin Jefferson role: he was an every week start in all fantasy lineups. Now that Kirk is done for the year, his upside is obviously limited. An encouraging note though: Josh Dobbs is coming in, and he managed to hold Marquise Brown up as the WR22, that's decent fantasy production. We'll sit back and see what Addison can do with Dobbs together.