The early wave of fantasy football trade deadlines is approaching, with the deadline for Yahoo! leagues that use the default settings slated for Nov. 20 — aka the Saturday before the rest of Week 12 kicks off. Whether your deadline is rapidly approaching or you have more time, our experts have you covered with their recommended targets at each position.
Below, you'll find which running backs they're targeting ahead of fantasy football trade deadlines, featuring some "buy low" opportunities.
RBs To Buy Low In Fantasy Trades
Darrell Henderson, Rams
Chris Raybon: Henderson has put up top-15 fantasy RB numbers on the year, averaging 16.6 touches for 83.0 yards and 0.78 TDs per game. But before the Week 11 bye, he had his two worst fantasy performances of the year: 58 scoreless yards on 14 touches against the Titans in Week 9, then 41 scoreless yards on 19 touches against the 49ers in Week 10.
The arrow is pointing up long-term, though, as Henderson has the 12th-easiest schedule among RBs over the rest of the season, according to 4for4’s schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA). That rest-of-season slate includes no below-average matchups and a Weeks 15-17 schedule (Seattle, at Minnesota, at Baltimore) that ranks fifth-easiest at his position.
David Montgomery, Bears
Samantha Previte: Montgomery is easily one of the least "sexy" names for fantasy, which makes him a solid buy.
He returned from injury in Week 9 and saw 13 carries for 63 yards and tacked on two catches for 17 yards. In spite of playing just five games this year, he has two 100-rushing yard games and three touchdowns. And if you were concerned about Khalil Herbert siphoning carries away from Montgomery, you can rest easy as Herbert saw just four carries for 13 yards in the Bears' last contest.
Montgomery has a nice playoff schedule against the Vikings, Seahawks and Giants, and he's already had his bye. With this Bears offense looking like it may be turning a corner, Montgomery is a solid trade target for me.
Elijah Mitchell, 49ers
Chris Raybon: After back-to-back 100-plus yard performances with a TD in Weeks 7 and 8, Mitchell has come back down to Earth somewhat in Weeks 9-10, averaging “only” 80.0 yards with no TDs while picking up a broken finger in the process. No matter, as he still averaged 20.0 touches in his last two games and is averaging 17.9 touches per game on the season.
According to aFPA, Mitchell’s rest-of-season schedule is third-easiest among RBs. His Weeks 15-17 schedule is eighth-easiest at the position and includes home-favorite smash spots against the Falcons in Week 15 and Texans in Week 17.
James Robinson, Jaguars
Sean Koerner: Right now is an excellent time to buy the dip on Robinson. He injured his heel in Week 8, which forced him out of the game, and missed Week 9. The Jaguars scaled back Robinson's usage a bit in his Week 10 return, but I expect it to revert to the elite levels we saw in Weeks 2-6, where he posted the RB7 score over that stretch.
Javonte Williams, Broncos
Samantha Previte: We may be a year too early on "Javonte Williams RB1 season" with Melvin Gordon in the way, but I see Williams as a good trade target given his workload trajectory.
Since Week 7, Gordon’s snap percentage has been 58%, 57%, 53% and 43%, while Williams has gone from 42%, 43%, 47% to 57%. As this season slips away from the Broncos, I could absolutely see his workload going up as the team tests their second-round pick.
The Broncos face the Chargers and Chiefs twice, along with the Lions, Raiders and Bengals to finish out the year — all of which should be good matchups.
Javonte Williams, Broncos
Sean Koerner: Williams has been my favorite buy-low candidate for over a month now. He's been a weekly RB3/flex option despite splitting time with Melvin Gordon all season. However, his intrinsic value is much higher, considering he would become a low-end RB1 if Gordon were ever to miss time.
Williams has only come away with one touchdown on six rush attempts inside the 5-yard line. His TD Luck rating of +2.1 indicates that he's due for positive TD regression going forward — another reason to buy low.
Finally, the Broncos' schedule is going to be a cakewalk following their Week 11 bye. The median rank for their opponent's DVOA against the run is 27th.
