Now is the time for last-minute trades to make a run into the fantasy football playoffs and beyond. One of the best ways to make a league-winning fantasy trade is to target an undervalued running back with a soft playoff schedule. Go after players with juicy matchups and look to move those that the competition stiffens up on. Remember to also take advantage of players whose name-value does not match their results.
Take a look below at my system of determining which players to buy and sell as we approach trade deadlines.
ROS (Rest of Season) Matchups and Playoff (Weeks 15-17) Matchups are based on Yahoo Fantasy’s Defensive Ranks Against RBs. The lower the number, the better the matchups.
Fantasy Football Running Backs Rest of Season Matchups
| Team | Name | ROS Matchup Rank | Playoff Matchup Rank | Buy/Sell/Hold | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Bijan Robinson | 12 | 4.7 | BUY ASAP | Bijan owners are frustrated because of where they drafted him, but he is still RB12 on the year in PPR. His ROS and playoff matchups are CHOICE |
| Chargers | Austin Ekeler | 12.5 | 6.7 | BUY | I'm assuming no one is letting Ekeler go ... but I just got him two weeks ago for Travis Kelce and I am a happy camper. |
| Eagles | D'Andre Swift | 15.4 | 8.33 | BUY | I am all in on buying here if you can ... he's on bye then has three out of four tough matchups to end the regular season, but his playoff scheudle is great: @SEA and hosting NYG and ARI. |
| Browns | Jerome Ford | 12.4 | 9 | BUY | If you can pry Ford away, I say try it. The Baltimore matchup might scare his owners and the rest of the schedule is smooth sailing. |
| Steelers | Najee Harris/Jaylen Warren | 13.1 | 11.3 | BUY | I know, it's Najee .... but I really like their remaining schedule. Take a chance with me. |
| Chiefs | Isiah Pacheco | 13.6 | 11.3 | BUY | Don't look now but he is quietly RB10 on the year in PPR ... He has a bye and then gets PHI, the #1 run defense. Buy now while the owner is nervous. |
| Titans | Derrick Henry | 14 | 12.3 | BUY | I can't imagine Henry owners letting him go, but if you have him, get ready for King Henry to roll you into the playoffs. |
| Colts | Zack Moss/Jonathan Taylor | 16.6 | 12.3 | BUY Taylor | If you can talk your way into Taylor on your roster, I want in on their playoff schedule. |
| Patriots | Rhamondre Stevenson | 9.9 | 12.7 | BUY ASAP | I think Stevenson is a MUST add and should be able to get him at a good price. |
| Raiders | Josh Jacobs | 16.1 | 12.7 | BUY | I know it says buy because of favorable ROS and Playoffs, but there is next to no way Jacobs owners are letting go and you shouldn't either |
| 49ers | Christian McCaffrey | 20 | 13.7 | HOLD | Rankings really don't matter, you don't move CMC unless you are STACKED at RB and can get an insane haul in return. |
| Bills | James Cook | 16.1 | 16.7 | SELL | A middle-of-the-road schedule on a team that hates running and just brought in Leonard Fournette. Selling low is probably the only option, so you can hold if you don't get bites. |
| Lions | Jahmyr Gibbs/David Montgomery | 14.5 | 17.3 | HOLD Monty/SELL Gibbs | It might seem nuts ... but I am selling Gibbs and buying Monty. Pretty good matchups coming. Should have ideally done these deals last week, but shop around. |
| Commanders | Brian Robinson Jr. | 16.7 | 17.3 | IT DEPENDS | What? #11 in PPR rankings? This all depends on your league; he could be a buy, a sell, or a hold. He may just be your RB1, in which case you can't sell. He is outperforming his name so he's a good buy if he would be your new RB2. But if he is your RB3, I can sign off on upgrading elsewhere. |
| Bengals | Joe Mixon | 14.6 | 18 | HOLD | Mixon is doing just enough with just enough name power that I doubt there is a positive way to grab him or sell him that would make either side happy. |
| Rams | Kyren Williams | 17.6 | 18.3 | MEH... | The Rams are falling apart ... he's worth a bench spot if he's free |
| Panthers | Chuba Hubbard/Miles Sanders | 20.6 | 18.3 | SELL | I think we can just literally drop them both at this point |
| Broncos | Jamal Williams | 18.5 | 18.7 | SELL | Williams has had two decent games and a mediocre ROS matchup list ... Sell if you can get a decent return. Jaleel McLaughlin is better and just needs the opportunity. |
| Jaguars | Travis Etienne | 19 | 18.7 | HOLD | You can't sell him and won't be able to buy. If you got him, he was my pick of the year preseason and has paid off, so congrats! |
| Dolphins | Raheem Mostert/De'Von Achane | 15 | 19 | HOLD | I don't think you will get what you want for either guy. Schedule is middle of the road but this offense got exposed a bit and you can't sell low here. |
| Vikings | Alexander Mattison | 15.4 | 19 | HOLD | They can't find him a backup in MIN and an average ROS ranking means you just gotta ride with him. |
| Buccaneers | Rachaad White | 16.4 | 19 | HOLD | White continues to be middle of the road with nowhere to go really up or down. An uninspiring RB2 |
| Seahawks | Kenneth Walker | 20.5 | 19 | SELL ASAP | Week 8-15 are so gross yet the chat boards are all still getting excited for trading for him as he is a top 10 RB for now ... He won't be, SELL NOW ASAP. |
| Packers | Aaron Jones | 17.1 | 19.2 | SELL | Aaron Jones might be the most frustrating guy to own over the last three years. When healthy, he is a beast, but that just never happens. Use his name and sell. |
| Bears | D'Onta Foreman/Khalil Herbert | 21.1 | 19.33 | NOPE | Not interested in Chicago outside of Justin Fields, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet. |
| Ravens | Gus Edwards/Keaton Mitchell | 19.6 | 19.7 | SELL | If you have Gus Edwards or picked up Keaton Mitchell on waivers, use them as bait to sell right now. They will muddy each other up and their ROS schedule is not appealing. |
| Cardinals | James Conner | 18.3 | 20 | MEH... | Wait and see how Kyler looks and when he returns. |
| Saints | Alvin Kamara | 21 | 20.7 | HOLD/BUY | I know the schedule looks gross for RB matchups, but with the ability to get double-digit targets each week he is a must Hold or even Buy if the owner is worried about Taysom Hill continuing to take red zone touches. |
| Jets | Breece Hall | 17.9 | 21.7 | SELL | This playoff run is gross. Sell him after he hopefully lights up LV this week. |
| Texans | Dameon Pierce/Devin Singletary | 14 | 22 | NOPE | I know the ROS looks nice, but this team is a full blown air attack now. If you can get a return of anything at all for Pierce do it. Both are unstartable for now. |
| Cowboys | Tony Pollard | 17.4 | 22 | SELL | Pollard isn't the bell-cow Dallas hoped he would be and it's a rough schedule to close out the year. See if his name still holds value. |
| Giants | Saquon Barkley | 21.4 | 28 | SELL ASAP | SELL SELL SELL. It might be the right time with talk about him handling more reps without Daniel Jones, but they have the worst finishing schedule in the league as of now. |
