Eric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments".
Welcome to November, the month of the real and fantasy trade deadlines. Some fantasy managers like to wait, just like the real teams, until the last minute to upgrade their teams, and perhaps in some scenarios that makes sense. After all, each week in the NFL brings with it so many key injuries, and if you traded for Derrick Henry a week ago, our apologies. Not that we knew he would get hurt. Any trade brings with it some inherent risk, after all.
Regardless, we hope for health and we are here to help with our latest edition of the end-of-season rankings and trade index, as we get ready for Week 9! Good luck with your myriad trades!
Quarterback
Rankings changes: Mild movement in the top 10, with interception-heavy Patrick Mahomes falling a bit and Rams MVP candidate Matthew Stafford (No. 3 in QB scoring so far) moving up. That includes Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott sitting out on Sunday night. Add backup Cooper Rush if you really desire, but we think Prescott remains a safe, top-10 fantasy QB. The big riser has to be New Orleans Saints runner Taysom Hill, even though he is currently out with a concussion. Jameis Winston is done for the season, and it seems likely Hill takes over as starter over Trevor Siemian, perhaps this week.
Hill adds value with his legs, and has QB1 upside, but our ranking was cautious. In addition, it might seem silly to rank New York Jets surprise Mike White above rookie Zach Wilson, but White starred in Week 8 and likely gets more chances. Joe Flacco, we hardly knew ya.
Trade for: At this point, assuming you need to start only one, you really should not be taking chances at quarterback. Here we regard Kirk Cousins/Derek Carr as the dividing line on safe QB1 choices. For Cousins and QBs ranked higher than he is, go for it. Carr and lesser ones, not so much. Perhaps Hill runs his way into our hearts again.
Be cautious trading for: Hill, for one. His numbers may be somewhat comparable to Philadelphia Eagles starter Jalen Hurts', getting there with his legs, and that is OK. Still, as with Hurts, there is limited upside as a passer, and the Saints want to play things safe at QB. We may also see lots of Justin Fields shares moved this week, but the Chicago Bears rookie is hardly safe for fantasy numbers and he has the Steelers, a bye and the Ravens up next. Not so appealing. In fact, we rank San Francisco 49ers rookie Trey Lance one spot better to prove a point. Lance figures to play this month.
Running back
Rankings changes: The carnage with the high first-round picks continues now that Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry broke a bone in his right foot and is likely done for the rest of the season. The Titans should turn to some combination of Jeremy McNichols and Adrian Peterson. Yes, that Adrian Peterson, the future Hall of Famer. Just beware, because McNichols catches passes and Peterson is not much factor there. In addition, Peterson may not be ready for a few weeks.
Some Alvin Kamara managers may wonder why he moves to No. 1, even though his numbers suffered last season with Hill at QB. Gotta think the Saints learned from that, right? Consider Austin Ekeler 1A.
Trade for: OK, I am fully in on the Rams' Darrell Henderson Jr. Nobody is safe from injury, it seems, but we are halfway through the season, and Henderson keeps on playing. The woeful Lions could not get awesome D'Andre Swift going on Sunday, but he remains a RB1 and worthy of our trade attention. The Falcons' Cordarrelle Patterson, into November, is right there with Kamara for fantasy points.
Be cautious trading for: The journeyman McNichols is promising as a receiver, but this situation remains in flux, so be careful. The Eagles finally ran the football on Sunday, but trading for any Eagles running back is so risky. It could be Miles Sanders when he returns, or Jordan Howard. Kenneth Gainwell barely played Sunday. Good luck with McCaffrey and Barkley. These stars may return this week, but the proverbial durability boat on these fellows has sailed.
Wide receiver
Rankings changes:Atlanta Falcons star Calvin Ridley has stepped away from football for his mental health. A top-10 wide receiver on our draft day, Ridley was not performing at that statistical level, but that sure seems less important today. Ridley should remain rostered in fantasy in case he returns to the lineup soon, so we still rank him, but we should not rely on him and most importantly, hope he gets well.
Trade for: Well, Seahawks star Russell Wilson is likely returning for Week 10 (after the bye), so that is good news for DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. The Cowboys' Amari Cooper appears back on track. Samuel and Pittman look like stars.
Be cautious trading for: We were cautious about the Saints' Michael Thomas before the Winston injury. Now be even more concerned with a QB that does not throw downfield. Dealing for any Dolphins or Browns WRs also seems like a problem.
Tight end
Rankings changes: The big news here is the pending return of 49ers star George Kittle, also covered in this space. For now, Kittle gets the statistical benefit of the doubt and returns to the top five (but just barely). Otherwise, little to report, unless you demand Brevin Jordan and Jesse James rocket up the rankings. We say farewell to the Packers' Robert Tonyan (knee).
