Trade Targets for Week 15 (Fantasy Football)
The regular season of your fantasy leagues is most likely wrapped, which means you know which teams are actually contending for a title and which teams are officially “rebuilding.” Congrats to those of you who made it into the tournament! For those who didn’t, dynasty leagues give you a reason to pay attention all the way through the end of the NFL season, so stay on top of everything!
As we head into the playoffs, it is so important that you make the right lineup decisions each week. The studs who got you this far are typically the safest bet, even in tough matchups. But only a few elite players are truly matchup-agnostic. For all others, you have to consider matchups, weather, trends, etc. Lucky for you, the Ballers have the handiest Strength of Schedule tool available at Footclan HQ!
Whether you are making difficult start/sit Flex decisions or looking to make last-minute trades to give yourself the best chance at a title run this year, this tool is, as the kids say, GOATed. Had you used it last week, for instance, you may have been able to convince yourself that Shedeur Sanders was actually startable, a move that would have given you the QB2 on the week.
We will use this tool heavily in the final few weeks of the playoffs to determine moves worth making in dynasty. But this powerful tool can help you win your redraft leagues as well! Give it a look before you make waiver claims, pick up handcuffs, or want to find the optimal streamers if your QB just suffered a torn Achilles (random example).
Players to Trade For
Brock Purdy (Contender or Rebuilder)
Purdy has only played five games this season, as he’s been battling various injuries, but he was able to take time to get himself healthy while Mac Jones kept the team on track. In the games he’s played, Purdy has finished mostly in the QB2 territory. Nothing to write home about. But he returned to action against three of the 12 toughest passing defenses in Arizona, Carolina, and Cleveland. He gets a pretty juicy schedule (by points allowed) in the fantasy playoffs, and he won’t have to worry about the weather either. He plays at home against Tennessee (24th), in the dome in Indianapolis (18th), and hosts the Bears (25th) in Santa Clara in a Week 17 matchup that could have #1 seed implications. San Francisco’s playoff schedule is ranked fourth best for QBs in schedule-adjusted (PAE) and points allowed.
I like Purdy, particularly in SuperFlex, for a contender this year. But I also love him for a rebuilder. He is only 25, just signed a huge contract, and plays in one of the friendliest offensive systems in the NFL. Purdy finished as QB6 in 2023 (17 starts) and QB14 in 2024 (15 starts). When healthy, he’s a QB1, but I’m not sure that’s the sentiment surrounding him.
Fred Warner talks about Brock Purdy’s swagger:
“I think the common denominator when it comes to an outstanding QB or player in general is that competitive fire. When things get on a line regardless if it’s at practice or in a game, there’s just that dawg in you that comes out… pic.twitter.com/ZEv9bZ9Eae
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 4, 2025
Saquon Barkley (Contender)
Something has definitely been “off” this year with the Eagles’ offensive rushing attack. It was easy to point out during the preseason that RBs who carry the load Saquon carried in 2024 rarely repeat the following season. And the best way to describe a sudden fall-off in production is that Saquon has to be… tired. Only Saquon and his training staff know if that’s really true at all, but things are undoubtedly different in Philadelphia this year.
At the same time, the team is still in position to win the NFC North and has an outside chance to secure the #1 seed in the NFC. I’d even say they’ve got three more wins practically locked, as they face a sputtering Washington team twice and the hapless Raiders. The only remaining test will be a Week 17 game in Buffalo. Which brings me to my main point: The Eagles’ playoff schedule is ranked second best for RBs in schedule-adjusted (PAE) and third in points allowed (the Raiders rank 24th in PAE, Washington ranks 27th, and Buffalo ranks 29th). As each game gets more and more important, I expect to see Saquon give it everything he’s got down the stretch. This guy is a physical freak, a fearless competitor, and a true team player. I’m not ruling out more productive years for Saquon either, which makes him a worthy buy in dynasty.
If you’re wondering if Saquon Barkley still has it, he reached 21+ MPH for the third time this season, second most in the NFL this season. According to @NextGenStats
pic.twitter.com/igojM9NS1w— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 9, 2025
JJ McCarthy (Rebuilder)
Listen, I’m not happy with JJ McCarthy AT ALL. He’s still not delivering the ball to Justin Jefferson. But we did get another good game out of him this week, albeit with only 163 passing yards. The reason I’m open to buying McCarthy is that the cost is just so low right now. And we have to remember that the guy has still only thrown 182 passes in the NFL! I’m hearing people talk about trading a 2nd round pick for him straight-up, and for a QB drafted in the top-10 and into a Kevin O’Connell offense, I think that’s a great value.
In his seven starts this year, McCarthy has four top-15 finishes and three finishes at QB26 or worse. But I remind myself that he redshirted his first NFL season and is just this year getting live reps. And he’s only 22 years old, didn’t play as much college ball as some of this year’s rookies (looking at you, Tyler Shough), and he mostly managed games for a run-first juggernaut at Michigan. Back in the day, we would let guys develop for a few years before making our final judgments. The league moves a lot faster nowadays, but I think we’ve got to see more from McCarthy before moving on. If I am a rebuilder with someone like Matthew Stafford on my squad, I’d see if I could swap him for a younger, high-risk/high-reward QB, and give me a pick on top because you’re chasing a championship! Worth a shot, right? Right?…
Great bit here from Kevin O’Connell: Prior to Sundays game vs the #Commanders, KOC challenged #Vikings QB JJ McCarthy to quiet his mind, and just focus on his specific job each play. This simpler approach allowed the offense to flow better and create positive outcomes:
“In… pic.twitter.com/IS3copSncI
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 9, 2025
Players to Trade Away
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Alec Pierce (Contender)
Pierce has been a pleasant surprise this season, seemingly finding his place in the new Colts offense. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in five of his last seven games, and he’s WR16 in that span. He’s catching a lot of buzz in the fantasy community, so there should be a market for him as well.
My concerns are multiple. First, is this sustainable? This is Pierce’s fourth season, and he’s finished as WR60, WR72, and WR39 in half-PPR so far, and he only missed two games before this season. Even though he’s been on a nice heater these last several weeks, Pierce is still sitting at WR37 on the season, which explains his “C” Consistency Rating. Second, who is QB-ing this team for the rest of this year and next year? Daniel Jones just suffered an Achilles tendon tear, and we have seen that that injury can carry a very long (multi-year) recovery period. Not to mention, he is a free agent after this season, and the team has to make a big decision about whether or not they want to sign him to an extension or look elsewhere for their future QB.
And speaking of free agency, my third concern is that Pierce himself is also a free agent after this season. Will some other team become enamored with his field-stretching ability? Will they feed him targets or just place him on the All-Cardio team? I’m not sure things get better if he leaves Indianapolis. And just to keep the theme going, the Colts have a bottom-10 strength of schedule for WRs remaining, with a trip to Seattle (8th PAE) and home games against San Francisco (19th) and Jacksonville (14th). I don’t think we will feel confident starting Pierce the rest of the season
All this leads me to try and capitalize on Pierce’s recent buzz and move him for a vet who can help me bring home a title. Could you package Pierce with a 3rd or 4th rounder to get Davante Adams? Or could you chase down a lesser vet like Stefon Diggs, Courtland Sutton, or Jauan Jennings? I mentioned them in my “trade away” section in previous weeks, but this is a scenario where you might be in a position to trade for them.
Matthew Stafford (Rebuilder)
Stafford is having a career year and is likely to win the MVP to boot. Adding Davante Adams into the mix has opened up this passing game in a way we hoped to see with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, but they just couldn’t both stay healthy at the same time. Despite all the preseason rumors of Stafford’s impending retirement, it looks like he could run it back for another season or two, which makes him a very intriguing dynasty player.
But if you missed the playoffs and are looking at a true rebuild, there is no hotter QB to trade than Stafford. You should easily be able to get a first-round pick for him from a QB-needy team. Stafford has the always-classic revenge game against the Lions this week, before traveling to Seattle in the semifinals and Atlanta championship week. This is a top-8 QB schedule based on PAE and total points allowed.
Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tee Higgins (Contender)
I’m not a doctor, but getting two (maybe three?) concussions in the span of three weeks seems problematic. Tee Higgins is such a gifted WR, but at some point, we have to hope that Tee, his family and team, and the Bengals organization take a serious look at Tee’s long-term health. This is purely speculation, but I think there’s a chance he is shut down for the rest of the year, a move that gives the team good PR but also signifies the reality that this team is very unlikely to make the playoffs. Maybe I’m totally wrong, and he’s back out there after a week off. And hopefully, he never has another head injury again! But do you remember how we spoke about Chris Olave heading into this season? As if one more head injury could end his career? We may be getting close to that territory with Higgins, unfortunately.
I love Tee as a player, and when healthy, he’s a WR2 who is capable of several WR1 weeks per season. But I’m nervous enough that I’d consider moving him if I were making a championship run. I would be targeting a strong veteran who still has a couple of good years ahead of him and can carry me to the finish line, as well as a high draft pick, as compensation. This is where the “pick swap” move can help you crush your competition. KeepTradeCut’s dynasty trade calculator says that Tee Higgins + a 2026 late second round pick = Jakobi Meyers/Jauan Jennings + a 2026 mid first round pick. If your trade partner has a late first-round pick, the pick swap could include your third or fourth-round pick instead. Either way, you get another crack in the first round, and you may avoid losing Higgins for your playoff run.
Hit Me Up!
As always, you can find me on X @kempertrull. I’d love to hear from you!