Halloween is in the rearview, so it’s time to put away the spooky decorations and start thinking about where you’re going to spend Thanksgiving while blasting “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” I jest. It’s too early for that. Don’t you dare play Mariah Carey until after Turkey Day, please.
Now, what this means for fantasy football is we’re in the homestretch. There are only six weeks left in the regular season. This is the time to check your dynasty league’s trade deadline. Some leagues shut deals down early — in Week 11 or 12 — meaning you must call your shot soon: chase a title or retool for next year. Others have trading open until the start of the playoffs, giving you more time to see how things pan out. And there are many that have no deadline at all, letting you wheel and deal through the postseason as you try to scratch and claw your way to a championship.
If you’re looking for an edge or some guidance on the best dynasty fantasy football trade to make before the majority of Week 9 kicks off, I’ve got you covered. I’ve highlighted three players I think you should buy, sell, or hold in Week 9, depending on your roster build. Check them out below — and go make some deals.
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Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Advice Week 9
Buy: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Let’s face it; it’s hard to trade for a top-10 QB in Superflex leagues. Usually, no one wants to part with one unless they’re getting one in return. In the case of Matthew Stafford, you can get top-10 production at a fraction of the cost because of his age.
Heading into 2025, there were a lot of questions and concerns about Stafford’s health, but he’s brushed those aside and delivered some vintage performances. Fresh off his bye, he’s currently tied with Patrick Mahomes for the league lead in touchdown passes (17) and is the QB10 in total points and PPG (19.5), with a top-eight weekly finish in three of his last four outings.
With Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at his disposal, Stafford’s been dealing. He ranks third in Explosive Rating (116.0), fifth in air yards (2,115), and seventh in passing yards (1,866). He’s still a gunslinger, he just has a little bit of gray in his beard now.
Matthew Stafford‘s 2025 Explosive Rating
At 37, Stafford is obviously a buy for contenders only. If he’s on a team that’s not making a run, it should be pretty easy to make a dynasty fantasy football trade to acquire the veteran field general. See if you can get him for just a second-rounder. Maybe toss in a bench player if that gets the deal done.
The Rams play four out of five games on the road in Weeks 13-17, so Stafford should be in tightly contested games as they fight towards the playoffs. Get him now if you can and enjoy the cheap QB points as you also march towards the postseason.
Buy: Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Here’s a buy for almost any build. Tyjae Spears has looked sharp since returning from injury and seems to have snatched the bulk of the work away from Tony Pollard. Last week, Spears put up an RB1 performance, scoring a TD on 12 touches and racking up 82 total yards.
Tyjae Spears‘ Advanced Metrics Profile
He’s averaging 5.5 YPC and 1.02 fantasy points per opportunity (RB8), meaning he’s productive whenever he’s getting the rock. Spears is a few years younger than Pollard and fits the franchise’s long-term plans much better. With Tennessee headed towards another top pick in the NFL Draft, Pollard’s name has been the subject of trade rumors.
Should the Titans deal Pollard, Spears becomes the de facto lead back. He’d project to get 18-20 touches a week, putting him in the mid-RB2 range. You can buy him now on the low before that happens. A projected late second-round pick should be enough, or you can send someone like Hunter Henry or Jakobi Meyers in a one-for-one swap.
Just don’t give up too much, in case Pollard sticks around. Either way, I still like Spears’ upside.
Sell: Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
It’s amazing what a healthy back will do for a man’s performance on the football field. After a three-year stretch where Michael Pittman Jr. averaged 1,053 receiving yards and 99 catches per season, the fantasy community just collectively decided he wasn’t good anymore — all because he only managed 808 yards on 69 catches while playing through a low-back fracture in 2024. Getting off the couch would be hard for most of us — Pittman Jr. played 16 games of football! Tough as nails, that guy.
And yet, no one really wanted him in dynasty. He was an afterthought in the offseason. At one point, Pittman Jr. was down at WR53 on FantasyCalc. You could’ve landed him for just a second-round pick in a lot of leagues. If you did that, then you got one hell of a bargain. Halfway through this season, Pittman Jr. currently sits as the WR6 in PPR scoring, averaging 15.7 PPG (WR10). Pretty good for a guy the internet declared washed.
Michael Pittman Jr.’s 2025 Game Log
Pittman’s resurgence with QB Daniel Jones has helped boost his value – he’s up to WR28 on FantasyCalc and WR32 on KeepTradeCut. Because of that, now may be a good time to explore selling high on the Colts’ WR1.
As I mentioned, Pittman Jr. is crushing it in fantasy this year. He has 43 receptions for 446 yards and six TDs, already tying his career-high in scores with nine games still to play. He’s pacing for 91 catches, 948 yards, and 13 end zone trips. While that TD spike is awesome, it’s probably not sustainable; this is obviously an outlier season. Think Terry McLaurin last season. Not only that, but the catches and yardage would be below his 2021-2023 averages.
Once you factor in his age (28), this is likely the highest Pittman Jr.’s stock will ever be again. No matter what he does from here, it’s unlikely to climb much higher. That’s just how the dynasty community operates. Once a player turns 25, managers act like Leonardo DiCaprio: They want nothing to do with older assets, no matter how well they produce.
Michael Pittman Jr.’s six-month dynasty value
If you aren’t contending and don’t need the points, consider getting out now. If you’re thin at TE, you can likely land Colston Loveland or Kyle Pitts in return. Need help at RB or QB? Aim for RJ Harvey if you like his profile or Trevor Lawrence if you’re targeting a signal caller. If you’d rather stack picks, don’t take anything less than a first-rounder for Pittman Jr. You might be able to get a small plus on top as well.
The key is to push his raw stats and remind your potential trade partners that he’s cooking at the moment. If you want to sell, get maximum value now before regression and age kick in.
Hold: QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
It’s been a bit bumpy since the bye week (say that five times fast!). After a promising first quarter of the season — eight touchdowns to just two interceptions — Caleb Williams has hit a rough patch. Over the past three games, he’s thrown only one touchdown with two more picks. He did salvage things a bit with a rushing score against Washington, but back-to-back QB finishes in the 20s will have some fantasy managers feeling a little queasy.
I get it. We all watched Jayden Daniels have a magical rookie campaign last season. He finished as the QB5 and was immediately anointed as a top-three dynasty asset. This year, it’s Drake Maye‘s turn. He has the Patriots at 6-2 and looks like an early MVP favorite. Maye is currently QB2 on the year behind only Mahomes. Even Bo Nix is lighting up scoreboards like he is back in the Pac-12 again. He just posted back-to-back top-six finishes and is currently the QB5 after eight weeks.
Watching all those guys, who were all routinely selected after Williams in 2024 rookie drafts, ball out has to be frustrating. But don’t panic yet. After all, we’ve seen some brilliance from the No. 1 overall pick. The arm talent is undeniable, and Williams has a “little Mahomes” in him when it comes to getting out of the pocket and extending plays. The problem is he’s also been erratic and inconsistent at times.
Caleb Williams‘ Advanced Metrics Profile
Still, there are real signs of growth. For one, he’s taking fewer sacks. As a rookie, Williams took exactly four sacks per game. This year? He’s been taken down behind the line just 12 times in seven games. That’s a 17-game pace of just 29 sacks. That’s a vast improvement in both pocket awareness and decision-making.
Williams is also trending upward in a couple of advanced accuracy metrics. His deep ball catchable pass rate is up over 15% from his rookie year, and he’s performed marginally better in both pressure and red zone situations. That said, he’s down slightly in both play action and clean pocket accuracy — can’t have everything.
Hang tight and don’t overreact by cashing out. Now is a bad time to do that. The environment in Chicago is too good for him to stay down for long. A favorable stretch is coming with games against the Bengals, Giants, Vikings and Steelers over the next month. Those pass defenses should help Williams get back on track.
If anything, he’s a good buy-low candidate, but if you roster Williams, don’t stress. You should start seeing some QB1 outings in your fantasy lineup as soon as this week.
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Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him on X at @DynastyFFWolf.
