4 players to target ahead of fantasy football trade deadline

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The actual NFL trade deadline may have come and gone, but the trade market is still very much open for business in your fantasy league — the Yahoo default deadline is Nov. 16. Here are four names worth pursuing, with an eye toward second-half schedules and likelihood of availability …

George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Honestly, it would be difficult to formulate a rest-of-season schedule more friendly for a receiver than the one awaiting Pickens. It’s a gift. Pittsburgh still has both games remaining against the Ravens and Browns, defenses that rank first and third in terms of most fantasy points allowed to wideouts. Pickens just cleared his bye week, too, so you can park him in your lineup and let the points roll in. He’s the true priority trade target from this list.

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Listen, I can tell you from personal experience that Murray managers are not entirely satisfied with his year-to-date performance, nor were we amused by his quiet afternoon on Sunday while his team was scoring 29 points. When the Cards return from their Week 11 bye, however, Murray will spend the remainder of the fantasy season facing defenses that rank in the bottom-half of the league against the pass. It’s as friendly as any six-week stretch can possibly get for a quarterback. He has no shortage of high-level weapons and his dual-threat talent remains undeniable.

Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

He actually ranks second at his position in total targets and receptions, and he’s third in receiving yards. McBride hasn’t yet found the end zone this season as a receiver, but the spikes are coming. He’ll benefit from the same low degree of difficulty schedule as Murray, obviously. When the fantasy semifinals hit in Week 16, McBride will be facing Carolina, a defense that’s already given up 571 receiving yards and seven TDs to opposing tight ends.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants

We can safely assume that no Giants players are untouchable via trade in any fantasy league, so no worries there. Tracy Jr. has played 65% of the offensive snaps for New York over the past three weeks since Devin Singletary returned from injury (72% last week), leaving no doubt he’s at the top of the backfield hierarchy. He has the friendliest possible matchup on deck at Carolina, plus he has dates upcoming with Dallas and New Orleans. Tracy is averaging 5.0 YPC and 3.0 yards after contact per attempt, plus he’s a gifted receiver who remains involved when game flow doesn’t favor the run.