Buy Low/Sell High: Week 7
What happens to James Conner when Le'Veon Bell comes back? Can you trust Russell Wilson? Is Josh Gordon back to being a weekly starter? These are just a few of the plethora of questions us fantasy football owners are trying to figure out. With these questions come decisions we need to make in regard to trading for or trading away players. Trading for players underperforming their expectations, or trading away players at their peak can save fantasy owners from an embarrassing last place finish, or help build a championship roster. Here are some players you should either buy low or sell high on this week in order to get great value for the rest of the season. FPPG = Fantasy Points Per Game.
BUY LOW:
QB: Jameis Winston
FPPG: 18.7
Rank: 34th
Last Week: 30.9 pts
Jameis Winston is the definition of a great Buy Low candidate not only because he is seen by nearly everyone as a backup fantasy quarterback, but because he can still be grabbed off waivers in plenty of leagues! Winston is only owned in 57.2% of leagues when he can realistically provide great value if you own a not-so-reliable starting QB. Winston is a physically gifted QB that has all of the talent around him to be a viable starting fantasy QB for the rest of the season, and the fact that the Bucs’ run game is suspect further heightens his fantasy ceiling. Winston will have plenty of opportunities to throw the football in every game, and with the talent around him, Winston should have a some big time fantasy performances that could win you some weeks.
RB: Marlon Mack
FPPG: 6.5
Rank: 61st
Last Week: 9.3 pts
This week Marlon Mack showed us why many of the experts at FFL were excited for the “Mack Attack” coming into the 2018 season. After multiple weeks of failed attempts by Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines to take over the lead role in Indianapolis, Mack averaged a healthy 7.4 yards per carry on the ground, gaining 89 yards in last week’s matchup vs the Jets. This performance likely solidified Mack as the lead back for the Colts, and running behind a high-powered offense led by Andrew Luck will give Mack plenty of opportunities to find the endzone. Mack is a great flex play now, but could realistically turn into a solid RB2 for fantasy teams for the remainder of the season.
WR: Josh Gordon
FPPG: 6.5
Rank: 69th
Last Week: 4.2 pts
While Josh Gordon disappointed fantasy owners with only 4.2 points, there are plenty of numbers to suggest that Gordon will turn into everything he was hyped up to be after being traded to the Patriots. The first encouraging sign is the 9 targets he received in last week’s game, the highest among any Patriots player. He also played on 81% of the offensive snaps, which was significantly higher than fellow receiver Chris Hogan. Simply put, Gordon is getting the targets and seeing plenty of snaps, and history tells us that Gordon puts up big numbers when both of those things happen. He has yet to have a break out game, but Gordon has a realistic chance of finishing the season as a solid WR3, with insane upside.
SELL HIGH:
QB: Russell Wilson
FPPG: 16.8
Rank: 16th
Last Week: 20.9 pts
Russell Wilson owners may be encouraged by Wilson’s upward-trending, 20 point performances the past two weeks, but trusting Wilson as a reliable QB1 for the rest of the season would be very risky. Seattle is passing the ball the least of any team in the NFL, so expecting Wilson to put up top stats on a run first offense is foolish. It’s also worth noting that OC Brian Schottenheimer has created an offense that focuses on keeping Wilson in the pocket more often. This has negatively affected Wilson’s rushing stats that have made him a great fantasy quarterback over the years. His 62 rush yards through 6 games are not enough to keep him a reliable fantasy option at QB. Trading Wilson for another QB1 or high-end QB2 is highly recommended.
RB: James Conner
FPPG: 19.2
Rank: 4th
Last Week: 24.9 pts
The dreaded week for James Conner owners seems to be on the horizon. Le’Veon Bell is reportedly planning to return to the Steelers next week, which would likely mean a significantly reduced role for Conner, despite his high level of play as the Steelers interim RB. As good as Conner has been, Bell is still one of the best RBs in the league and will definitely get touches once back on the field. Trading Conner for any mid-to-high range RB2 looks like a good idea at this point.
WR: Albert Wilson
FPPG: 11.2
Rank: 17th
Last Week: 27 pts
Albert Wilson popped of last week against the tough Bears Defense for 27 points, but it wouldn’t be wise to expect similarly good performances, especially considering he has either Ryan Tannehill and Brock Osweiler at QB. His 3 games of 10+ points are matched by 3 games of less than 5 points, proving that Wilson has mostly been a dart throw so far this season. You may have just picked up the top 20 WR off waivers, but it would be smart to trade him for any bench RB or WR to let someone else deal with the headache of owning him.