Buy Low/Sell High: Week 9
Is Aaron Jones on the verge of a breakout? How will the Golden Tate trade affect Alshon Jeffery? Do I need to pick up Ryan Fitzpatrick? 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: Ryan Fitzpatrick
FPPG: 24.0
Rank: 19th
Last Week: 19.6 pts
Fitzmagic is back! And you better hope you pick him up before someone else does. In his last stint as a starting QB, his production was at the top of the league along with Patrick Mahomes, and it would be smart to get him on your team before he picks up where he left off. The Bucs still have some of the best skill position players in the league to receive the ball, and after Jameis Winston foiled his chance, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bucs stick with Fitzpatrick in an attempt to make it to the playoffs. He showed a glimpse of what he can do last week, putting up 19.6 points in less than a half of play, and similar performances from Fitzpatrick should be expected in the remaining weeks. Fitzpatrick should be treated as a starting QB in most fantasy leagues.
RB: Aaron Jones
FPPG: 8.7
Rank: 42nd
Last Week: 14.6 pts
Aaron Jones has been on the verge of breaking out the past couple weeks, and after last week it seems like the likelihood of Jones becoming the featured back in Green Bay is good. The Packers’ trade of Ty Montgomery to the Ravens should not only be taken as a reaction to Montgomery’s game-deciding fumble in the 4th quarter, but as a vote of confidence in Jones. In fact, Jones’ solid performance (12 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD) last Sunday against a stacked Rams D-line likely gave the Packers assurance that they can rely on Jones to be the guy. While the Packers-Patriots game this weekend projects to be a passing shootout, expect the Packers to rely on the run more with colder weather coming around.
WR: Michael Thomas
FPPG: 12.4
Rank: 14th
Last Week: 8.1 pts
“Buy low” is a relative term, and it’s likely that you can get Michael Thomas for a reasonable price right about now. Since Thomas’ godly start to the season, he’s managed 10 points only once in the last 4 games. While this could be attributed to Mark Ingram’s return to the lineup, the more likely reason Thomas has struggled is due to the Thomas’ matchups against skilled corners and secondaries over the last few weeks (Janoris Jenkins, Josh Norman, Ravens Secondary, Xavier Rhodes). Next up for Thomas is a matchup against a banged up Rams’ secondary, and after that he has favorable matchups for the rest of the season, including games against the Bengals, Bucs, Panthers, Falcons, and Steelers that could all realistically be shootouts. Michael Thomas should still finish the year as a borderline top 5 WR.
SELL HIGH:
QB: Philip Rivers
FPPG: 20.9
Rank: 12th
Last Week: BYE
Philip Rivers has been one of the more consistent options at QB this year, but his schedule over the next few games is not inviting to stand out fantasy QB play, starting with a matchup against a Seahawks defense that has allowed the 2nd fewest fantasy points against QBs. The Chargers’ games ahead come against teams that struggle against the run, which in theory should favor a game script where the Chargers run the ball frequently, especially with Melvin Gordon coming back into the lineup. Simply put, it’s unlikely that Rivers goes off in any of the next few games, so trading him for a QB with higher upside would be wise if you are attempting to make a push for a playoff birth.
RB: Christian McCaffrey
FPPG: 12.6
Rank: 14th
Last Week: 17.6 pts
Christian McCaffrey had a great week last week, taking both a carry and a reception to the house, but questions remain on how frequently McCaffrey will get looks in the red zone with Cam Newton at QB. His two touchdowns last week were only his 2nd and 3rd on the season, and his rushing totals are not as good as you’d want them to be for a featured RB (>58 rushing yards only once this season). His value as a PPR back is still there, but McCaffrey has been and will continue to see less targets from Newton now that Olsen is back in the lineup and DJ Moore is emerging as a reliable option. Trading McCaffrey this week, after scoring two touchdowns, would be a good move since he rarely gets into the end zone and he has not been putting up reliable yard totals.
WR: Alshon Jeffery
FPPG: 11.6
Rank: 35th
Last Week: 3.5 pts
Alshon Jeffery has been great in fantasy since coming back from injury (besides last week), but his stock took a huge hit after the Eagles traded for Golden Tate. Even though Tate plays in the slot, he is a player that has received a lot of targets over the past couple years in Detroit, and his addition to the Eagles’ offense adds another more consistent option to the team outside of Zach Ertz. Jeffery will still be considered the primary red zone target for Wentz, but Jeffery’s production in between the 20s will be sporadic at best now that Tate is on the team.