Another week of injuries has owners on the hunt for replacements, while some look to capitalize on the bad luck of others. Whether you’re buying or selling, here’s a list of players to consider making a move on before it’s too late.
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Players to Buy
Brandin Cooks (WR – NE)
There will be a lot of people frustrated with Cooks now that he’s bombed three of four weeks this season. Keep in mind that he’s done that while Tom Brady has thrown for 1,399 yards and 10 touchdowns through four weeks. Think about that – do you really not think Cooks will be involved in that? Do you think Chris Hogan will score 16 touchdowns like he’s on pace for? It’s going to take some time for Brady and Cooks to get their timing down, but when they do, you’ll want him on your team.
Dez Bryant (WR – DAL)
I advocated not to draft Bryant this offseason due to his tough start to the schedule, but he’s now gotten through a good portion of it. He is seeing a massive target share, something that’s been missing in years past. He’s now on pace for 160 targets, which would be a career-high. It’s likely that this continues, too, as the Cowboys defense is putting them in a position to throw a lot.
DeAndre Hopkins (WR – HOU)
I was someone who was avoiding Hopkins during the draft process, but not anymore. When you have him getting more than a dozen targets seemingly every single week, it’s hard not to chase that safety. It’s ugly once you get outside the top seven wide receivers, so why not take the one who is getting targeted more than anyone in the league?
Doug Martin (RB – TB)
If you have a chance to get Martin before he showcases his upside in Week 5, do it. The Bucs have built an offense that is hard to deal with in a variety of ways. Mike Evans can destroy anyone in one-on-one coverage, as can DeSean Jackson, and then you have the combination of Cameron Brate/O.J. Howard who can beat you down the seam, so Martin is likely to see a lot of base defenses in what should be a high-scoring offense.
Zach Ertz (TE – PHI)
It’s not common for me to buy a tight end after a solid performance, but Ertz is well worth it. He showed a glimpse of his worth without Jordan Matthews last year and it’s continued into 2017. Through four games, it can be argued that Ertz has been the most valuable tight end and most definitely the most consistent. His 36 targets are easily the most among tight ends, as are his 326 yards. There is a legitimate conversation for him to be taken over Travis Kelce for the rest of the season, though I’m not there quite yet.
Dak Prescott (QB – DAL)
There will be some who look to sell Prescott after his big outing against the Rams, but you shouldn’t be one of them. Since his NFL debut, Prescott has had just two games in which he totaled fewer than 15.9 fantasy points, excluding the Week 17 game where he played one quarter. He’s one of the most consistent quarterbacks in fantasy football and he’s shown a solid floor even in tough matchups.
Martavis Bryant (WR – PIT)
The Steelers offense hasn’t clicked on all cylinders to this point (or even half of them for that matter), but Bryant is heavily involved. Once they get into a rhythm, this offense will score 30 points a game. He’s seen 23 targets through four games, which is more than enough to make a fantasy impact once Ben Roethlisberger gets right. It helps that Le’Veon Bell got going last week. Bryant comes with risk, but his reward is very much worth it.
Pierre Garcon (WR – SF)
After a matchup with Patrick Peterson last week, some will be down on Garcon. You shouldn’t be one of them, as Peterson had allowed just 22 yards in coverage coming into that game. Truth be told, Garcon is going to be one of the more consistent fantasy options in fantasy football, outside the elite tier of wide receivers. With matchups against the Colts, Redskins, Cowboys, and Eagles on deck, you’ll want him on your side of the matchups.
Ameer Abdullah (RB – DET)
Most will be looking to sell Abdullah after his big performance against the Vikings, but you shouldn’t be one of them. It’s hard to find running backs on competent offenses who get 15-plus touches per game. Abdullah is just that and he’s starting to get acclimated to his offensive line.
Tarik Cohen (RB – CHI)
What happened on Thursday night with Cohen was inexcusable. John Fox distributed carries as he usually does, frustrating owners on primetime television. This is when you pounce. Jordan Howard dropped another pass in that game and continues to show his inability to catch passes out of the backfield. The reason you want Cohen is because Mitch Trubisky is about to take over and give life to the Bears offense, much more than Mike Glennon does, anyway. If Howard’s shoulder is hurt more than he’s letting on, Cohen could also be in line for more work down the road.
Jeremy Maclin (WR – BAL)
It’s been a nightmare start for the Ravens offense, yet Maclin was sitting tight as a top-40 wide receiver, despite Joe Flacco throwing the ball just 69 times through the first three games. Flacco threw much more in Week 4, but Maclin was held in check by a stingy Steelers cornerback unit. Instead of worrying whether or not he’s a drop candidate, go out there and snag Maclin, who still has WR3/4 value.
Jameis Winston (QB – TB)
He’s gotten some of his toughest matchups out of the way and now has his schedule lighten up a bit with a game against the Patriots on Thursday night, then the Cardinals who have been overrated over the last year. He’s utilizing Mike Evans in one-on-one coverage because you cannot leave DeSean Jackson run wild behind your secondary. This offense has too many weapons not to succeed.
Players to Sell
Julio Jones (WR – ATL)
As I clicked on the sell button, a little piece of me died. Jones has all the talent in the world, enough to be considered one of the greatest of all-time, but there are a few issues. One, he simply cannot stay healthy. It’s like a Ferrari that’s being asked to be an every-day car, can’t happen. Two, he’s not targeted enough to compete with guys like Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, or A.J. Green. And three, he’s not targeted in the red zone, as he’s seen just two targets inside the 20-yard line through four games.
Todd Gurley (RB – LAR)
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. His upcoming schedule against the Seahawks, Jaguars, Cardinals, Giants, Texans, and Vikings would be hard on any running back. You don’t want to just give away a running back that is seeing 20-plus touches per week, but if you can trade him for someone like Antonio Brown or Mike Evans, do it.
Jay Ajayi (RB – MIA)
Ajayi found himself in the sell column last week as well and he is again because it might not be too late to get some value for him in a trade. Not only does the Dolphins offensive line look bad, but the Dolphins started sharing the snaps between Ajayi, Damien Williams, and Kenyan Drake. After playing 64/68 snaps in Week 1, he’s played just 65/115 snaps over the last two weeks. If you can get an RB2 or WR2 in return, do it.
DeMarco Murray (RB – TEN)
It’s tough to sell coming off a bad game, but that’s not the only reason you’re selling Murray. At any time, the Titans could choose to go with their youth in Derrick Henry. This is likely going to be much more of a timeshare than most think, and with the defense struggling as much as they are, the Titans aren’t going to rack up enough carries to support two fantasy relevant running backs. Murray is more of an RB2 than the RB1 he’s treated as.
Demaryius Thomas (WR – DEN)
You can likely sell Thomas on name value alone because his production has been lacking ever since Peyton Manning stopped throwing like a Hall of Famer. Since Trevor Siemian took over, Thomas has totaled more than 100 yards just once and has scored just five touchdowns on more than 175 targets. He’s nothing more than a WR3 in fantasy at this point.
Lamar Miller (RB – HOU)
We’ve seen a large enough sample size in order to judge Miller and know that his Week 4 performance was an outlier. The fact that D’Onta Foreman is getting more snaps and that Alfred Blue has now returned, this is likely to be more of a timeshare than most realize. The Texans aren’t going to score 57 points every week. Heck, they may not score 35 points again this season. If you can sell Miller coming off a career-type performance, you should.
Christian McCaffrey (RB – CAR)
This one is tough because there’s so much emphasis on his role in the offense, but it’s amounted to nothing and the Panthers just had their best offensive game of the season, yet he wasn’t really involved. He’s a better mismatch for defenders in real-life than he is a fantasy player.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
