The injuries continued to pile up this week. Trades are often the most effective way to make up ground and recover from ailing stars. 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
T.Y. Hilton (WR – IND)
Not only is Andrew Luck coming back soon, but Hilton has proven that he can get it done with Jacoby Brissett in the meantime. There aren’t many wide receivers who can give you WR1 value on a consistent basis, and while Hilton isn’t quite that, he’s the closest thing to it with Luck. Most have already forgotten that Hilton led the league in receiving last year, while Luck was playing through a bum shoulder. His 93 yards per game coming into Week 6 was second in the league, behind only Antonio Brown.
Mark Ingram (RB – NO)
If you were here last week, you would have already had Ingram on your roster, as he was one of the best buys in all of fantasy. If you missed what was said, Ingram has been playing more snaps than he did in 2016, and that was with Adrian Peterson on the roster. It was only a matter of time before he found the end zone. The best part is that the Saints defense isn’t good enough to ever have the Saints pull their starters, regardless of how many points they score. We learned that in Week 6. Ingram is arguably an RB1 for the remainder of the season, so despite him coming off a great performance, I’m still willing to pay-up if necessary.
Ameer Abdullah (RB – DET)
We’re now at the point where Abdullah owners are certainly frustrated. He’s scored more than 8.6 standard fantasy points just once and he’s just a “boring” option on their fantasy team. Most fantasy owners would love to have safe, boring production out of their RB2 or RB3 slot, because it never feels great to put someone like Javorius Allen or Duke Johnson into your lineup week after week. Abdullah has at least 14 carries in 5-of-6 games, and though he hasn’t been great, he’s been serviceable, which is what you want. He still has breakout potential.
Dak Prescott (QB – DAL)
Coming off his bye week, most owners don’t know what they have in Prescott. Not only is he the No. 4 quarterback in terms of points per game, but he’s posted those numbers against some of the best defenses in football. With the suspension returning for Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys will need to move the ball through the air. After averaging just 28.7 pass attempts per game last year, Prescott is averaging 35.8 this year with their defense struggling. He’s my No. 3 quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Amari Cooper (WR – OAK)
The fact that Derek Carr has returned already, I feel better about trading for Cooper. The thought that he could miss up to six weeks was concerning, because you don’t want to play a wide receiver who’s catching passes from E.J. Manuel. If you’ve watched the games, you know that Cooper isn’t having problems getting open. Players like Mike Evans and Cooper himself have had drop issues in the past that they’ve gotten over. This too shall pass. I’m not saying to pay WR1 or WR2 price for Cooper – don’t. What I’m saying is to find the owner who has had enough and will trade him for Tarik Cohen or Javorius Allen.
Alvin Kamara (RB – NO)
It was Mark Ingram’s time to shine in Week 6, but don’t let Kamara go unnoticed. He has now touched the ball 28 times in the last two weeks and has scored at least 11.7 PPR points in three straight games. Some will wonder whether or not there will be enough for both Ingram and Kamara to be every-week options. The answer is yes. Over the final eight weeks of 2016, both Ingram and Tim Hightower were top-24 options in fantasy leagues. Kamara is a solid RB2 going forward.
Martavis Bryant (WR – PIT)
There’s no way to sugarcoat it – Bryant has been a bust. Fortunately for you, this presents a buying opportunity at a discounted cost. While he’s not going to all of a sudden become Jordy Nelson, he’s got a great stretch of his schedule coming up after this week’s matchup with the Bengals. After getting the divisional match out of the way, he’ll get the Lions, Colts, Titans, and Packers. He’s going to be a recommended play in all of those games, so why not acquire a high-upside WR3 at a discounted cost?
John Brown (WR – ARI)
It’s good to see Brown back on the field in a full-time role after dealing with his sickle cell trait that has made his injuries linger longer than initially expected. He’s now caught two touchdowns over the last two weeks since returning to the lineup. The addition of Adrian Peterson should potentially bring safeties up in the box, leaving Brown in single-coverage. Larry Fitzgerald has faded down the stretch the last few years, so it’s only natural to think that production/value he’s getting will go elsewhere. There was a reason so many analysts were high on Brown coming into the season.
Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT)
Coming off a five-interception game and then a trip to Arrowhead Stadium, Roethlisberger can likely be had for pennies right now. His owner will likely see the Bengals on the schedule this week and decide to bail. That game is at home, which is where Roethlisberger typically dominates, but after that game is the real treat. He will play against the Lions, Colts, Titans, and then Packers. That’s a stretch you’ll want him for.
David Johnson (RB – ARI)
This is the point in the season where you likely know where you stand in your fantasy league. If you’re sitting at 5-1 or 4-2 after six weeks, you should be approaching the Johnson owner about what it would take to acquire him. If you can land him for someone like Chris Thompson or Javorius Allen who can contribute to their losing team now, I’d suggest doing so. Some Johnson owners are also concerned about Adrian Peterson. Don’t worry about him, seriously.
Donte Moncrief (WR – IND)
Moncrief is on waiver wires in most leagues and rightfully so, but you shouldn’t allow him to sit there any longer. Andrew Luck is going to be returning sooner rather than later and if you recall, he and Moncrief have had some connection over the last two years. In the last 15 games they’ve played together, Moncrief has a touchdown in 11 of them. Pick him up.
Players to Sell
Jordy Nelson (WR – GB)
It’s never fun letting go of a top-five wide receiver, but it’s something you should do in Nelson’s case. Of his 90 PPR fantasy points this year, 36 of them (40 percent) have come via the touchdown. When Aaron Rodgers is throwing to you as his favorite option, this will happen. It should come as no surprise to know that he’s tied for No. 1 in touchdowns, but ranks 29th in yardage. Now that he’s lost Rodgers for at least the rest of the fantasy regular season, he’s nothing more than a WR2.
Ty Montgomery (RB – GB)
Now that we know Aaron Rodgers is likely to miss the remainder of the fantasy regular season, Montgomery is nothing more than a mediocre RB2 in fantasy leagues. We already kind of saw this happening with the emergence of Aaron Jones and some fantasy owners will see this as an opportunity to buy Montgomery, who was coming off broken ribs in his first game back. Bottom line, this offense isn’t going to move the ball the way they did under Rodgers and the offensive line isn’t good enough to consistently run the ball.
Davante Adams (WR – GB)
Yes, Adams scored even after Aaron Rodgers left the game. That is what you are going to use when trying to sell Adams. Owners aren’t dumb (for the most part), they’re going to bring up the Rodgers injury as a reason to not trade for Adams, but bring up the fact that he just posted 54 yards and a touchdown against one of the best defenses in the game. Truth be told, Adams is more of a Demaryius Thomas/Emmanuel Sanders type wide receiver going forward that’s more like a WR3 than the borderline WR1 he was with Rodgers. Put the feelers out to see what Adams can return.
Tevin Coleman (RB – ATL)
You always want to sell players after they’re coming off their best game of the season, as it’s obviously the high-point of their stock. This is especially the case when you’re talking about a backup running back who is extremely touchdown dependent, like Coleman. He’s posted solid totals the last few weeks, but know that his increased usage in Week 4 was due to Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu leaving the game early, upping his usage in the passing game. Had he not scored in Week 6, he would have finished the game with just 10 touches for 36 yards. He’s got value, but not as much as what’s perceived.
Javorius Allen (RB – BAL)
During the live chat that we do Sunday mornings, Allen is someone who continually comes up as a question mark when submitting lineups. While he’s had more good games than bad, he’s never given anyone confidence when inserted into lineups. Of the two games that you thought he could be played safely (Week 3 against the Jaguars and Week 6 against the Bears), he totaled just 9.4 fantasy points combined. While you don’t want to just give him away, he’s not worth anything more than a risky RB3/flex player.
Cameron Brate (TE – TB)
This one comes down to my feelings going forward, as I do not believe that Brate will continue to produce at the rate he is, specifically his touchdowns. He’s scored in each of the last four weeks, allowing him to climb up the leaderboards at the position. The fact that he has more touchdowns than Mike Evans should tell the entire story. He’s still a low-end TE1, but I feel like you can stream almost as well as he’ll perform going forward. Throw out the bait and see what bites. If nothing, you’re okay with keeping him.
Will Fuller (WR – HOU)
Fuller has now magically scored five touchdowns on just 14 targets this season, which would honestly be a respectable finish at year’s end for someone who is six-feet-tall and 185 pounds. The touchdown rate is out of this world, catching a touchdown every 2.8 targets. To give you an idea as to how unrealistic it is for him to even come close to that, the leader in the NFL last year (minimum 40 targets) caught a touchdown every 8.0 targets. Sell while his stock is at an all-time high.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
