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
Michael Thomas (WR – NO)
Unless you believe that Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara are going to continue scoring 11 touchdowns in five games, Thomas is well overdue for some touchdowns. If there was a definition for “buy-low” in the dictionary, Thomas would be the picture next to it. Even though he is valued by most as a high-end WR2, there are just four wide receivers I’d rather have for the remainder of the season. He’s Mr. Consistency with at least 65 yards in seven of the last eight games, including 77 or more yards in six of them.
Kareem Hunt (RB – KC)
So, maybe Hunt wasn’t the future Adrian Peterson that some proclaimed him to be at the start of the fantasy season. But there are some people who are selling him for pennies on the dollar, which is a mistake. He’s still totaled at least 100 yards in 7-of-9 games this season, something you won’t find in many running backs. He’s also caught at least three passes in 8-of-9 games, showing you that he has value regardless of game-script. There are just a handful of running backs who carry more value than him the remainder of the season.
Jordan Howard (RB – CHI)
It’s always wise to buy a workhorse running back off a game where he underperformed, and Howard falls into that category. He’s totaled at least 15 carries in all but one game this year, something you can only say about a handful of running backs at this stage of the season. He has much more value for those in standard leagues than PPR, though, as he’s caught just four passes over the last five games. Knowing what the Bears want to do on offense and knowing the cold is coming to Chicago, Howard is a rock-solid RB1.
Dak Prescott (QB – DAL)
My No. 1 quarterback for the rest of the season. Most will wonder why Tom Brady isn’t here and that’s because he doesn’t come with the floor that Prescott does. No matter the matchup, Prescott can beat you with his arm or legs. Now that Ezekiel Elliott is officially suspended, Prescott should be throwing more pass attempts than ever, leading fantasy owners to championships.
Chris Hogan (WR – NE)
It has felt like an eternity since Hogan’s owners have had him in their lineup, which means it’s likely that they forgot how much of an impact he had in fantasy football. Heading into Week 10 (where he was inactive), Hogan had seen just as many targets as Brandin Cooks (54), caught as many passes (33), and scored two more touchdowns (5 to 3). He’s on the borderline WR1 conversation when he’s in the lineup, though he may not come with the 150-yard, two-touchdown upside as some of the elite WR1s.
Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
From the amount of sit/start questions I get on Mixon every week, I know that he’s a ‘buy’ in fantasy football right now. Since the Bengals fired Ken Zampese as their offensive coordinator, Mixon has totaled 107 touches compared to the 30 touches for Giovani Bernard. That’s what we call a workhorse running back in today’s NFL. Granted, the Bengals haven’t run the ball much over the last few weeks, but seeing how that’s worked out for them, that’ll likely change. Mixon is an every-week RB2, so go out there and find that owner who debates starting him every week.
Drew Brees (QB – NO)
We know who Drew Brees is, right? I mean, the Saints aren’t the same team they once were and he isn’t throwing the ball as much as he did in years past, but we still know the quarterback. He’s still completing 72 percent of his passes and is averaging over 8.0 yards per attempt. His touchdown rate is just 4.3 percent, but not because he can’t throw touchdowns, but rather because their run game has scored a ton of them. Things will even out, allowing you to get Brees for much cheaper than in years past.
Marvin Jones (WR – DET)
Some may back off Jones after he killed their lineups in Week 10, but it seems like an outlier in what’s been a magical season. Coming into that game, Jones had seen at least 11 targets in three straight games. Whenever he’s in man-to-man coverage, Matthew Stafford has shown the willingness to throw up jump balls to him, which is obviously a great thing. With Golden Tate occupying the middle of the field, it’s hard to focus too much attention on him. He’s a low-end WR2 going forward.
Corey Davis (WR – TEN)
Now is the time to buy Davis, after two tough matchups with the Ravens and Bengals secondaries that have excellent perimeter cornerbacks. But going forward, Davis’ schedule lightens up rather nicely as he’ll play the Steelers that have all of a sudden allowed almost 650 yards passing over the last two weeks and they’ll now be without cornerback Joe Haden for multiple weeks. After that, they’ll play the Colts and Texans, two plus matchups. Get him before it’s too late.
Hunter Henry (TE – LAC)
There have been a few not-so-good games in a row, leading most to sour on Henry, and in some cases, drop him. Prior to those two games, he had posted at least 73 yards and/or a touchdown in five of his last six games, something that’s somewhat unheard of from tight ends. Not that he is flawless (no tight end is), but I’m buying Henry on the potential I know I’m getting. He’s outplaying and out-snapping Antonio Gates on a weekly basis.
Greg Olsen (TE – CAR)
If Olsen is out there on the waiver wire, grab him as soon as possible. If not, go to his owner and ask what it would take to acquire him. The Panthers just traded away his biggest competition for targets in Kelvin Benjamin and Ed Dickson just hasn’t gotten the job done. Apparently, Olsen would have been ready to return to game action last week if he was able, but he’ll be eligible to return in Week 12, after the Panthers bye week. He’ll immediately be moved into TE1 territory upon his return.
Players to Sell
Melvin Gordon (RB – LAC)
It’s not to say you just give Gordon away in a trade, but opening your mind to the possibility would be a good idea. Whenever you hear about a foot injury for a running back, it should send an alert through your body saying, “buyer beware.” Yes, Gordon had the turf toe before the bye week when he totaled 132 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots, but you also need to know that 87 of those yards came on one play, a play he was untouched until the end of it when he was caught by Malcolm Butler, who started 10 yards behind him on that run. Outside of that one run, Gordon has averaged a pedestrian 3.38 yards per carry. Again, he’s definitely not someone to give away, but he’s not the elite RB1 that most view him as.
DeMarco Murray (RB – TEN)
I’m not buying-in on his three-touchdown day, especially when you consider that he totaled just 42 yards on 14 carries (3.0 YPC). It was more of the same from Murray in a year he’s struggled to get anything going, though this particular game things fell his way in the red zone. If you’re able to move him for someone who’s posted fantasy numbers on a consistent basis, like Lamar Miller or Jerick McKinnon, I’d do that.
Davante Adams (WR – GB)
I’ve seen some throwing stats out about how great Brett Hundley was in the fourth quarter against the Bears and there are plenty of people buying into him magically being a good quarterback who just needed a confidence boost. Adams is a good NFL wide receiver and will likely remain the most productive of the Packers wide receivers going forward, but he’s going to be wildly inconsistent with Hundley under center. If you can find someone who is drinking that Hundley Kool-Aid, sell Adams to add a more consistent option.
Devin Funchess (WR – CAR)
With Greg Olsen on the verge of coming back, you may want to see what you can get in return for Funchess. Of course, his target share was going to be massive without Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin in the lineup, as the other two wide receivers are Curtis Samuel and Russell Shepard. Knowing the relationship and chemistry that Cam Newton and Olsen have, it’s likely that Funchess falls back into the WR3/WR4 range he was in with Benjamin on the team.
Robby Anderson (WR – NYJ)
It’s not that Anderson shouldn’t be viewed as an asset to fantasy teams – he should. The issue is that he’s scored in four straight games and fantasy owners are starting to view him as an every-week WR2. That conversation is reserved for those like Golden Tate, Alshon Jeffery, Chris Hogan, etc. All of them have consistent quarterbacks who can get them the ball on a consistent basis. Notice that I used the word consistency there twice? Because it’s what you need in the fantasy playoffs, and I just don’t think you should trust the combination of Josh McCown and Anderson to hinge your playoff dreams. If you can get WR2 value, I’d do so.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
