Drafting well is the surest way to victory in fantasy sports, but it never hurts to win a trade or two along the way. It’s always better to move a guy a year too early than a year too late, but in the offseason, you have a chance to capitalize on a player’s perceived value after maximizing his talent through last year’s season. Based on rankings in half-PPR leagues, I’ll discuss some players I recommend selling high on.
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Eric Ebron (TE – IND)
Many of you probably heard the joke about Ebron taking so long to sign his new deal in Indy because he kept dropping the pen. Is he the fourth-best TE (based on last year’s stats) or the 12th or 14th best (based on the two previous years’ stats)? While a new team and a fresh start can do wonders for some players, I’m skeptical that Ebron keeps this fire burning.
There are more mouths to feed now as GM Chris Ballard keeps adding weapons through free agency and the draft, and that includes viable red zone targets in Jack Doyle and Devin Funchess. While those names may not inspire much respect, remember where Ebron’s status was hovering last year. I think last season was a textbook career year and his value will never be higher.
Amari Cooper (WR – DAL)
As another player that enjoyed some new scenery last year, Cooper’s game logs in Dallas include gaudy 37- and 47-point efforts (but also three games with less than seven points). I can’t envision the Cowboys having a high-flying offense, so I think it will continue to be feast or famine with Cooper. There is also the possible factor of a player being in the last year of their deal. I’m very comfortable with some guys in this situation, but I really can’t say that about Cooper. He could be an effective option in a best ball league, but I’d move him while the lights are still shining on him as a Cowboy.
Phillip Lindsay (RB – DEN)
One of the great stories last year (unless you drafted Royce Freeman), Lindsay defied the odds as a 5’8″ and 190-pound running back in the NFL. He simply isn’t built like a typical number one back, and I see him morphing into a complimentary Tarik Cohen role, in which he should excel. That type of player simply doesn’t have the same value as a lead back, but you still might get that type of return for him in a trade. His wrist injury is a definite concern and a new head coach may want to have a larger RB pounding the rock this year.
George Kittle (TE – SF)
If there’s anyone I trust less in fantasy football than Kyle Shanahan, I’m drawing a blank right now (did anyone else get burned by Alfred Morris last year?). Even Belichick rides players like Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman year after year, but I just don’t trust this coach. Kittle exploded onto the scene and was also very consistent (only three games under seven points), but I just feel like Shanahan has far more chess pieces to work with this year. With Tevin Coleman, Matt Brieda, and Jerick McKinnon at RB, along with Dante Pettis, Marquise Goodwin, Deebo Samuel, and Jalen Hurd at WR, I can see matchup-based nightmares for fantasy owners this year. I’m a fan of this player, but I just don’t see them forcing the ball to him like they had to last year.
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Sheldon Curtis is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sheldon, check out his archive and follow him @sheldon__curtis.
