With another week of fantasy football in the books, it’s hard to believe the fantasy playoffs are just around the corner. You might be looking for a few wins to slip into a bottom seed or riding things out with a playoff spot locked up. On the other hand, you might be totally out of it and just spending your time looking at the 2021 rookie class. Either way, here are this week’s players to buy, sell, or hold in your dynasty football leagues.
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Deebo Samuel (WR – SF)
The first player that I’m looking at for this week is the second-year wide receiver out of South Carolina, Deebo Samuel. With all of the injuries going on lately and players being placed on IR due to COVID-19, one player that has been a bit of an afterthought is Samuel. He’s currently ranked as the WR30 on our dynasty rankings, and personally, I have him a bit higher.
He’s shown some real promise and the 49ers really are going to be in need of some weapons now that George Kittle is done for the season with a broken bone in his foot. Samuel and rookie Brandon Aiyuk are likely going to be the main weapons moving forward, and with the way Aiyuk has performed, he’s likely getting a bit more love than Samuel is right now. The hype tends to get a bit out of control with rookies, and this is an instance where you might try and acquire Samuel using the Aiyuk hype as a bit of leverage. Aiyuk is great and is going to be a weapon in this offense as well, but Samuel is still someone I like more and could see really taking over as the potential top wide receiver on this offense.
In his rookie campaign, Samuel totaled 802 receiving yards and three touchdowns, catching 57 of his 81 targets in his 11 starts. He also added three touchdowns on the ground, where he saw 14 carries for 159 additional yards. With the way Kyle Shanahan runs his offense, Samuel and Aiyuk both look to be weapons in the passing game and at times, in the running game. I don’t mind trying to acquire Aiyuk now, but Samuel is someone I’d be trying to get my hands on before he’s active next week after missing most of the season so far this year.
Right now, it looks like Samuel will be questionable heading into Week 10 against the Saints as he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury. Either way, he’s one of my favorite wide receivers to target right now. He will more than likely not be cheap, but regardless of your team’s situation, he’s someone I’m buying where I can.
Verdict – Buy
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
The second guy that I’m looking at this week is Courtland Sutton, the 25-year old wide receiver in Denver. It was unfortunate to see Sutton go down with a torn ACL and MCL, and he just played in one game this year which was in Week 2. Sutton finished as the WR19 in PPR scoring in 2019 and looked very good while doing so.
After the Broncos drafted Jerry Jeudy, this offense was showing a ton of potential and upside for fantasy purposes between the two wide receivers, Noah Fant, and the solid group of running backs. Unfortunately, Drew Lock has struggled and this offense has been pretty disappointing. According to our FantasyPros dynasty rankings, Sutton is currently the 23rd ranked wide receiver. If I’m not winning this year, Sutton is someone I’m definitely looking to acquire. A veteran such as Julio Jones is ranked higher at WR18, and I’d be happy to sell him for Sutton if possible.
Verdict – Buy
Tarik Cohen (RB – CHI)
This player is someone that I’m looking at who, like Courtland Sutton, is currently on the injured reserve. Tarik Cohen went down with a torn ACL against the Falcons in Week 3. Cohen is someone that has consistently been involved in the passing game for Chicago, making him a nice, RB3 with a solid floor. In his first three seasons in the NFL, Cohen saw 71, 91, and 104 targets out of the backfield, catching 53, 71, and 79 of them. During these three seasons, he’s averaged 9, 14.6, and 10.2 PPR points per game, which in most deeper leagues, is good as someone you’d start in your Flex fairly regularly, or as your RB2 during bye weeks.
We’ve also seen Cohen step up when the lead running back in Chicago has been out, making him really someone that can be valuable to your dynasty teams. He’s still just 25 years old, and his price tag isn’t terrible. Cohen is the 47th ranked running back according to our dynasty rankings. He’s obviously someone you’re looking at for the 2021 season and beyond, but he’s someone worth acquiring right now regardless of if you’re winning now or rebuilding. His price tag is just too cheap to ignore for someone that brings a solid floor to your dynasty rosters.
Verdict – Buy Low
The 49ers Running Backs
This next one is not specific, but we’re looking at the entire San Francisco 49ers backfield. This backfield has become nearly impossible to predict, and there’s not been a clear lead-back for the last couple of years. We’ve seen different periods of time where one running back appears to be leading this backfield, for instance, Raheem Mostert at the end of the 2019 season. Jerick McKinnon has been the best so far this year with 103.4 total PPR points. Mostert is averaging the most PPR points per game with 17.1, meanwhile, McKinnon is averaging 11.5 points per game. McKinnon appears to be the best option for this year, but even he has two games where he saw three carries, Week 7 and Week 8, and he totaled -1 yards in each of them.
Needless to say, this is extremely frustrating for fantasy owners and even McKinnon isn’t someone you can trust every week. Overall, I’m selling everyone in this entire backfield where I own them. McKinnon likely will get you the best return on value right now, but there are plenty of owners who love Mostert and think he’s the answer. I’m not sold on any of these running backs and I’d sell them for as much as I could, even if it’s not a ton. Especially, if you’re not winning now.
Verdict – Sell
Adam Thielen (WR – MIN)
This last player that I’m looking at is the veteran Adam Thielen, of the Minnesota Vikings. Right now, the hype in the dynasty community is all around Justin Jefferson on this offense, and rightfully so. He’s been fantastic and is currently the WR22 on the season in PPR scoring, making him the third-best rookie behind CeeDee Lamb and Chase Claypool. I’d easily take Jefferson over Claypool for what it’s worth, but right now I’m looking at Thielen. He’s been quietly productive this year so far as the WR15 in PPR scoring with seven total touchdowns and two 100+ receiving yard games.
This Vikings defense has been extremely disappointing this year, and at this rate, the Vikings are going to have to throw the ball to stay in most games. Thielen is the WR36 in our dynasty rankings right now, and for the rest of the year, he has a solid schedule moving forward for fantasy purposes. For the playoffs, he gets the Buccaneers, Bears, and Saints for the last three weeks.
If you’re looking to win now, Thielen is someone I’m definitely trying to acquire to help me win this year. He’s a borderline WR1 for the remainder of the season and if the owner is not winning, he’s probably willing to sell him. Personally, I grabbed Thielen for Henry Ruggs and a 2021 3rd-round rookie pick. If I’m making a championship run, he’s someone I’m happy to buy right now.
Verdict – Buy
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