We have officially passed Week 10 in the NFL and Week 11 in College Football season. With all of this new information flooding in, let’s take a look at some buy-low candidates for the fantasy season, on top of looking into a couple of sell-high players, trade targets, and waiver wire additions you should make!
Buy Low Candidates
NFL:
C.J. Stroud – Quarterback
I’m almost certain that fantasy managers are growing tired of C.J. Stroud this season, with each underperformance hitting harder than the last. Stroud just had another game in which he finished with less than 10 points, despite a great matchup with the Detroit Lions secondary. I like a buy-low trade here due to the fact that he should be getting Nico Collins back, someone he sorely misses out on the field.
Tony Pollard – Running Back
Tony Pollard has been a very good back all season long for the Tennessee Titans, but this weekend wasn’t great. He had nine rushes for 44 yards and four receptions for 19 yards without a touchdown. However, this was just one of those poor matchups against a tough Los Angeles Chargers defensive unit. Moving forward, Pollard should continue to get enough touches to be a RB1 or RB2.
DeAndre Hopkins – Wide Receiver
DeAndre Hopkins took the NFL world by storm once again when he displayed great chemistry with Patrick Mahomes on the Kansas City Chiefs. He had a slower week this go around. He had just four receptions for 56 scoreless yards in a game that the Chiefs didn’t play well in against a divisional rival. I would bet on Hopkins down the stretch and assume that this was just a difficult matchup.
Taysom Hill – Tight End
Taysom Hill didn’t perform as well as anticipated this week despite all the injuries to the Saints offensive skill groups. He had four rushes for 14 yards and two receptions for 36 yards, without a touchdown. Although, he did have a 70-yard receiving touchdown brought back thanks to a penalty. Plus, he was still out on the field for a good amount of time. I expect him to get a ton of volume at tight end moving forward with all the injuries.
College:
Blake Horvath – Quarterback
Blake Horvath has had back-to-back underwhelming weeks now. Two weeks ago, he put up 17 fantasy points, and he repeated that effort over the weekend. While that doesn’t seem terrible, it is sa little underwhelming considering that he’s recorded over 22 in the three contests prior. I think, with this small dip in production, it c9uld be worth a trade if you’re interested in a quarterback with a strong rushing value.
Damien Martinez – Running Back
Damien Martinez had three straight weeks of over 15 fantasy points. Since then, these last two weeks have seen him struggle to reach the 10-point mark. Some of that has to do with him splitting some touches with Mark Fletcher, but overall, he’s still getting a ton of volume in this high scoring offense. I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets back to what he did not long ago.
Elijah Sarratt – Wide Receiver
I don’t think managers know exactly what to make of Elijah Sarratt, which bodes well if you would like a receiver on the trade market. Sarratt has had five games over 10 fantasy points this season, but he’s also had five games under that mark. He’s incredibly hot and cold, and this weekend he only had one catch that resulted in a 36-yard touchdown. I just like him to have a better week soon.
Tanner Koziol – Tight End
Tanner Koziol had four receptions for 49 yards this weekend, but he also racked up ten targets. This makes it five straight games that he’s seen that many throws’ head in his direction. That statistic alone shows that you could use him on your roster. With him scoring just four points in his last game, his value is lower than it might be next week.
Sell High Candidates
NFL:
Derek Carr – Quarterback
Similar to what I said last week about Aaron Rodgers, this is probably your last chance to move Derek Carr at decent value. Carr had 21 fantasy points this week thanks to a couple of long touchdowns. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t have the weapons, nor the track record to show that he’s worth of a roster spot. You might be better off trading him while he’s hot.
Kareem Hunt – Running Back
This is a controversial one. Kareem Hunt has been great for the Chiefs this year, and just dropped 17 points over the weekend. However, starter Isaiah Pacheco is ramping up to get back on the practice field, which means it’s not long before he makes his debut again. Once he does, Hunt probably loses the majority of his value unless another injury occurs. If you’d like to get a little crazy, you could get max value from Hunt and hope that Pacheco’s return will throttle his own potential down the stretch.
Alec Pierce – Wide Receiver
Alec Pierce just had 81 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Indianapolis Colts this week, but I do not trust anybody in this offense besides Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs. Pierce has had a known tendency to go hot and cold throughout the season, and both quarterbacks down in Indianapolis look horribly inconsistent. Joe Flacco looked terrible this weekend, and Anthony Richardson looked terrible in the few games before. Either way, it just seems like a lose-lose for Pierce until that ship gets righted.
Dalton Schultz – Tight End
I truly can’t believe the day has come, but Dalton Schultz popped back on the radar this week. He had three receptions for 66 yards on another night when Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs weren’t available. Schultz has just been forgotten in the offense, so trade him while you still can. Especially with Collins returning next week.
College:
Fernando Mendoza – Quarterback
Fernando Mendoza has delivered back-to-back 30-point fantasy performances. Sadly, I just don’t trust it to continue right now. These are the only games this season that he’s got above 21 fantasy points, and he’s only hit that mark twice. Every other matchup has watched him fall below 20. Given his hot stretch, it’s going to warrant some trade value.
Eli Sanders – Running Back
Eli Sanders is on fire at the moment. He’s gone over 170 rushing yards in each of his last two games, scoring four touchdowns in that span. He’s also gone over 10 fantasy points in each of the last five matchups. You might be wondering why you would even think of selling high. The reason I have is that he started the season with five straight games under 10 points. Some believe that this trend will continue the rest of the year, others think that he’ll fade back at some point. For now, his value is through the roof.
Kenny Odom – Wide Receiver
If you started Kenny Odom this week, congratulations. The wideout had eight receptions for 108 yards and three touchdowns to result in 28.8 fantasy points. He had a combined 1.4 points in the two weeks prior. I would say that aa sell high would be ideal. He’s also coughed up a fumble in two of his last three games.
Jalin Conyers – Tight End
Jalin Conyers had his first multi-touchdown game of the season for Texas Tech, but this hasn’t been a sign of his dominance. Aside from this 17-fantasy point outing, he has had five straight games under five fantasy points. I don’t trust him to put up consistent numbers right now.
Strategic Insights
The best way that you can identify buy-low opportunities is to look for players that other managers seem to be bullish on. Players that might be on a cold stretch, or have gotten injured recently, look at their potential down the line. As for sell-high opportunities, if you foresee a player potentially dropping in production soon, then take advantage of their current value and ship them off for a great return rather than waiting and getting nothing when they drop off.
An example of a buy-low strategy would have been last season. Let’s say you see Puka Nacua get drafted and you had high hopes for him in the NFL, but the manager that owned him didn’t feel that way. You could aggressively try and trade for him because you see past his draft position and look at his potential. Then, Nacua has his breakout season, and you got him for almost nothing. The same goes the other way, if you have Tyreek Hill who says that he’s going to retire around 31, and you know he’s getting up there despite being a top player at his position, you can trade him away at peak value before he retires and get a great return.
Trade Targets
NFL:
Bo Nix – Quarterback
Anyone that has watched much Denver Broncos football knows that Bo Nix could be their future. He had another strong game, this time against the reigning champs. If this is to be any indication, Nix could be strong for a number of years down the line. He’s seemingly gotten better each week, and my trust continues to rise.
Rachaad White – Running Back
I’ve changed my mind about Rachaad White. Why? Because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found his place. He isn’t the workhorse running back, he’s an excellent receiver out of the backfield. So, add his increased workload through the air with him getting at least 10 rushes per game, and you have a viable back for weeks to come.
Josh Downs – Wide Receiver
Like I said earlier, Downs is one of the few people I trust in this Colts offense. Despite a horrid day from Flacco, Downs still had seven receptions for 72 yards against the Buffalo Bills. He’s going to be a great receiver for years to come, he just needs more consistent quarterback play.
Evan Engram – Tight End
I like what Evan Engram brings to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He gets involved a tremendous amount also, which bodes well for his fantasy value. He received eight targets this week with Mac Jones throwing the football. With Engram, you get high target share, a ton of shorter receptions, and the possibility of a touchdown. He’s a good player to target at tight end.
College:
Brayden Schager – Quarterback
Brayden Schager is an interesting choice here. I am intrigued by his potential down the stretch of this season, but in the last three games, he’s gone over 23 fantasy points. He’s only being started in 22 percent of leagues, so he’s sitting on a lot of benches. This could be an investment worthwhile for you if you are in need at the position.
Jaden Nixon – Running Back
Jaden Nixon is putting it together. His first two games saw him record under four fantasy points, since then, he’s been unbelievable. He’s scored over 19 in each of his last three, and recorded over 19 points in six out of his nine games on the year. Somehow, he’s only started in 37 percent of leagues, and it feels like a crime to have him on a bench.
Ja’Corey Brooks – Wide Receiver
Ja’Corey Brooks could be a buy-low player as well. Brooks is coming off his lowest yardage output of the season with just 42 yards. However, he’s been very consistent, averaging 14.7 fantasy points per game, and consistently getting the ball thrown in his direction. He’s had over seven targets in seven of his nine games this season.
Terrance Carter – Tight End
Terrance Carter had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games two weeks ago, but these last two performances have seen him drop four fantasy points in both games. Many will think that those two games were just an anomaly, though I’d like to hope that, with his high target share in the Louisiana offense, he’s going to get back to big performances sometime soon.
Strategic Insights:
The best advice that I can give regarding trades is to be respectful to the other managers. Don’t horrendously lowball somebody for a player, and don’t insult them to make trades. Be nice and respectful and understand the value that you’re going for. Your first offer should be just thrown out there to see what happens, but both you and the other manager should just slowly throw offers out to see what works for each of you.
Waiver Wire Watch
NFL:
Russell Wilson – Quarterback
The guy has been balling. There’s no other way to say it, Russell Wilson has stepped in and found a serious rhythm, especially with George Pickens. He just dropped 18 points over the weekend including aa long touchdown to newly added Mike Williams. I just think, right now, Wilson is a nice fantasy waiver wire add.
Jaylen Warren – Running Back
Jaylen Warren is going to be here for the second week in a row because I feel he’s yet to breakout yet. His production keeps trending upwards, his touches continue to rise, and he’s still underrated. He had 14 rushes for 66 yards over the weekend and caught two passes for 29 more yards. I feel like it’s just a matter of time before he gets a huge game.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling – Wide Receiver
This one is quite easy. Marquez Valdes-Scantling always pops up on the radar like he did in his last game with the Saints. He had three receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns, which is a stat line that just embodies what he brings to the field. He’s due for another big game somewhere down the line.
Theo Johnson – Tight End
You don’t hear much about the New York Giants passing offense besides Malik Nabers, but rookie Theo Johnson is coming into his own. He had four receptions for 37 yards against the Carolina Panthers and has actually been consistently involved each of the past few games. His upside is certainly starting to shine through a little bit.
College:
Katin Houser – Quarterback
Katin Houser is scorching hot at the moment. He’s scored over 30 fantasy points in each of the last three games and has 15 total touchdowns in that span. Not to mention he’s put up nearly 900 yards of passing with some rushing value to top it all off. If he’s available, why not pick him up?
Kye Robichaux – Running Back
Kye Robichaux just exploded in touches and production. He had three straight weeks of 35 yards rushing or fewer, and this weekend, he had 28 rushes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He’s scored aa touchdown in his last three games and could be setting a nice trend moving forward.
Tru Edwards – Wide Receiver
I’ve loved the target share that Tru Edwards has gotten for a while, and it showed up big this weekend. He had eight targets, bringing in six of them for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He’s scored six times this season and has a whopping 71 targets through nine games.
Taylor Thompson – Tight End
Taylor Thompson is the epitome of riding the hot hand on the waiver wire. The tight end has scored in three of his last four games, and has caught at least two passes in each of those contests. He’s consistent and has brought touchdown reliability as of late.
Strategic Insights
The easiest way to prioritize waiver wire claims is to simply rank the players you want before going after them. Take them one at a time and understand that you’re not going to get all of them. Waiver wire claims usually go based on the order you place them in, so target your top guys first.
At the end of the day, it is very important to keep up with things every week, otherwise, key players can slip through your fingers. Be sure to consistently search for buy-low, and sell-high opportunities, relentlessly look through the waiver wire markets, and don’t be afraid to shoot out a couple of trade offers if you’re interested. Use all of the above information to keep yourself at the top of the standings.