We have officially passed Week 3 of both the NFL and 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:
- Geno Smith – Quarterback
Geno Smith hasn’t really exploded onto the scene so far this season. However, he’s been a consistent threat in the passing game and that should only be improved down the stretch of the season with some tougher matchups for the Seattle Seahawks. Particularly this week when the team faces the Detroit Lions.
- Josh Jacobs – Running Back
Josh Jacobs was on this list last week and he’ll stay here this week. He has 62 rushing attempts the season and the only reason that he hasn’t been one of the best fantasy options is because Emmanuel Wilson has stolen a few touchdowns, and Malik Willis is starting under center. Willis has also kept a few rushes for scores as well, but eventually, Jacobs is bound to start scoring.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Wide Receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 12 receptions for 117 yards against the New England Patriots in Week 2. This past weekend, he had just three receptions for 39 yards. Most people might think he had a fluke performance and sell on him, though his snap rate and target share both increased. He might have already surpassed Tyler Lockett in the pecking order.
- Tyler Conklin – Tight End
Tyler Conklin took some time to get going but in Week 3, the New York Jets tight end had five receptions for 93 yards on six targets. I think Conklin will continue to get more involved as the season progresses, and he has clear chemistry with Aaron Rodgers down there in this offense.
College:
- Behren Morton – Quarterback
Behren Morton scored 30-plus fantasy points in two of the first three weeks of the season. The other game saw him post just under 20 points. However, this weekend, he had just 14 as Texas Tech leaned on the ground game. Morton has some decreased value at the moment, and it feels like he’ll continue to perform down the stretch of the season.
- Darius Taylor – Running Back
Darius Taylor had 25 rushes for just under 200 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games of the season. This weekend, he had 10 rushes for 34 yards without a score. With his value (slightly) lower than what it was, trying to negotiate a deal for his services would be ideal.
- Kevin Coleman – Wide Receiver
Kevin Coleman had six receptions on seven targets for 19 yards without a score last weekend. On the season, he has 22 receptions on 26 targets for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the down week, he’s been a very talented receiver who is only rostered in just 50 percent of leagues.
- Tyler Neville – Tight End
Tyler Neville had two catches for 31 yards over the weekend, but I like his production so far. He’s racked up 16 targets through four games and scored two touchdowns. There’s a chance that he will continue to at least be a consistent, reliable target in the Virginia offense.
Sell High Candidates
NFL:
- Jared Goff – Quarterback
Jared Goff has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns through three games. But the worst part of it all is that the Lions’ success primarily comes from running the football, and they’re going to continue doing that this season. Goff will occasionally hit big, but Detroit just doesn’t want to throw the ball much to be fantasy-reliable.
- Chuba Hubbard – Running Back
Chuba Hubbard had 114 rushing yards and five receptions for 55 more yards and a touchdown with Andy Dalton as the starting quarterback in Carolina. That isn’t going to be sustainable, both with the type of offense this team has, the inconsistency that is Dalton under center, and with rookie Jonathan Brooks coming back healthy in the next week or so.
- Alec Pierce – Wide Receiver
Alec Pierce will remain on this list. Once again, we saw him rack up a big 44-yard reception, though that was the only target he had all afternoon for the Indianapolis Colts with Josh Downs back in the starting lineup. Pierce is just one big play waiting to happen, though it’s far too inconsistent to hold onto and continue to start.
- Mark Andrews – Tight End
We’re hitting the point now where many people are just selling on Mark Andrews in general to part ways with an asset that isn’t doing much of anything. This Baltimore Ravens offense isn’t even looking toward Andrews, and it’s not even Isiah Likely who is stealing his touches. Andrews just isn’t getting involved at all this season.
College:
- Miller Moss – Quarterback
Miller Moss technically had his best fantasy game of the season, and it wasn’t exactly inspiring. He had five rushes for -27 yards while throwing a horrible interception that was returned for a touchdown. He salvaged the day with a season-high three touchdowns, but you might be able to use that to sell him high.
- Kobe Pace – Running Back
Kobe Pace led the team in rushing attempts with 15 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, backup Xavier Brown looked even better with 171 yards. Brown looked like a big play waiting to happen, and Pace didn’t hit many home runs, which could negatively impact his playing time.
- Chris Dawn – Wide Receiver
Chris Dawn had a slow season-opening performance, then in Week 2, he exploded with five receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He scored again the following week, though had just three receptions for 21 yards. It might be best to sell him while he’s on a touchdown streak because the volume appears to be fluctuating.
- Nicky Dalmolin – Tight End
Nicky Dalmolin had 10 targets and totaled just four receptions for 42 yards and no touchdowns through his first three games. Last weekend, he had four receptions on five targets for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Given his past games, this could just be an outlier performance, and selling high could be better if you’ve been holding him for some time.
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:
- Baker Mayfield – Quarterback
Baker Mayfield had a down Week 3, but let’s face it, he’s going to continue being one of the best fantasy quarterbacks throughout this season. I don’t think his first two weeks were a fluke, and with quarterbacks this year, consistency is hard to come by.
- Bucky Irving – Running Back
Bucky Irving is going to steal the starting job in Tampa Bay by the end of the season now, it’s just a matter of time. Rachaad White is averaging 2.1 yards per carry, and every week that this continues, we see Irving take another chunk of snaps away from him.
- Diontae Johnson – Wide Receiver
Diontae Johnson had five receptions for 34 yards in the first two games that he played as a Carolina Panther. In Week 3, with Andy Dalton under center, he had eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. He won’t do this every week, though with Adam Theilen sidelined for a few weeks, he’ll get the majority of the targets.
- Brock Bowers – Tight End
Brock Bowers had just one reception for 21 yards, but don’t worry. For a position that isn’t consistent overall, Bowers will be one of the most viable tight-end options in fantasy for the foreseeable future. Getting him to know before he breaks out again is a good idea.
College:
- Blake Horvath – Quarterback
Blake Horvath was once again unbelievable for Navy. He scored six touchdowns this past week in an upset win over Memphis, completing 75 percent of his passes in the process and rushing for over 200 yards. He’s a must-have right now.
- Desmond Reid – Running Back
Desmond Reid got injured and isn’t expected to return until early on in October. Trading for him now and waiting a week or two for him to return would be a good idea, especially considering that he’s had two excellent weeks already.
- Devonte Ross – Wide Receiver
Owned in just 70 percent of leagues, Devonte Ross is a player that could be undervalued by some fantasy managers. He’s been outstanding this season and just had 11 receptions for 229 yards and three touchdowns for Troy, pacing the receiving core.
- Tanner Koziol – Tight End
Tanner Koziol is somebody that you might be able to steal away from another manager. He’s had 20 receptions on 26 targets for 211 yards and two touchdowns so far this season in just three games. And two of them were losses.
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:
- Andy Dalton – Quarterback
Andy Dalton stepped into the starting role in Carolina and threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. I don’t see this happening on a weekly basis, though there is fantasy value with Dalton every once in a while.
- Bucky Irving – Running Back
If, for some reason, Bucky Irving isn’t picked up in your league, you need to snap him up immediately. As I stated earlier, Irving is going to steal that job from Rachaad White in Tampa Bay, and he’s going to be integral on the ground and through the air.
- Jauan Jennings – Wide Receiver
This is fairly simple. Jauan Jennings had just under 50 fantasy points this past weekend against the Los Angeles Rams and with the injuries across the San Francisco 49ers, Jennings will be a critical part of their offensive success moving forward.
- Cole Kmet – Tight End
Cole Kmet has continuously gotten more reps in this offense after developing some level of chemistry with Caleb Williams. He is coming off a 10-reception game that turned into 97 yards on 11 targets. That type of value is unbelievably good at the tight-end position.
College:
- Emmett Brown – Quarterback
Emmett Brown has thrown for just under 1,300 yards, 13 touchdowns, and only four interceptions this season for San Jose. He’s been a fantasy football gemstone at the quarterback position, and he’s surprisingly not rostered in many leagues.
- Noah Short – Running Back
Noah Short has scored over 15 fantasy points in each of the first three weeks of the season. Army has made a valiant effort to get him consistently involved in the offense, and it seems like he could continue his breakout down the stretch of the season.
- Isaiah Neyor – Wide Receiver
Isaiah Neyor is turning into Dylan Raiola’s favorite target. He had seven targets and came away with four receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. If Raiola keeps trending upward, then Neyor will trend upward right alongside him.
- Alex Bauman – Tight End
Alex Bauman has had back-to-back bad weeks for Tulane, having one reception for four yards in both weeks combined. However, his previous two weeks saw him rack up four receptions for 75 yards and three touchdowns. On this waiver wire, he will continue to be a boom-or-bust candidate.
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.
Conclusion
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 inform