We have officially passed Week 5 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
All season long, Geno Smith has been dealing at quarterback. The Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line hasn’t been great, limiting the effectiveness of their rushing attack. Because of that, Smith has had to air it out, and he leads the league in passing yards through five weeks.
- Nick Chubb – Running Back
It might be a little late, though some people might still be out on Nick Chubb following his horrible knee injury. He finally returned to practice and is surprisingly nearing a return to the field. If you’re able to get him at a discounted trade price, it might be worth it.
- Tank Dell – Wide Receiver
Tank Dell is going to be the beneficiary of Nico Collins’s injury. Collins just got placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four games, leaving tons of targets for somebody like Dell to vacuum up. Dell is a superb talent in Houston and should only get more involved as the season progresses.
- Pat Freiermuth – Tight End
Pat Freiermuth will remain on this list because his value isn’t skyrocketing right now. However, it is staying exactly where it started each week, and for the tight end position, that’s a great value to have on your team. He’s had between three to five receptions in each game this season.
College:
- Haynes King – Quarterback
Haynes King is coming off his worst game of the season, with just 17 fantasy points in a 10-point victory for Georgia Tech. King, even in a down week, showed that he can be consistent. Outside of this game, he’s scored at least 23 fantasy points in every other contest. Trading for him, if possible, could be a great move.
- Lee Beebe – Running Back
The UAB Blazers offense has been atrocious, yet Lee Beebe has proven to be consistent. He had just under 10 fantasy points last week while his team lost by 50 points, but his time will come soon enough. Outside of that game, he’s received at least 12 touches in every single contest and has three touchdowns to his name. If this offense gets even slightly competent, Beebe will be a much more productive back.
- Antwane Wells Jr. – Wide Receiver
Antwane Wells led the team in receiving last week but had just nine fantasy points to his name. His targets continue to go up despite the lackluster performance and he could be in line for a significant jump in fantasy relevance if Tre Harris misses time with an injury.
- Luke Lachey – Tight End
At this point, trading for Luke Lachey could be just a move based on potential alone. Through five games, he’s yet to score more than six fantasy points. There is just minimal production coming from him right now, but the sky seems to be the limit for him still. Trading for him at a low point could help you reap the rewards later.
Sell High Candidates
NFL:
- Joe Flacco – Quarterback
Joe Flacco once again took the NFL world by storm with a 359-yard performance with three touchdowns. Unfortunately, Anthony Richardson is going to return eventually, and teams will start to lock in on Flacco as soon as he starts more games. Sell him with his value at a peak.
- Devin Singletary – Running Back
Devin Singletary is coming off an injury, though he’s proven very capable all season as the starter in New York. The problem is that in his one-week absence, rookie Tyrone Tracy proved that he was deserving of more snaps. Singletary might struggle to reach the volume he received early on in the season, so his value might dip down the line.
- Rashid Shaheed – Wide Receiver
Rashid Shaheed is a genuine wide receiver two right now. He’s got three touchdown catches and at least 70 receiving yards in four out of the five games he’s played. However, quarterback Derek Carr is out for at least two weeks, and that limits Shaheed’s potential.
- Dalton Kincaid – Tight End
This might be the time to sell high on Dalton Kincaid. He’s got a dangerously low catch rate, the lowest of any other viable fantasy tight end up to this point in the season. Sure, he’s averaging three catches per game, but the connection between him and Josh Allen just isn’t there.
College:
- Colton Joseph – Quarterback
Colton Joseph stepped into a starting role this weekend to replace Grant Wilson. In his absence, he scored 35 fantasy points but fumbled twice and threw an interception. He might be impactful short-term, though he looks loose with the football and will eventually get replaced when Wilson returns. In the meantime, you could sell him high.
- Hahsaun Wilson – Running Back
Hasaun Wilson could easily become a must-have, though the jury is still out. He scored just under 35 points in fantasy last week but had only passed 10 in one other game this season. This outlier could be a sign that he’s going to be more involved, but until he shows any type of consistency in either volume or production, this might be a sell-high opportunity.
- A.J. Henning – Wide Receiver
A.J. Henning is coming off his best fantasy performance of the season but has had three games where he’s scored five fantasy points or less already. The volume is there with Henning, there’s no question about that. The problem is that he’s too prone to have minimal outings and has become a true boom-or-bust candidate. Perhaps this is the time to sell on a boom.
- Michael Trigg – Tight End
After four straight games under 10 fantasy points, Michael Trigg finally broke that mark with 12 last weekend. He scored his second touchdown of the season and had a season-high with eight targets, six receptions, and 61 receiving yards. His lack of production aside from this game is a bit of a concern, though he could also continue growing positively.
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:
- Justin Fields – Quarterback
I still like what Justin Fields brings to the table. He’s a mobile quarterback who provides tons of yardage potential with his legs while also growing more comfortable in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. If he scores a touchdown or two on top of his yardage production, then technically he’d be one of the best fantasy options at the position.
- Chase Brown – Running Back
Chase Brown has been slowly stealing the starting job away from Zack Moss. The Cincinnati Bengals running back has three touchdowns in the last two games, and Moss even left with a minor ankle injury late last week. Brown will only see his value get better.
- Darnell Mooney – Wide Receiver
Darnell Mooney has been getting better and better with Kirk Cousins in Atlanta. Mooney just had nine receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 16 targets last week. That won’t happen every week, but Mooney clearly has the confidence of Cousins in this passing offense.
- Jake Ferguson – Tight End
Jake Ferguson has racked up 30 targets, the fourth most that the tight end position has seen up to this point in the season and he did so while missing two games. Dak Prescott loves him in the passing game, and he’s a very consistent receiving threat.
College:
- Hajj-Malik Williams – Quarterback
This is an interesting one. Hajj-Malik Williams might be sitting on the waiver wire for you, but there is a good chance that he’s already been swooped up with how he’s played lately. He’s dropped over 81 fantasy points in the last two games and is the focal point of an offense that’s ninth nationally in scoring.
- Rahsul Faison – Running Back
Rahsul Faison is officially the number one running back in Utah State. He’s rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games, and there was only one other running back on the roster that even touched the football last week. That back had only two total rush attempts as well. With Faison being the unquestioned starter, trade for him if you can.
- Trebor Pena – Wide Receiver
This isn’t entirely surprising given that Trebor Pena is rostered in a large chunk of leagues. However, he’s been dominant. Through five games, he’s been targeted 42 times and turned that into 34 receptions for 383 yards and five touchdowns. He’s a big part of the Syracuse offense.
- Bryson Nesbit – Tight End
Bryson Nesbit might be touchdown-dependent for the most part, though he’s getting a ton of attention in the passing game. Eventually, that will pay dividends. He’s got 40 targets through five games and only 21 receptions, if that catch rate improves, he’s going to be worth the trade.
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:
- Daniel Jones – Quarterback
Believe it or not, Daniel Jones is not rostered in many leagues. However, despite that, he’s been very viable. He provides rushing volume on top of his passing volume, and so far we’ve seen the New York Giants win some games this season. Clearly, he’s at least got some type of talent in this offense.
- Tank Bigsby – Running Back
For the second week in a row, it seemed like Tank Bigsby was stealing the job away from Travis Etienne. Bigsby looks more explosive, he generates more yards per carry, he’s stealing snaps, getting more touches, and everything that he’s doing on the field shows that he might be a starting back sooner rather than later.
- Josh Downs – Wide Receiver
I like what Josh Downs brings to the Indianapolis Colts offense. Not only that but he’s got such an opportunity in front of him. Not only is Michael Pittman expected to be out for a few weeks with an injury, but Joe Flacco trusts Downs an awful lot in the passing game.
- Zach Ertz – Tight End
Zach Ertz didn’t have many points last week, but he had a number of red zone opportunities in a surprisingly potent Washington Commanders offense led by Jayden Daniels. With Daniels continuing to get better, Ertz will keep improving as a fantasy starter.
College:
- Tyler Huff – Quarterback
Tyler Huff has been flying off the waivers in recent weeks and for good reasons. The Jacksonville State quarterback just had 43 fantasy points with over 350 yards of total offense and three rushing touchdowns. With an easy strength of schedule ahead, Huff is a must-have.
- Tre Stewart – Running Back
Tre Stewart is just dominating volume and touches in this Jacksonville State offense. Ironically, the same team as Tyler Huff. Stewart just had 24 carries and four touchdowns last week and is primarily featured on an offense that averages 36 points per game this season.
- Noah Short – Wide Receiver
Army has a gem at receiver with Noah Short. He’s racked up at least 10 points in fantasy in every single game that he’s played this season. Army has been searching for a consistent top target in the passing game, and I believe they’ve found exactly that with Short.
- Keyan Burnett – Tight End
Keyan Burnett, a tight end for Arizona, could eventually emerge as a top target behind Tet McMillan in this offense. Burnett has had five receptions in each of the last two games on 12 targets, and this is an offense that desperately needs another weapon to step up in the passing game. That is where Burnett could step in.
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 information to keep yourself at the top of the standings.