We have officially passed Week 9 in the NFL and Week 10 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:
Jordan Love – Quarterback
Jordan Love tried to play through an injury this weekend and had 273 passing yards without a touchdown and an interception. This marks the second straight week that love hasn’t’ performed, totaling just 196 scoreless yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars a week ago. Love has been dealing with a few ailments, and I think he’ll continue to grow and improve for the Green Bay Packers to remain fantasy-relevant.
Nick Chubb – Running Back
Nick Chubb has taken 42 carries in the last three games since returning from a gruesome knee injury, and the results haven’t been wonderful. He’s averaging a very low yards-per-carry average and hasn’t had much fantasy relevancy yet. However, he gets several strong matchups towards the end of the season and is anticipated to get his legs back under him the more reps he gets.
Brian Thomas Jr – Wide Receiver
Brian Thomas is coming off a two-catch performance that wound up totaling just 22 yards. It wasn’t a good game, but if you look at his numbers on the season, it is safe to say that this should be an anomaly on the season. He’s averaged a whopping 17 yards per reception and already netted himself five touchdowns. I like what he brings to the Jacksonville Jaguars passing attack.
TJ Hockenson – Tight End
TJ Hockenson finally returned to action last weekend for the Minnesota Vikings last week and had three receptions for 27 yards on four targets. The numbers weren’t great, but they will be so much better as the season goes on, similar to Chubb. Hockenson is on a high-powered offense, he’s a red zone threat, he can stretch the field up the seam, and he’s a safety valve.
College:
Tyler Huff – Quarterback
Tyler Huff had scored over 27 fantasy points in five straight games but last weekend, he had just 16 points in a win where he didn’t do much passing. He completed just six passes for 95 yards without a touchdown but rushed for 130 yards to even things out. This is a great time to try and buy him low.
Jalen White – Running Back
Jalen White had just two carries for six yards two weeks ago in a very surprising turn of events. His production went back to normal this weekend, taking 18 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t the greatest showing ever, but it proved that the week before was a random anomaly.
Denzel Boston – Wide Receiver
Denzel Boston has scored under 10 fantasy points in three of the last five games, though that’s a little deceiving. This weekend, he had nine fantasy points despite taking in 15 targets and hauling in nine of them for 99 yards. He’s a top option in Washington and will continue to rack up targets and receptions.
Eli Stowers – Tight End
Eli Stowers had just two receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown last weekend for seven fantasy points. I like his buy-low status because he’s consistently been involved in the Vanderbilt offense. He’s seen at least five targets in four of his last five games, scoring a touchdown in each of his last three.
Sell High Candidates
NFL:
Aaron Rodgers – Quarterback
This is probably your last chance to move Aaron Rodgers at a decent value. He has thrown five touchdowns compared to zero interceptions in his last two games, averaging over 17 fantasy points in that span. This small bump could increase his value, allowing you to get something back for the aging veteran.
Rhamondre Stevenson – Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson has finished inside the top 10 in fantasy for running backs five times this season. That makes it seem like he’s been unbelievable, but every time that he didn’t finish inside that margin, he was outside of the top 40. Talk about hot and cold. He has scored four touchdowns in his last two games, and I don’t see that continuing given his rushing efficiency. He had 10 carries for 16 yards last weekend. He’s just too volatile, and you should use this hot stretch to trade him.
DJ Moore – Wide Receiver
This is disappointing, but DJ Moore has been a non-factor. He had double-digit fantasy points in each of the first five weeks, but since then, he’s been nowhere to be found. He has had 20, 27, and 33 receiving yards in the last three games, the value has dipped. At this point, he’s listed as a sell-high candidate because he’s a very recognizable name that other managers would love to get a hold of, so you should use that to your advantage.
Jake Ferguson – Tight End
Jake Ferguson had seven receptions on ten targets for 71 yards this weekend. Unfortunately, Dak Prescott is going to be out for at least the next four weeks, putting into question the value that Ferguson will provide for Dallas. Ferguson also hasn’t scored a touchdown all season and only has three games over 50 receiving yards all season long.
College:
LaNorris Sellers – Quarterback
LaNorris Sellers just dropped 34 fantasy points last weekend and got involved through the air and on the ground. Unfortunately, I don’t see much consistency from Sellers to be able to expect this weekly, making him a strong sell-high candidate. In each of the last three weeks for Sellers, he’s scored under 20 points, and I think that’s a good indicator of his value moving forward.
Raheim Sanders – Running Back
Raheim Sanders dropped 36 points this weekend by taking in his second multi-touchdown game of the season. The senior running back has only scored over 11 points twice in his last five games, including this recent performance. Sanders will have highs and lows, so it’s up to you when it comes to trade, but the value is high right now.
Latrell Caples – Wide Receiver
Anybody who picked up Latrell Caples was rewarded last weekend. He had six receptions for 90 yards and three touchdowns. In the four games before this weekend, he hadn’t passed 1.5 fantasy points in a game. That should tell you all you need to know, sell him high if he’s still on your roster.
Anthony Torres – Tight End
Some might get a little too excited over Anthony Torres scoring 14 fantasy points this weekend. Sadly, this is misleading, as he had just one catch for a 78-yard touchdown. In the last five games, he’s yet to have a matchup where he’s caught more than two passes, nor has he gone over 27 receiving yards. This is a sell-high game.
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:
Sam Darnold – Quarterback
Any worries about Sam Darnold falling off should be gone. Despite a two-game losing streak, Darnold came out, threw for 290 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, and got a huge win. He also saw Hockenson come back into the lineup, which will make Darnold’s value even higher down the stretch of the season.
Tyrone Tracy Jr – Running Back
Tyrone Tracy has won the job over Devin Singeltary. Tracy just rushed the ball 16 times and turned them into 66 yards on a night when the offense didn’t exactly do all that much. Still, he completely usurped Sinigletary in the offense as a rookie, so don’t sleep on what Tracy can bring to this Giants squad.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Wide Receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is coming off a night when he had seven receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He has hit double-digit fantasy points in six of his last eight games played and has shown WR1 possibilities with DK Metcalf missing time. Of course, when Metcalf returns, JSN is a WR2, but his potential is off the charts.
David Njoku – Tight End
David Njoku had five receptions for 29 yards this weekend, marking the second straight game that he’s seen at least seven targets head in his direction thanks to backup quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston will continue under center moving forward, and that means Njoku’s volume will remain high.
College:
Riley Leonard – Quarterback
For anybody who had questions about Riley Leonard’s consistency, those are gone. He’s had over 25 fantasy points in each of the last five games for Notre Dame, and he’s only being started in around 35 percent of fantasy leagues. There might not be a better opportunity to trade for a consistent quarterback like Leonard.
Desmond Claiborne – Running Back
Desmond Claiborne has put together back-to-back strong games, which is becoming a consistent trend for the Wake Forest running back. He just had a season-high in receiving yards this weekend on top of his 127 rushing yards. If he keeps getting involved through the air, then his value is going to surge forward.
Damon Ward – Wide Receiver
I think Damon Ward could be worth a risk in a trade. Not including this weekend, Ward had three straight games where he had less than seven combined points. This weekend, he had 23. It’s risky to trade for him given that North Texas has other receiving weapons that need to get the ball, but Ward could be a boom-or-bust candidate each week.
Joe Royer – Tight End
Joe Royer could be aa very interesting trade target at the tight end position. In his last four games, he’s received at least six targets in each of them and has picked up at least four receptions as well. He only scored one touchdown in that span, but the volume alone gives him some trade incentive.
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:
Justin Herbert – Quarterback
Justin Herbert has thrown 10 touchdowns compared to one interception this season, and he’s turned it up lately. He is coming off back-to-back multi-touchdown games and has averaged over 300 yards passing in that span. I like his odds of staying hot this week.
Jaylen Warren – Running Back
Jaylen Warren has touched the ball over 10 times in back-to-back games now and has totaled over 100 scrimmage yards as a result. Coming off a bye week to continue getting healthier, Warren should eat into Najee Harris’ touches moving forward and get some good production.
Ricky Pearsall – Wide Receiver
Ricky Pearsall didn’t play this week thanks to the San Francisco 49ers having a bye week. However, that doesn’t change anything, with Pearsall taking in five touches and turning them into 77 scrimmage yards against the Dallas Cowboys before that. I think he’ll be great this season, especially with the injuries to that offense.
Taysom Hill – Tight End
Given the relentless injuries to the New Orleans Saints offense, Taysom Hill has the opportunity to do wonders down the stretch of the season. You can expect him to get rushing value, receiving value, and possibly even passing value if Derek Carr isn’t fully healthy (requiring some trick plays). All in all, I like the intrigue on Hill.
College:
Jalen Kitna – Quarterback
This is a big shot in the dark, but Jalen Kitna could be a great late-season pickup. Kitna just had 404 yards passing this weekend along with six touchdowns to total 53 fantasy points. He is moving into upcoming good matchups against Memphis and Rice, so there’s a shot that he can continue to build off of his momentum.
Bryson Washington – Running Back
Bryson Washington took 26 carries this weekend and turned them into 196 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first player in the Big 12 to score four rushing touchdowns this season. He’s a very athletic player who has gotten involved in the passing game a little as well. I like his chances of being helpful down the stretch of the season for any fantasy team in need of another running back.
Omari Hayes – Wide Receiver
Omari Hayes has racked up a whopping 25 targets over the course of his last three games. In all of those contests, he’s had at least five receptions and 70 receiving yards, which is a level of consistency that fantasy managers can only dream of from a wideout. These numbers will continue to look good down the stretch if he can carry this momentum forward.
Houston Thomas – Tight End
Houston Thomas had ten targets and over 100 receiving yards two weeks ago, and this past weekend, he had six receptions and two touchdowns. That’s back-to-back weeks of production for Thomas, who has 22 targets in his last three games and over 50 fantasy points in that span.
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.