NEWS
I like to make fantasy football trades. Really, who doesn’t? We all look at other teams’ rosters, checking out who we might be able to snag without giving up too much, who can make our teams better, who someone might be too low on, etc. Fantasy football trades are fun. Each week, I’ll be writing a column describing some guys I’d be trading for and why. Usually, they’ll be “buy low” guys, but sometimes they’ll just be guys that I might be higher on than most. I’ll also be giving you some sell high guys who you should try to trade away while their values are high. We’re now less than a month away from the trade deadline, so start making moves to improve your team while you still can!
Buy Low
Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT) – Come on. You know he’s better than the point totals he’s put up the last three weeks. 13, 17 and 13 points again in week seven are not normal totals for Big Ben. He’s a guy who will put up 20 at least every other week, on average. With matchups the next two weeks against two of the worst pass defenses in the NFL in the Redskins and Giants, he’s sure to improve his stock immediately. Grab him while a frustrated owner is still looking elsewhere.
Darren Sproles (RB, NO) – He was one of my favorite sleepers coming into this season. I know what you’re thinking. How can he be a sleeper when he was considered a top 20 running back by almost everyone? Well, I had him just outside my top five, and I reached for him in several drafts. The Saints are once again trying to make him a bigger part of the offense, and he’s bound to break out in a big way any week now. With 11 points in week seven in a limited role, look for him to put up similar yardage production on more carries and catches over the next couple weeks.
Steve Smith (WR, CAR) – This Carolina team is undergoing some serious changes. No one has been more vocal about those changes than the man in charge of Smith’s fantasy value: Cam Newton. Newton isn’t happy, and the Panthers are trying to find a solution. The solution that came Monday morning was the firing of general manager Marty Hurney. The next will be an increase in the production of their best playmaking receiver. Though Smith hasn’t had 10 fantasy points in week two, he did have nine targets on Sunday against the Cowboys. Look for his production to begin to come back to normal.
Brandon Myers (TE, OAK) – What did I tell you last week? Gronk is still a force to be reckoned with, and BAM! He puts up 19 points in week seven. Love it. This week, I’m touting Oakland’s Myers as my buy low tight end. His best performance came in week two with eight points. He’s averaging just over five points a game. That’s pretty bad. But no tight end had more targets in week seven than Myers did. He’s a big part of this Oakland passing game and is regularly getting open for Carson Palmer. Look for him to begin consistently having higher point totals.
Sell High
Josh Freeman (QB, TB) – After struggling in his first four games this season with no more than 13 points in any given week, Freeman now has 23 and 28 points in his last two games. Talk about a hot streak. However, with a matchup against Minnesota and their 10th ranked pass defense next week, Freeman’s stock can really only go downhill from here. Sell him while he still looks like a breakout possibility this season before he no longer does.
Fred Jackson (RB, BUF) – This has nothing to do with his talent. Jackson could be a borderline top five fantasy back on a team where he got a full workload. This has everything to do with the fact that the back in front of him on the depth chart (C.J. Spiller) is getting more work than Jackson is. After a good week seven in which Jackson played really well given his limited role, I’d look to deal him as the Bills try to get Spiller more involved in the offense.
Randall Cobb (WR, GB) – You may remember that I had James Jones here recently, too. Well, it just so happens that Cobb looked like Green Bay’s best receiver this past week, so he’s now the best sell-high candidate, too. Listen. Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson are still the two best receivers on this team. Does that mean nobody can be successful in the passing game? No, I just expect a regression when Jennings finally returns to the lineup. If he doesn’t return, feel free to ignore this. But I fully expect him to return in the next couple weeks and severely cut into the production of the rest of the receivers.
Dustin Keller (TE, NYJ) – I can’t do it, guys. I can’t. I want to because I like Keller as a player. He’s that dual-threat you want at tight end who can both catch and punish defenses physically. But this Jets passing game? Seriously? He won’t put up 15 points every week. He won’t even put up 10 points every week. And when the Jets inevitably give Tim Tebow a shot, the situation will only get worse. Don’t buy into this.
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