Buys are always the time when it feels like you should avoid a player. I fully admit, this trade suggestion feels obvious and yet from comments and general unease it feels like people are hitting the panic button. Fun fact here: yahoo had the top five QBs ranked 5, 7, 9, 16 and 18 for the draft. Well Rodgers currently ranks 186 without the Seattle game under his discount doublecheck belt, Brady 62, Brees 11, Stafford 84 and Cam Newton 52 and yet the panic has been surrounding Cam…ok Stafford too, but I don’t wanna talk about that right now. Color me confused. He wasn’t a model of consistency last year and he just had his worst game of the season and still ranks 52nd. This isn’t Jay Cutler here folks, despite what the statline said last week. I’ll be completely honest, you’re not trading for last year’s stats. I don’t see you getting 14 rushing TDs on the season but as it stands, he’s still on pace for 10 on the ground. Overall, he is just one full season into his career. Growing pains are going to happen but this is an upside trade here. If you can get him for his current season value, I’d dive in.
BUY
Brandon Lloyd – Again, these feel obvious and yet the actual rankings say maybe they’re still being undervalued. The target leader so far this season at WR is Wayne with 40. Brandon is 7th with 33. But Reggie is ranked 4th among WRs and Lloyd is ranked 26th in terms of fantasy points according to yahoo. It’s clear he’s not his team’s WR1, but there’s nothing wrong with Lloyd as your WR2 and you should be able to get him for cheaper than that. Get in on that before both his WR stock and his music career are resurrected.
Pierre Thomas – So this is a bit of a deep league call but I’ll put it to you this way: Andre Brown is owned in 65% of leagues while PT is only owned in 58%, according to yahoo. I don’t know if my hatred of Mark Ingram was ever fully displayed in the off-season but let me just state it now: I hate him. He’s also 58% owned. Yep, all 2.9 YPC of him. He’s also not a part of the passing game on a team that is known to pass the ball and whose defense will not be giving the Saints much of a chance to grind down the clock. I’m talking this up because they both have nearly the same amount of touches on the year and PT has nearly doubled his fantasy output in PPR leagues. It’s looking like a lost season for real football fans down in New Orleans as they’re playing from behind a lot but for fantasy football fans, PT should be useful flex play most weeks.
Ryan Williams – Now this is not a call based on his last game but moreso a call on Beanie Wells. Beanie’s injury history – which he keeps adding to now with his toe problems – coupled with ineptitude will put Williams in a spot to perform most weeks from here on out. Like PT, you’re trading for a nice flex play, especially in PPR leagues. Of course, if he’s on waivers and you have a guy like Peyton Hillis, I’d actually drop for him.
Kenny Britt – Play on the disappointment of Britt owners. You know they’ll tell you he’s done nothing so far this season and for the most part, they’re right. They’ll also complain about him not playing in OT because of his ankle injury last Sunday. Well someone drafted Hakeem Nicks without concern of injury risk much higher and they probably aren’t complaining as loud despite the fact he’s already missed a game. On only 37 snaps, he was targeted 11 times and hauled in 6 passes for 55 yards for week 3. He’s a WR2 with high potential whom you might be able to get for a WR3 or less. You may not get another chance to buy in for cheap after this Sunday.
Green Bay Packers – No, I’m not telling you to buy shares in the team. Seriously, sentimental value rip-off! You get nothing for those shares. Who do they think they are, Bear Stearns? No, I’m telling you this team has run a defensive gauntlet to start the year and I’m buying. Aaron Rodgers a buy low? Check. What about Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings? Check. Heck, what about Cedric Benson? Yep, even him. Just buy these cheeseheads. They’re gouda for you.
SELL
Robert Griffin, III – Yes, I know. No one sells Griffin. NO ONE. Hear me out, I love this kid but fantasy football has nothing to do with love. If you need proof, you just ask Matt Ryan why I can’t come within 150 feet of him. I just asked him to model as my tattoo artist put him on my left butt cheek. Is that so wrong? But I digress, I’m selling Griffin for two reasons. First, he’s ranked second overall in yahoo fantasy right now. His stock can’t get any higher. Second, there’s a number about him that bothers me: 32. That’s the amount of times he’s rushed the ball so far. He’s on pace to rush the ball 170 times and score 16 TDs on the ground. From this, I divine two more things. One, he can’t sustain that rate and that will hurt his overall value. Secondly, he’s not a running back. You don’t want your star QB getting carries like he’s his team #2 Running Back and before you ask, yes he’s second on the team in both rushing attempts and rushing yards. Now I’m not going to compare, but Michael Vick and him have fairly thin frames. For as good as RGIII has proven himself this year, his o-line isn’t the best and he’s going to be in harms way a lot more than you’d like him to be. I’m not predicting he’s going to get hurt but I also don’t want to hold if I can get his current value in return.
Reggie Wayne – Don’t be too surprised he’s down here. Also, this is my gut telling me to sell regardless of targets to date. I don’t have hard facts here, only the number 33 – his current age and he’ll be 34 in November – and the fact he’s on a tear to start the year. He’s on pace for nearly 123 receptions. Even with Peyton Manning at the helm, his career high is 111. I think he’s a good low end WR2 play, high end WR3 play in PPR leagues. Think of this sell like my Danny Amendola sell call last week. Again, there’s value in holding him for the season just not WR1 value which you have in him right now.
Andrew Hawkins – I don’t even know what you can get for him but he had 9 targets week 1. He now has 16 on the year. It’s clear Andy Dalton is willing to spread the ball around when your name is not A.J. Green. But with two touchdowns over his last two games on only four receptions, you may not get a chance to move him again. Probably try and add him as a filler for a trade that might not make it through without some add-on.