Hello, fellow fantasy managers. My name is Matt Ward, and I will be substituting for the Draft Director, Chris Miles, in this week’s edition of Redraft: Buy/Sell. Chris begins every Buy/Sell article with a personal disclaimer that I felt would be pertinent to quote.
“If someone’s value is too high, I might tell you to sell or if I think their value will decrease soon, he could also be a sell. I will give my reasoning for why each player falls in a certain category. I will attempt to have the format consistently be a buy and sell for each position, but that may increase or decrease depending on the week. I do not want to put a QB or TE on my list just to fill the space if they do not truly deserve it. So, you can trust that all of the players I will talk about are relevant.”
I want to add to that by saying I would never advise a reader to make a move I would not personally make myself. My intentions will always be to provide actionable reasoning behind my evaluations. Now let’s make some trades.
Quarterbacks
Buy – Kirk Cousins QB, MIN VIKINGS
The “Bye-pocalypse” is upon us, or as I like to call it, the “Buy-pocalypse.” In Week 7 of the 2021 season, seven teams will enter their bye week. This creates a natural dip in trade value for inactive players. Kirk Cousins has been an uninspiring yet consistent QB1 this season. The Vikings enter their Week 7 bye with Cousins ranked as QB10. He is likely being undervalued. Managers without a contingency plan will be getting desperate with Cousins on bye. If you are looking to get an upgrade at quarterback for Week 8 and beyond, Cousins is an excellent trade target.
SELL – Joe Burrow QB, CIN BENGALS
Burrow is currently ranked QB13 in 2021 and has had only two games in the top twelve this season. The Bengals’ strength of schedule is terrifying for the young quarterback. In eight of his next nine games, Burrow will face a top 12 ranked defense in FPTS allowed to opposing quarterbacks. The combined average of points allowed by those upcoming defenses in Weeks 7-16 is a lowly 17.4 FPTS. The hype and admiration surrounding rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has helped drive Burrow’s seasonal value well above his current production. It’s time to capitalize on that unnecessary correlation.
Running Backs
BUY – J.D. McKissic RB, WAS FOOTBALL TEAM
McKissic is a PPR wizard. As the second-string running back on paper behind Antonio Gibson, McKissic is much more than a secondary option in WFT’s offense. He led the team in targets in Week 6 against the Chiefs, recording eight catches for 65 yards.
Gibson is dealing with stress fractures in his shin and will likely be limited for the rest of the season if not put on IR. As it stands presently, Gibson is expected to continue playing. McKissic’s price rises amidst the panic of Gibson being shut down, but the window is still open for managers to make a savvy purchase.
SELL – Antonio Gibson RB, WAS FOOTBALL TEAM
See above. Injuries aside, Gibson has not received the usage in 2021 that was projected this offseason. He has received just 16 targets on the season and averages just 55.7% of the offensive snaps. Managers were expecting a workhorse volume from Gibson that was never assured, only assumed. With his shin injury affecting his ability to perform and his usage dwindling, I would cut your losses with Gibson and pursue a trade.
Wide Receivers
BUY – Marquise Brown WR, BAL RAVENS
The debut of rookie Rashod Bateman has caused managers to turn a blind eye to Hollywood Brown’s breakout season. I laid those narratives to rest in my latest edition of Fantasy Fact or Cap. You can point to Bateman’s team-lead in targets in Week 6 and conclude that Hollywood is no longer the number one receiving option for the Ravens. Or you can use logic and understand that no receiver saw more than six targets in a dominating blowout. Bateman is more likely to displace Watkins than surpass Hollywood as the alpha. Send out feelers for Hollywood in your leagues and see if any managers are buying into the hot takes.
SELL – Adam Thielen WR, MIN VIKINGS
In his last 22 regular-season games, Adam Thielen has ranked below WR50 a total of seven times. Thielen failed to score a touchdown in all seven of those games. In Week 6 against the Panthers, Thielen scored 29.8 FPTS. He happened to score a touchdown. It is time to sell for a more reliable producer.
Tight Ends
BUY – Darren Waller TE, LV RAIDERS
Waller presents a classic case of ‘buying the dip.’ I refuse to believe a top positional talent like Waller will continue to perform at a middling level. He is still the best pass-catcher on the Raiders roster and should even out his averages in the coming weeks. Managers often panic about their investments at this stage in the season, especially when those investments come with a top fifteen ADP price tag. With Waller’s Week 8 bye looming, there has never been a better time to make an offer.
SELL – Noah Fant TE, DEN BRONCOS
There are a lot of mouths to feed on this offense. The Broncos have designated Jerry Jeudy to return from IR this week, adding one more plate to the table. Fant will not continue to receive the volume necessary for top-five tight end production. I would look to sell Fant at his highest value before Jeudy ever steps onto the field.
Much respect, thank you for reading my edition of Redraft Buy/Sell. It was a pleasure filling in for Chris this week. If you have any continued thoughts and would like to share, I am always available for an open conversation on Twitter: @PsychWardFF or Instagram: @psychwardff. Please stay up to date on all of my content on Linktree: @PsychWardFF.
You can read Chris’ previous articles in this series here: Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6
