You know who’s fun? Kyler Murray. He’s just amazing to watch. I have no idea how his legs move so quickly. He’s also smart. He gets slides to avoid hits better than any NFL player I’ve ever seen. What a fun player to watch. You know who is also fun? DeAndre Hopkins. Zach and I have friends who are Texans’ fans and it’s just ridiculously fun to dunk on the trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona. Nuk is an absolute baller and that trade was a travesty. Now… you know what’s not fun? When Kyler threw up what is now being called the Hail Murray to Hopkins to win on Sunday. Why was it not fun? Because it allowed Zach to beat me by six points. Yeah… not fun. So let’s talk about something that is fun. How about some trade targets!
Will’s Buys: Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones
Among the elite running backs, these two have by far the best playoff schedules. Henry ends the fantasy season with matchups against the Jags, Lions, and Packers. Jones gets Detroit, Carolina, and Tennessee. Not only are those great opportunities for these elite RBs to score, but both guys have struggled the past two weeks. “Struggled” is in relative terms here. Henry has only 18 half-PPR points over this time but still touched the ball a combined 41 times, while Jones’ 38 combined touches only got him 22 points. You can also throw Jamaal Williams’ usage at the Jones owner in an attempt to drive down the price. Neither Jones nor Henry has a plus matchup this week, so your window may stay open for a bit. But all they need to do is fall into the end zone this week to drive that price back up. Both guys are clear RB1s who have performed like low-end RB2s the last two weeks. Add in the fact that they have top-five playoff schedules and you get two clear trade targets.
Zach’s Sell: The Ravens…yeah, all of them…but mostly Lamar Jackson
If you can still get big-name players in exchange for any Ravens’ player, smash accept. Lamar Jackson has been pedestrian, Hollywood Brown has been non-existent at times and the running backs are a coin flip on any given week. Of course, Lamar can bail you out with his legs but from last year to this year his completion percentage is down, his touchdown percentage is down and his interception percentage is up. His rushing, which remains prolific, has predictably regressed since last season. Lamar is a low-end QB1 with some tough matchups in the coming weeks.
Will’s Buy: Keenan Allen
Keenan Allen entered his week six bye as the WR16 in half-PPR scoring. Since then? He’s WR2. Why does it not feel like that? Nobody is clamoring for Keenan Allen in the same way they’re thirsting after D.K. Metcalf or DeAndre Hopkins. Why is this guy always overlooked and undervalued? He’s third in targets so far this year, he’s tied to a rookie phenom, and he’s a steady (if unsexy) producer. Allen has a great matchup this week against the Jets and some decent matchups coming up. He’s coming off a tough game against Miami in which a touchdown saved his day, so that might be depressing his value even more. This is a guy who you should be excited about owning, but no one ever is. That is a mistake. Mistakes like that are opportunities for smart owners.
Zach’s Sell: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
MVS was one of my long shot plays this offseason and he has been putting up very nice numbers, especially over the last two weeks. However, Allen Lazard is on track to return next week and Davante continues to command massive target shares in this offense. MVS is always going to be one play away from a great week, but he will frustrate fantasy owners the rest of the season with his boom/bust tendencies. Over his last four weeks, he has seven receptions on 15 targets. That is not ideal for a starting wide receiver on your fantasy team. If you can cash in on this briefly open selling window do it now before Lazard returns.
Will’s Sell: Tyler Lockett
I like Tyler Lockett, but I do not like playing boom-or-bust guys. That’s exactly what Lockett has been this year. Lockett scored 79 of his 139 points this season in two games. Those were the two games in which he scored three touchdowns each. They were also the only two games in which he’s had 100 or more receiving yards. That’s just not the kind of profile I want in an every-week starter. I would throw him out there and try to get a guy who will provide steady production. Your league-mates will see that Lockett is WR6 on the season and salivate at the chance to get an elite wideout. Unfortunately for Lockett, that’s just not what he is on a week-in, week-out basis. The volatility alone makes Lockett a mid-range WR2 in my mind. If you can get a top-ten guy with a higher floor, I say do it.
Zach’s Buy: Jameis Winston
Drew Brees may wind up being out for the remains of the 2020 fantasy football season. In comes Winston. The last time we saw Winston he was putting up prolific passing yardage and prolific interceptions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now he gets to showcase his talent with an incredible cast around him. Winston has some nice upcoming opponents, getting to face the Falcons’ porous defense twice over the next three weeks. Winston could be a league winner if you’ve been streaming quarterbacks to this point this season. Bid up on waivers and watch the Winston show begin!
I’m not mad. You’re mad! Did anyone else suffer a bad beat due to the Hail Murray on Sunday? Will (@Dynastywalrus) and Zach (@DFF_Ztrain) would love to hear from you on Twitter to discuss buys, sells, and anything else fantasy!
