We sometimes talk too much in hypotheticals in this piece, so let’s talk about a real trade that went down this week. I dealt David Montgomery and CeeDee Lamb for Tyler Boyd and Le’Veon Bell. My point here is not to talk about myself, but to discuss the process of how the trade came together. Montgomery was a solid if uninspiring piece who was burning a hole on my bench. After losing OBJ to injury and taking hits on both Lamb and DeVante Parker due to quarterback changes, I needed a solid WR to complement my RB-heavy team. I looked up a number of rest-of-season rankings to see what WRs were in the Montgomery area and found that Boyd was right there. This is where I had to read the room.
I’m racing for the last playoff spot in this league. I went 0-5 while scoring in the top half of the league before clawing three wins back. I’ve done business with the Boyd owner before, and I need him to beat his opponent this week because that guy is trying to steal my playoff spot. The Boyd owner was about to start Le’Veon as his RB2 due to a bye-week crunch and, sitting at 4-4, needs a win now. I usually don’t trade for dudes on a bye, but potentially helping my trade partner beat my playoff rival helped this deal get done. I gave up two guys who I won’t start this week for someone who becomes a no-doubt starter for me the rest of the year. Sometimes the stars align… but you have to look for them.
Will’s Buy – Tyler Boyd
Did I buy Tyler Boyd just due to some rankings? No. Boyd is the type of guy who will never get the respect he deserves, and those guys are always good buys (just like David Montgomery). Boyd, who has his bye this week, is WR8 in half-PPR so far. If you can get those prices for the Cincinnati Bengal, please invite me to your league. Boyd will always be remembered as A.J. Green’s backup, but he’s so much more. He’s been a solid WR2 with over 1,000 yards in the past two years. Boyd is averaging more points per game than Terry McLaurin, Allen Robinson, and Robert Woods. He’s the WR1 for Joe Burrow, who is leading the league in attempts through eight games. Tyler Boyd is not a league-winner, but if you need a solid WR2 with one of the best floors in the game, go get him. That’s what I did.
Zach’s Buy – JaMycal Hasty
A common rule of thumb in fantasy football recently had been to avoid 49ers running backs. You never knew who they’re going to feed in any given week. That narrative has changed this season starting with Raheem Mostert. Mostert was getting the lion’s share of carries in San Francisco until he went down with an injury that landed him on the IR. The thought was that Jerick McKinnon was going to be the lead back during Mostert’s absence as he had been earlier this season, but that was not quite the case. Recently, it was reported that McKinnon was suffering from “tired legs” and that appeared to be the case in week 8. McKinnon finished the day with 3 carries for -1 yard. Meanwhile, JaMycal Hasty paced the 49ers rushing attack with 12 carries for 29 yards and was able to get into the end zone.
This week, the 49ers get the Green Bay Packers who have been gashed by opposing running attacks. This held true in week 7 when Dalvin Cook exposed the Packers run defense by going for 163 yards on 30 attempts and found the end zone four times. Hasty should be able to find some big lanes on Thursday night and he should be fed the ball early and often. The 49ers are dealing with a myriad of injuries going into Thursday night with three of their top running backs either injured or tired along with the bigger news that both Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle will be out multiple weeks with injuries. The 49ers should be running the ball early and often against a Packers team traveling cross country on a short week and I suspect JaMycal Hasty will be the beneficiary of big opportunities both this week and going forward until Mostert returns.
Will’s Sell – Will Fuller
Ok, so Fuller did not get moved to Green Bay before the trade deadline. Say it with me… this is good for Fuller’s value. You still get to sell this dude as the lead receiver in an offense and a guy who is top ten at his position as of now. Don’t get me wrong, Fuller is no flash in the pan. Fuller has been the Amari Cooper of the Texans, by which I mean that they’ve converted him from a boom/bust guy to a chain-mover who is an integral part of the offense. But Fuller is always going to be a guy who will deal with the spectre of injury. If someone balks at his every-week value, just walk away. Fuller is a great asset in a multi-piece deal for a stud. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t swing it… stick with the guy who is actually producing. Fuller is a WR2 and you should value him as such.
Zach’s Sell – The Detroit Lions
Sorry Will, the Lions look average at best, both fantasy-football-average and NFL-football-average. It isn’t all their fault as they’ve had some injuries, namely Kenny Golladay missing some time this season which has made their offense look much more pedestrian than we are used to as fantasy players. At this point, I am out on all Lions’ players for the remainder of the fantasy season with the exception of T.J. Hockenson. Hockenson has been a nice bright spot, especially in such a shallow fantasy position. Hockenson looks like he is breaking out this season and will be a top ten option for many years to come.
Beyond Hockenson, tell me a player that you feel comfortable starting in any given week…go ahead, I’ll wait…Nothing? Me either.
We are used to the constantly undervalued Marvin Jones Jr. stepping up, or a Lions’ runner to at least be a flex option week in and week out, and we could always count on Matthew Stafford. Not this year. Stafford is averaging less than two passing touchdowns per game through week 8 and with Golladay likely missing at least week 9, I’m concerned we may not get a fantasy-relevant Matthew Stafford this week and maybe not at all this season. The rushing attack is currently being paced by a 35-year old Adrian Peterson who has twice as many carries as their second-round rookie draft pick D’Andre Swift. Swift looks to be the better runner of the two (obviously) averaging 4.5 yards per carry with four rushing touchdowns. Comparatively, Peterson is averaging 3.8 yards per carry and two touchdowns. I am no longer holding out hope for D’Andre Swift this season and the same goes for just about every other Lions’ player.
Zach’s Buy – Darnell Mooney
Move over Anthony Miller, there is a new breakout candidate in Chicago. Rookie Darnell Mooney has burst onto the scene over the last two weeks. In week 7, Mooney led the Bears in targets, and in week 8 he put up 5 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Of course, Allen Robinson remains the go-to receiver in Chicago, but I think we may be witnessing the emergence of the Bears’ new number two receiver for the foreseeable future. The fifth-round rookie pick is exceeding all expectations for the Bears this season. Since week three, Mooney has not had less than five targets per game and has never had less than two catches in any game through eight weeks. He is currently outpacing his counterpart, Anthony Miller, in multiple statistical categories through the first half of the season. I don’t think that Mooney is a must-start at this point, but he is actively moving into flex consideration depending on the matchup week in and week out.
Sometimes you should make the deal that you can, rather than the deal that you wish you could. Will (@Dynastywalrus) and Zach (@DFF_Ztrain) would love to hear from you on Twitter to discuss buys, sells, and anything else fantasy!
