Whether you’re 3-0 or 0-3, it’s time for a gentle “spring cleaning” of those rosters. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and fantasy football is no exception. It’s time to take advantage of some buy-low and sell-high opportunities to get your rosters fit for the win in 2019.
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Buy Low
Le’Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets
Despite the dumpster fire that was the Jets in Week 3, it’s worth noting that RB Le’Veon Bell still saw the volume of touches he was paid to have. They didn’t amount to much, putting up just 63 all-purpose yards and no scores. However, this was against a Bill Belichick schemed defense, and Belichick is known to shut down the opposition’s best offensive weapon. As the Jets rolled out third-string QB Luke Falk, that weapon was very clearly Bell.
In just three weeks, Bell has amassed 76 total touches. Although he’s less efficient than he was in Pittsburgh, he has proven his worth in the passing game that gives him a safe floor in PPR leagues. The Jets have a bye in Week 4, and then, hopefully, the return of Sam Darnold. Buy low off a lousy performance and the knowledge that Bell is heading into a bye week by packaging a guy coming off a big week and a serviceable asset through the bye weeks.
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams has some work to do if he intends to get back on pace to repeat his 13 touchdown performance in 2018. He kicks off the season averaging just five receptions for 66 yards per game and remains scoreless headed into Week 4. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers continue to adjust to their Matt LaFleur led offense. They faced a couple of tough matchups to begin the season, including Chicago, Minnesota, and Denver, so a dip in production shouldn’t be too shocking for fantasy owners.
Adams is coming off his lowest target count since Week 6 of the 2016 season. However, it’s hard to discount the explosive connection we’ve seen between this quarterback and wide receiver pair since 2016 based on just three outings. Adams should look to bounce back as the schedule opens up against the Eagles, Cowboys and Lions. The buy-low window for a player of Adams’ caliber is rarely open; Take advantage.
John Brown, WR, Buffalo Bills
Yes - John Brown has earned his place in my trade targets column for the second time. I promise this will probably be the last time. Just as we all expected, the Bills start their 2019 season 3-0. Josh Allen looks as though he’s matured in the offense, making better reads and utilizing short-range targets to get the first down and extend drives. Good news for fantasy owners, Brown continues to show out as Allen’s favorite target.
Through three weeks, Brown has seen 23 targets and has racked up more receiving yards than names like DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and D.J. Moore. Not to say he’s a better wide receiver, but hey - whatever stat helps the argument, right? He’s been a go-to guy in every situation on the field, whether early downs, short-range targets, or on the end-around for a rush.
The Bills have made Brown a point of emphasis in the offense early, and at this point, it looks like one of the least expensive WR2s for 2019. His perceived value for fantasy was never particularly high, but he has real boom potential as a deep-threat in a Josh Allen led offense. Buy now and reap the benefits of a less-costly DeSean Jackson type.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews entered Week 3 as the TE1 for fantasy football. He topped the 100-yard mark in each of the Ravens’ first two outings with a pair of touchdowns to boot. Fantasy owners were likely salivating at the perception of a soft matchup against the Kansas City defense, but it didn’t quite translate for Andrews on paper. He finished his day with just three receptions for 15 yards and no scores. The good news for fantasy owners? There’s plenty of information that the box score won’t tell you. Two of Andrews’ targets left incomplete were in the end zone, and one was within the five. Granted, they were off the mark, but red zone targets are valuable, and Andrews certainly looks to be Lamar Jackson‘s guy.
Despite the down week, Andrews continues to display all of the metrics we’d like to see for a top tier tight end in fantasy football. Of tight ends with at least ten targets through 2018, Andrews ranks 6th in average depth of target (9.3 yards) and 4th in total air yards (224). Heading into week three, he ranked second in yards per route run and fantasy football points per snap played. Andrews should look to bounce back in a significant way against the Cleveland Browns, who primed Delanie Walker for a beautiful comeback game in Week 1.
Editor’s Note: Here are some of the top guys to target for trades, but who should you give up? Plug your trade props into our Season Pass Trade Analyzer to make sure you’re coming out on top of every deal!
Sell-High
Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Adam Thielen finished 2018 as the WR7 and, as Kirk Cousins’ favorite target, should have been primed for another productive season. Unfortunately for Thielen, Cousins is still under center, and the offense still looks less than clutch when relying on him to get the ball to his playmakers.
Thielen finished the day with two total touchdowns, one of them a 35-yard pass from Cousins and the other a rush on the goal line sniped from Dalvin Cook. He’s averaged just 57.7 yards per game through three weeks, a disappointing start considering his hot streak to kick off the 2018 season. The Vikings have faced some run-friendly matchups that have not produced the passing volume that we’d find the ideal for Thielen’s production. If you can sell Thielen’s double-TD performance for a guy coming off a down week (Chris Godwin, perhaps), I’d do it.
Phillip Lindsay, RB, Denver Broncos
Running back Phillip Lindsay has gotten off to a slow start in 2019 after a very efficient rookie season, averaging 5.6 yards per touch and 0.6 touchdowns per game. He saw a career-high 21 carries on Sunday to produce 81 yards and two touchdowns, one of which came after literally being carried into the end zone by his offensive line.
Although Lindsay made up for his lack of early production in Week 3, it’s worth noting that the Denver Broncos are not shying away from sophomore RB Royce Freeman. The talk in the offseason was that the Broncos intended to get their two backs closer to a 50/50 split, and so far, the coaching staff has lived up to their word. The Broncos see some tougher matchups in the coming weeks, including the Jaguars, Titans and Chargers, each in the bottom half of the league so far in fantasy points allowed to the RB. Given the split in offensive snaps and predictable dip inefficiency, I’m aiming to sell Lindsay coming off a productive game.
