Buy Low
Marquess Wilson, WR, CHI - Remember me? Marvin Jones reminds us to not assume a clean return from injuries, but if Wilson isn’t tripped up with any setbacks, he’ll be on the field before the end of the season. We don’t have any hard data on his return, but a third receiver in the Bears offense with Wilson’s talent could have redraft value, and shouldn’t be on any dynasty waiver wires.
CJ Spiller, RB, BUF - In redraft, it’s time to move on. Maybe not drop him Spiller except in short bench leagues, but at the very least don’t let Spiller near your lineup for now. In dynasty, his value is as low as it has been since he entered the league. Spiller is far from over the hill, and in a new system on a new team last year, he could easily regain form for at least one or two more excellent fantasy seasons.
Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF - Watkins down Week 6 was due to being stranded on Revis Island. He should be in for some very nice weeks going forward with Kyle Orton breathing life into a stalled out pass offense.
Travis Kelce, TE, KC - Why not list him here one more time? He is coming off of a bye and low scoring week entering the bye. The Chiefs should have made some adjustments during that bye to have Kelce even more involved in the offense going forward. His elevation to Gronkowski levels is coming soon.
Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA - Landry is likely locked up in dynasty leagues, but he has been under the radar in redraft. That might change as the Dolphins appeared to emphasize Landry more in the passing game in Week 6 coming out of their bye, and Landry delivered. He could be a surprise rookie sensation going forward and isn’t getting enough attention for his ever-increasing level of play.
Darren McFadden, RB, OAK - McFadden is a bit of a joke around fantasy circles, but he has resembled the McFadden that looked like ascending star RB at times in the past, and the Raiders offense is growing up around him. He can hold flex value for as long as he stays healthy - which he has actually done so far this year! He just turned 27, so if McFadden really has turned the corner on durability, there could be value there well beyond this year after he was left for dead this offseason in dynasty leagues.
Andre Holmes, WR, OAK - His owners are probably jealously clinging to him, but Holmes is available after his breakout game because someone thinks they are being clever by “selling high”, snap Holmes up. Be willing to pay in redraft, too. He could be the answer if you just lost Victor Cruz.
Markus Wheaton, WR, PIT - Wheaton and the Steelers offense bottomed out last week. Wheaton and Ben Roethlisberger looked like they were playing different games, and he has been called out publicly. It’s only his second season and Wheaton is too talented to stay down for long. This is a great moment to make a lowball offer to his dynasty owner.
Matthew Stafford, QB, DET - While Stafford’s production is done and Calvin Johnson is still out, his owner might be a little more willing to part with this maturing quarterback. If you have coveted Stafford in the past, his price isn’t going to get much lower than it is now without a major injury.
Theo Riddick, RB, DET - Riddick was red hot on his receptions and the Lions offense didn’t miss a beat with him in the Reggie Bush role against the Vikings… until he re-injured his hamstring, putting him on the sidelines again. In redraft, carrying Riddick is hard to do without a deep bench because Bush is back - that being said, keep him at the top of the waiver wire speed dial list. In dynasty, especially PPR, you’ve been warned. He shouldn’t be on the wire.
Davante Adams, WR, GB - Adams is likely untouchable in dynasty leagues, but his redraft potential is still being greatly underestimated. It looks like he has been playing with Aaron Rodgers for years now. The big outburst game is coming soon, perhaps this weekend against the shoddy Panthers secondary.
Percy Harvin, WR, SEA - Harvin’s owners have to be sick of sporadic targets and touchdowns called back by penalty. Between his underwhelming fantasy production this year and his lengthy injury history, Harvin continues to lose luster from the rising star he appeared to be two years ago. The Seahawks have taken a hard punch from the Chargers and Cowboys, but they should be able to collect themselves and unleash what looked like an emerging prolific offense earlier this year. Harvin is probably available for a song in redraft, and his lowest price all year in dynasty right now.
Pierre Garcon, WR, WAS - Garcon is an excellent receiver, although his 2013 numbers were inflated the necessity of his giant number of targets. A more balanced offense has capped his weekly upside, but a receiver as good and established as Garcon in his prime won’t be held down for long. Robert Griffin III will be back soon, and he has proven chemistry with Garcon. Get in while the discount is deep.
Sell High
Joe Flacco, QB, BAL - Flacco ran into two teams on what may be their worst defensive days of the entire season. He is still just a bye/injury/emergency QB with barely more than waiver wire value. If you happened to pick him up for a bye starter last week or own him in dynasty, get whatever you can while his value is up.
Mohamed Sanu, WR, CIN - Sanu has come a long way in his development this year, and appears to be cementing a long term role in the Bengals pass offense. With Marvin Jones on injured reserve and AJ Green still out, he has tremendous immediate value and his value in redraft leagues will persist. Still, long term, he projects as a role player. If you can get more than role player value for him right now, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger, unless you’re so thin at wide receiver that you’ve been using him.
Ben Tate, RB, CLE - Tate is healthy, and he is balling right now, along with the whole Browns running game. The loss of Alex Mack could hurt a little, but more ominous is the possibility that Tate could get hurt again and then Isaiah Crowell will take the starting job and not look back. If Tate is your third or fourth best running back right now, it is a smart idea to sell at current market value to a team that isn’t so lucky.
Shane Vereen, RB, NE - Vereen’s running hasn’t approached the quality he showed in Week 1 last year after Stevan Ridley’s star faded, and his receiving ability isn’t where it was in late 2013, when Vereen was wearing a cast. Ridley’s ACL tear may convince some holdout Vereen believers that this is his moment, but it is more likely that he remains in the same mediocre role and level of production has been putting out this year.
Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN - I’ll give credit to Hillman for running hard against the Jets, but his reigning over the Broncos backfield will probably be short-lived for one reason (undersized) or another (fumble-prone). If you don’t *need* him in redraft, see if an RB-poor team will give you something of value for him. In dynasty, try to turn this recent waiver wire dweller into a pick or prospect.
