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Buy Low
Don Jackson, RB, GB - As Justis Mosqueda (a great football mind that you should follow @Jumosq) pointed out, Eddie Lacy is in the last year of his rookie contract and he had foot concerns that might have caused his stock to drop in the 2013 draft (fused?). James Starks and Knile Davis are not long-term solutions. More unlikely players have staked their claim to a running back job successfully in the past. Jackson is a waiver claim in redraft and dynasty leagues right now and could surprise and stick around in a running back situation that might open up soon.
Jeff Janis, RB, GB - 2016 has been the year of redemption stories… well, except Josh Gordon (Good luck to him). Janis has failed to earn the trust of his coaches, but now they have no choice as Davante Adams has a concussion. Besides that the offense is stuck in the same short passing doldrums that plagued them last year. They have a deep threat, as Matt Harmon pointed out this week on the couch. Janis will get run and the last time this happens, he had a memorable playoff performance. He’s on a lot of dynasty waiver wires right now.
Wendell Smallwood, RB, PHI - Smallwood was dynamic and exciting in his limited action against Pittsburgh, and he made his kickoff return for touchdown last week look easy. On top of that, it gave him more touchdowns than the Eagles offense in Week 6. They are going to give him a look sooner or later to inject some life into an offense that is getting bogged down. Ryan Mathews’ injury history also points to an increased opportunity for Smallwood in the near future. He’s a great pre-emptive add in redraft if you can afford the spot and speculative buy in dynasty if he’s on a contender looking to improve their lineup.
Jacquizz Rodgers, Peyton Barber RB, TB - Doug Martin had a setback in his hamstring recovery. There’s no timetable, but it’s fair to pencil him in for at least the absence he had the first time around (with a possibility of it being worse this time). This means Rodgers will get a chance to handle as much work as he can after his efforts helped the team secure a valuable road division win before their bye. He’s as cheap as a mid-season fill-in RB2 will come in redraft. Barber has NFL size and measureables, and could pop if Rodgers gets hurt or the team needs to scale back his workload after multiple weeks of a feature back punishment. He’s a good add in deep dynasty The commitment to the run and continuity on the offensive line make the Bucs running game a good cheap investment. There’s also always the chance Martin struggles to get back on the field and you land someone that can help for more than just a few weeks.
Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN - Hill has fallen out of favor after being a red hot commodity in dynasty leagues at the beginning of last year. He is going to be of marginal use to his owner and with Giovani Bernard signed for three years in the offseason, he’s looking at a committee for at least one more year. He’s only 24 and Hill still has the profile of a lead back at some point down the line. He’s running better than his disappointing 2015 campaign - this year it is the Bengals who are letting us down, and to a lesser extent, the schedule. If you can get Hill at a trough before he likely runs over the Browns this weekend, it will pay down the line in dynasty leagues.
Breshad Perriman, WR, BAL - Perriman has been showing some edge to his game and like Kevin White right before he got hurt, he appears to be coming into his own in his “rookie year”. The Ravens have two starting wide receivers in the autumn/winter of their careers, and one is hurt right now. The 2015 first-round pick is going to see more snaps and opportunities as the year goes on as long as he stays healthy.
Chester Rogers, WR, IND - Rogers has arguably been better than Phillip Dorsett at getting open downfield and stretching the defense, and the undrafted free agent from Grambling now will move into the #2 wide receiver job if Dorsett’s hamstring keeps him out of Week 7’s game against Tennessee. He’s on the waiver wire in a lot of dynasty leagues.
Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI - Jeffery had 6-90 in the first half last week and he’s off the injury report. Green Bay is missing their top three corners this week. Jeffery is about to remind everyone who he is when he’s not slowed down by injury. By the way, even though he didn’t score, he had at least 70 yards in five of the first six games and at least five catches in four of six. While he was slowed down. Make an offer in redraft and dynasty,
Sell High
Jordan Howard, RB, CHI - Howard has a greater claim to the Bears #1 running back job than Jeremy Langford, but we can’t forget this staff seems to love Langford and he’s not going away in only his second year. Howard looked good in some good matchups, with more burst and heaviness to his running than I expected, but his limitations were in view last week against Jacksonville, and he’s not that much less replaceable than Langford when it comes to feature back quality. He still has some profile in redraft and appears to be coveted in dynasty, but the luster is going to dim.
Travis Kelce, TE, KC, Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC - The Chiefs have Andy Reid’s blueprint coming together, which is bad news for Kelce and Maclin and the rest of their passing game. A strong 1-2 punch in the backfield combined with a defense that is about to get back Justin Houston means a lot of low volume, safe passing games from Alex Smith, who also has credible secondary options like Tyreek Hill and Chris Conley now. The outlook is dim for Maclin in redraft and dynasty, and Kelce is a sell at a thin position in redraft.
Drew Brees, QB, NO - Brees had his best game of the year last week and he’s sitting in the top three in most leagues. His next five games include three road outdoor games and home games against Seattle and Denver. If he’s going to garner value on the trade market in dynasty leagues, now is the time. It’s a good time to cash in his value if your team is going nowhere this year.
Terrelle Pryor, WR, CLE - Hold Pryor and his sky high ceiling in dynasty leagues. I’m still not sure the perception has caught up to the reality when it comes to Pryor’s long-term ceiling. In redraft, Pryor is battling a hamstring this week, Corey Coleman will be back soon, the offensive line just took a hit, and it looks like Cody Kessler will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. If you can use him in a package to get up to an established stud wide receiver (like Jeffery), don’t hesitate.
Buy Low and Sell High
Antonio Brown, WR, PIT - In redraft, if you’re 2-4 or worse, you have to look at cashing in Brown. Maybe Roethlisberger will be back in a week or two and Brown’s value will be restored. He could also take 4-6 weeks and basically cost you your season while Brown underperforms with Landry Jones. Brown can still be a league winner in the playoffs if Roethlisberger is right, but you need to get there first. On the flipside, if the Brown owner is 2-4 or worse and you can circle like a shark, strike to get your potential league winner.