Buy Low
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, TEN (Redraft) - Fitzpatrick has put up elite fantasy numbers in two of his last three games. The bad game was on the road at Seattle, where no quarterback can flourish, and his elite numbers last week were in a partial game. Add to that a schedule of: IND @OAK @IND @DEN ARI @JAX and you have the makings of a surprise QB1 and savior down the stretch. Even if you don’t need a quarterback, pick up Fitzpatrick to keep someone else from getting a cheap savior.
Nick Foles, QB, Riley Cooper, WR, PHI (Redraft) - If you need a quarterback, hope that Foles’ owner doesn’t need him and is writing off his big numbers as a four-game long fluke (LOL). Foles has a dream fantasy playoff schedule of DET @MIN CHI, and a juicy matchup against Washington before a bye next week. Cooper should continue to benefit as his most-trusted deep ball receiver drawing the easier matchup of the Eagles receivers.
Victor Cruz, WR, NYG (Redraft/Dynasty) -The Giants passing game has been morose, and it’s possible that Cruz could remain underwhelming, if not a bit of a liability, but his touchdown-less streak is more likely your green light to make a final push for this wide receiver of elite talent and past production.
Matt Ryan, QB, ATL (Dynasty) - Ryan isn’t going to be mired in the muck with a limited offensive line, #1A receiver and absent #1 receiver forever. He is still a strong QB1 long term even though you can’t trust him to put up good numbers from here on out. He is a great trade target if his owner has been winning in spite of his poor numbers as of late and they have no good alternative at quarterback.
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAX (Dynasty) - Every week, Jones-Drew looks a little more like his old self. He is getting more dump-offs from Chad Henne, and without Jordan Todman snaking a touchdown from him, he would have had an elite RB1 stat line last week. He probably has 2-3 more years of being an everyweek fantasy starter as it has to get better for him than the dumpsterfire that was the 2013 Jaguars in the first half of the season.
Brandon Bostick, TE, GB (Dynasty) - This could be the last chance to get a cheap ticket on the Bostick express. He clearly has the requisite size, speed, fluid athleticism, and ball skills to be a fantasy TE1 if he wins the opportunity to start next year. Jermichael Finley is likely done (which is sad), and you can’t ask for a much better situation than having Aaron Rodgers throwing to you.
Dion Lewis, RB, CLE (Dynasty) - Lewis is out of his walking boot and he should be ready to go for offseason activities. Unless they make a big move in the draft or free agency, he’ll be the most talented back on the Cleveland roster entering the 2014 season, and he was extremely impressive in the preseason. Get Lewis for free on your deep dynasty rosters while you can.
Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI (Redraft) - Jeffery is red hot and he won’t come cheap, but his playoff schedule includes Dallas, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. Assuming the weather doesn’t make downfield passing impossible, he will be picking on some of the weaker #2 corners in the league.
Danny Amendola, WR, NE (Redraft) - Our WR1 target/reception expectations for Amendola feel like they came years ago, but it was only a few months ago. Now that he is as healthy as he has been all year, Amendola is poised to take advantage of playoff matchups against Cleveland, Miami, and Baltimore that should allow him to attack weaknesses in secondaries that have a great #1 corner, although beware of Lardarius Webb taking on Amendola in week 16.
Torrey Smith, WR, BAL (Redraft/Dynasty) - Smith is over a month removed from a five-week stretch that looked like it established him as a fantasy WR1. He’ll be back there again against a playoff schedule of Minnesota, Detroit, and New England, if not this week against a decimated Bears defense.
C.J. Spiller/Fred Jackson, RB, BUF (Redraft) - The Bills offense is fizzling, and neither of Spiller or Jackson can be expected to much this week against the Jets or next week in their bye, but a week 15/16 combo of the Jaguars and a Dolphins team that is on the brink of a meltdown could make them secret weapons in the fantasy playoffs.
Marvin Jones, WR, CIN (Redraft/Dynasty) - Counting on Jones means counting on Andy Dalton, which seems scary, but might actually be just fine. Dalton has shredded weak defenses, and the Bengals have two of the worst - Indianapolis (week 14) and Minnesota (week 16) in the fantasy playoffs. Check and see if his owner thinks that his four-week warm-to-hot streak was a fluke before he faces the poor #2/#3 corners on the Browns this week.
Sell High
Andre Brown, RB, NYG (Redraft) - Brown was a revelation in his first week back, and he might be just the tonic that an ailing fantasy backfield needs. On the other hand, Brown has promptly gotten hurt every time he has been healthy and productive so far in his career. If he is your RB4/RB5 behind a strong core, sell him to a running back needy team to upgrade a big weakness in your starting lineup.
Rob Housler, TE, ARI (Redraft/Dynasty) - People want to believe in Housler because of his size and speed, but he has poor open-field running instincts and he is just not a dynamic athlete. He gave up an interception by not even making a play on a deep ball, and most of his production was on short, easy catches. See if there are any believers that think that this is the beginning of a break out for Housler.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI (Redraft) - It’s hard to sell high when Fitzgerald has been coming up so small in the box score, but you might be able to get someone like Riley Cooper or Marvin Jones for him. Fitzgerald has a horrendous playoff schedule of St. Louis, Tennessee, and Seattle, and I’m not even sure I would start him in any of those weeks.
Cam Newton, QB, CAR (Redraft) - Selling him high coming off of a terrible game might seem odd, but the larger point here is that Newton is a dicey playoff quarterback play with two matchups against New Orleans sandwiching a game against the Jets. He has proven to be matchup-dependent, and only the Jets are at all enticing, with the risk that Rex Ryan’s aggressive scheme frustrates Newton.
Pierre Thomas, RB, NO (Redraft) - The sudden resurgence of Mark Ingram plus a playoff schedule that includes matchups against the Panthers means that Thomas is going to be a shaky play down the stretch. If he’s not a core part of your running back corps, then try to deal him to a running back needy team to upgrade a weakness in your lineup.
John Carlson, TE, MIN (Redraft) - Carlson did have a productive past with the Seahawks, but his big game against the Redskins reeks of a fluke. If Kyle Rudolph couldn’t be consistently productive for the Vikings, how can Carlson do it. Dangle him for anything of value to the tight end needy teams in your league.