Buy Low
DL Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit Lions: Ansah had one solo tackle against the Cardinals in week two but that does not indicate just how well he actually played. Ansah had a sack and a forced fumble that was nullified by a penalty on teammate Willie Young. In addition, on a different play, Ansah exploded off the line and had a clear path to quarterback Carson Palmer but Arizona had a pre-snap penalty that negated that effort. The bottom line is Ansah has played much better than his numbers and for those who did not see the game, all they notice is Ansah had one solo tackle. If you find an owner getting impatient with low production, make a move and try to acquire a player that has future stud written all over him.
LB Lawrence Timmons, Pittsburgh Steelers: Thus far into the young season, Timmons has posted a pedestrian stat line of eight solos and five assists with no big plays at all. Those numbers are not what everyone expects from Timmons. He is more known for average to above-average tackle numbers and a high numbers of big-play stats than anything. The Steelers are really struggling right now and have been ravaged by injuries and in addition are simply not playing well. I still expect them to be competitive and expect Timmons to eventually resume making the big plays that we have grown accustomed to. Try to make a deal before that happens because the cost will never be lower than it is right now.
LB Curtis Lofton, New Orleans Saints: Lofton has registered eight solos and four assists so far this year, which is much lower than expected given his history and the sad state of the Saints defense. In the last four seasons, Lofton has averaged more than 90 solos and 35 assists per game and should eventually make his way back to numbers like that. Lofton has been a top 15 linebacker in each of the last four seasons and with his tackle numbers being so low early on, there is a real opportunity to buy low from owners that grow impatient early every season. You should at least inquire as to the availability of Lofton. I realize most may not want to sell, but all it takes is the one owner in your league.
DB Cortland Finnegan, St. Louis Rams: Finnegan has gotten off to a slow start for the Rams this year. His nine solos are respectable but he has been blanked everywhere else on the statline. But Finnegan has been a proven every week starter for several years and should begin racking up peripheral numbers before too long. The Rams defense is average at best and Finnegan should see plenty of opportunities to make plays in both run defense and in coverage. While defensive backs are generally the easiest position to fill, it is still nice to have at least one every-week starter and if you are lacking one, Finnegan is not a bad player to target.
DB Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs: Berry has gotten off to a slow start, racking up only eight solos, no assists, and a half-sack. But there is still a reason to be optimistic regarding Berry. first, he is one of the better all-around safeties in the league, equally adept in both coverage and run defense. Safeties like that generally post solid numbers over the course of a 16-game season. In addition, the Chiefs are in the bottom third of the league in tackle opportunities and frankly I do not expect that to continue. They played a weak Jaguars team in week one and last week the Cowboys only rushed the ball 16 times in the entire game. Those low rushing attempts are highly unlikely to continue. Expect Berry's numbers to increase and with that I once again advise looking for that impatient owner that is not willing to wait for improvement.
Sell High
DL Dontari Poe, Kansas City Chiefs: After not registering a single sack as a rookie last season, Poe has come out of nowhere to be third in the league with 3.5 sacks. Naturally there is the expected improvement in year two for virtually every player but in Poe's case, he is a 340 pound nose tackle and very few players that size are considered good pass rushers. Poe is a very impressive young player and was a high draft pick for a reason, but it was not his pass rushing ability. There is no way I expect Poe to post consistent sack numbers and if I owned him, the screeching sound you heard would be me racing to sell high while Poe's value is through the roof. You will never have a better chance to get value for Poe and you better move fast before his numbers level off.
LB DeAndre Levy, Detroit Lions: Levy is currently ranked in the top-20 linebackers but only has nine solos and three assists. That is an automatic red flag for any linebacker outside of the elite pass rushers. Levy has two interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown, which accounts for roughly half his fantasy points. He actually had another touchdown but it was called back because of a penalty. The bottom line is when you see non-pass rushing linebackers near the top of the scoring list with low tackle numbers early in the season and they lack a past history of fantasy success, it is definitely time to sell. Many owners won't pay any attention to why a player is ranked in a certain spot and that is the most important thing. That is the type of owner you need to target. I would not be waiting long to sell on Levy. In terms of fantasy football, Levy is a borderline rosterable linebacker at best.
LB Karlos Dansby, Arizona Cardinals: Dansby has been a great addition to the Cardinals defense and his 16 solos have placed him just outside the top ten linebackers. Dansby has a history of strong fantasy production but there is one thing coming soon that is out of his control: the return of tackling machine Daryl Washington from his four game suspension. Dansby has two more weeks before many of his tackle opportunities get engulfed by Washington. In the last two seasons, Washington has averaged 104 solos. Many owners may try to wait before Selling Dansby but I would not be one of them. If he happens to have a mediocre or worse week, his value will drop considerably. In addition, there will be more news about Washington's return after this week. The time to sell is now.
DB: Barry Church, Dallas Cowboys: Church has posted strong solo tackle numbers so far with 14 and that along with solid peripheral numbers have vaulted him into the top ten defensive backs. There are reasons why I don't expect Church to continue posting numbers anywhere near what he has thus far this year. First, stud linebacker Sean Lee has posted much lower tackle numbers than we are accustomed to seeing, racking up only seven solos in two games. That is definitely not going to continue and some of his tackles will come at the expense of Church. The other reason is that Church is a replacement level safety and is probably closer to being borderline rosterable than an every-week starter. I would not wait long to sell a player like Church, partly for the reasons listed and partly because defensive backs are easy to find during the year.
DB Chris Harris, Denver Broncos: It's pretty simple here: Harris has started in place of the injured Champ Bailey and has picked off two passes and added three passes defended. He will revert back to being the third cornerback and his numbers will reflect that. Harris is a very good football player but the loss of playing time will take virtually all of his value away. You may not get much if anything for Harris but it doesn't hurt to ask.