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BUYING
Cam Newton QB CAR
Although the fantasy production hasn't been there, Newton has shown well as a passer and his per game averages would translate to 316 of 516 passing for 3932 yards, 20 touchdowns, and four interceptions. His rushing extrapolations are way off his career pace at just 56 carries for 168 yards with no touchdowns though. Excluding the two kneel downs, Newton had four rushes this past week, matching his season high. He did look a bit sluggish, but his ankle should continue to improve and the second half schedule is filled with plus match ups. Owners may begin to treat him as a high-end QB2, but once he begins to gain traction as a runner, he has the ability to carry fantasy teams on his back as a mid-QB1.
LeSean McCoy RB PHI
Through the season's first five weeks, McCoy is a front-runner for the most disappointing fantasy player of the season. There are rumors that he's dealing with an unreported injury, but his workload (third in NFL with 110 touches) doesn't suggest that's the case, nor does his movement, which has been fluid throughout the year. RT Lane Johnson returned this past week, C Jason Kelce is expected to return in Week 10, and LG Evan Mathis is eligible to return in Week 10 as well. Better days are ahead for McCoy, who remains a strong RB1.
Rashad Jennings RB NYG
If the rest that New York handed Jennings versus Washington wasn't enough to supress his value, then this sprained MCL that may only cost him one or two weeks certainly should. Andre Williams' hype was out of hand in the preseason and it won't take much to ignite those flames once again. Jennings played on 64% of the Giants' snaps in the first four weeks and should be expected to regain that role upon his return. Williams is a one-dimensial runner in the vein of Shonn Greene, whereas Jennings is an all-purpose back that should produce as a high-end RB2 when healthy.
Andre Johnson HOU WR
Currently ranking 45th in STD and 35th in PPR scoring, Johnson's production has been a disappointment so far. However, his 39 targets are enough for tie at 15th among wide receivers in that category. On pace for 86 receptions and 1,024 receiving yards with zero touchdowns, there's no reason to think the targets will slow down. There is reason to believe that his yards-per-reception and touchdown rate normalize though. When that happens, Johnson will return to production worthy of a high-end WR2.
Brandon Marshall WR CHI
With five games now in the books, Marshall is on pace for just 61 receptions and 602 receiving yards. Thankfully for his fantasy owners, he has managed to reel in five touchdowns. The ankle injury that was bothering him seems to have subsided and Chicago's HC Marc Trestman has admitted that he needs to be more involved. Over the past seven seasons, Marshall has averaged 103 receptions, 1295 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns - expect him to begin producing at that same level through the end of the season.
Eric Decker WR NYJ
Decker's hamstring injury has been bungled from the start. It's possible that it would have already been a thing of the past if he were to just sit out for Week 3, but instead it has affected him all the way through his deactivation in Week 5. In the three games where he has played more than half the snaps, he's averaging 4.3 receptions, 61.7 yards, and 0.7 touchdowns on 8.0 targets. Over a full season, that would translate to a line of 69-987-11. In an offense devoid of receiving talent, he should continue to merit a large enough market share in the passing game to sustain strong WR3 production.
Julian Edelman WR NE
Now through five weeks, Edelman is on pace for 99 receptions, 1,018 receiving yards and 3.2 touchdowns on 138 targets through the air with another 112 yards on 13 carries on the ground. Don't expect him to start finding the end zone all of a sudden, but the targets should keep flowing his way. With only 58 total yards in the past two weeks, it's a good time to bring his consistency over to your PPR teams. Prior to these past two weeks, Edelman had 11 consecutive games with at least six receptions and 64 yards.
Roddy White WR ATL
The early part of the season hasn't gone as planned for White; a hamstring injury kept him sidelined for one game and limited him in others. With four games played, his per game averages would only translate to a 64-852-8 line - a far cry from his 91-1234-8 averages over the past seven years. He should now be 100% and with Matt Ryan continuing to play at a high level, he should return to high-end WR2 production as soon as this weekend versus Chicago.
SELLING
Frank Gore RB SF
In the past two weeks, Gore has averaged 141.0 total yards on 22.0 touches. That production comes after averaging just 50.3 total yards on 12.3 touches through the season's first three games. The snap counts for him and Carlos Hyde this past week were 39 to 31 respectively, which was a high for the rookie. While Gore's starting job isn't in danger, his work volume surely is and his trade value may not be any higher than it is now.
Pierre Thomas RB NO
With only 24 carries through five games, he's on pace for his lowest total in six years. Prior to this week, he was also held to three or less receptions in three of his four games played. The eight receptions this past week has got him back on track for 70 receptions on the season, but with Travaris Cadet beginning to get more involved in the passing game (nine receptions in the past two weeks), it's tough to see Thomas maintaining much consistency. It'd be wise to get out before his volatily is becomes too tough for other owners to ignore.
DeAndre Hopkins WR HOU
The hot start continued this past weekend for Hopkins with another six receptions, although that was on just six targets and he only notched 63 yards on those catches. He's now on pace for 77 receptions, 1133 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. His catch rate improved even more and now stands at 80%, setting him up for a further fall to the mean. As long as Andre Johnson remains healthy, expect a steady decent down the wide receiver ranks from his current standing of 10th in both STD and PPR scoring. He should be considered as a WR3.
Justin Hunter WR TEN
After playing a career high 68 snaps (out of 70 for the offense) and recroding 99 yards and a touchdown on three catches, Hunter's value has skyrocketed. While he did lead all receivers in snaps this past weekend, he tied for fourth on the team with only four targets and has just 30 taegets on the year. Kendall Wright leads the team with 37 targets on the year, followed by Delanie Walker and his 36. Neither of those two players will fade to the background and don't expect Nate Washington (26 targets) to fall out of the picture either. This passing offense is simply too erratic for any consistency from Hunter, leaving his ceiling to top out as a risky WR3.
Rueben Randle WR NYG
Randle's trade value isn't exorbitant; he only ranks 40th in STD and 37th in PPR with 23 receptions, 189 yards, and two touchdowns on 39 targets. Normally, back-to-back weeks of 10 targets would also bode well for sustained production and with Eli Manning's resurgence, there remains a fair amount of buzz for Randle to breakthrough. The newfound depth of New York's receiving corps may lead to weekly headaches for those relying on Giants' pass catchers though. Odell Beckham Jr saw his first action last week and we all saw Larry Donnell end up with zero production on just one target. Randle, nor even Victor Cruz, are safe from bottoming out in the same manner on any given week.
Terrance Williams WR DAL
After adding another 71 receiving yards and a touchdown to his bottom line, Williams now ranks ninth in STD and 18th in PPR scoring among wide receivers. His targets (26) and receptions (16) rank only 48th and 46th respectively at the position though. Expect his touchdown rate to fall off a cliff after finding the end zone on five of his 16 receptions through the early part of the season. Unless Tony Romo begins to look his way more often, he remains nothing more than a boom-or-bust WR3.
Martellus Bennett TE CHI
For the first time this season, Bennett failed to record at least five receptions in a game; he finished with just three receptions 17 yards on five targets. He still ranks fourth among tight ends in STD and second in PPR scoring though. With Matt Forte beginning to hit stride and the team's top-two receivers, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, ahead of Bennett in the pecking order, it'd be wise to ship Bennett off before he settles in as a mid-to-low TE1.
WAIVER PICKUPS
Andre Williams RB NYG
The Williams fan club gets awfully excited over even the smallest semblence of opportunity. This was realized in the preseason when he was being lauded as a fourth round steal in drafts after a preseason game and again after he picked up 15 carries in a blowout win versus Washington. With Rashad Jennings now sidelined for at least one week, expect the Williams fever to spread once more. As the lead back in what has become an effective offense, he does hold weight as a mid-RB2. However, it's likely that others in your league may view him as even more, making him a candidate to scoop-and-sell.
Antone Smith RB ATL
The frequency of big plays that Smith produces is beginning to reach absurd levels - this sentence was from last week's Forensics Report. With Smith adding a 74-yard youchdown reception to his resume, the realm of absurdity has been destroyed. It'd be disappointing if he already does not have a cult-like following supporting him at home games. Atlanta's HC Mike Smith finally admitted to his big-play machine earning more touches and although the Falcons may have a crowded backfield, none of them have set themselves apart yet. In this high-powered offense, Smith boasts RB3/Flex potential even if he only manages to wrest away 10 touches per game in a COP role.
Branden Oliver RB SD
Oliver exploded for 114 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while adding another 68 yards and a touchdown on four receptions, versus the New York Jets' stout front-seven. Ryan Mathews is likely out another two weeks, while Donald Brown is unlikely to suit up this weekend and has played poorly enough that he's likely lost his hold on the No. 2 role. With a full workload, Oliver would ascend to a top-12 option at the position for this weekend versus Oakland and hold RB2 value heading into the home game against Kansas City the following week.
George Winn RB DET
The Detroit backfield is starting to mimic that of Carolina's. Their top three running backs, Reggie Bush, Joique Bell, and Theo Riddick are all questionable to play this week. That would leave Winn, a former UDFA that was recently signed from the team's practice squad, as the next man up. Winn showed well in his limited playing time last week, totaling 44 yards on 11 carries. As the lead back and with Calvin Johnson sidelined, the workload would be enough for a mid-RB2.
Joseph Randle RB DAL
In what has been a surprising development, Randle seems to have overtaken Lance Dunbar as the No. 2 running back for Dallas. Although they each have 11 carries, all of Dunbar's carries came in Week 2, not being afforded any opportunies to run the ball since then. The Cowboys offensive line is among the NFL's best and the second half schedule will be much more friendly than the first half. DeMarco Murray's injury history combined with his early workload have created a high-risk situation. If Randle falls into the lead role, he'd instantly become an RB2.
Ronnie Hillman RB DEN
Montee Ball is headed to the shelf with a a groin injury, but may only be sidelined for two weeks. Those two weeks happen to be versus the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers - two of the better run defenses in the league. Hillman is expected to handle the lead role, but would only be an uninspiring RB2 in those games before finding himself back in a COP role. If you're desperate for a fill-in running back and are unable to land Branden Oliver or Andre Williams, then he's your man.
Odell Beckham Jr WR NYG
The New York Giants didn't waste too much time getting their first round pick involved. Beckham Jr. played on 38 of the offense's 71 snaps, catching four of five targets for 44 yards and one touchdown. As mentioned earlier, the team's receiving corps is brimming with options now, so it may take some time for him to work himself into a role worthy more than a WR4.
*All snap counts and targets in this article are courtesy of ProFootballFocus.com