RADIO
The aftermath of Week 1 in fantasy football is always an interesting time. Some owners panic in the wake of a dud debut from their star players, while others mortgage the rest of their season in pursuit of a host of obscure players who happened to find the end zone.
In the midst of all of that chaos, owners with a patient mentality and a long-term eye can trade their way to a championship. Buy low on the right guys, or selling high on the right guys, can take your team to the next level and show how savvy your fantasy football skills are.
Here are a few players worth buying this coming week, and a few worth selling.
Fantasy Football Buys
Ameer Abdullah (RB, DET)
Rumors swirled throughout the pre-season that Abdullah, and not Joquie Bell, would be the RB to target in Detroit’s backfield. Week 1 legitimized every one of them.
Abdullah turned 11 offensive touches into 84 yards and a TD last Sunday, impressive numbers for a rookie playing in his first NFL game. Even more impressive, though, was Abdullah’s first carry. The rookie back looked quick as lightning getting to the second level, then nearly broke Eric Weddle’s ankles on his way to an easy 24-yard score. Not a bad way to start a career.
It may be tough to get your hands on Abdullah via a trade with his stock on the rise, but if his owner is willing to sell at a reasonable price don’t hesitate to buy. The young RB’s value, already high as it is, likely won’t get any lower this year, especially if he begins to eat more and more into the available touches in the Lion’s backfield. He’s a great candidate to buy as a solid RB2.
Jonathan Stewart (RB, CAR)
Like Abdullah, Stewart was praised during the off-season as an excellent mid-round target. Unlike Abdullah, the Panther’s RB was less than impressive in Week 1.
Stewart managed only 56 yards on 18 carries against the Jaguars, barely more than 3 Y/C, and if it weren’t for 25 receiving yards he would have finished with a downright dreadful line. A good amount of those struggles could be attributed to an underrated Jaguars front-seven, but at least some have to fall on the Panther’s non-existent passing game. The latter won’t be changing any time soon.
Despite that fact, and despite the Texans looming next Sunday, Stewart remains a great player to buy for one main reason - volume. Backs who are good for 20+ carries a week are hard to find, and Stewart is one of them. His early-season schedule is likely to hinder his production somewhat, which could drive his value even lower, but that schedule gets easier. Stewart has legit RB1 potential as the season drags on.
Calvin Johnson (WR, DET)
The second Lion on this list, Johnson looked like the Megatron of old hauling in a 28 yard reception early on last Sunday, but disappeared immediately after.
Megatron finished with two catches and 39 yards on four targets in Week 1, numbers that only get more foreboding when you consider the fact that Golden Tate had eight targets and Eric Ebron had five. Even Abdullah matched Johnson with four targets of his own, and the rookie back caught each one of them.
All in all, it was an extremely disappointing debut for a healthy Johnson, which makes him a great target to buy. Injuries and father time may have sapped him of some explosiveness, but Johnson is simply too good not to be a WR1 and makes for a great deal if you can get him at a WR2 or WR3 price. Late season match-ups against the Raiders, Eagles, and Packers are also something to consider.
Fantasy Football Sells
Peyton Manning (QB, DEN)
Manning completed 24-of-40 passes in Week 1 for 175 yards with no TDs and an interception. It was a brutal performance, and one that only stoked the fire for those who say the 39-year-old’s arm is all but shot. Manning’s arm really did look shot on Sunday, sadly. The QB’s throws simply lacked the zip we are accustomed to seeing and the stat line reflects that. A Week 2 matchup against the Chiefs looked much better, as Peyton regularly hit his receivers and threw some nice long passes as well, putting to rest (at least for now) any concerns about arm strength. He ended up going 26-for-45 with three TDs and one interception. A much better performance, but is his in the clear?
It’s still far too early to say whether Manning is or isn’t a QB1 anymore, but the writing could be on the wall. From a long-term perspective, if the aging QB can’t produce early on in the season like we saw in Week 1, it’s extremely unlikely you can rely on him come fantasy playoff time. That said, if you have a solid backup at QB, it may be a good time to start looking at trading Manning after his nice Week 2 showing.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, TB)
Despite an arduous debut from Jameis Winton, Seferian-Jenkins looked great. The young TE hauled in five passes for 120 yards and two TDs on Sunday, a line good enough to make him the second most productive fantasy TE in Week 1—behind Gronk, of course. It was a great sign for owners who saw Seferian-Jenkins as a sleeper in drafts, and although it makes him a great waiver wire add, all that promise also makes it a good time to sell.
At least some of Seferian-Jenkings success can be attributed to game flow, as the Bucs nearly abandoned the run before half time. Couple that with shaky QB play and the likely return of Mike Evans in Week 2, and prospects change a bit. With the TE position so absurdly thin, any good TE is an especially valuable trade chip, and Seferian-Jenkins could garner much more than he’s worth.
James Jones (WR, GB)
If you happened to take a chance on Jones when he returned to the Packers, you were probably pretty happy last Sunday. If you happened to start him last week, you were even happier.
Last on this list, Jones caught four passes for 51 yards and two TDs on Sunday, looking as if he and Aaron Rodgers had never missed a beat. The performance has risen Jones’ ownership percentage nearly 53% in ESPN leagues, and has much of the fantasy world raving about the Packers’ newest wide-out. Like Seferian-Jenkins, all of that raving makes him a hot waiver-wire add, but also makes him a potentially overvalued trade chip.
Even without Jordy Nelson, there are plenty of mouths to feed in the Packers’ offense, and the likes of Randall Cobb and Devante Adams are the biggest of them. Cobb had more catches than Jones on Sunday despite playing with an injured shoulder, and Adams had more yards, which means that if it weren’t for those two TDs no one would even be talking about Jones. The TD-potential is appealing, but Jones is a WR3 at best, and if his impressive debut helps you get WR2 value for him, go for it.
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