Welcome to our Week 10 buy low / sell high, where we look to provide fantasy football trade advice.
With Thanksgiving less than a couple of weeks away and the fantasy playoffs not much farther, it’s officially the make or break time of year in fantasy football. Unfortunately for owners looking to fill holes on their roster, that also means that league trade deadlines will soon be creeping into play. As that window closes, the window to turn around a season or make a final playoff push closes as well.
That said, here are a few players to buy and a few to sell heading into Week 10.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Buys
Doug Martin (RB, TB)
Less than a dozen carries for only 31 yards wasn’t quite what owners were expecting from Martin last week against the Giants.
Martin was on the sell portion of this list a few weeks ago, and for good reason it appears. Sunday marked the second straight disappointing outing for a running-back who has been solidly pedestrian aside from a few explosive weeks thus far in 2015, and has Martin’s once sky high stock tumbling back to Earth. That tumble won’t last forever, though, not with a Dallas defense struggling against the run coming up on Sunday and a weak schedule after.
Martin likely lies on the border between RB1 and RB2 now, but has a good chance to finish as a solid RB1 if things go well. If you need to fill a whole or upgrade, he’s the guy.
Jeremy Maclin (WR, KC)
A couple of mediocre performances followed by a missed game and a bye week have seen Maclin fall from a strong WR1 to a player somewhat forgotten. That will likely change in the coming weeks.
Maclin caught 27 passes between weeks 3, 4, and 5, an excellent example of what the wide-out is capable of when healthy, and is now set to face the Raiders, Bills, and Chargers twice in the coming weeks after a tough tilt with the Broncos on Sunday. Those are all promising matchups that will likely provoke Alex Smith and company to air it out - all the better for Maclin.
He’s got legit WR1 potential down the stretch, and his recent lack of production has likely caused his value to dip in most owners’ eyes. Take advantage of that.
DeSean Jackson (WR, WSH)
Jackson caught his first three passes of the year last Sunday after sitting out half the season with a hamstring pull. Those three catches went for only 15 yards, unfortunately.
It was clear Jackson wasn’t quite up to speed in his first game back, and a couple months off will do that to someone. Thankfully, though, if the last few weeks have shown us anything it’s that the best remedy to cure ailing production at the receiver position is a bout with the Saints, and that’s exactly what the speedy Jackson gets this weekend.
In a west coast offense with a suspect quarterback, Jackson has a WR2 ceiling, but could be had for much less right now and could make for a good buy.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Sells
James Jones (WR, GB)
After laying an egg on Sunday night against the Broncos, Jones managed only two receptions last week in Carolina for 57 yards. The yards aren’t bad, but the receptions are foreboding to say the least.
It’s becoming clear that the prime time to sell Jones has come and gone, especially with Davante Adams now back and healthy, but Jones’ early season success still has him up there in the rankings which could cause his value to inflate just a bit.
The third, maybe even fourth, option in the Packers passing attack, Jones simply doesn’t get enough looks anymore to be relevant. Despite the TD potential, it’s time to sell can cut your losses.
Tavon Austin (WR, STL)
Somehow, someway, Austin seems to manage a solid day despite middling usage each week and did so again with 81 total yards last Sunday.
Those yards came largely on the ground as the Rams receiver posted only four catches for 15 yards on the day. It’s lines like those that, when coupled with a knack for the end zone, have Austin near the top-10 receivers in fantasy this season, but it’s also lines like those that say it’s time to sell.
When it comes to crunch time, when a win or loss makes or breaks a season, it’s difficult to trust a receiver who maybe catches three balls on a good day. Yes, the running is nice, but Austin’s borderline WR1 value could equate to a more dependable option.
Rob Gronkowski (TE, NE)
Yes, you read right. This is a bold one. Actually, scratch that, this is a borderline outrageous one. Gronk had a quiet day on Sunday, but is far and away the best TE in fantasy football this season, and is yet again among the top overall players as well.
That doesn’t mean he’s untradeable, though.
Having Gronk here isn’t a knock against the monster TE or a prediction of lessening production, but a way of proving a point. When it comes to crunch time in fantasy football, no player is untradeable - no one. If you happen to have Gronk shining like a diamond in the TE spot yet the rest of your team resembles Swiss cheese, trading him could be the difference between a playoff run and an early end to the season. It’s as simple as that.
Gronk does happen to be an excellent example of this, too, as his 110 fantasy points in 2015 put him only a few ahead of Allen Robinson and only a few more ahead of Danny Woodhead, two players who wouldn’t garner half as much as him in a trade. While position scarcity certainly matters with that, the point remains. If someone is willing to give the house for Gronk or another player like him, don’t be too quick to shoot it down. One player doesn’t win championships.
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