RADIO
Welcome to our Week 4 buy low / sell high, where we look to provide fantasy football trade advice. With Week 3 now concluded and Week 4 rapidly approaching, it’s officially time to usher in every fantasy football player’s worst nightmare - the bye week.
There’s nothing more frustrating than throwing together a rag-tag collection of pickups and backups just to field a full team, yet somewhere beneath all of that frustration lies a diamond in the rough. Yes, bye weeks can be a good thing - a great thing, even, especially for those determined to trade their way to the top.
That said, here are a few players worth buying this coming week, and a few worth selling.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Buys
Marcus Mariota (QB, TEN)
A shockingly potent Titans passing attack has Mariota in the top-10 of quarterbacks after three weeks. Given the fact an average fan likely can’t name a single wide receiver on the team, that’s actually really impressive.
Mariota has hung around 30 fantasy points each of the last two weeks and has officially solidified himself as a legitimate fantasy option, with even higher upside, given the fact that he hasn’t even begun to run the ball yet. If that happens, and there are rumblings that it may, Mariota could become an even better fantasy quarterback - and possibly stay a top-10 option, which is why it’s time to buy.
On a bye this week, Mariota will be of no use to his owners in Week 4. Given the fact that he wasn’t even drafted in some leagues, he may not be his owner’s starting QB in the first place. Those two facts make it the time to buy on Mariota. His stock is far from low, yes, but it may not get any lower. Pounce now while you still can.
Brandin Cooks (WR, NO)
Three weeks without a touchdown has Cooks looking more like a flop than the stud he was projected to be heading into the season. That could change quickly, though.
Despite the absence of Drew Brees at quarterback last week, Cooks caught seven of his eight targets from backup Luke McCown and managed a respectable 78 yards. While that’s not what owners who drafted him in the second and third round were hoping for, Cooks has improved his output in each of the three weeks thus far and could have a much better day against the Cowboys this Sunday.
A touted fantasy football draft prospect who has sputtered in the early-goings, Cooks still has loads of play-making ability on a team growing increasingly devoid of it. He’s worth the buy if the price is right, so you may want to target him in a trade while his value is low.
Matt Jones (RB, WSH)
After exploding onto the scene in Week 2, Jones came back to Earth in a big way against the Giants last Thursday. Game flow can be blamed for at least some of that, which bodes well for what looks to be a bright future for the rookie.
Yes, the Redskins’ brass still claims that Alfred Morris is the lead dog in the backfield. But it certainly didn’t seem that way last Thursday, when Jones not only got the start but also got 14 more snaps than Morris. If that trend continues, and it very well could, Jones could be good for nearly 15 touches a game - assuming the Redskins are allowed to run the football like they want. That kind of volume is pretty good for a modern-day running back.
Timeshare or not, Jones has star potential and will have every chance to succeed if Washington can simply stay competitive on the scoreboard. He’s a solid RB2, and certainly worth trying to acquire via trade before he blows up any further.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Sells
Jeremy Hill (RB, CIN)
After loads of talk about Hill assuming a workhorse role in the Bengals backfield, the exact opposite occurred in Week 3. Giovanni Bernard came in early, and rarely left the field.
While the Bengals’ pass-happy game plan may have been the determining factor there, the fact that Hill only played on 31% of Cincinnati’s snaps puts him in the exact opposite position as Matt Jones in Washington - and that’s not a good thing. To see a starting running back on the bench for two-thirds of the game, just a week after being benched for fumbles, is a little scary. And things may not get any better.
Simply put, Bernard has outplayed Hill thus far in 2015 - and if it weren’t for a pair of short touchdowns in Week 1, Hill would be sitting outside the top-50 running backs in fantasy. That’s no typo - I said top 50. If someone in your league still believes in him, now may be the time to sell.
Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI)
Appearing on my list of "sell highs" last week, after igniting the Bears for 30+ fantasy points, Fitz was at it again against the 49ers on Sunday. His fantasy football stock currently resides somewhere between Jupiter and Deep Space.
As outrageous as it sounds, it still may not be a bad idea to sell. Fitz has solidified himself as a WR1, yes, but a pair of matchups against the lowly Bears and depleted 49ers will do that. The schedule doesn’t get horribly difficult after this, but it does get harder for the Cardinals - and as a 32-year-old, some natural decline is sure to occur. Couple that with an oft-injured quarterback under center, and Fitz could quickly fall from grace.
That’s not to say that Fitz is sure to fall, but he’ll likely finish as a WR2 or WR3 by year’s end, possibly worse if Palmer gets hurt again. If you can get WR1 value for him right now - and I bet you can - take a good look at it.
Andy Dalton (QB, CIN)
While Hill owners got to watch their running back stand on the sidelines last Sunday, Dalton owners jumped with joy as their QB amassed well over 35 fantasy points.
That explosive outing has Dalton at number three overall in terms of the highest-scoring fantasy quarterbacks, behind only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers - not bad, not bad at all. It was also Dalton’s fifth straight multi-touchdown game dating back to last year, and certainly has the Bengals signal caller in the QB1 discussion. When it’s all said and done, though, that near-40 points last week will likely be more of an anomaly than it will be the norm.
Dalton was great in the first couple of weeks - yet he only hovered around 20 fantasy points per game, which is right where you expect him to stay for the remainder of 2015. While he does have it in him to put up numbers like he did this last week, game flow and a leaky Ravens secondary are at least partially responsible. He’s certainly a QB1 as long as A.J. Green remains healthy, but more of a top-10 or top-15 quarterback than a top-5 option. With that being said, if you can get top-5 value for Dalton in a trade, go for it.
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