The waiver wire is important, but trading is what truly makes or breaks your fantasy season. Here are the top buy-low and sell-high picks at every position entering Week 4.
Quarterback
Buy
The fantasy football community fell off the Minshew bandwagon as quickly as they hopped aboard. After completing over 75 percent of his passes for 512 yards and six touchdowns over the first two weeks, his value took a hit in Week 3. However, he still posted 30 completions for 275 yards. His zero touchdowns are what hurt him most, but that shouldn’t be a recurring issue going forward. You might be able to snag Minshew for cheap this week.
Tannehill shares a similar stance as Minshew, though the Titans’ quarterback has been noticed somewhat less compared to the Jaguars’ flashy youngster. Nevertheless, Tannehill threw for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns over the first two weeks while lofting zero interceptions. He also dropped back down to an underachieving value in Week 3 in a narrow victory over the Vikings. Like Minshew, who lost Chark, Tannehill should get back on track when he welcomes back A.J. Brown.
Sell
Newton showed in Week 3 what several people expected from Josh Allen. While the Bills’ quarterback remained dominant, New England’s signal-caller phased back his game plan by running the ball less, instead relying on the skills of Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead. He threw for just 162 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while rushing the ball for just 27 yards. It’s likely that the Patriots stick with this plan in which they focus more on the running backs’ legs than Newton’s, especially with Damien Harris returning. Now is the time to sell Newton.
Running Back
Buy
Gibson continues to show promise in Washington’s backfield. The dual-threat running back has struggled to accumulate an impressive per-game yardage total, but he’s still seen a solid workload and touchdown count. The key here is that he hasn’t reached his peak yet. There are still concerns surrounding Gibson (such as his fumble in Week 3 or low yardage total), which is what allows a return trade package to be somewhat cheap.
Swift is in a similar position as Gibson, though there are variances, too. Swift saw a decrease in touches this past week with the breakout of Adrian Peterson, but the veteran likely won’t be a steady presence week in and week out. The Lions wouldn’t have drafted Swift unless they planned on him making an impact in his rookie year, and he will surely do so in the next few weeks. As with Gibson, there are concerns, but yet again, that just lowers his trade value, making him that much easier to trade for.
Montgomery’s stock has been very attractive for several weeks. The workhorse back saw impressive fantasy productions in Weeks 1 and 2 before the Bears were forced to switch to Nick Foles and pass more while playing from behind in Week 3 against Atlanta. Montgomery doesn’t have a cheap asking price, but his value still has room to rise, especially now that Tarik Cohen‘s absence could cause Montgomery to see more action in the passing game.
Sell
Davis outperformed expectations in Week 3, tallying 21 touches for 91 yards and a receiving touchdown. It’s hard to see a scenario where Davis replicates this performance, which was a true dream come true for his owners. Christian McCaffrey could return in the next three to five weeks, meaning Davis has some value but won’t have an impact in the fantasy game in the second half of the season. Davis has posted two great consecutive fantasy weeks and has a very high value right now, leaving him as an incredibly enticing sell-high candidate.
Rex Burkhead
Burkhead was an intriguing option in Week 3 with James White inactive. Burkhead won’t fade back to an irrelevant role right away, making him an intriguing option for buyers. However, he cannot be relied on every week, which means it’s probably the right time to flip him off your roster. Trading Burkhead for a reliable, consistent depth weapon would be a wise decision entering Week 4.
Wide Receiver
Buy
Gage suffered a possible concussion in Week 3 during a game in which he was supposed to slot in as the backup wideout amidst Julio Jones‘s absence. While he lost an opportunity this past week, he proved in Weeks 1 and 2 that he is very capable of being a starting wide receiver in fantasy lineups. He saw a whopping 21 targets over the first two weeks while accumulating 160 yards and one touchdown. There’s no reason why he can’t co-exist alongside Jones and Calvin Ridley, keeping his status as a very talented fantasy weapon.
Do you see the above paragraph about Gage? Copy it and paste it here. Like the Falcons’ third-string wideout, Johnson is dealing with a possible concussion that forced him out of a Week 3 game that was supposed to make him a clear-cut WR2 in fantasy football. He’s still a WR2, but there are many people who aren’t sold on that idea yet. Johnson’s injury gives fantasy owners one or two more weeks to facilitate a trade surrounding him before he takes off.
Sell
Anderson came back down to earth after logging a pair of 100-yard games in Weeks 1 and 2. In Week 3, he finished with five catches for 55 yards, putting him in a position as a “meh” FLEX option. If you’ve been impressed by Anderson so far, don’t sell him. But if you want to cash in on his value from Weeks 1 and 2, you’d be wise to sell him now. You can’t go wrong with either option, so let this serve as confirmation that Anderson can indeed fetch a solid package in return.
Tight End
Buy
Engram was quiet in Week 3 with three catches (five targets) for just 22 yards. New York was shut down by a confusing 49ers defense, but Engram’s value remains high. Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard‘s absence coupled with the backfield’s struggles makes Engram a very intriguing option for several weeks going forward, especially in an offense that will be forced to pass considering they’ll be playing from behind for quite some time.
Sell
Holy boom or bust. After catching three catches for 30 yards in Week 1, he came back with eight catches on 11 targets for 130 yards and one touchdown in Week 2. He took a massive decrease in production in Week 3 with one catch for 15 yards but saved his showing because it came in the end zone. Don’t be surprised if Gesicki posts six-plus weeks this season in which he catches one pass and fails to find the end zone. Gesicki’s back-to-back weeks of touchdowns make him a solid sell-high pick right now.
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