Buy Low, Sell High: Week 13

Buy High

Isaiah McKenzie (WR-BUF) - McKenzie has had an up-and-down year, but he peaked in Week 12 and should be a key target for Josh Allen with defenses focused on Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis still inconsistent in the short passing game. McKenzie could help as a WR3/Flex if he can keep up his high target share and snap count from Week 12 and provide a cheap deadline acquisition in PPR leagues.

DeAndre Hopkins (WR-ARI) - Hopkins has been performing like a PPR WR1 since he came back, but in dynasty leagues, he’s available for less than you think because he’s 30 and rebuilding teams always prefer to be a year early instead of a year late when it comes to offloading veterans. Hopkins has one of the best help for the playoffs in trade ratios in dynasty leagues right now.

Ezekiel Elliott (RB-DAL) - Elliott has looked like his old self since returning from a knee injury, and he should still be the automatic option at the goal line for a good offense and a winning team. In dynasty leagues, he should come a lot cheaper than his name brand value would indicate, as every dynasty team wants to get out of their running back investments before the bottom drops out. Everyone assumes that the Cowboys will get out of Elliott’s contract after this offseason, but he would still carry a bigger dead cap than his $10.9 million salary, and this is Jerry Jones we are talking about. It’s probably just as likely that the team restructures his deal, keeps him, and lets Tony Pollard cash in as a free agent, boosting Elliott’s value.

Sell High

Mike White (QB-NYJ) - We’ve seen White do this before - last year, in fact - and he quickly reverted to career backup form. The Bears defense lost Eddie Jackson, the key to their secondary, partway through last week’s game, and they have been a soft defense since trading away Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith. It’s possible that even a modest step up to the Vikings defense will expose some of White’s flaws, and the Bills are up next. There’s a perception that White could become the Jets quarterback of the near future, so there’s some value to harvest in a dynasty superflex/2QB trade if you don’t need him.

Josh Jacobs (RB-LV) - If your dynasty league trade deadline hasn’t passed yet, explore trading Jacobs. His value has peaked, but his season could end prematurely if his calf injury gives out, and who knows what next year will bring in free agency. Don’t see Jacobs just because, but if you can get a first for him from a team making a push for a title, you could end up very happy you did when we consider the career arcs of backs once they get past their rookie contracts.

David Montgomery (RB-CHI) - If you have Montgomery in a dynasty league and you aren’t pushing for a title, it’s time to pull the ripcord. Montgomery has been producing since Khalil Herbert went on injured reserve, but he’s likely to meet a chilly reception in free agency with a stacked class and Montgomery offering no special tool or added value in a specific role. Running back is a young man’s position, so Montgomery’s per-game production has probably already peaked.

Buy Low

Dontrell Hilliard (RB-TEN) - Between the need for the Titans to have a more balanced offense, teams focusing their defensive game plan on Derrick Henry, and Hillard posting explosive plays with regularity in a limited role, there are a lot of paths for Hilliard to have value in PPR leagues, and if Henry goes down, league-winning value. Hilliard shared with DOnta Foreman last year while Henry was out, but he still posted at least 16.2 PPR points in three of seven games. With Hassan Haskins as much less formidable competition for touches this year, Hilliard would be more like a true lead back if Henry misses time, and Henry is absorbing a lot more punishment than he is dishing out these days.

Harrison Bryant (TE-CLE) - Keep an eye on David Njoku’s status, as he has missed the first two practices of the week with a new knee injury. Bryant is a capable pass-catcher and we haven’t seen yet how much the tight end position will benefit in fantasy from Deshaun Watson getting installed at quarterback. With the low bar for tight end fantasy relevance and the tight end friendly nature of the Browns offense, Bryant could end up being a good asset for teams that need a tight end, or one to deprive those teams of if this knee problem for Njoku ends up being more than a minor issue.

Dalvin Cook (WR-MIN) - It’s unclear if Cook’s dynasty teams that are out of contention will be willing to sell him for the discount that should come with a back that will turn 28 this offseason and was bottled up last week, following a game when his team got blown out 40-3. The only winning teams he has left on the schedule are the Jets and Giants, and he still has league winner in his range of outcomes.

D’Andre Swift (RB-DET) - Swift is off of the injury report, and he had extra rest since the last game he played. It makes sense for the Lions not to push him hard on Thanksgiving because of short rest, but he should return to the role he had at the beginning of the season this week and could resume the league-winning form he posted in the first two weeks before getting hurt in Week 3.