Welcome to Week 6 of the 2023 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
Let's roll.
Dynasty Buy-Sell-Hold
Matt Waldman: From the following list of players in dynasty leagues, which three players would you be buying, selling, and/or holding?
- Brock Purdy
- Chris Olave
- Trey Lance
- Jaleel McLaughlin
- Tyjae Spears
- Tutu Atwell
- Brian Branch
- Mike Danna
- Ivan Pace Jr.
Again, choose THREE (one for each category).
Sam Wagman: Buying: Tyjae Spears. We've seen Spears play dramatically better than Derrick Henry over the past few weeks, and he's outsnapped Henry in three of five games so far. Despite a laundry list of injury history coming into the NFL, Spears looks extremely shifty and quick, and it's easy to see a scenario where Tennessee moves on from Henry, given that it would be prudent for them to head into a rebuild.
Selling: Jaleel McLaughlin. It's always tough to sell RBs that flash, especially when a large handful have already gotten hurt this season. However, history has not been kind to late-round or undrafted RBs the following season, and McLaughlin could just be a one-season wonder. Flip him for a second or third-round pick, if possible, or a better, more stable player.
Holding: Chris Olave. I'm continuing to hold the bag with Olave since we haven't seen enough one way or the other to make a move on him yet. We know that he's extremely talented, but he has a tenuous situation in New Orleans where the team is in a weird spot. Derek Carr has had good and bad weeks, and Olave hasn't been finding the end zone. Ultimately, Olave's supreme talent makes him a top-15 WR for fantasy, and that's right where he's playing so far.
Dave Kluge: Buying: Chris Olave. He's being hamstrung right now by an injured Derek Carr, but he showed all of the peripherals we want to see from an elite wide receiver last year. He's able to draw high-value targets deep downfield. He's fast. He can make contested catches. Despite this year's overall lack of production, he's still pulling the 7th-most air yards of any wide receiver in the league. He's a young and exciting player whose situation will improve at some point.
Selling: Jaleel McLaughlin. I struggle with this one because the talent is undeniable. But we are often fooled by undrafted running backs in small doses. McLaughlin is fast and slippery, but how long can we expect him to sustain production? Priest Holmes and Arian Foster are the apparent exceptions to the rule, but it's extremely rare to see an undrafted running back pan out as anything more than a flash in the pan. I'm not recommending you sell McLaughlin for pennies on the dollar, but I'd happily flip him for a second-round rookie pick if possible.
Holding: Brock Purdy. The quarterback has quickly developed into much more than the lucky game manager he appeared to be last year. His playstyle is brimming with newfound confidence. His lack of draft capital, production, ties to Kyle Shanahan, and talented teammates make him an intriguing and tough-to-value player. He has done nothing to lose his job. But the entire situation feels like it's balanced over a trap door. If Purdy does end up being the next Tom Brady or Kurt Warner, you'll be kicking yourself for selling. But his inflated cost makes him a risky buy. If you've got Purdy on your team, keeping him plugged in while enjoying his QB1 production is best.