Buy Low, Sell High: Week 12

Sell High

Jameis Winston (QB-CLE), Jerry Jeudy (WR-CLE), Cedric Tillman (WR-CLE)

Winston has had two big games and one smaller game as a fantasy quarterback since taking over the helm for the Browns. The good games came against the suspect Ravens and Saints pass defense. Only a late garbage time touchdown kept him and his targets from being fantasy liabilities against the Chargers. The quality of the Browns passing game with Winston is somewhere in between those two results, but with two Steelers matchups plus the Chiefs and Broncos over the next four games, expect a regression for the Browns offense that could render David Njoku the only useful and consistent fantasy play. Week 16 at Cincinnati has a brighter outlook, but Week 17 is outdoors against an improving Dolphins defense. Winston might not have as much value as hoped in 2QB/Superflex, and his targets might not be reliable. Tillman, in particular, could have surprising value in dynasty leagues as his best football is ahead of him, and Jeudy has name value. The Browns are heading for a lot of uncertainty, so trying to cash in pieces of their passing game coming off of a 395-yard game for Winston seems like a good idea.

James Cook (RB-BUF)

Cook scored twice last week, but his snap count is starting to go down, and he could be looking at more of a committee split with ascendant rookie Ray Davis. While he has been a fantasy success because of 10 rushing scores and occasional outbursts as a receiver, Cook doesn’t appear to be on track to be a truly foundational feature back. He might be a coveted dynasty commodity as a running back on his rookie contract, especially for a team that needs running back help in a championship push. They may overpay for Cook as a long-term cornerstone, when in actuality, his value is probably at the highest point it will be during his career, barring a second contract in 2026 for a team that wants to make him a true feature back. That is so far off on the horizon, with so much uncertainty between now and then, that it’s best to sell Cook now unless you can’t afford to in a title run of your own.

Brock Purdy (QB-SF), Deebo Samuel Sr. (WR-SF)

It’s hard to know exactly what is going on with Purdy’s right shoulder, but he didn’t throw in practice on Wednesday and hasn’t looked as sharp as a passer in recent games. While his running ability is making up for that in fantasy, the offense could be in danger of collapse if Purdy can’t make all the throws necessary to keep defenses loosened up. George Kittle and Trent Williams are the two most important players in this offense other than Purdy, and neither of them is 100% right now. Purdy is probably not a preferred QB1 option, but maybe you can deal him in a redraft league with six teams on bye. Samuel is even more important to trade away with uncertainty in his 2025 profile and the problem of whether any team other than the 49ers will see him as an essential offensive piece because he doesn’t run a traditional wide receiver route tree. Samuel isn’t the #1 receiver even with Brandon Aiyuk out for the year, and there’s no reason to think his role will be larger than it is now, even if he is with the 49ers next year. His value is only going down from here.