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Buy Low
Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF (Dynasty) - Yeah it’s going to be a rough year for Watkins and maybe even a rough few years, but he’s still a premium young wide receiver talent. There’s a chance that his owner might overreact to his Week 1 zero in dynasty leagues. In redraft leagues, he’s not essential.
Karlos Williams, RB, BUF (Redraft/Dynasty) - Williams flashed Week 1 and LeSean McCoy’s hamstring is barking at him again. The Bills are going to run the ball a ton this year, right? If Williams is good, he’ll generate fantasy value this year and threaten to force a committee with McCoy long term.
Andrew Luck, QB, IND (Redraft) - Luck actually fared better than Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning against this defense last year, and that defense wasn’t quite as bloodthirsty as the Rex Ryan version. This week in prime time against the Jets Luck will remind everyone why he was a premium pick.
Andre Ellington, RB, ARI (Redraft/Dynasty) - The non-contact injury scare will likely only cost Ellington a few weeks. He looked good before leaving against the Saints, and if non-contact injuries prove someone is injury prone, then I’ll take a chance that Ellington won’t have another non-contact injury this year. The upside worth taking on the risk now that his owner might see him as damaged goods.
Doug Martin, RB, TB (Redraft/Dynasty) - Martin actually confirmed that the rejuvenated version of him we saw in the preseason wasn’t an illusion. The horrid game script against Tennessee just didn’t give him a chance to fully unfurl the “I’m Back” banner. That could happen this week at New Orleans, and it should happen soon either way.
Todd Gurley, RB, STL (Redraft) - Gurley might have blown it by getting practices in this week, but check and see if his owner is bummed about getting nothing from him. The main development here is that a viable pass offense all of the sudden makes Gurley a lot more attractive proposition than he was a week ago.
Christine Michael, RB, DAL (Redraft/Dynasty) - Michael could flame out without even seeing the field in Dallas. This could be the highest his value will ever be in the remainder of his NFL career. I’m still convinced that he is the kind of that can multiply his value exponentially if he just gets the chance, and early buzz around him in Dallas seems to confirm this. These are the kinds of gambles that win a season or turn around dynasty teams. I wouldn’t trade a first round pick for him in dynasty, but I would get very creative otherwise.
Josh Gordon, WR, CLE (Dynasty) - Despite a red herring that regurgitated an old DWI story as if it was new, Gordon has stayed out of trouble so far. And we already know that he has an elite fantasy talent. He’s still only 24. He feels like a distant memory now, so you might be able pry him from his owner. Keep trying if it doesn’t work.
Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN (Redraft) - Feels weird to put one of the biggest breakout players of Week 1 as a buy low, but Eifert was featured heavily in the little smidgen of a game he played last year, and that followed through to this year with a huge success. Week 1 numbers might not be the norm for Eifert, but he’s going to remain central in this pass offense. His owner might be seeing him as a sell high and give him up for less than top five value.
Jordan Cameron, TE, MIA (Redraft/Dynasty) - Cameron’s Week 1 numbers won’t blow you away, but his elite physical talent and top-end skills were on display as one of the few bright spots for the Dolphins in a near upset opening day win at Washington. Ryan Tannehill found Cameron downfield and looked for him in the red zone. As the Dolphins offense wakes up, a return to top five fantasy form for Cameron should follow.
Sell High
Andre Johnson, WR, IND (Redraft/Dynasty) - The worst fears of the offseason about Johnson’s loss of a gear appear to be true after Week 1. Johnson is a mere possession receiver. We might have to wait for a high volume game to have a true sell high moment, but his name brand value and expectations heading into last week could give us one this week.
Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN (Dynasty) - Mariota may end up being a great NFL quarterback, but there’s no way it’s going to keep going as easy it was for him in his debut. Quarterback is the hardest position to milk trade value from in fantasy leagues, so maybe overexuberance about Week 1 can net a future first for someone that cost you a second this year.
Alex Smith, QB, KC (Redraft/Dynasty) - Brian Hoyer set Smith up with perfect assist on two of his touchdowns by giving the Chiefs the ball deep in Texans territory. On the other, they did even really cover Travis Kelce. It’s going to get a lot harder this week. Smith has the best personnel he has had around him for a while, but it’s still not going to translate into QB1 numbers.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB (Redraft) - Seferian-Jenkins second longest play of the day was a total fluke that should have been intercepted, and his longest play was one where the defense basically gave up after he caught the ball. With Mike Evans likely back, the party is over for Seferian-Jenkins.
Bishop Sankey, RB, TEN (Redraft/Dynasty) - Sankey benefited immensely from gift-wrapped touchdowns and the best game script of his career, but that’s not going to be the norm in Tennessee. David Cobb is also coming back eventually. Sankey has a terrific matchup against the Cleveland run defense this week, so strike while the iron is hot.
Joseph Randle, RB, DAL (Redraft/Dynasty) - Randle looked like a very competent backup in Week 1. He didn’t add any value to his touches. He ran the ball hard where it was supposed to go and didn’t fumble. Players like Benjarvus Green-Ellis made a career out of this, but Green-Ellis did not have a talent like Christine Michael on the roster. Michael might not usurp Randle this year and Randle could preserve RB2 value, but he’s not going to lock this job down long term. He’s mediocre.
Davante Adams, WR, GB (Redraft) - The everyweek WR2 in fantasy leagues thing just isn’t going to happen for Adams this year. James Jones is still pretty good and Aaron Rodgers is aware of it. It’s not “just one game”, as the two have played together for seven years. Adams is a boom/bust WR3. Big games will come, but so will games like Week 1. See if someone in your league is still willing to pay draft day value.