This is going to be listed as a buy low for contending teams, but rebuilding teams can read the third paragraph and apply it to their situations. The individual player write-ups will be written from the point of view of a contending team.
With many leagues nearing their trade deadlines, there are contenders looking for that final piece to their championship puzzle. I am going to list several players that a contending team should target if they have a hole or two to fill. Many of the players are nearing the end of their careers and a team that is not in contention should be looking to move them. Others are replacement level players that are in great situations and offer a short term solution for a contender that has a hole to fill, but they have little if any value to a team looking to the future. There also could be a handful of underachieving players that you can buy on the cheap from a frustrated owner.
Although I am listing this article as one for contending teams, rebuilding teams can use the opposite approach. Just sell high on these players. One thing to add is that you do not want to get stuck with a player that offers you nothing for the future, so don't be overly stubborn regarding the value you want in return. The closer you get to the trade deadline, the less flexible you can be. This is obviously only for players you absolutely do not want to have on your roster next year. If there are players in this article that a rebuilding team should hold, I will mention it.
I want to add that you may see players listed that have been written about in recent weeks, but with trade deadlines fast approaching, I believe contenders need to see the top buy-low players available right now for a relatively cheap price and it is better to repeat a handful of them than to avoid repeating and thus list players that are not as important to go after.
Buy Low (Contenders)
DL Osi Umenyiora, Atlanta Falcons: Umenyiora has posted mid-DL2 numbers this year and when you consider there are very few quality defensive ends available for trade this year, Umenyiora is arguably the best value out there. The majority of top fantasy scoring defensive linemen are young stud defensive ends and nobody wants to move them for a reasonable. Add in a handful of overachievers and you are not left with much to pick from. I would use Umenyiora's advancing age (33) and low tackle numbers as the key bargaining chips in order to keep the cost reasonable.
DL Justin Smith, San Francisco 49ers: Smith is getting up in years and is having his least productive season by far. He is on pace for only 33 solos and this is a player that has never had fewer than 40 in his previous 11 years in the league. But Smith is still an effective fantasy player and although he is barely a DB3 these days, us contenders can never have enough depth for a playoff run. All you need to do to prove you need depth is look at the ridiculous number of injuries that have occurred this year. The best thing about Smith is he is 35 years old and the cost will probably be dirt cheap. With that in mind, if you need depth and can't afford to give up much in return, Smith is not a bad place to start.
DL Mathias Kiwanuka, New York Giants: Kiwanuka has not posted strong numbers over the course of the season and is barely inside the top 60 in scoring among defensive linemen. But Kiwanuka has played his best football of late and in his last two games he has racked up 2 solos, 2 assists, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. I realize that two games is a very small sample size, but the market for defensive linemen is weak this year and you have to uncover every rock and look for some kind of gem. I doubt Kiwanuka would cost much and since the risk is small, I see little reason to not take a chance and try to buy him on the cheap.
LB London Fletcher, Washington Redskins: Fletcher is finally showing signs of slowing down and given the fact that he is 38 years old, it should not come as a major surprise. He is still a borderline LB3 and many leagues start three linebackers and some even start four. Regardless, Fletcher is almost certainly going to retire this year and although he isn't putting up stud numbers, he is still startable in leagues that start threelinebackers and provides solid depth if your league starts less. The cost should be dirt cheap if the team that owns Fletcher is not a contender. Just remind the owner that Fletcher is 38 and likely to retire and tell him you will not pay much.
LB Wesley Woodyard, Denver Broncos: Woodyard is currently ranked outside the top 50 in linebacker scoring and that is much lower when compared to last year. But in looking closer, you can see that Woodyard has missed two games this year and when you take that into consideration and prorate the numbers, Woodyard would be a borderline LB3. the situation regarding starter versus depth is similar to what I wrote about Fletcher. The difference is Woodyard is not doing as well as last year in terms of his performance and even considering the missed games, he is not posting numbers like last year. When making your buying pitch, just look at the overall position of Woodyard in the fantasy scoring list and use that to determine the price you are willing to pay.
LB Brandon Spikes, New England Patriots: Spikes has racked up 40 total tackles in his last five games and most of that was accomplished after the season-ending injury to stud linebacker Jerod Mayo. But not everyone sees that and in fact, all many owners will see is that Spikes is barely inside the top 60 linebackers right now. There is your main bargaining chip but you can also mention that Spikes offers very little in the big play categories. I expect the solid tackle numbers to continue with Mayo out of the picture and Spikes may be one of the better buy-low bargains out there right now.
DB Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers: As I wrote in my IDP Sleepers article, Polamalu is not the player he once was and has not posted great numbers this year, but he has racked up 16 solos, 4 assists, a pick, and 5 passes defended in his last four games. Those numbers posted over a full season would probably make Polamalu a DB1/2 in most years. He is playing well and a big reason is he appears to be healthy for the first time in years. His overall numbers are not good and that is a benefit to those of us that want to buy low. What we care about is recent play and if it can continue and in Polamalu's case, he looks solid on the field and combinedwith his recent numbers he is a solid buy low candidate. Use his overall numbers, advancing age, and injury history as your main bargaining chips.
DB Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers: Clark is posting strong DB2 numbers and is on pace to threaten his top fantasy points mark of 165 set last year. The good news for those of us that want to buy low is that Clark is 34 years old and is on the last year of his contract. The age is especially a good bargaining chip because non-contenders do not like to hold older players and in many cases they will sell for a cheap price and that is exactly what we want to pay. Although I am not a fan of paying too much for a player like Clark, I may make a small exception in this case because his best two years in terms of fantasy football are last year and this year. He has seemed to get better with age.
DB Charles Woodson, Oakland Raiders: I will keep this short and sweet: Woodson is playing solid football and is 37 years old. The Raiders have a poor team and Woodson is on the filed quite a bit He has very little value beyond this year and it is up to you to convey that to the Woodson owner in your league. Make sure you mention that the Raiders have a bad team and that they will probably improve and that generally means defenses spend less time on the field. Common sense says that defensive players in that situation have lower stats due to less playing time. That is your negotiating point.
