BUYING
Matt Ryan QB ATL
After coming out firing in Week 1, finishing as the No. 1 quarterback in fantasy points, Ryan has faltered since then; from Week 2 through Week 7, Ryan's FPPG places him 20th at the position. It won't get much easier this weekend playing Detroit, who boast one of the NFL's premier pass defenses, in London. The Lions have held opposing quarterbacks to a meager 217 passing yards per game and have allowed just seven passing touchdowns through seven games. After this weekend, Atlanta has a bye week and then the schedule eases up. Even though the offensive line struggles can be expected to continue, Ryan should gain traction and perform as a mid-QB1 from there-on-out.
Matthew Stafford QB DET
The New Orleans defense helped Stafford to overcome the absence of Calvin Johnson this past weekend, as he totaled 299 yards and two touchdowns on 27 of 40 passing. Johnson is now another week closer to his return and Detroit has another mouth-watering matchup on deck versus Atlanta, who has allowed the fourth most passing yards per game. Stafford can be treated as a low-end QB1 this weekend and should return to mid-QB1 stature with elite potential following Johnson's return after the Week 9 bye. Currently ranking 16th in FPPG at the position, the time is now to trade for him.
Alfred Morris RB WAS
Through seven games, Morris is on pace for 263-1,006-6.9 on the ground. While it's a far cry from the 306-1,443-10 that he averaged in his first two seasons, it's far from tragic. In STD scoring, he still ranks 19th among running backs and the volume of carries is enough to sustain RB2 value going forward. The remaining schedule is non-threatening and his current yards-per-carry of 3.83 should begin to creep closer to his career yards-per-carry of 4.58, especially with the return of Robert Griffin III III.
Jerick McKinnon RB MIN
Prior to this past weekend's game, HC Mike Zimmer chirped that the team needed to get Matt Asiata more involved in the offense. Thankfully, that did not come to fruitition because the talent gap between the two is painfully evident. In the past two games, McKinnon has played on 64% of the team's snaps, which indicates that he's taken hold of the lead role. In those games, he's averaged 72 yards on 15 carries and 20 yards on four receptions. With a rookie quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater, maintaining that volume of touches is within reason for McKinnon. The downside is that Minnesota's remaining schedule is speckled with top-ranked run defenses, but RB2 production should be had from now through the season's end, which is enough to make him a target for running back needy teams.
Marshawn Lynch RB SEA
Now through six games, Lynch is on pace for 259 carries, 1,120 yards, and eight touchdowns on the ground - those would all be his lowest totals since becoming the workhorse back for Seattle in 2011. A pleasant surprise has been his increased usage in the passing game; he's on pace for 43 receptions, 387 yards, and eight touchdowns as a receiver. In two of the Seahawks' games so far, Lynch has been handed 10 or less carries, which led OC Darrell Bevell to remark that he needed to do a better job of getting Lynch the ball prior to this past week. With Percy Harvin no longer meriting snaps in the backfield, expect Lynch to be fed throughout the rest of the season, putting these past two disapointing weeks behind him and producing as a strong RB1 in all formats.
Rashad Jennings RB NYG
Jennings has been a regular on this list; his return continues to grow closer and Andre Williams continues to tread water in his absence. The veteran back remains on-track for a Week 10 return and will instantly be plugged back in as the lead back. As a reminder, he was on pace for 326 touches, 1,616 total yards, and 6.4 touchdowns before suffering the MCL sprain, ranking as 7th in STD and 10th in PPR scoring at the position. If your team can afford to keep him stowed away on your bench until his return, you'll have a high-end RB2 for the stretch run and playoffs.
Cecil Shorts III WR JAC
When healthy, Shorts is the undisputed No. 1 receiver on Jacksonville and while his hamstring troubles have reached the point where the injury prone label fits, targets continue to rain down on him when on the field. In the three games where Shorts managed to play a full complement of snaps, he's averaged 11 targets, six receptions, 50 yards, and 0.3 touchdowns. Over a 16-game season, that projects to a 96-800-5.3 line, which would be WR2 numbers in PPR and WR3 numbers in STD scoring. Although the receptions may dip, the 8.3 yards-per-reception should improve and help offset any drop-off.
Michael Floyd WR AZ
Although Floyd's current production, which projects for a 51-941-5.3 line, may make the WR2 ADP and WR1 buzz from the offseason seem to have been off the mark, he's still very much worth that same value and buzz. With Carson Palmer hurt, Arizona's downfield passing game has been hindered and even though the quarterback's return hasn't ignited the offense yet, he's been a substantial improvement and his arm strength should continue to progress. Don't treat the three targets that Floyd saw this past weekend as a sign of things to come. Instead, be grateful he managed to catch all three, including one for a touchdown, and look for high-end WR2 production from here on out, beginning this week versus Philadelphia.
Mike Evans WR TB
With a struggling running game and a defense among the NFL's worst, Tampa Bay will be forced to pass the ball. Their divisional opponents also boast defenses that rival the poor play of their own and half of those divisional games remain left on the schedule, albeit with one of them in Week 17. Although hampered by a hamstring, Evans has recorded four receptions in every game played, totaling stats that would project to 67-826-6.4 over 16-game season. He can be started as a WR3 on his own merit and with a Vincent Jackson trade becoming a real possibility, he would become a target hog in this offense and ascend to WR2 territory.
SELLING
Ahmad Bradshaw RB IND
Aided by seven touchdowns, six of them receiving, Bradshaw ranks fifth among running backs in STD and PPR scoring. He's on pace for 160-768-2.3 on the ground and 55-485-13.7 through the air. While he may see an uptick in rushing touchdowns, regression should be expected to take hold of his one touchdown per game average. Trent Richardson did exit from this past Sunday's game early, but he's optimistic that he won't miss any time and should continue to lead the team in touches. Bradshaw is talented enough to sustain solid RB2 production with his current volume of 13.4 touches per game, but that's still a drop-off from his current mid-RB1 ranking.
Darren McFadden RB OAK
After one week of being efficient on the ground (defined as a yards-per-carry of 4.0 or higher), McFadden found himself back at home, with 48 yards on 14 carries. He's now averaging 3.83 on the season and 3.39 over the past three seasons on a total of 403 carries. At this time, he's no longer a starting caliber running back and without his current volume (15 touches per game), he would not even be worth rostering. A touchdown this past weekend extended his trade window and there's RB2 potential for this upcoming game versus Cleveland, but the schedule gets tougher and you're playing with fire if you're waiting for his value to get much higher before looking to trade him. He's ultimately a low-upside RB3.
Randall Cobb WR GB
Cobb's touchdown total now stands at eight on the season, which leads all wide receivers and has helped him to a top-five ranking in total fantasy points in STD and PPR scoring. His targets (6.7), receptions (5.0), and yards (64.6) per game remain more in line with a high-end WR2 though. For context, Jordy Nelson has as many receptions (47) as Cobb has targets on the year. Touchdown regression is bound to strike and when that happens, Cobb will settle in near the WR1/2 border. It's not a bad idea to begin shopping him now if you're able to get elite or high-end WR1 value.
Terrance Williams WR DAL
If you have Williams and haven't traded him yet, then congrats on your streak of luck. The receiver continues to receive minimal targets, but has hit on enough big plays and found the end zone regularly enough for consistent production. He now has back-to-back games with just two targets and also been limited to two or less receptions in five of his seven games. While he may rank 12th among wide receivers in STD scoring and 24th in PPR scoring, at 4.3 targets and 2.7 receptions per game, he's a nothing more than a WR4 in WR2 clothing.
Julius Thomas TE DEN
Thomas still leads the league with nice touchdown receptions, but was finally kept out of the end zone after five straight weeks with a score. He's now on pace for 75 receptions, 811 yards, and 24 touchdowns. He remains an elite option at the position, but the touchdowns will continue to regress and as mentioned last week, a healthy Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham remain a notch above Thomas. Swinging a trade that returns either of those two, who are the focal points of their offenses, would be a win.
WAIVER PICKUPS
Johnny Manziel QB CLE
Cleveland (3-3) remains in the playoff hunt with Brian Hoyer under center, but the veteran quarterback may be more of an obstacle to success than a driving factor for it. He's completing just 56% of his passes on the year and has been under 50% in each of the past two games, averaging just 12 of 29 passing and accounting for only one touchdown with two turnovers. HC Mike Pettine admitted to considering making the switch to Manziel this past weekend and it's becoming a matter of when, instead of if. With Manziel's scrambling ability and the impending return of Josh Gordon, who fits nicely with the rookie's gunslinging mentality, QB1 production is a real possibility and it'd be a wise move to stash him on your bench.
Bryce Brown RB BUF / Anthony Dixon RB BUF
Fred Jackson was carted off of the field this past weekend's game with a groin injury that is normally accompanied by a four-week absence. Shortly after, C.J. Spiller was carted off after suffering a broken collarbone and he has already been placed on the Injured Reserve / Designated to Return list that keeps him out until Week 16 at the earliest. The next two running backs up are Bryce Brown, who the team traded a fourth round pick for in the offseason, and Anthony Dixon, who has been running as the No. 3 back so far. This situation is similar to that of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon, where Dixon may get the first nod, but eventually be surpassed by Brown. Both should be rostered with Dixon being an immediate, low-ceiling RB3 and Brown being an RB3 with the potential to become a high-end RB2.
Denard Robinson RB JAC
Early on Sunday morning, news broke that Robinson would be getting the starting nod over rookie Storm Johnson, who was entirely unimpressive in his start the previous week. The Michigan product took advantage of the opportunity, rushing for 127 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. More notable than the numbers was the play of Robinson, who displayed patience and looked comfortable running between the tackles. He still boasts the explosiveness that made him a household name while in college and should hold onto the starting job through the remainder of the season. A poor offensive line and an erratic passing game does take some of the luster away, but he'll be a worthy RB3/Flex option at worst and even holds wide receiver eligibility in Yahoo! leagues.
Travaris Cadet RB NO
Even with Pierre Thomas healthy, Cadet began to cut into his usage as a receiver. Over New Orleans' past three games, he's averaged six targets, five receptions, and 43 receiving yards. With Thomas now sidelined for two-to-three weeks with a shoulder injury, Cadet instantly ascends to low-end RB2 consideration in PPR leagues and RB3/Flex value in STD leagues.
Tre Mason RB STL
When St. Louis spent a fourth round pick on Mason, it was clear that they didn't hold the incumbent starter, Zac Stacy, in high regard. Mason bided his time while Stacy continued to plod away and finally saw his first action (nine snaps) in Week 6, rushing for 40 yards on five carries. In Week 7, he saw 27 snaps compared to just one snap for Stacy, indicating that he passed him on the depth chart. In that second game, Mason rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. During the draft process, two flaws of Mason's that were repeatedly mentioned were his pass blocking and ball security. In his 36 snaps this season, he's already fumbled the ball once and has only been asked to pass block twice, allowing one sack. Those flaws will prevent him from becoming a workhorse back this season, limiting him to RB3/Flex value, while Benny Cunningham continues to see a fair amount of playing time
Jarvis Landry WR MIA
In Week 6, Brandon Gibson was sidelined by a hamstring injury, allowing Landry to see a season-high 47 snaps. This past weekend, Gibson was a healthy scratch and been officially passed by the rookie on the depth chart. In the past five games, Landry has averaged 5.8 targets, 4.4 receptions, and 46.4 yards. Over a 16-game season, those numbers would project to 93 targets, 70 receptions, and 742 yards. With Brian Hartline continuing to struggle, it's time to begin treating Landry as a WR4.
*All snap counts and targets in this article are courtesy of ProFootballFocus.com