After the first month of the NFL season, there are many talented players who are off to a slow start. By spotting these players and trading for them while their value is low, you can turn a good team into a championship-contending squad. Below, we have seven fantasy football buy-low candidates heading into Week 5, including Rhamondre Stevenson and Darren Waller.
By trading for the right fantasy football buy-low candidates, you may end the NFL season by hoisting your league’s trophy, championship belt or champ chain!
Fantasy Football Buy-Low Trade Targets Week 5
Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Outlook
The New England Patriots are a mess through the first month of the season, and it has led to Rhamondre Stevenson being relatively irrelevant for fantasy football. He has been the RB23 through four weeks in PPR scoring despite playing every game. However, there is reason to be optimistic about him going forward.
Last week, it was announced that Ezekiel Elliott would see “starter snaps,” scaring Stevenson owners. Well, Zeke played 40% of the snaps to Stevenson’s 54%. In other words, we shouldn’t be afraid of Stevenson’s role.
Rhamondre Stevenson has played the eighth-most snaps per game amongst RBs (48.2), and he has seen an average of 19 looks per game (carries+targets). His usage is incredibly high. Stevenson’s issue is that he has just one touchdown. He has also seen seven red zone carries to Elliott’s one, meaning his red zone usage is great as well.
The Patriots offense will get better, which will improve Rhamondre Stevenson’s fantasy value for the rest of the season. Given his usage, he is an obvious fantasy football buy-low candidate.
Aaron Jones Fantasy Outlook
We all know Aaron Jones is among the most talented running backs in the NFL. If you listen to our Packer podcast Lombardi Sweep, you also know Green Bay’s utilization of Jones under Matt LaFleur has been coaching malpractice. Regardless, his biggest issue so far this season has been the hamstring injury suffered in Week 1.
Jones is the Green Bay Packers‘ best offensive player, which is why he was RB1 overall in Week 1 despite leaving the game early. Returning last week, Aaron Jones saw only six touches in a game where the Packers never attempted to establish the run.
With extra days of rest, expect Aaron Jones to be much healthier heading into Monday Night Football this week. We can also expect LaFleur to establish the run early and utilize Jones in the receiving game often, as Jordan Love’s best plays this season have been passes behind the line of scrimmage.
Aaron Jones has 14 carries on the year, but better days are ahead. We project Jones to have RB1 value the rest of the way, but he is a fantasy football buy-low target, as he possibly could be had at RB2 value.
Joe Burrow Fantasy Outlook
Obviously, it’s been a tough go for Joe Burrow fantasy football owners through the first month of the NFL season. Not only is Burrow playing poorly, but his owners invested an early-round draft pick in him as well. This means there is a relatively high likelihood that the Burrow owner doesn’t have the best record, leading to them being more likely to sell him at a discount.
Now, there aren’t stats that point to the Joe Burrow fantasy football output magically doing a 180. However, we know Burrow is one of the best players in the league and there are zero reports of a setback with his calf, meaning he should be getting closer to being healthy again.
This feels like one of those situations where we are in Week 18 talking about Burrow being in the MVP saying “Remember how bad the first month of the season was for him?” His strength of schedule is middle-of-the-road the rest of the way as well, so it’s not like he faces a gauntlet coming up. Burrow is an obviously buy-low fantasy football option heading into NFL Week 5.
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Josh Jacobs Fantasy Outlook
Once again, the Las Vegas Raiders aren’t interested in having anyone run the ball but Josh Jacobs. He has 87.3% of the team’s rushing attempts, and Jacobs has seen 5+ targets in each of the past three games as well. Yet, Jacobs ranks as the RB14. That’s not terrible, but he has the potential to be a top-five RB the rest of the way.
Obviously, his usage is insane, as we already mentioned. His issue is scoring touchdowns, as he has just one this season compared to 12 total last year.
Luckily, he has several great matchups against poor run defenses coming up, starting with the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football this week. The Packers rank 30th in rushing yards allowed per game (155.3). If you want to buy low on last season’s fantasy football RB3, now may be the last time for you to do it.
Chris Olave Fantasy Outlook
Chris Olave fantasy owners selected him as the WR12, on average, in drafts this year. However, it has been a slow start for the second-year receiver, ranking WR27 so far. Yes, the New Orleans play-caller is unbelievably bad, but there is an obvious opportunity for Olave to emerge as a solid fantasy contributor going forward.
First off, it’s easy to see that it’s tough for a WR to be very valuable while scoring only one touchdown. Still, his 306 receiving yards are respectable, and the return of Alvin Kamara should improve the offense overall, leading to a higher probability of scoring plays for Olave.
However, the biggest reason for Chris Olave being a fantasy football buy-low candidate is his air yards. Olave ranks fourth in the NFL in air yards, at 536. This means the opportunity is there for his value to take off, but it has been a Craigslist “missed connections” situation so far. Olave will start to find the ball a bit more, and his fantasy football value will benefit as a result.
Calvin Ridley Fantasy Outlook
The return of Calvin Ridley started off with a bang, as he finished Week 1 as the WR6. He also ranks in the top 30 for targets, showing that he is seeing the ball. However, his league-leading four drops have contributed to his ranking as WR37, though it is unlikely drops will continue a this rate.
Another reason for Calvin Ridley being a fantasy football buy-low candidate is his upcoming matchups. This week, he faces a Buffalo Bills defense that is traveling across the world while also adjusting to playing without top cornerback Tre’Davious White. He then faces the Indianapolis Colts, who he torched in Week 1. We know Ridley is betting on himself, and you should take the gamble as well.
Darren Waller Fantasy Outlook
It has been all doom and gloom for Darren Waller fantasy football owners this season, if you ask them. He has been called a bust, and that’s because we have seen the New York Giants get absolutely embarrassed in prime-time games where Waller has done nothing. But again, better days are ahead for the player everyone agreed was the Giants’ top pass-catcher heading into this season.
You may be surprised to know that Darren Waller ranks as the fantasy football TE12. Don’t tell the Waller owners this, as it makes him sound better than he has played. Waller ranks ninth amongst TEs in targets — don’t tell Darren Waller fantasy football owners this either. You probably shouldn’t mention that he ranks seventh amongst TEs in air yards either.
As you can see, Darren Waller’s potential in the current New York Giants offense is there. However, the best part is that the offense is going to get better. We have seen how much Saquon Barkley can turn this group around. Having a respectable rushing attack slows down the pass rush, which is clearly the Giants’ biggest issue right now. They have needed Waller to chip in order to give Daniel Jones even a tiny bit of time. When the offense improves overall, he won’t need to do this. Passes will be caught and the chains will move, bringing the Giants, and Waller, into scoring positions much more often.
Yes, the hamstring issue is a bit scary, but that can help to drive his price down as well. In the sad world of fantasy TEs, Darren Waller is a fantasy football buy-low candidate heading into NFL Week 5.
