The second week of the NFL and fantasy football season is officially in the books. We warned against rushing to judgments after Week 1 of the season in this buy low/sell high column last week. Sure enough, several of the players included rebounded to expectations in Week 2. We saw several fantasy football studs explode this past weekend, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a number of opportunities to come out a winner in trades this week. A big performance from Mike Evans, as well as lackluster outings for Joe Mixon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, are all among the notable fantasy football developments from Week 2.
Each of the players mentioned above is among those included in this week’s buy low, sell high column. The following breakdowns and analyses can be used to help guide your trade discussions and weigh fantasy football player values heading into Week 3.
🏈 Check out the top fantasy football waiver wire targets for Week 3!
Fantasy Football Buy Low Players | Week 3
Joe Mixon | RB, Cincinnati Bengals
While several players rebounded in Week 2 after underachieving to begin the season, the exact opposite was the case for Bengals running back Joe Mixon. After ripping off over 120 yards rushing and finishing as the RB2 in Week 1, Mixon was stifled by the Chicago Bears’ run defense on Sunday. He finished with just 69 rushing yards and one reception in the Bengals’ loss. The resulting fantasy points total was just 8.1 in PPR leagues and saw Mixon finish as the RB34 on the week.
Given that the Bengals aren’t exactly an outfit many fantasy football owners are 100% on at this juncture, Mixon’s poor Week 2 showing makes him an ideal buy-low candidate. Play up Joe Burrow and his plethora of receivers, as well as Cincinnati’s poor offensive line in trade talks. Any owner who is willing to part with Mixon on the cheap at this juncture is simply foolish. Despite the low output in Week 2, Mixon still saw 20 carries. With another tough game against the Pittsburgh Steelers looming this week, another lackluster stat line is a real possibility. If you can’t land him this week, a second straight poor showing will only aid his buy-low candidacy.
Robert Woods | WR, Los Angeles Rams
With teammate Cooper Kupp absolutely going off in fantasy football this week, Robert Woods suddenly finds himself overshadowed a bit in the Rams’ offense. It’s not that Woods had an awful Week 2 game. He hauled in five receptions for 64 yards to finish with exactly 12.0 fantasy points. However, this was only good enough for him to be the WR46 on the week in PPR leagues. In fact, Woods has been the WR46 in each of the first two weeks to begin the season. Talk about a statistical anomaly!
While neither game has been a total dud, fantasy football owners drafted Woods before the season to be much more than the WR46 on a weekly basis. With Kupp going off in Week 2, owners looking to target Woods as a buy-low trade candidate have all the ammo they need. Hype up the chemistry between Kupp and quarterback Matthew Stafford as a connection that will hurt Woods going forward. Add in the Rams’ commitment to the ground game and the presence of tight end Tyler Higbee as well. Woods may very well be the second option in this offense all season. When it comes to fantasy football, Los Angeles’ offense is fully capable of supporting two top-notch wideouts. Positive regression is inevitable.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire | RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Given that he is the lead back in arguably the best offense in the NFL, it has been a very disappointing start for Clyde Edwards-Helaire. After barely managing double-digit fantasy points in Week 1, the former LSU standout didn’t come close to that figure in the Chiefs’ Week 2 loss. The Baltimore Ravens run defense held Edwards-Helaire to just 46 yards rushing on 13 carries. He also never caught a pass and therefore finished with only 2.6 fantasy points in PPR scoring on the week. Edwards-Helaire was the RB55 in fantasy football for Week 2, one spot below Baltimore’s Devonta Freeman. That, my friends, is not a good look!
After back-to-back poor performances, there are undoubtedly several fantasy football owners itching to part ways with Edwards-Helaire. The main reason why you should not be shy about acquiring him as a buy-low target is his workload. CEH is clearly the lead back in the Chiefs’ offense. The Week 2 stat line was hurt by the fact that the Ravens had over a 10-minute advantage in time of possession. The nature of the game led to Kansas City running fewer plays in general, in addition to passing on the majority of them. So long as Edwards-Helaire continues to be the lead back, better yardage and reception totals are bound to come. Given the way the Chiefs score points, he’ll find the end zone sooner than later too.
Fantasy Football Sell High Players | Week 3
Mike Evans | WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Can 44-year-old Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady actually take home NFL MVP honors this season? He is certainly making a bold case early on with nine touchdown passes over the first two weeks. After failing to get in on the offensive outburst in the season-opener, Mike Evans made was heavily involved this past Sunday. He put together a 5-catch, 74-yard, 2-touchdown day to finish as the WR5 in fantasy football with 24.5 PPR points. With the Bucs’ passing attack looking unstoppable through two games, should owners really be looking to sell Evans off now?
The one word that best describes Evans’ fantasy football outlook over the rest of the season is “inconsistent”. While he may have led Tampa Bay in receptions and receiving yards in Week 2, it’s really hard to make a case that this will be a regular occurrence going forward. Brady has so many weapons in the passing game. Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski both finished just one catch behind Evans on Sunday after having much bigger roles in Week 1. It was a quiet week for Antonio Brown, but Evans figures to draw the top cover corner of opposing defenses most weeks. In a Week 3 road game against the Los Angeles Rams, that would be Jalen Ramsey. There will be more good weeks for Evans in fantasy this season, but there will also be just as many (if not more) disappointments similar to Week 1. Look to sell him high now off a top-5 performance.
Ezekiel Elliott | RB, Dallas Cowboys
To wrap up our Week 3 fantasy football buy low, sell high column, we are diving into the developing story that is the Cowboys’ backfield. Remember that top-7 pick you spent on Ezekiel Elliott back in the draft? Well, he came through for his owners in Week 2, totaling 71 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries. He added a receiving TD to finish as the RB9 in fantasy with 17.7 points. After scoring just 5.9 fantasy points in Dallas’ opener, it was a welcome bounceback. Surely, Elliott is one to hold going forward right?
The short answer to the question above: absolutely not! In fact, Elliott wasn’t even the top fantasy football running back on the Cowboys for the second straight week. Tony Pollard saw fewer carries (13), but he averaged a massive 8.9 yards rushing with the touches he got. A 109-yard performance combined with three catches for 31 yards saw Pollard finish with 23.0 fantasy points, making him the RB4 on the week. If Pollard continues to out-produce Elliott, the workload in this backfield is, at worst, going to remain fairly even. For my money, Pollard is the better back and will continue to have a steady role going forward. There may not be a better sell-high opportunity on Elliott than after this top-10 effort.
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