The conclusion of Week 7 in the NFL marks the official halfway point of the fantasy football season. Bye weeks are in full swing and injuries to key players are piling up. Several managers are undoubtedly seeking a trade or two to improve their rosters. Whether you are actively looking for a positional upgrade or exploring the option to sell high on a surplus of talent, this fantasy football buy low, sell high column will help you maximize your trade value.
Read on for this week’s fantasy football buy low, sell high candidates, including Nick Chubb, Brandon Cooks, Michael Carter and Michael Pittman Jr. The following breakdowns and analyses can be used to help guide your trade discussions and weigh fantasy football player values heading into Week 8.
Fantasy Football Buy Low Players | Week 8
Nick Chubb | RB, Cleveland Browns
Following a short-handed win last Thursday, all of the media hype and buzz is surrounding former Orlando Apollos running back D’Ernest Johnson. He certainly took advantage of the Browns being without both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt last week. However, Johnson finishing Week 7 as the RB4 might be a better predictor of Chubb’s future fantasy football production than his own. While Hunt is set to remain sidelined for at least a few more weeks, Chubb is in line to return from the calf injury that kept him out of last week’s contest.
When healthy, Chubb projects as the lead RB in the Browns’ offense. Even when working in a true committee backfield with Hunt, Chubb saw a slight majority in touches and an even bigger lead in red zone carries as the more powerful runner. In fact, his 24 red zone carries to date are tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. At a minimum, fantasy managers should expect similar splits between Chubb and Johnson starting this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In all likelihood, the gap will probably widen a bit. With Case Keenum under center until further notice, Cleveland is also likely to lean even more heavily on their rushing attack. Chubb has the potential to explode in fantasy over the next few weeks. Now is the time to buy low on him after he missed a game with an injury.
Brandin Cooks | WR, Houston Texans
This marks the second time that Brandin Cooks has been featured in this fantasy football buy low, sell high column. The first came all the way back at the beginning of the year. We actually made the case to sell Cooks high in that edition. The trade market has changed a bit in the weeks since. Sure enough, Cooks’ production has dropped off in a big way after three games with 18+ fantasy points to start the year. He has only achieved a double-digit point total once in Houston’s four games since. Most recently, he was held to just 21 yards on five receptions in a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
With the fantasy football industry down on Cooks and the Texans outfit as a whole, now just might be the perfect time to buy on the cheap. When it comes to his role in Houston’s offense, target volume is clearly not an issue. In fact, Cooks’ 63 targets on the season rank sixth among all NFL receivers. Another key reason to exploring trading for the Texans’ top wideout is the looming return of Tyrod Taylor to the starting lineup. The veteran QB has been sidelined since Week 2 with a hamstring injury. Whenever he returns to the field, the fantasy value of all Texans’ skill players immediately increases. Finally, Cooks actually has a fantasy-friendly schedule for much of the second half of the season. Following a Week 10 bye, the Texans face five suspect defenses in a row including the Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jerry Jeudy | WR, Denver Broncos
Admittedly, there is always an element of risk when trading for players who have been sidelined for multiple games due to an injury. We haven’t seen Jerry Jeudy in action since the Broncos’ season-opener against the New York Giants. Perceptions of the Denver offense have certainly waned in the weeks since. Teddy Bridgewater is struggling mightily and the Broncos put together a horrendous performance in front of a national viewing audience last week.
Nonetheless, buying Jeudy on the cheap now could pay dividends. He was peppered with seven targets in the Week 1 game before exiting with the injury. If Bridgewater continues to struggle, the Broncos might just switch to Drew Lock. This would undoubtedly be to the benefit of all receivers from a fantasy football outlook. Explore Jeudy’s price point this week before his return and see if a deal is worthwhile.
Fantasy Football Sell High Players | Week 7
Michael Carter | RB, New York Jets
As a Jets fan, it’s honestly more surprising that Michael Carter is worthy of inclusion in this week’s fantasy football trade column than anything. That’s exactly where we find ourselves though in a season where the running back position lacks depth. Carter notched double-digit fantasy points for the third consecutive game last Sunday. The 16.4 PPR points scored came in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots in which the Jets were in pass mode for basically the entire second half. Oh, and they had a backup quarterback who had never taken a regular-season snap under center. The recent box scores may look nice, but expecting the production to continue at this rate is fool’s gold.
Carter has accumulated the solid fantasy stat lines despite not rushing for more than 38 yards in any of the last three games. A touchdown buoyed his total in the first two contests. Eight receptions for 67 yards in a blowout did the same this past week. For what it’s worth, fellow Jets RB Ty Johnson also finished with double-digit fantasy points in each of the last two games. Yet, no fantasy football “experts” are advising that you go out and pick him up off waivers are they?. If you currently own Carter and can entice an opposing manager to buy into the misleading hype, sell high in a heartbeat. At the end of the day, the Jets offensive line remains a disaster and will continue to put a solid cap on Carter’s fantasy production.
Michael Pittman Jr. | WR, Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman is another player making his second appearance in this fantasy football buy low, sell high column. Much like Brandin Cooks, he is on the other side of the trade spectrum than his first appearance. The Colts’ success on the scoreboard has correlated almost perfectly with Pittman producing for fantasy managers in recent weeks. He is coming off a 100-yard effort in Week 7, a game in which he also found the end zone. With a favorable schedule upcoming, selling him high likely won’t be the top priority for many managers.
There are two primary reasons to shop Pittman ahead of Indianapolis’ Week 8 matchup against the division rival Tennessee Titans. The primary cause for concern going forward is the return of veteran wideout T.Y. Hilton to the lineup. Whether or not Hilton can stay healthy long-term remains to be seen. When he is on the field though, he figures to be the go-to target for Carson Wentz. The other factor working against Pittman is the continued success of the Colts’ rushing attack. Jonathan Taylor has been on a rampage over the last month with no end in sight. Pittman will still be serviceable for fantasy football purposes, but his production is bound to tail off a bit with Hilton back in the fold.
