Just six weeks remain in the fantasy football regular season. As the NFL trade deadline came and went with hardly a peep, perhaps considering the newly crowned World Series Champion Atlanta Braves as an example of what is possible through savvy trade tactics is the better choice. Despite losing a superstar outfielder and a top starting pitcher, the Braves went all in at the MLB trade deadline. Even more pertinent to this fantasy football buy low, sell high column specifically, the Braves quite literally “bought low” on several players who played key roles in their championship run. Let’s aim to do the same on the fantasy football side of things heading into Week 9!
Read on for this week’s fantasy football buy low, sell high candidates, including Kenyan Drake, Mike Williams, Saquon Barkley and Chase Edmonds. The following breakdowns and analyses can be used to help guide your trade discussions and weigh fantasy football player values heading into Week 9.
Fantasy Football Buy Low Players | Week 9
Kenyan Drake | RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Following the tragic news story that broke yesterday, the Raiders opted to release former first-round draft pick, Henry Ruggs III. This is simply the latest distraction in a season that has been full of them. Thus far, Las Vegas has overcome every obstacle thrown at them. Prior to the team’s Week 8 bye, Kenyan Drake put his name back on the fantasy football map by scoring over 16 PPR fantasy points in back-to-back games. It may have initially appeared to be a sell-high moment off of the big box scores. However, this latest development bodes well for Drake’s fantasy floor in the coming weeks.
Fellow analyst, Zach Brunner, has discussed on multiple FlurrySports fantasy shows why the departure of Jon Gruden figured to benefit Drake’s value going forward. The Ruggs incident leaves the Raiders without another vital component of their passing attack. Drake should continue to see his snap count rise. Expect his target share to do so right along with it. If defenses continue to key on star tight end Darren Waller, Drake will have plenty of opportunities in the short-to-intermediate passing game.
Mike Williams | WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Once upon a time, Mike Williams was the fantasy football WR2 on the season. After finishing with less than five fantasy points in three of the Chargers’ last four games, that is no longer the case. Williams enters a Week 9 game against the Philadelphia Eagles ranked at WR16 in PPR formats. Williams and the entire L.A. offense were bottled up by the stout New England Patriots defense in Week 8. As a result, he is once again a buy-low trade candidate.
After seeing the kind of production Williams is capable of early in the season, there are undoubtedly owners out there who are frustrated by this recent swoon. Over the long haul, a healthy Williams could prove vital to fantasy football championship aspirations. The upcoming schedule is largely favorable for the Chargers in terms of opposing secondaries. While Justin Herbert has probably been hyped up a bit too much given that this is only his second season, it’s hard to envision results as poor as the past few weeks. Managers might be surprised at how cheap Williams can be bought for heading into Week 9.
Saquon Barkley | RB, New York Giants
If you are a manager in win-now mode, going out and acquiring Saquon Barkley may not be ideal. However, for those with a little breathing room in the standings, it might be worth inquiring on his trade price as you eye success over the long haul. If Barkley can stay healthy after returning from this most recent ankle injury, one has to believe that he can produce. After all, we have seen backup Devontae Booker be a very solid fantasy football contributor in his absence. The archaic offensive scheme employed by coordinator Jason Garrett certainly relies on the Giants’ RBs to produce.
Barkley is not guaranteed to return to action in Week 9. He could very well remain sidelined through New York’s Week 10 bye. Knowing this, there is a potential window here to acquire him on the cheap. Assuming good health, Barkley could be a key piece in a fantasy football championship run.
Fantasy Football Sell High Players | Week 9
Chase Edmonds | RB, Arizona Cardinals
This isn’t the first time that Cardinals back Chase Edmonds has appeared as a sell-high candidate in this column. After finishing north of 15 fantasy points in Arizona’s loss to the short-handed Green Bay Packers last Thursday, managers have another window to shop the former Fordham standout. If not for a touchdown, Edmonds’ Week 8 fantasy line would have looked much worse. Contrary to public opinion, the Cardinals are actually a run-first team. Unfortunately for Edmonds, backfield mate James Conner has proven to be the lead ball carrier as the season has progressed.
Edmonds does present a decent PPR fantasy floor thanks to his role catching passes out of the backfield. However, one need not look any further than Weeks 5 and 6 to see how that floor can fall out in an instant. Given that Edmonds cedes any and all goalline work to the more powerful Conner, banking on touchdowns to continue inflating his weekly production is not wise. The Cardinals have some difficult defensive matchup looming and also still are yet to have their bye week. Managers who need to win now should not hesitate to shop him for a helpful return.
DeVante Parker | WR, Miami Dolphins
Dolphins players have appeared on the sell-high side in this fantasy football column with regularity all season long. Following one of his best performances of an injury-plagued season, DeVante Parker is this week’s candidate. He was targeted a whopping 11 times in Miami’s loss to the Buffalo Bills last week. Parker caught eight of those balls for 85 total yards. He turned in his third double-digit PPR points outing in the process.
Unfortunately, as is the case with Myles Gaskin and even Jaylen Waddle to some extent, banking on Parker to replicate this production any given Sunday is next to impossible. The Dolphins are a mess offensively. The team technically has two offensive coordinators which is never a good omen for productivity. He’s difficult to trust as a fantasy starter regardless of the matchup. Do not hesitate to sell him for a player with a higher weekly floor in a better offense.
Darrel Williams | RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Even as Derrick Gore took the fantasy football world by storm on Monday night, Darrel Williams continued to produce. He led the Chiefs’ backfield in snap count and turned in his third double-digit PPR points performance in the last five games. With defenses having adjusted to Kansas City’s aerial scheme, RBs could provide more fantasy value than expected going forward this season. Unfortunately for Williams, starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be returning from IR in the near future. High-profile fantasy running backs continue to drop like flies with injuries. Owners should explore trading Williams to desperate counterparts at a price far higher than his long-term value.
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