Week 7: Buy Low and Sell High

With Week 6 of the NFL season in the books, Broto Lead Writer Matt Ward and Staff Writer Clay Jones have their eyes on three buy-low targets and three sell-high targets heading into Week 7! 

Take advantage of your league mates by acquiring star players at their lowest value and dealing away volatile players at their highest values!

BUY LOW

Rondale Moore WR - Arizona Cardinals

DK Nation

The Cardinals are at the forefront of every news source for all the wrong reasons. Marquise Brown is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks with a foot fracture, causing the organization to push for the trade of disgruntled Panthers wide receiver Robbie Anderson. Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury have not lived up to their lofty contracts with a record of 2-4 that includes a winless 0-2 record against NFC West opponents. Brown’s injury coincides with the return of veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins who was suspended for the first six weeks after violating the NFL’s policy against performance-enhancing substances. Amidst this flurry of infamy lies a valuable fantasy asset on the rise in the form of a young, second-year wideout. The Cardinals have steadily increased Rondale Moore’s participation and opportunity shares over the last three games since the shifty youngster made his debut in Week 4. He has increased his snap percentages from 81.0% to 99.0% with a target share of 20.7% over the Cardinals' last three contests. Moore could now be asked to use his speed and agility to help manage some of the route packages lost by the injury of his veteran teammate, opening up additional deep looks. The acquisition of Anderson provides additional depth for the team on the outside but should not hinder Moore’s increased role, nor should the return of DeAndre Hopkins. Both veterans serve a succinct purpose as outside threats whereas Moore controls nearly 100.0% of the Cardinals' snaps from the slot position. Hopefully, the narratives surrounding Hopkins and Anderson are enough to allow a cheap acquisition of the Cardinals' youngest and most versatile weapon.

• Matt Ward

Raheem Mostert RB - Miami Dolphins

It is common knowledge among fantasy circles that whoever possesses the job of starting running back for Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers is a must-roster asset. That sentiment should hold equal weight for the same offensive-minded genius that orchestrated the beautiful running schemes that carried the 49ers to so many unsuspecting victories. Raheem Mostert is the unquestioned every-down back in a system designed by former 49ers coordinator and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. Mostert has long surpassed Chase Edmonds as the leading ball carrier in an offense built to uphold high-end fantasy production for the running back position. A down game in Week 6 against the Vikings has undoubtedly opened up a lucrative buying opportunity for the Dolphins veteran. Mostert totaled 49 yards on 14 carries, catching one pass for a one-yard loss. His poor production left much to be desired but we aren’t here to chase last week's points; We are chasing next week's opportunities. Mostert recorded an 87.5% rushing opportunity share, with Edmonds handling two carries. The former 49ers burner out-snapped Edmonds 48 to 31, with both players earning two targets in Week 6. Mostert has just one fewer target than Edmonds on the season but has either tied or earned more targets than his teammate in every game save for Week 1. Mostert’s opportunity share and potential production inside of McDaniel’s offense are nowhere near his current evaluation as a low-end RB2. The discrepancy in perceived value offers savvy managers a golden opportunity to shed useless bench depth for an every-week starter with top-15 positional upside.

• Matt Ward

Khalil Shakir WR - Buffalo Bills

Khalil Shakir is a player that you can likely get very cheap. He is a late round rookie with just one notable game under his belt. Now is the time, however, to add him to your bench.

Isaiah McKenzie, the Bills slot WR, played terrible on Sunday, plain and simple. He had multiple drops, including one in the endzone in which he tripped over himself, and looked slow. Shakir, who starred in week 5 to the tune of three catches for 75 yards and one touchdown with Isiah McKenzie missing the game, was only targeted twice in week 6.

Now, when it comes to players like Shakir, sometimes you just have to have a little faith. Sean McDermott had to have noticed McKenzie’s poor play, even though it did not cost the Buffalo Bills the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. A game this bad from a 27 year old Wide Receiver who has yet to top 282 receiving yards in a season could certainly result in a loss of playing time. If McKenzie does lose playing time, the bigger and stronger, 6’0”, 190 lbs, Shakir is likely to be the benefactor.

This is more of a stretch run, wait-and-see type acquisition but I believe Sean McDermott is a rational coach and will start using Shakir more. Any player that will be getting significant snaps on the Buffalo Bills offense is a player that should be on your roster and I expect Shakir to be that player.

• Clayton Jones

SELL HIGH

Mike Gesicki TE - Miami Dolphins

Mike Gesicki’s value and production have been wavering back and forth faster than Jaylen Waddle’s signature celebratory touchdown dance. The athletic deep-threat tight end can fluctuate from an unusable asset that belongs on waiver wires to the TE1 overall in scoring as he demonstrated against the Vikings.

Week 1: 1.10

Week 2: 14.10

Week 3: 1.60

Week 4: 4.30

Week 5: 4.00

Week 6: 24.90

Sandwiched between his Week 6 blowup and a fringe top-12 performance against Buffalo in Week 2, Gesicki combined for just seven targets, four receptions and 59 yards. Don’t forget, he preceded this with a one-target/one-reception/one-yard game in Week 1. Fast Forward to Week 6 where Gesicki caught six passes for a nice 69 yards and two touchdowns with Teddy Bridgewater and Skyler Thompson under center. The scoring production was a nice boost, although the 27-year-old tight end was likely on your bench and for good reason. Gesicki’s overall usage and target share continue to be discouraging despite his big performance this past week. He played 64.0% of the offensive snaps (50), earning a season-high seven targets. The surprising denominator is the Dolphins attempting 47 passes with their second and third-string quarterbacks, equating to a mediocre 14.8% target share for the fifth-year veteran tight end. If this game opens up a sell window for Gesicki, I am leaping through it. Tua may be capable of supporting two top-15 wide receivers upon his return but keeping three Dolphins pass-catchers above the proverbial high-water mark is a rarity few quarterbacks are capable of. Selling Gesicki is not going to be an easy task after so many weeks but the recent slew of crucial injuries and upcoming bye weeks may open up the market for desperate traders.

• Matt Ward

Chase Claypool WR - Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers played the part of spoiler as the underdogs defeated the Buccaneers in Week 6 despite losing their starting quarterback. Mitchell Trubisky took over for an injured Kenny Pickett midway through the contest, throwing for 144 yards with nine completions on 14 attempts. Third-year wideout Chase Claypool was the primary target of both quarterbacks, tallying a team-high seven receptions for 96 yards, ten rushing yards and one touchdown. Claypool recorded a 100.0% catch rate, hauling in every one of his seven targets, including multiple highlight-worthy catches in man coverage. An impressive showing against a tough defense may temporarily heighten Claypool’s value to a point where managers can levy a worthwhile return. The Canadian sensation has been steadily conceding snaps and targets to up-and-coming rookie teammate Geroge Pickens over the past several weeks. Pickens has out-targeted Claypool in two of the Steelers' last three games, falling merely one target shy of tying Claypool in Week 6. The rookie second-rounder played a season-high 53 snaps (83.0%) and is quickly gaining on the big-bodied deep threat for the number-two role behind Diontae Johnson. The takeover has yet to complete but Pickens' emergence as a high-volume target earner would ultimately decimate any value Claypool holds. This may be the last opportunity to sell the erratic production of the Steelers wideout before he loses all relevance. Pursue offers with Claypool aggressively in attempts to solidify a rising asset such as Chris Godwin (WR56 OVR/WR34 PPG) or Rashod Bateman (WR52 OVR/WR39 PPG).

• Matt Ward

Allen Robinson WR - Los Angeles Rams

Finally, Allen Robinson produced enough for fantasy managers to sell him. Robinson caught 5 balls for 63 yards and 1 Touchdown on his highest target share since Week 3. Robinson, however, still barely beat out Ben Skowronek and Brandon Powell in target share; Two names you would not expect in the Robinson bucket.

The Los Angeles Rams offense has been flat-out bad this season. The Rmas currently rank:

• 22nd in the NFL in scoring

• 23rd in yards per drive

• 24th in points per drive

• 26th in total yards

Robinson’s target competition isn’t the only thing that drags down his value, as the Rams offensive line is in shambles.

Here is a summary of the Rams offensive line injuries:

Joe Noteboom- ruptured achilles week 5, out for season

David Edwards- was placed on IR on October 11th

Coleman Shelton- was placed on IR October 8th

Brian Allen- sustained a knee injury after week 1, Allen then had surgery on the knee and has missed every game since. 

This is really bad.

There continues to be more avenues that lead to Allen Robinson failing rather than him bouncing back and succeeding. Since Robinson finally turned in a decent performance, now is the time to move him. So go convince a league mate that Week 6 was a sign of things to come.

• Clayton Jones

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