With Week 8 of the NFL season in the books, Broto Co-Founder and Lead Fantasy Analyst Michael Petropoulos has his eyes on three buy-low targets and three sell-high targets heading into Week 9!
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
Juju Smith-Schuster WR - Kansas City Chiefs
Over the last two games, Juju Smith-Schuster has combined for 12 receptions, 237 receiving yards and 2 TDs en route to back to back WR1 performances. Many fantasy managers still have a sour taste in their mouths after starting Juju for the first five weeks in the season, a span in which he amassed just one game within the top 36 WRs in PPR scoring. After this slow start to the season, many fantasy managers put him on the bench in Week 6 and some even cut him in shallower leagues. The Broto team, however, urged you to remain patient with Juju as his True Target Value, a Broto exclusive statistic that urged similar patience with Tee Higgins last season, was within the top 20 WRs and suggested positive regression for Juju. Well, the regression came and paid huge dividends for the patient manager. Some Juju managers may look at these two games as outliers and with Kadarius Toney added to the mix, they could be scared off heading into the second half of the season. This is where you take advantage. Juju is currently the WR12 in True Target Value and is the #1 WR for the best QB in the league. The Chiefs also just had their bye which is always a plus for trading at this time in the season, especially if you are fighting for a playoff spot. Go get Juju and reap the benefits.
Courtland Sutton WR - Denver Broncos
Courtland Sutton has amassed 6 receptions for 60 yards over the past three games. That is not a typo. It has really been that dreadful. After this horrific stretch, Sutton managers are very likely fed up with the Broncos WR and may be willing to trade him away for pennies on the dollar.
While Sutton has been terrible during this three game stretch, he still played 100%, 91% and 95% of snaps, respectively. He clearly has an every down role in this offense and it was not too long ago where Sutton was considered an every week top 20 option at the WR position. Sutton was a top 30 WR four of the first five weeks of the season and totaled at least 70 yards or a touchdown in every one of the first five weeks. Consistent WR2 numbers. He is also currently the WR27 in True Target Value, leaving room for optimism regarding a post bye week turnaround.
While there are not too many excuses that can be made regarding this recent horrific stretch, there is one excusable game in my mind, the Week 7 game against the Jets. The Broncos had Brett Rypien under center and Sutton was manned up against Sauce Gardner the majority of the day. Not exactly the best situation.
With that being said, the #1 strength of schedule rest of season for WRs based on True Matchup Rank is none other than the Denver Broncos. There is green across the board once Denver returns from their Week 9 bye, a bye week that should also allow Russell Wilson to heal up a bit more from the shoulder injury that kept him out Week 7.
Sutton managers are likely fighting for relevance in their respective leagues and are in need of a bye week replacement. Go ahead and get Sutton for pennies on the dollar in case his season turns around when it is needed the most.
Dalton Schultz TE - Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
Dalton Schultz is either unusable or an every week TE1 as he is totally reliant on Dak Prescott’s health. Luckily for Schultz, Dak is back.
In three games with Dak Prescott this season, Schultz has been the TE11, TE11 and TE5, respectively. In the other three games in which he was active with Cooper Rush starting at QB, Schultz totaled 2 receptions on 8 targets, including two donuts and a fumble lost. That is a whopping total of 0.8 points scored between Weeks two through six, including two games he was out with injury. Very, very rough.
Now, Dalton Schultz managers are likely still sour as he was unusable for the majority of the season and has been a bust at his mid round draft day value. Schultz has as good as shot as any to be the top TE through the remainder of the season outside of Kelce and Andrews and you may be able to get him for cheap and not have to worry about the TE position rest of season. Imagine that. A fantasy manager’s dream.
SELL HIGH
Tyler Allgeier RB - Atlanta Falcons
Tyler Allgeier has been a solid fantasy option over the last two weeks. He has totaled 89 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 46 receiving yards and 2 TDs, en route to back to back double digit performances. He also has terrific matchups on paper over the next two weeks as Atlanta gears up to face off against the Chargers and Panthers. Take advantage and sell him to a desperate team.
Cordarrelle Patterson is due back from an IR stint in two or three weeks and should step back into a lead role right away, rendering Allgeier to a spell back role at the very best. Unless Patterson were to re-injure himself, Allgeier is on pace to be worthless for your fantasy team during the stretch run of the regular season and into the playoffs. This is when you should be looking to the future. You do not need that.
If you are in a good enough position where you do not need Allgeier for the next week or two, go trade him to a team that is desperate for RB help. I noted Dalton Schultz above as a buy low option. Allgeier for Schultz would make a ton of sense if your team is contending and in need of TE help.
Michael Pittman Jr. WR - Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. is one of my least rostered players this season. Coming into the year I did not see a clear path for Pittman to become an every week WR1, like so many people wanted and expected him to be. Fast forward to Week 8 and rostering Pittman has been a rollercoaster.
On the season, Pittman has two WR1 performances, two WR3 performances, three gams outside the top 36 and one game missed due to injury. While he has not been all out bad, he has certainly not been the consistent high end option many were hoping he would blossom into prior to the season.
Going forward, Pittman will have to catch passes from 2021 sixth round pick. Sam Ehlinger. In his first game with Ehlinger, Pittman had a massive 39.1% target share but that resulted in just 9 targets, 7 receptions and 53 yards. The Commanders, the Colts Week 8 foes, are also the third best matchup in points over average. Rest of season, the Colts are middle of the pack in terms of strength of schedule for WRs.
With Sam Ehlinger at the helm and a bye week still on tap for the Colts in Week 14, I would trade Pittman away to anyone who still considers him to be a top 15 WR option. I would bet good money that Pittman will be nothing more than a volatile WR3 option rest of season, so now is the time to cash in.
JK Dobbins RB - Baltimore Ravens
JK Dobbins is a myth. The RB that we saw explode on to the scene in 2020 is a figment of imagination that many still believe to be real. He was active for just four games this season and totaled more than five half ppr fantasy points in just one of those games. In the fourth game, he missed the second half due to another knee injury and was shortly placed on injured reserve afterwards.
While it is very likely that Dobbins returns from this injury this season, he will be entering a backfield with Gus Edwards, Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill presumably healthy. If Dobbins could not separate himself from Drake and Hill while Edwards was out, there is no reason to expect he will separate himself with Edwards healthy.
Dynasty league JK Dobbins is a different story but redraft league JK Dobbins is a name and nothing else. Trade him to a contending team who thinks they can wait on his return and get RB2 production upon his return. Not only will you be stealing away value by trading Dobbins, you may also be handing over a land mine to a solid playoff team in your league. If Dobbins is in said starting lineup come playoff time, just sit back and watch the land mine explode.
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By Michael Petropoulos
For a second straight season, I am betting against Mahomes.