Taking Advantage of Week 1 Fantasy Football Over-Reactions
With Week 1 of the NFL season in the books and Week 2 being underway, it is that time of the year where every Fantasy Football player decides however a player performed in their first game is the only indication of how they will perform for the rest of the season. But those who remain composed can pounce on the opportunities they now have to fleece their league-mates in trades involving players who either surprised or disappointed with their performances last week.
With that being said, here are the guys to seek out in trades- as well as those to get off your hands now.
Sell High
Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Wentz had an excellent season opener, as one of the 5 highest scoring QBs in all of fantasy football last week. And while he could very well continue his impressive play and have a breakout sophomore season, he will be a very risky play in fantasy- after all, he had an excellent start to last season before tailing off as the season went on. And he won’t have an easy schedule- he still has to face some great defenses- the Giants twice, as well as Carolina, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, Arizona, and both Los Angeles teams. For Went, it’s a very tough road ahead, and his fantasy owners might want to trade him now rather than take a big risk in holding onto him.
Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions
Golloday was on many people’s radars as a deep sleeper in drafts due to his combination of size and speed, as well as the hope it will be utilized well in Detroit’s pass-happy offense. And in his first game, he had 4 catches for 69 yards and 2 TDs- good enough for a top-five finish among WRs in PPR leagues. He may continue to make big plays, but it’s not unreasonable at all to expect defenses to start paying more attention to him and limiting his targets, especially the ones down the field. He still has high upside, but this could very well be the highest his value ever gets.
Buy Low
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
I know, David Johnson just hurt his wrist and will be out for the foreseeable future- but, imagine this scenario for a minute: you trade a couple of your backups for Johnson as a shot in the dark; Johnson then returns from injury right in time for the fantasy football playoffs, giving you one of fantasy’s best two assets when you need them the most, just for the small cost of a backup or two. A few players you probably won’t start anyways are worth losing for the chance to get a player of Johnson’s caliber for the stretch run of the fantasy season.
Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns
Crowell had a pretty disappointing first game, but don’t get it twisted- he is in line for a breakout season where he proves himself to be a very good RB. In fact, maybe you should even wait another week to pull off a trade for Crowell- his next matchup is against a Baltimore Ravens team with a very impressive run defense. But regardless of when you do it, trading for Crowell could help you win your league.
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Seriously, this is not a joke- the guy who has led his teams to zero touchdowns in two games and has been just awful is one of the best buy-low candidates out there. Because Dalton has been a solid fantasy QB for years now, and at this point you can likely trade next to nothing for him if he isn’t already on waivers. If he just continues to play horribly, then you lose someone at the end of your bench who doesn’t hold much value anyways. But there’s still a legitimate chance that he turns it around and once again becomes one of the better fantasy QBs out there- and you can get him for the price of one bad backup.
