Buy Low Sell High: Week 5

Buy Low Sell High: Week 5

Now that four weeks of the 2019 NFL season are under our belts, we’ve started to see some players come back down to earth. The elite players will continue to rise to the top, and as we move along further into the season, buying low and selling high on players remains as important as ever. A few big names that I was pushing for you to buy low on including Mike Evans and Davante Adams have since had some big weeks and some of the names I’ve been recommending you sell high on have come back down to reality, including John Ross and Marquise Brown. Stay on top of your league by buying low and selling high on players at the right time all season long. Let’s get to the players I’m looking to buy low and sell high on heading into Week 5 in the NFL.

Buy Low

DeAndre Hopkins WR Houston Texans

I’ll kick this week off with arguably one of, if not the most talented wide receiver in the league, DeAndre Hopkins. Since putting up 111 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 against the Saints, Hopkins has been struggling to put up elite fantasy numbers. Over the past three weeks, he has not scored a touchdown, and the most yards he’s had in a game is 67. Don’t be too alarmed at these numbers, as the Texans schedule hasn’t been ideal going up against the Jaguars, playing on the road against the Chargers, and last week at home against the Panthers who have been one of the best in the NFL against opposing wide receivers. Hopkins gets the Falcons, Chiefs, Colts, and Raiders over the next four weeks and should get back on track. If there’s an owner who is freaking out about Hopkins, take advantage while you can. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster WR Pittsburgh Steelers

The next name on this list is another big-name wide receiver who many fantasy owners were banking on a massive year, and that’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. After losing Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers offense as a whole has just looked off. Mason Rudolph just lit up the Bengals on Monday Night Football, but Smith-Schuster was only targetted four times and played on a season-low 73% of the offensive snaps. I wasn’t someone that was drafting him as potentially the number one wide receiver in fantasy football like some were, but he has easy WR1 upside regardless of how you feel about him. Even if you aren’t crazy about him or the situation that he’s in, he’s been such a disappointment that his price will more than likely never be lower.

David Montgomery RB Chicago Bears

The rookie running back for the Chicago Bears, David Montgomery, has been steadily seeing more usage each week. In Week 4, he saw his highest snap percentage with 69%, his highest amount of carries with 21, and his highest number of targets with five. The rookie is averaging 3.5 YPC so far this year and has only found the end zone once. The biggest thing about Montgomery is simply the usage and involvement with the offense. The Bears clearly are getting him more involved and giving him the touches he needs. The touchdowns will come, but now might be the last time that he is someone you can buy low on.

Ronald Jones RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The most shocking game in Week 4 came in Los Angeles where the Buccaneers upset the Rams. The Tampa Bay defense is clearly still not very good, and they continue to give up plenty of yards and production through the air. We all know the upside that the passing offense has with Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and O.J. Howard. The one question has been the rushing attack, and second-year running back Ronald Jones has started to show that he can fill that lead running back role. Jones has three games with 13 or more carries but has scored just one touchdown. Last week he saw 19 carries and totaled 70 yards and scored his first touchdown. I’m not crazy about Jones as a prospect and haven’t been high on since he came into the NFL,  but if he runs away with that lead running back role, he will produce. As someone that isn’t crazy about Jones, it’s hard to ignore the potential upside he has and his price is low enough that he’s very obtainable.

Other Buy Lows: George Kittle and Joe Mixon

Sell High

Josh Jacobs RB Oakland Raiders

The first running back that I’m looking to sell high on is the rookie in Oakland, Josh Jacobs. While I do love Jacobs as a prospect and still believe he’s hands down the best running back in this class, the usage has been very concerning. Part of the appeal with Jacobs is that he’s very proficient in the passing game, but for whatever reason, the Raiders haven’t been utilizing this aspect of his game. Jalen Richard has been a very efficient pass-catcher and while I didn’t expect him to go away, I expected the Raiders to be all in on Jacobs as their lead running back. With just three catches on the season on five targets, the usage in the running game won’t give him the upside you want out of a running back that you drafted as your RB2 with plenty of upside. Jacobs gets the Bears in Week 5, and the Raiders have their bye week the following week. I’m selling high on him now before he puts up a dud week next week. 

Jordan Howard RB Philadelphia Eagles

The next name on this list is a running back who could have either just made you very upset or very happy. Jordan Howard just tore up the Green Bay Packers putting up three total touchdowns on 115 yards from scrimmage. There’s a good chance he was on the waiver wire in some leagues and an even better chance that he wasn’t started. If you were one of the lucky few who were forced to start Howard last week, now is the perfect time to sell high. Rookie Miles Sanders continues to look explosive and much better with the ball in his hands than Howard, averaging 6.7 YPC against the Packers. The Eagles are continuing to give Sanders the work in between the 20’s but as soon as the got near the red zone Howard came in and really looked solid. 15 carries in Week 4 is the most we’ve seen from Howard this year and I expect the Eagles will continue to get their rookie more involved. 

Tyrell Williams WR Oakland Raiders

Another Oakland Raiders player that I’m selling high on in one article? Yep. Tyrell Williams came into the season as someone you could draft with one of your last picks in your fantasy drafts and offered owners nice upside. Obviously Antonio Brown is no longer in Oakland and the WR1 role has been given to Williams. He has not disappointed so far this year, but there’s a good chance you had him on your bench for a week or two so far this year. Williams has found the end zone every week this year but has three games with seven targets and one game with just three targets. The volume isn’t ideal and I’d be looking to sell high on Williams if possible.

Darrell Williams RB Kansas City Chiefs

The last name on this list is someone that was a very intriguing late-round draft pick prior to the start of the 2019 NFL season. The second-year running back in Kansas City, Darrell Williams had a breakout game scoring two rushing touchdowns. While he did have a solid performance, he only totaled 13 yards on eight carries, for an abysmal 1.6 YPC. His teammates Damien Williams who should return in Week 5 and LeSean McCoy have been the main two names in that backfield this year, and that doesn’t appear to be changing. Yes, it was nice to see Darrell step up in Damien’s absence, but McCoy is still a favorite of Andy Reid and will be involved as long as he’s active. This backfield will be a mess, and this is a good opportunity to sell high on Darrell Williams after a nice breakout game. 

Other Sell Highs: Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Samuels