It was the week we’d been dreading.
There’s one week during every season it seems where injuries pile up more than usual. Seeing Breece Hall, D.K. Metcalf, Mike Williams, and Allen Lazard go down with injuries, along with the news of players like J.K. Dobbins and multiple defensive stars, Week 7 was yucky.
Given what’s happened, let’s try and navigate the waters going forward.
Weekly, I’m going to focus on some buy-low and sell-high players to help you reach your dynasty goals. With that being said, let’s get into it.
Buy-Low Trade Targets
Kyle Pitts – TE, Atlanta Falcons
This one’s kind of a layup and even I’m surprised it took me this long to put Kyle Pitts here.
The Falcons are a frustrating team, fantasy-wise. Head coach Arthur Smith seems content with running the ball down teams’ throats, regardless of the score or situation. For players like Pitts, that’s bad news.
Having said that, the Falcons are still in a state of quarterback limbo. We know that Marcus Mariota isn’t the long-term answer at the position and Desmond Ridder while showing promise in the preseason, might or might not be the future.
There’s still a lot to figure out at signal caller and with Pitts being 22 years old and possessing tons of talent at a historically bare and frustrating position, there will be no better time in his career to get him on your roster at a value.
Dalton Schultz – TE, Dallas Cowboys
Continuing the tight-end discussion is Dalton Schultz.
The same rationale applies here as it does with Pitts. While Schultz is more established than Pitts, their 2022 seasons haven’t gone as planned.
Having said that, Schultz has a chance to turn things around going forward. So far, he only has 14 total receptions for 129 yards and no touchdowns. He’s also missed two games which have affected his totals.
However, with Dak Prescott making his return to the lineup and Schultz seemingly healthy, he’s an excellent buy-low option if you’re in need of a tight end. Given the fact that he’s 26 years old with a contract to play for next season, he’s a good player to gamble on at a value for your dynasty team.
Keenan Allen – WR, Los Angeles Chargers
This one ties into the plethora of injuries I mentioned above.
Los Angeles Chargers wideout Mike Williams is going to miss some time with an ankle injury which will have big implications for their offense. Outside of Austin Ekeler, Williams has been Justin Herbert’s most reliable pass catcher this season.
Last year, Allen posted 106 receptions for 1138 yards and 6 touchdowns. With expectations high for the Chargers with what is expected to be a tight division race heading into the fantasy playoffs, there’s a realistic chance he and Herbert will find a way to reconnect this season.
With Williams down for a few weeks and Keenan Allen fresh off an injury, it seems like the perfect opportunity to get him on your roster during the bye week at a discount if you’re one or two pieces away from contender status.
Sell-High Trade Suggestions
Tyler Boyd – WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Capitalize on performance.
Tyler Boyd exploded this past week for 8 receptions, 155 yards and a touchdown. Like in weeks past for the sell-high section, we’re looking for outlier games. With Boyd, this qualifies as one of those performances.
Boyd has been a very reliable receiver for not only the Cincinnati Bengals but for fantasy managers throughout the years. He doesn’t see enough weekly volume to be involved in the WR2 conversation but he’s consistently an option as a WR3 or FLEX week in and week out.
Having said that, going forward we know what the Bengals are going to look like. They have two young stars in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins along with Joe Mixon out of the backfield. For fantasy purposes, rarely can an NFL offense consistently sustain three pass-catching options along with a run game. Also given the fact that Boyd is the eldest of the group, in Dynasty formats he would hold the least value.
After a performance like this while only posting a target share of 14.2 percent on the season, target managers struggling with injuries and make your pitch.
Ezekiel Elliot – RB, Dallas Cowboys
We can all agree that 2022 will be the last time you can hope to sell high on Ezekiel Elliot in dynasty formats.
When it comes to running backs, you want to be a year early rather than a year late. Thankfully, similar to the Dalton Schultz conversation in the first part of the article, Dak coming back into the fold changes things for the better when it comes to the fantasy value of his weapons.
With Elliot, there are multiple factors to consider. Age, snap share and injury come to mind first. The 27-year-old running back has had issues staying healthy recently. Even though he played 17 games last season and all seven so far this year, he hasn’t played those games at full health, and it shows with his performance.
The other and perhaps the biggest question mark for Elliot owners would be the split in work with Tony Pollard. Currently, Pollard has a higher per-rush average than Elliot of 5.59 to 4.06 and they have a relatively close snap share of 62.1 percent for Elliot and 43.4 percent for Pollard. Outside of those numbers, almost all advanced efficiency metrics favor Pollard.
Given those facts, take the 2 touchdown performance from Zeke this past week and start trying to offload him from your dynasty roster.
Raheem Mostert – RB, Miami Dolphins
Raheem Mostert is in this section for two reasons, injury risk, and age.
When the 30-year-old Mostert is on the field, he’s electric and an effective RB2/RB3 for your roster. But the fact that he’s rarely on the field, especially over the last few seasons, is an issue.
Since 2020, Mostert has only played in 16 games. In those 16 games, he’s posted a total of 193 rushing attempts for 929 yards and 3 touchdowns coupled with 28 receptions for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. Solid production for what you paid for if that was over one full season as opposed to parts of 3.
Back to the present day, in 2022 he’s holding a 61.6 percent snap share, 62.4 percent opportunity share, and 4.45 yards per carry. It would be wise to take those numbers and his recent performance to market to see if you can get a more reliable, younger asset going forward.
Redraft leagues are a sprint, dynasty leagues are a marathon. It’s important to stay level-headed and avoid making rash decisions based on week-to-week results. It’s more important to pick a direction, make a plan and stick to it. Stay tuned to FantasyData for weekly buy/sell options to keep you on track.
