Buying low and selling high is something all fantasy football owners should be familiar with. Even though only one week of the NFL season has passed, you can start to utilize this technique. Here are 3 players that you should try to buy low on and three players to sell high on plus a few other tips to keep in mind at the bottom.
Buy Low:
1. Trent Richardson:
Neither Montario Hardesty or Chris Ogbannaya recorded a carry in Richardson’s debut. Coming off two microscopic knee injuries, Richardson’s 20 touches show he has the complete support of a desperate Cleveland management searching for a player people on the coasts actually acknowledge. Four matchups against the Steelers/Ravens isn’t much fun, but Richardson will get enough carries to offset concern. He put up a mediocre week one, so owners won’t be as stingy about trading him as they should.
2. Torrey Smith:
Go out and see if you can land this guy. He really underwhelmed expectations this past week, but he’s far and away the most talented receiving option for a quarterback seemingly starting to blossom. He’s going to slip past the secondary once or twice a game just like Mike Wallace did in the first half of last season, and those one or two plays should be enough to make him a solid WR2 option for the season.
3. Antonio Brown:
Brown went 4 for 78 on Sunday, a modest stat line that should lead to many owners willingness to part ways with him. If you are presented with this opportunity, Brown is definitely worth the purchase. He saw a team high 8 targets from Roethlisberger, and of the 4 incompletes, three were on the cusp of being huge plays, including a sure touchdown that was incredibly defended.
Sell High:
1. Kevin Smith:
Last season, Smith was really inconsistent with production and injury woes. He put up huge numbers in a game against Carolina, but failed to rush for over 50 yards in the remaining games. He has the potential to go crazy these next couple weeks, but with his injury proneness and Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best lurking in the background, it would be foolish to expect it to last for long.
2. Stevan Ridley:
He’s certainly talented, but he’s surrounded by a couple of factors that concern me. Firstly, if Ridley ever fumbles the ball, you better believe he’s being yanked immediately from the game and probably losing his starting spot for the following game. Too much vulnerability for me. Secondly, he has a very talented Shane Vareen nipping at his heels and a trustworthy Danny Woodhead stealing 3rd down looks. When it comes down to it, it was just one game; he was kind of vanilla last year and I just don’t see him putting up numbers like that over a season.
3. Alfred Morris:
Don’t waste a top 2-waiver wire on him, but Alfred Morris could turn out to be a great asset for the trigger-happy traders this week. Those with a fantasy background will likely be leery of trading for a Shanahan running back, but there’s a sucker or two in every league that will buy into the hype that’s headed for Morris. Find that person. Even if Morris proves valuable for the next few weeks, it will abruptly stop, for no good reason, as always the case with Mike Shanahan.
Tips:
1. Don’t spend your money on Brandon Marshall or Julio Jones. Everyone in their mother wants a piece of them and you better bet owners won’t take part in anything but a total rip-off trade. Spend your money elsewhere.
2. Hold on to Greg Little, Jared Cook, and Danny Amendola if you own them.
3. Look for Martellus Bennett to get a lot of red zone looks from Eli this season. He’s a huge target and relatively untapped from a talent perspective, so pick him up this week in deeper leagues.
