2008 Fantasy Football Buy Low/Sell High

By Brandon Anderson
11/04/08
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Strap yourself in, we’re gonna be here awhile. This is the last Buy Low / Sell High piece for the year with trade deadlines looming, some as early as this week, so you better get on those phones and emails and get your trade machine working. We are past the midpoint of the season and you are either looking to make a move to try for a run at the playoffs or possibly trying to bolster that perfect lineup for your fantasy playoffs weeks 13-16. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. Again may I remind you that just because someone’s value is high does not mean he’s a sell, nor vice versa that a cheap player is worth adding. The players here are ones whose value is more or less than meets the eye, and this piece is extensive and inclusive. Let’s get started.

Sell High!!!
Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia
The time is now to sell on Donovan McNabb, coming off of a huge week with both he and Westbrook finally healthy. You will find a lot of NFC East on the sell list here as they all have brutal schedules coming up. McNabb gets the Giants and Ravens soon and then has to suffer through the Giants, Browns, and Skins for the fantasy playoffs with both divisional matchups on the road. McNabb has been huge against bad defenses but very average against good ones, and he always has that second half injury looming. Time to sell.

Buy Low!!!
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
Peyton is starting to look like himself at last with a few crisp perfect drives against the Patriots on Sunday night, and his value has been on the upswing for awhile. You may not want to play him against the Steelers this week, but after that it is wide open with the schedule reading Hou, SD, Cle, Cin, Det, and Jax through the end of your fantasy playoffs. Every one of those teams is in the bottom half of the league on defense, and you should be buying Colts now as they gear up for a big time playoff run and carry you along with them.

Sell High!!!
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
You already missed the high point on Rodgers but he should still be a sell. After a pretty easy start, he now hits the road for Minnesota where the Packers never seem to play well and then gets the Bears after that. To make matters worse, it’s at Jacksonville and Chicago during your playoff semis and finals, and that could leave you on the losing end of your matchups.

Buy Low!!!
Brett Favre, NY Jets
Favre continues to be a solid fantasy play, near the end of his career or not. The key with him is that he’s as hot and cold of a fantasy QB as they come. Sit him against tough defenses or even above average ones, but enjoy the easy games… and they are coming up quickly. Favre gets the Rams for a big week now and then has a delicious Denver, San Fran, Buffalo, Seattle stretch that will carry you down the stretch.


Sell High!!!
Philip Rivers, San Diego
Rivers is another guy you may have waited too long to sell on, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get something good for him, something better than he will do for you down the stretch. The Chargers play the Steelers and Colts soon and you won’t want Rivers touching your lineup in either of those. It gets worse in the fantasy playoffs with road trips to Kansas City and Tampa Bay. All four of those games are sits, and that makes Rivers a sell and a half.

Buy Low!!!
Jake Delhomme, Carolina
Delhomme is not a guy that is going to carry you to a ton of victories, but he can be a solid startable option for you if your regular is injured or if the rest of your lineup is strong enough to carry you. He’ll post good consistent numbers most weeks, especially with Oakland, Detroit, and Atlanta next up. He also gets to play Denver in the fantasy semi finals, and even that tough matchup against the Giants week 16 could turn in your favor if New York is resting players by then.

Sell High!!!
Matt Schaub, Houston
As this is being written, Matt Schaub left Houston’s game and is settling in for an MRI with yet another injury, his knee this time. This guy is a walking injury magnet, and you may have just missed your window. You should have been trading already with a brutal upcoming schedule of Bal / Ind / Cle / Jax / GB/ Ten over the next six weeks. At this point, either trade him for something, anything, or just cut your losses and move on.

Buy Low!!!
Marc Bulger, St Louis
I have not given up on these Rams yet, who continue to come around. Bulger threw for 300 yards two weeks ago and then put up a pair of TDs last week. It is only a matter of time before this whole offense is clicking like it ought to be, and there are few better schedules than the Rams’ down the stretch. Bulger will get the Jets and 49ers the next two weeks and then has perhaps the best playoff schedule of any QB with a stroll through the NFC West park and Arizona, Seattle, San Fran getting better by the week. Bulger might not be just a fill in. He can carry your team down the stretch.

Sell High!!!
Marion Barber, Dallas
Barber is a repeat offender, a guy that was my leading RB sell a couple of weeks ago. You should have sold then, but you can still sell now because he hasn’t fallen too far yet. This Dallas team is falling apart though. Romo may or may not be healthy, and without him the offense simply is not putting up numbers. Even if he’s back, the team is not clicking and the schedule is awful. The Steelers, Giants, and Ravens are as bad as it gets. Add to all of that the fact that Barber is 32 carries away from a career high and has not exactly been a beacon of health. Do you like his chances of staying healthy AND the line improving AND getting good TD opportunities AND righting that ugly 2.8 ypc from the last two games down the stretch? I don’t.

Buy Low!!!
LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego
Yes, that Tomlinson. It’s time to go out and buy him and get ready for him to carry your team to the finish line. The Chargers have shown some quiet signs of life, and Tomlinson will not come cheap but he will not come as expensive as usual either. There are a couple of tough matchups remaining still in Pittsburgh and in Tampa, but if Tomlinson gets going, matchups won’t matter. He has five games left against the worst 10 run defenses in the league and should end up in the top 5 fantasy RBs before this is all said and done, if not better. Let him carry you one more time.

Sell High!!!
Matt Forte, Chicago
Think of last week’s big game against the Lions as a beautiful parting gift, but now it’s time to sell. That was Detroit after all, and even that good game was just average by fantasy points. Forte is still masquerading as a top 5 RB in most scoring systems but is going to struggle to the finish line. That rookie wall is coming quickly, and the truth is that it may have already caught up to Forte. He hadn’t run for more than 4 ypc before this week since the first game of the season, and the Bears can expect to play from behind more often with Grossman playing for awhile. Add in tough games against the Titans and Vikes over the next month and you will regret it all offseason if you don’t trade Forte at his peak right now.

Buy Low!!!
Joseph Addai, Indianapolis
Joe Addai is the forgotten superstar RB of this year’s class, a guy most have moved on from and some have even cut at this point. He was finally back this week and then promptly put up a whopping 1.9 ypc against an average Patriots run defense at best. Now it’s the Steelers, so why buy? Well, go back and read that Peyton Manning paragraph and take a look at that schedule. Add in the fact that Addai leads the NFL in redzone touchdowns over the last few seasons, and he should see plenty of scoring chances down the stretch as the Colts hit their stride.

Sell High!!!
Brandon Jacobs, NY Giants
Jacobs is another NFC East player who is in trouble coming up with a terrible schedule during the second half of the season. He should be average against Philly and Baltimore soon and then has to face Philly, Dallas, and Carolina in the playoffs. You can find better options if you look carefully.

Buy Low!!!
Tim Hightower, Arizona
If you play this one right, you can make it look like you are actually buying a “sell high” guy from your opponent. Actually, first look and see if this guy is out there on your waiver wire. I doubt it, but you never know. Either way, Hightower could be a sneaky great pickup with San Fran and St Louis coming up next and then the Rams and Pats in the fantasy playoffs as well.

Sell High!!!
Steve Slaton, Houston
Slaton was a nice buy low and has served you well, but it’s time to sell now and sell fast. He has really been just above average but not great against bad run defenses, so he’s going to trip up in a hurry against real defenses like the Ravens and Titans coming up. He won’t get you many rushing yards, so you’ll have to hope for TDs or fluke receiving games like last week to carry you here.

Buy Low!!!
Steven Jackson, St Louis
We talked about the Rams already. SJax is a risk because of the injury, but that’s also the only reason that the NFL’s leading RB in yards from scrimmage would be available to you. It’s a worthy risk with his upside and that tasty upcoming schedule.

Sell High!!!
Michael Turner, Atlanta
Turner has been a sell high so long that his value has been steadily dropping possibly out of trading range, but it’s worth one more shot here. He only really has one good start left against Denver, and he’s got Tampa and a roadie in Minnesota during your fantasy playoffs.

Buy Low!!!
Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo
Lynch continues to be a great buy low option, someone who could perform as a borderline RB1 the rest of the way with a sweet schedule. He gets the Pats, Browns, Chiefs, and 49ers for a bunch of solid matchups now, and then he finishes your playoffs with the Jets and Broncos. The Bills should be leaning on the run game down the stretch and Lynch should see 75+ yards and a scoring chance most games.

Sell High!!!
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
MJD’s value isn’t exactly high right now, but it’s as high as it’s going to get thanks to some solid TD and receiving numbers that still leave him in your top 20. After Detroit this week it is just ugly down the stretch with Tenn, Minn, Chi, and Balt still on the schedule. Jacksonville is done as a team after that awful Cincy loss. Time to cut your losses and move forward.

Buy Low!!!
Ronnie Brown, Miami
I’m still not totally sold on Ronnie Brown, and his value still isn’t exactly low, but he could be a good pickup with nice scheduling down the stretch. He has Seattle and Oakland on tap for a couple of big games and then could carry you during a playoff run with San Fran and KC coming.

Sell High!!!
Bernard Berrian, Minnesota
Berrian is as high of a value as you can get right now with a TD in four straight games. Be careful here. If you need to make a run at the playoffs, then you are in some trouble with Green Bay, Tampa, and Jacksonville coming up, three teams that cover WRs pretty well and should limit Berrian’s big play ability. Then again if you are looking to make a run in the playoffs, you may want to wait this one out. Berrian will get Chicago, Detroit, Arizona, and Atlanta, all in the top 10 in points allowed to WRs, and you could hit big.

Buy Low!!!
Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
Wayne’s value is as low as it can get for him with a few low weeks. There are still few WRs I’d rather have the rest of the season. Nothing more to say here, just take a look at the Colts bits above.

Sell High!!!
Calvin Johnson, Detroit
I know I’m going to have a hard time convincing you on this one with a player as talented as Calvin Johnson finally hitting full stride. The problem is that he is simply too hot right now, too exciting of a player, and his value is surely worth more to someone else than he is to you. He’s about to go on a nasty QB merry-go-round for a team that has quit on its season and he has an awful schedule coming up as well with Jacksonville, Carolina, Tampa, Tennessee, and Indy still coming soon. He simply won’t stay this good, and you ought to trade him while you can get almost anyone you want.

Buy Low!!!
Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City
If there’s one mid range WR that I absolutely love down the stretch, it’s this guy. Dwayne Bowe has perhaps the best WR schedule of anyone down the stretch with San Diego (twice), New Orleans, Buffalo, Oakland, Denver, and Miami all still remaining – every one of them in the worst half of the league in WR points allowed. Bowe should get some chemistry going and finish the year strong, maybe even in the top 10!

Sell High!!!
Plaxico Burress, NY Giants
Burress has absolutely gone into the tank since that unusual suspension. He has just 9 catches for 73 yards total over the last three games, and he does not seem to be in sync any longer with Eli Manning. He also has a brutal schedule coming up (see Jacobs above) and is simply not a reliable start anymore. Sell while he’s still high in the rankings.

Buy Low!!!
Marques Colston, New Orleans
I would tell you to buy Drew Brees, but hopefully you don’t need anyone to tell you that. But you can go out and get Marques Colston. It’s a risk since he’s still recovering from that injury and has basically done nothing this season, but that schedule is wide open down the stretch and Colston could be incredible for you if he gets going with KC, Chi, Det, and Atl twice down the stretch.

Sell High!!!
Terrell Owens, Dallas
Like Plaxico, this is another prima donna WR that simply seems to be on the outs. Dallas is a mess right now with the Romo injury and the ugly play of late, and that schedule is terrible as well. TO might be a good play down the stretch, but he might also get benched or suspended or who knows what with this Dallas roster and Terrell Owens’ attitude.

Buy Low!!!
Jerricho Cotchery, NY Jets
Cotchery has quietly become a really reliable and solid fantasy WR, a perfect WR2 to use down the stretch despite his mediocre ranking. That came from a couple injured invisible games, but the truth is that Cotchery should play well with the Rams next and then Denver, San Fran, Buffalo, and Seattle down the stretch.

Sell High!!!
Chad Johnson / TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati
Chad just had a pair of TDs and is an immediate sell if you can find a taker. Housh should continue to be solid but is nothing special this year on this awful Cincy team. These guys have an awful schedule remaining with a bye this week and then Philly, Pitt, Balt, Indy, and Washington before a Cleveland matchup in your Super Bowl. Great if you make it that far but you won’t if you’re relying on either of these guys.

Buy Low!!!
Randy Moss / Wes Welker, New England
I wouldn’t overpay for either of these guys, but they could both be very nice stashes to use during your fantasy playoffs. New England gets Seattle, Oakland, and Arizona and should still be fighting for a playoff spot, so these guys could finally produce like you expected them to, and just in time.

Sell High!!!
Owen Daniels, Houston
Daniels may be as high as the #2 TE in your league depending on scoring after this huge week, and he just isn’t that good. He has a terrible schedule coming up and, more than anything else, that might leave him blocking against tough defenses and protecting his injury prone QBs. He’ll have a hard time producing much amidst all of that.

Buy Low!!!
Jason Witten, Dallas
Witten has really been the only TE to care much about this season. That means that he is worth the risk of trading for despite the injury and poor production and all of the Dallas mess right now. He can give you an upgrade at the position that no one else can, and he is simply head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd when he and Romo are both healthy, which they should be after the bye.
 

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