Fantasy managers have been hit with some major injuries while a new batch of bye weeks is making things more complicated. Last week was a strong week for this series. I recommended Luther Burden and Bhayshul Tuten as players to buy, while listing Jaylen Waddle, Woody Marks, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt as players to sell. This week, I’ve got a whole new batch of players that you should consider in trades.
▶ PLAYERS TO BUY
Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI
Everything is going sideways for the Philadelphia Eagles at the moment, and sometimes that means it’s the perfect time to buy low. Jalen Hurts is out for the season, leaving Tanner McKee as the starter. Traditionally, the switch from a mobile quarterback to a traditional pocket passer means more checkdowns to the running back. The receiving game was a major issue for Barkley before getting injured. This season, with Hurts as the starter, Barkley had only seen seven targets across four games—a pace that would have put him in career-low territory. The other factor in Barkley’s value going forward is that the Eagles’ running back room will have the easiest remaining strength of schedule—a nice change of pace from their opponents thus far, who have been the 10th-toughest. By all accounts, Barkley still has some juice. Before his injury, he was ninth in missed tackles forced and 15th in EPA per rush attempt. The matchup against Dallas this week should get Barkley and the Eagles’ offense back on track, at least somewhat.
Parker Washington, WR, JAX
Washington is a true buy-low scenario. He’s been outside of the top 24 fantasy receivers in three of his last four games. The good news is that the peripheral numbers still look good. Washington is 15th in target share and 18th in targets per route run, while the Jaguars’ receivers have the seventh-easiest remaining strength of schedule and the sixth-easiest fantasy playoff schedule. Meanwhile, his quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, is tied for the NFL lead in passing touchdowns. Everything looks good for Washington going forward, even if the fantasy finishes over the last few weeks haven’t been ideal. There’s a buy window right now because this is his bye week. There’s a chance that Washington’s manager in your league is a little worried about the recent games and needs to fill a starting spot this week.
Tee Higgins, WR, CIN
It’s always helpful to trade for players after they’ve had their bye week because you get their full season-long value. Higgins’ last game was a disappointment, and then the Bengals had their bye week. It feels like ages since Higgins put up WR6 numbers back in Week 4. Maybe the shine has worn off a little bit? Maybe his fantasy manager forgot how good he could be? Anything is possible, so I’d kick the tires on a trade discussion. Over the next seven weeks, Higgins will have the seventh-easiest fantasy schedule for a wide receiver. That’s a really nice runway to get you into the fantasy playoffs. It’s also not like Higgins is a matchup-dependent player either. This season, he’s been the WR19 in fantasy points per game while maintaining the ninth-highest air yards share. Higgins is also seventh in first downs per route run, which is typically an indicator of a productive fantasy receiver. If you’re looking for a WR2 that you plug in every week regardless of matchup, Higgins is your guy.
What Jacobs' return could mean for the Packers
Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss Josh Jacobs being back at Green Bay Packers practice with a pending legal situation, discussing the factors at play in the running back's return.
▶ PLAYERS TO SELL
Bryce Young, QB, CAR
Kudos to Bryce Young for playing as well as he has this season. It feels like just last season that we were all wondering if he was the long-term answer in Carolina. Well, that’s the thing: it was just last season. So, despite being one of the best quarterbacks through the first six weeks of the season, some uncertainty remains. How could that be? He’s the QB4 in fantasy points per game, and he’s on pace to set career highs in pretty much every statistical category. The caveat is that Young has had the second-easiest strength of schedule for a fantasy quarterback so far. That changes dramatically going forward. Over the rest of the season, Young will have the hardest strength of schedule for a fantasy quarterback, including a Week 17 matchup against a scary Seattle Seahawks defense. Normally, I wouldn’t let strength of schedule bother me so much, but Young has a track record of being matchup-dependent. Since the start of last season, Young has averaged 19.7 fantasy points per game when facing a team in the top half of the league in fantasy points allowed. However, when he faces an opponent in the bottom half of fantasy points allowed, Young averages just 10.8 fantasy points. That split is pretty alarming. My assumption for you, the fantasy manager, is that you didn’t draft Young but picked him up off the waiver wire, so you probably have another startable quarterback on your roster. My advice would be to start trade talks with the Jalen Hurts manager and see what you can get for Young.
Josh Jacobs, RB, GB
Let’s start with the most glaring risk that Jacobs carries. He’s dealing with a legal matter in which the video surveillance evidence has been sealed by a judge. This does not mean that the video will never get out, nor does it mean that the NFL will not suspend Jacobs at some point. I’m sure the idea of selling Jacobs after you stashed him for so long isn’t ideal, but this is actually the moment you’ve been waiting for. Jacobs finally has fantasy value again. The problem is, we don’t know exactly what that value is. For starters, Jacobs hasn’t practiced since June 2, and even though he’s scheduled to return to practice this week, there’s no guarantee he’ll be in football shape when he returns to the field. There’s also the possibility that Jacobs may not get the ideal workload upon his return. But let’s say Jacobs does get back to form and gets the majority of the touches in the Packers’ backfield; he’ll still be dealing with the toughest schedule for fantasy running backs over the next five weeks. If you need wins now, I’d sell Jacobs to a contender in your league that wants him as the proverbial cherry on top.
Jaylen Warren, RB, PIT
This isn’t really a sell-high or sell-low recommendation; it’s more like this: just sell the uncertainty. Mike McCarthy has said that Jaylen Warren deserves to get more touches, but he’s also said, “It’s simple. We really like both running backs a lot, and they need to touch the ball.” That’s enough uncertainty for me to try to sell Warren now. Maybe someone in your league thinks last week was a fluke. Honestly, it might be. The drop in snaps and touches wasn’t enough to make me panic. However, looking ahead, the snaps and touches may be split a little more evenly as the schedule gets a little tougher. From Week 7 on, the Steelers will have the fifth-toughest schedule for fantasy running backs, which isn’t anything new for Warren, as the Steelers’ running backs have had the eighth-toughest schedule so far. Now that we have uncertainty about Warren’s role on top of the challenging schedule, it might be time to sell.
▶ PLAYER TO STASH
Jauan Jennings, WR, MIN
Jennings hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard this season, but there’s a decent chance he may end up in a bigger role soon. After amassing just five targets this season, Jennings has been the focus of trade rumors. It’s no secret that the San Francisco 49ers have had their share of injuries at wide receiver this season, but the latest injury to Mike Evans may be the one that forces the team to make a move. The Niners are 6-0, making them buyers before the trade deadline. Last season in San Francisco, from Week 9 on, Jennings was the WR16 in fantasy points per game. That’s got to count for something when trying to project what his fantasy value could be if he gets traded.