These players struggled in Week 3, creating an opportunity to
add players at a discount through trades. As fantasy owners overreact
to the weekly ups and downs, I would target these players in trades
before their value increases with better performances.
Some Adams owners are surely tilting about now, as Adams has
yet to score this season and only received 4 targets on Sunday.
Just remember Adams has faced three good secondaries (Chicago,
Minnesota, and Denver). If you can buy low now, you will be rewarded.
Every week he does not play, some fantasy owners will devalue
him more as they simply lack patience, particularly when the losses
start to pile up. Target him everywhere you can, because when
he comes back he should be a top 3 wide receiver the rest of the
way.
If some owner is concerned that Tony
Pollard got 13 carries for 103 yards on Sunday (and the only
rushing touchdown), and doesn’t understand that studs are given
rest in a blowout, take Elliott off their hands at a discount
and don’t look back. In Week 1 Elliott and Pollard each got 13
carries, but that was in large part because Elliott had just arrived
after his holdout and needed to work himself into game shape.
Week 2 saw more typical usage, with Elliott receiving 23 carries
to Pollard’s 4. And in Week 3 Pollard got 13 to Elliott’s 19 because
the Cowboys were blowing out the Dolphins. Elliott is as locked
into a workhorse role.
Many will be looking to dump him after yet another disappointing
week. Yet even with his poor current yards per carry average of
3.5, and his three fumbles in the past two weeks, Carson is the
best back on the team. If the Seahawks can turn around their running
game, Carson will be the beneficiary. Week 4 against the Cardinals
is an excellent opportunity to get things corrected, as the Cardinals
gave up over 180 yards on the ground to the Ravens in Week 2 and
over 170 yards on the ground to the Panthers in Week 3.
The Steelers are struggling from the top to the bottom of the
roster. I don’t know how they will fix it, but I do know they
have played three solid defenses so far this season, including
the Patriots, Seahawks, and 49ers. All three ranked in the top
10 in rush defense after Week 2, per Football Outsiders. Week
4 at home against the Bengals on Monday Night Football is a great
opportunity to get the ground game going, as the Bengals were
ranked 31st against the run after Week 2. For this reason I would
recommend buying Conner now, when his value is extremely low,
even if it’s not a certainty the offense turns things around with
Mason Rudolph
at the helm.
Mixon has had a putrid start to the season. In the first two weeks
he averaged under 2 yards per carry. However, he played the Seahawks
and 49ers in those contests, both top 10 defenses against the
run through Week 2. In Week 3, he improved, with 15 carries for
61 yards against the Bills. He also caught two balls for 34 yards
and a touchdown. In the end Mixon’s struggles are largely due
to the Bengals’ last-ranked offensive line, so their play must
improve if he is going to have room to run. Mixon is currently
cheap enough to acquire and that is a risk worth taking due to
his elite talent.
Ross was a sell high candidate the past two weeks, and now he
is in the buy low section. After Ross only caught two passes in
Week 3, folks might see his first two weeks as a mirage. However,
he played 100% of snaps in Week 3, and should continue to play
virtually every snap even after A.J.
Green returns, since the Bengals are running essentially the
same offense as the Rams and both use 11 personnel (3 wide receivers)
as their base package.
Sell High
These players had a great Week 3, raising their perceived value
in the eyes of fantasy owners. If you have an owner in your league
willing to overpay, I’d recommend taking the value.
He has shown himself to be a solid receiver. However,
he is on an offense that has not looked good, with a rookie quarterback
who will likely struggle in the near future. I would sell him
high now if someone has a crush on Chark.
After his impressive past two weeks, some may
be assuming he just “broke out” and this trend will
continue. However, his 11 targets in Week 2 and 12 targets in
Week 3 are mainly because both Jeffery and Jackson have been out
with injuries. With Jeffery likely back for Week 4 there’s
not much reason to think Agholor will continue at this pace.
Robinson has certainly made strides during
his tenure in Kansas City and is becoming an all-around receiver.
However, there is too much talent on this offense for him to continue
producing week in and week out. Some weeks it will be Kelce, others
Watkins, and when he returns it will often be Tyreek Hill.
Hooper is a serviceable tight end and capable
of more with the right amount of targets. Just remember he is
on the same team as Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Mohamed Sanu,
and Devonta Freeman. The high-volume weeks will not continue throughout
the season, and defenses will start paying more attention to him.
When they do, his volume and stats will decrease. That said, if
you don’t have another higher end option available, Hooper
is a viable starter every week. You only should consider trading
him if someone is overreacting to his big Week 3.
He is a good back who happens to be on a bad
Broncos offense. He will surely have a couple more huge weeks
like Week 3 (21 carries, 81 yards, 2 TDs; 4 receptions, 49 yards).
However, he will disappoint more often than not, since the Broncos
will be forced to abandon the run when they fall behind on the
scoreboard, and since they seem committed to giving half the snaps
to Royce Freeman.
