After a hectic week to open the season, Week 5 of fantasy football brought us more ups and downs and head-scratching moments. Here are a handful of players entering Week 6 of the fantasy football season that presents an optimal opportunity to buy low or sell high on.
Who Are Some Fantasy Football Week 6 Trade Targets To Buy Low?
Since expectations vary across fantasy managers, there could be a window for you to acquire some of these players at a value. All of these candidates are in a position to exceed expectations for the rest of this season.
Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Last week the top buy-low target was Gabe Davis. I think that worked out pretty well. Let’s keep this train rolling. This week, I’m looking at a rookie who has seen a couple of down weeks, but talent should prevail in Drake London of the Atlanta Falcons.
After starting the season with 19 targets and 160 yards in the first two weeks, London has slowed down like most of the Falcons’ passing attack. Having averaged 2.5 receptions and 35.5 yards over his last two games, London has a near-identical line, catching four of seven targets for 35 yards with no scores. What is egregious is that Olamide Zaccheaus ran more routes, according to NFL NextGen stats.
The Falcons haven’t thrown it more than 25 times since Week 2, with Marcus Mariotta totaling 64 attempts over the last three. With that said, the opportunities are there for London. He saw a 29.9% target share on Sunday and is up to 33% on the year. The passing volume in Atlanta has to change, and when it does, London will go ballistic due to his volume. I’m buying low on London even though he does face a tough 49ers defense in Week 6.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
It felt inevitable that someone would eliminate themselves from this backfield and open it up for the other. That finally happened. Rashaad Penny suffered a broken tibia, paving the way for Kenneth Walker III to become a potential league winner. That upside was on display Sunday, with Walker III rushing eight times for 88 yards and a score.
MORE: Early Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups
His score can be used in two different ways. On one side, his 69-yard score represented his upside and what he is capable of, harking back to his first touch at Michigan State, where he broke off a 75-yard score against Northwestern. In contrast, that rush accounted for 78% of his yards. Once removed, he averaged 2.7 ypc, not 11. The truth, while somewhat in the middle, is pointing directly to the upside as Walker III is the best pure rusher of this class. Period.
He’ll lose third-down snaps in the beginning to DeeJay Dallas, but Walker III is capable out of the backfield on his own and saw 88% of the snaps after Penny went down with 100% of the attempts and a 58% route participation. If you can pry him away before he takes on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6, do it. Buy low before he becomes the next James Robinson or Elijah Mitchell breakout.
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
I’ve listed Najee Harris as a sell-high before. That was for managers who drafted him in the hopes of getting anything close to draft day value for him. After five weeks, Harris’ value is at the point where the talent outweighs the likely cost.
Honestly, Harris had the game I expected, rushing 11 times for 20 yards. That happens when you play the Bills and have a poor offensive line. Where there are some signs of life is Harris saw four targets in Kenny Pickett’s first start. It’s only the second time this year he’s seen three or more this year.
Jaylen Warren also saw a decent chunk of snaps Sunday, but that is a product of being dog-walked, not Warren coming for his job. Sure, he won’t be an RB1, but if the targets an indication of more receiving work, that can help to offset his abysmal 3.2 ypc. If you can pay low-end RB2 prices, I can understand buying low on Najee.
Who Are Some Fantasy Football Week 6 Candidates To Sell High?
Actual value vs. perceived value is also something fantasy managers need to have the pulse on. It cannot only tell you when to buy low but also when to sell high before the floor crashes out. Here are three players that could be worth selling before their value drops.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
I was all in on James Robinson against the Texans and felt Travis Etienne Jr. was on sleeper alert as he has been close to a breakout. Welp, I guess I should have had that reversed. Etienne had himself a day on Sunday. The second-year back led the backfield in snaps (40) and led Robinson 72 yards to 27 despite both RBs recording 10 rushes each. Etienne also saw solid efficiency in the passing game, catching three of five targets for 43 yards, totaling 14.4 PPR.
MORE: Week 6 Fantasy Football PPR Rankings
While his snaps certainly are a positive, when we look at where they came from, it paints a different picture. Etienne saw 21 of his 40 snaps in the two-minute drill but only had 66% of the early down snaps compared to Robinson (21-14). Etienne will have his normal role in the passing game, but the ridiculously high two-minute snaps inflated his numbers. Fantasy managers have been waiting on this kind of game, but with their softer ROS schedule, positive game scripts will keep Robinson on the field. I’d consider selling high on Etienne.
Michael Carter, RB, New York Jets
Despite watching his playing time decrease for the third week in a row, Michael Carter posted 17.3 PPR points in the 40-17 domination of the Dolphins. At the same time, this is a bit of a lie. Carter totaled just 21 yards on 10 carries and has 12 yards on two receptions. That’s it. But what he also had was two touchdowns from the one-yard line that saved his day.
Breece Hall is the RB to roster for the Jets. He had 20 total opportunities and led Carter across the board in snaps (41-25), routes run (12-8), and carries (18-10). Carter is little more than a handcuff, but his scoring explosion masks his role. Sell-high on Carter ahead of his Week 6 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I wanted to put Taysom Hill, the greatest football player ever, on here but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Man, I hope sarcasm translates here.
But in reality, I’d take a look at selling high on Leonard Fournette after his Week 5 explosion, which saw him top the fantasy scoring for the week (35.9 PPR).
Fournette dominated the touches, rushing 14 times for 56 yards (4.0 avg), and scored his first rushing touchdown of the year. Where the scoring really came from was his receiving utilization, catching 10 of 11 targets for 83 yards and another score. Fournette was averaging just four receptions a game before this, and even that would be praiseworthy on its own.
But what is interesting is after watching his snaps raise for three straight weeks, Fournette saw seen them drop for the last two, seeing 62% in Week 5 compared to Rachaad White at 39%. What this doesn’t reflect is that both backs were in a near slip for the first three quarters, but Tampa relied on the veteran in the fourth quarter when Atlanta tried to mount the comeback.
Up to this point, Tampa had one of the hardest schedules, but they have one of the easiest moving forward, including games against the Steelers and Panthers coming up. With the schedule opening up, we should begin to see White’s snaps and opportunities steadily rise. While he won’t surpass Fournette, don’t be surprised if he becomes a frustration sooner rather than later.