Buffalo Bills WR Gabe Davis produced for fantasy football managers who decided to roll the dice with him in their lineup in Week 2 after a pretty quiet Week 1. Davis tied for the team lead in targets (seven), led the Bills in receiving yards (92), and hauled in one of the three TD passes from QB Josh Allen.
After Daivs’ strong performance, should fantasy managers consider trading him away?
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Should Fantasy Football Managers Trade WR Gabe Davis?
Davis is a very frustrating player to roster for fantasy managers. Being from Buffalo, I have had to watch the roller-coaster games he brings to my beloved Bills.
Since his 2020 rookie season, Davis has shown the ability to either completely dominate games and give fantasy managers week-winning performances or disappear entirely and cost managers their matchup.
Davis was a bust last season because many expected him to build off his incredible performance against Kansas City in the Bills’ Division Round loss of the 2021 playoffs (eight catches, 201 yards, and four TDs).
This performance pushed Davis up draft boards for the 2022 season. However, he failed to live up to lofty expectations and finished the season as the WR36 due to his boom/bust performances and played through an ankle injury all season.
Going into this season, I considered Davis a post-hype sleeper. He still is a full-time starter opposite of All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs and plays for one of the best offenses in the league. Allen loves to look Davis’ way in games and often targets him deep.
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What fantasy managers have to consider is if they want to continue having to guess which Davis will show up each week. This season, if you started Davis in Week 1, where he ended as the WR65, you may have benched him going into Week 2, when he finished the week as the WR13.
Managers who can’t deal with the ups and downs may decide now is the best time to trade Davis after a big week.
What Should Fantasy Managers Look To Acquire When Trading Davis?
There are a couple of different strategies fantasy managers can use if looking to sell high on Davis. My favorite is targeting highly drafted players who have struggled through two weeks. There is a chance that their fantasy manager is tilting from the lack of production from their draft pick being a “bust” this early into the season.
Depending on your team’s need, the players I am trying to target from managers are QB Trevor Lawrence, WR A.J. Brown, or RB Joe Mixon. Each player has had a bad Week 2 or failed to be a consistent fantasy producer for their team this season.
Another option is to package Davis with another player for one elite player that you can still trade for before a breakout week happens. One player in particular I am trying to target is Lions rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Last week, Gibbs was still behind David Montgomery in rushes. However, he led the Lions in targets and catches.
Montgomery suffered a thigh injury during the game and is considered day-to-day, which could open up more opportunities for Gibbs to showcase his elite speed and game-breaking ability.
For managers that want to shoot for the moon, there is still a chance to catch Atlanta’s rookie RB Bijan Robinson “cheaply.” Packaging Davis correctly could land you arguably the best RB for the 2023 season before Robinson truly breaks out.
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Should managers choose not to trade Davis, he has shown to be a perfect Flex option due to his explosive upside, which fantasy managers look for because upside wins championships.
However, that is only if you are willing to endure the bad weeks he is known to put up during the season.