After months of waiting, we finally got to watch real, live football that actually matters. Week 1 of the fantasy football season is now just about in the books.
Fantasy managers should always be looking to improve their rosters. With that in mind, here are a handful of players to explore trades for, either to buy low on those who are undervalued or sell high on ones overvalued.
Top Players To Buy in Your League
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
I can’t imagine a worse return after missing half a season. Joe Burrow took the field at home against a team expected to be the worst in the league and did not throw a touchdown.
There were also extenuating circumstances. Ja’Marr Chase had barely practiced amidst his hold-in. Tee Higgins missed the game after tweaking his hamstring at practice on Thursday. There are clearly better days ahead for Burrow.
A lot of quarterbacks struggled in Week 1. In general, offenses will improve as the season progresses. If you can take advantage of a panicking Burrow manager, go for it.
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
I never thought I’d be recommending Najee Harris. Yet, here we are.
Perhaps Jaylen Warren was limited by his hamstring strain. If he was, he sure didn’t look it. When on the field, Warren was fine. The issue is he wasn’t on the field.
Harris played 16 more snaps than Warren, but handled 18 more carries. He also ran five more routes. This did not look like a timeshare.
Harris’ game would have been much bigger had he been able to find the end zone. But no one on the Steelers found the end zone. They will obviously score touchdowns in the future. When they get to the goal line, I expect it to be heavy on Harris. He looks like a weekly RB2 that may not be viewed as one.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
I’m still not a huge fan of D’Andre Swift. This is a bet on usage. Swift dominated snaps in the Bears’ backfield in Week 1, playing 70%. No other running back played more than 20%. If this usage is going to continue, Swift will have bigger games when Caleb Williams gets into the swing of things.
Only buy Swift if he’s cheap. But I now think he may be able to return low-RB2 value. If you can buy him for an RB3 price, it’s worth taking the gamble.
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
It’s hard to imagine a worse debut for Marvin Harrison Jr. He dropped an easy pass and finished with one reception for four yards. Of course, he will be better.
I can’t imagine anyone who spent an early second-round pick on Harrison is selling him after one bad game. But you never know. Fantasy managers are a fickle bunch.
I still believe in Harrison returning WR1/2 value this season. He’s the clear WR1 on the Cardinals. Kyler Murray looks like he did before he tore his ACL. This is going to be a very good offense with a very bad defense. Jump on Harrison if you can get any sort of discount.
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
There were a lot of underperforming wide receivers in Week 1. The Bears really struggled offensively in Williams’ first start. Both of their touchdowns came via defense and special teams.
Amidst Williams’ difficulties, he did target DJ Moore eight times. Unfortunately, Moore only managed five receptions for 36 yards.
Moore is still the clear WR1 for the Bears. He will be the favorite to lead them in targets every week. If his manager is worried about Keenan Allen’s involvement and Rome Odunze coming on later in the season, see if you can buy low on a guy I still think can finish as a fantasy WR1.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
I really struggled to find a tight end worth buying low after Week 1. Given that Dalton Kincaid played 83% of the snaps and only caught one pass for 11 yards, his fantasy managers might be concerned it will be more of the same. He was outproduced by Dawson Knox.
While I wasn’t high on Kincaid entering the season, he’s certainly not going to be this bad. Josh Allen did not throw more than five passes to any receiver. Eventually, one should emerge as his favorite. My bet remains on Kincaid. Buy low if you can.
Top Players To Sell in Your League
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t exactly a sell high. I agree. But Trevor Lawrence is somehow rostered in 81% of leagues. It doesn’t make sense. At no point in his career has he been a weekly starter in fantasy.
Lawrence is perennially overrated and still living off of his pre-draft hype. He’s a mediocre, at best, NFL quarterback.
Lawrence threw for 162 yards and one touchdown against the Dolphins. This is the quarterback he is. You can drop him, too. But if you can sell him for anything, do it.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
I loved what I saw from James Cook against the Cardinals. He ran the ball really well, amassing 71 yards on 19 carries, while adding 32 yards on three receptions. He scored 13.3 fantasy points.
Cook lost some snaps to both Ty Johnson and Ray Davis. Most importantly, though, the fear I had going into the season was front and center. He’s not going to get goal-line carries. That job belongs to Allen.
Cook will be fine. He’s not going to be a bust. He’s too talented and the Bills’ offense is too good. The problem is he lacks any sort of week-winning upside because he’s going to score so infrequently. If you can sell Cook on the position that he put up RB2 numbers without a touchdown, do it.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Before the season, I lamented my fade of Rhamondre Stevenson because he’s so good at football. After one week, I’m not about to anoint the Patriots a great offense.
Stevenson was an RB1 in Week 1, scoring 21.6 fantasy points. He handled 25 carries, totaling 120 yards on the ground with a touchdown. It appears the Bengals’ run defense is picking up right where it left off last season.
The matchups are going to get tougher. The Patriots are not going to see positive game script like this. And Stevenson only saw three targets, which he turned into three catches for six yards. This may end up being Stevenson’s best game of the season.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Houston Texans
Did Stefon Diggs make me eat my words in Week 1? It depends on your perspective.
Diggs did exactly what I thought he would do. He was clearly the secondary option behind Nico Collins and was exclusively used on underneath routes. He caught six passes for 33 yards. He put up WR1 numbers because he scored twice.
Now, to be fair, Diggs may score a lot this year. The Texans’ offense looked mighty good and C.J. Stroud didn’t even play his best. However, what Diggs did may look like vintage Diggs to the untrained eye. If someone is willing to pay WR1 prices for Diggs, ship him off for a real WR1.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
I don’t think you necessarily have to sell Jayden Reed high. But he just had his best game of the season. It’s not going to get better than this.
Reed only caught four passes but was highly efficient, totaling 138 yards and a touchdown. He also scored on his lone rushing attempt, a 33-yard scamper for six.
The Packers are still rotating wide receivers at a frustrating rate. Although, Reed did play 73% of the offensive snaps.
The bigger problem is Jordan Love’s MCL sprain. Malik Willis is not an NFL-caliber backup quarterback, let alone starter. For as long as Love is out, this offense is going to really struggle to move the ball.
Reed will be a startable WR2 once Love returns. But his value may never be higher than it is right now. Only sell him if you can get a reliable weekly WR2/RB2 or better.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons
I don’t want to overreact to Week 1. In fact, I’ve preached that throughout this column. However, this offense did not look good. Kirk Cousins was very shaky in his first game back after tearing his Achilles.
Additionally, it’s not as if Kyle Pitts looked good the past two seasons. In Week 1, he looked like the same guy who wasn’t startable during the Arthur Smith era.
It’s hard to sell a guy off a three-catch game, but touchdowns can skew perception, and Pitts caught one. The Falcons will be better offensively, but I wasn’t high on Pitts entering the season, and nothing I saw in Week 1 compels me to change my mind.