It was only fitting that in a weekend of many strange fantasy happenings, the Jets would handily defeat the Colts on the road. Condolences to all those who started any Colt besides Donte Moncrief. And congrats to those with the guts to start the Jets DST; I wouldn’t have had the courage.
As we leave Week 2 behind--for many of us, far, far behind—we need to put some players’ performances (or in one case, future performance) in perspective. There are some huge sell-high candidates out there. And what would be the point if we didn’t delve into the somewhat obvious, as well as the seemingly ridiculous:
- Travis Benjamin has the second most WR fantasy points through two games, despite earning only seven targets. That’s what we call “unsustainable.” Either he needs to become the every-week go-to receiver (7-10 targets per game), or he’s a nowhere-to-go-but-down receiver. He hasn’t had more than five targets in a game since Week 1 of the 2013 season. There’s a high likelihood that he’ll regress dramatically in the coming weeks. My view is if you can get a solid every-week starter for him—an injured Tevin Coleman or a “slumping” Brandin Cooks—do it now.
- Le’Veon Bell—yes, that Le’Veon Bell—is a prime sell-high candidate. What the hell am I talking about? DeAngelo Williams has earned playing time when Bell returns in Week 3. Once viewed as merely a desperation stop-gap while Bell was suspended, Williams has looked 10 years younger these first two games. I firmly believe he won’t be relegated to mop-up work once Bell returns. No, I’m not talking about a timeshare, but I do foresee somewhere around a 70-30 split. The Steelers have a lot of offensive weapons and should win most of their games—some of them handily. Why keep throwing Bell out there when they have a perfectly capable veteran to eat up clock and move the chains? I’m still uber-high on Bell, but his upside has taken a hit with Williams exceeding all expectations. Trade him for a mid-end RB1 and a low-end WR1 / high-end WR2. A lot of people would make that trade to get who they consider to be the #1 fantasy flex player. In the process, you’d more than likely come out on top.
- Carson Palmer & company have obliterated the Saints and Bears, placing Palmer third among all fantasy QBs. The more I’ve thought about this, the more it seems unsustainable. Although Palmer was a very trend pick this draft season, he was ranked 17th on my draft board for two reasons: (1) As I said yesterday on ESPN 101.3 in Colorado, he’s a bigger injury risk than arguably any other starting QB, and (2) his schedule is about to get a lot tougher, with games against the Rams, Lions, Ravens, Seahawks, and Bengals, to name a few. Seven TDs in two games is incredible. Now cash out for a slightly underperforming QB8-10 and a flex player upgrade. Or pick up Andy Dalton off waivers (incredibly, he’s still available in 79% of ESPN leagues) and then trade Palmer for a higher impact flex player.
Roster upgrades are largely about timing. Trading these three players—and many others like them—at the right time will better position your team for the long haul.
As we leave Week 2 behind--for many of us, far, far behind—we need to put some players’ performances (or in one case, future performance) in perspective. There are some huge sell-high candidates out there. And what would be the point if we didn’t delve into the somewhat obvious, as well as the seemingly ridiculous:
- Travis Benjamin has the second most WR fantasy points through two games, despite earning only seven targets. That’s what we call “unsustainable.” Either he needs to become the every-week go-to receiver (7-10 targets per game), or he’s a nowhere-to-go-but-down receiver. He hasn’t had more than five targets in a game since Week 1 of the 2013 season. There’s a high likelihood that he’ll regress dramatically in the coming weeks. My view is if you can get a solid every-week starter for him—an injured Tevin Coleman or a “slumping” Brandin Cooks—do it now.
- Le’Veon Bell—yes, that Le’Veon Bell—is a prime sell-high candidate. What the hell am I talking about? DeAngelo Williams has earned playing time when Bell returns in Week 3. Once viewed as merely a desperation stop-gap while Bell was suspended, Williams has looked 10 years younger these first two games. I firmly believe he won’t be relegated to mop-up work once Bell returns. No, I’m not talking about a timeshare, but I do foresee somewhere around a 70-30 split. The Steelers have a lot of offensive weapons and should win most of their games—some of them handily. Why keep throwing Bell out there when they have a perfectly capable veteran to eat up clock and move the chains? I’m still uber-high on Bell, but his upside has taken a hit with Williams exceeding all expectations. Trade him for a mid-end RB1 and a low-end WR1 / high-end WR2. A lot of people would make that trade to get who they consider to be the #1 fantasy flex player. In the process, you’d more than likely come out on top.
- Carson Palmer & company have obliterated the Saints and Bears, placing Palmer third among all fantasy QBs. The more I’ve thought about this, the more it seems unsustainable. Although Palmer was a very trend pick this draft season, he was ranked 17th on my draft board for two reasons: (1) As I said yesterday on ESPN 101.3 in Colorado, he’s a bigger injury risk than arguably any other starting QB, and (2) his schedule is about to get a lot tougher, with games against the Rams, Lions, Ravens, Seahawks, and Bengals, to name a few. Seven TDs in two games is incredible. Now cash out for a slightly underperforming QB8-10 and a flex player upgrade. Or pick up Andy Dalton off waivers (incredibly, he’s still available in 79% of ESPN leagues) and then trade Palmer for a higher impact flex player.
Roster upgrades are largely about timing. Trading these three players—and many others like them—at the right time will better position your team for the long haul.