RADIO
Scott Engel identifies fantasy football buy-low candidates, and also players to sell now. Read his buy/sell advice heading into Week 12 of the 2019 NFL season.
This is your last chance to improve your fantasy football team in a highly impactful way this week. That’s because the trade deadline is here in most leagues. You may only have a day or two left to make a significant move as you read this. So stop playing around and get serious. Don’t waste our time or anyone else’s anymore with three for one offers that will be rejected or silly packages that include a few of your bench guys for someone else’s top players.
If you don’t take the other owners seriously in your final trade discussions, you will just have to move ahead with who you have now. We have spent the season giving you all the proper tips to complete a deal quickly and efficiently. If you still choose to not follow the rules we laid out, then you can occupy your time battling for Bo Scarbrough or James Washington types on the waiver wire instead.
Of course, the bye weeks will end after this week and you will likely no longer have to worry about streaming and depth nearly as much. If you have to make a deal to stay alive in Week 12, we highly encourage it. But if your roster looks good beyond Week 12, you don’t have to scramble to revamp your squad. If your team has seven or more wins at this point, you are likely in good shape. Making an upgrade is always advisable, but may not be essential for winning teams in better postseason position.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
The Final Buy ‘Ems
Running Backs
Joe Mixon, CIN: He has scored 17 points in his past three games and has admirably regained his better form. Mixon is rising above the ruins around him in Cincinnati and is looking productive again. He is doing everything he can to try and help the Bengals land their first win. If you need to win this week to stay alive, acquire Mixon, as he has a good chance of pushing the Bengals to their first win against the Steelers. He will continue to play for pride and won’t come at a high price.
Derrius Guice, WAS: You should make a play for him as quality fantasy playoff depth piece. Guice has battled so many awful health issues but showed he still has promise with a 45-yard TD on a screen pass last week. The Redskins will certainly want to give him a lot of reps later in their regular season to get a glimpse of what he can provide in their future.
Miles Sanders, PHI: He only totaled 47 yards from scrimmage last week and the rookie has been completely unreliable. But maybe to a fault, I believe a big breakout game is coming, as soon as this week. I love the elusiveness, the speed and the versatility. He could bust out as soon as this week against Seattle and you don’t want to miss it when he makes a big fantasy splash. It won’t cost much to acquire him, either.
Wide Receivers
Devante Parker, MIA: He still has a bit of lingering doubt around him after being such a big disappointment in previous seasons. That is what makes him such a terrific trade target. His current owner may not ask for too much in return. The reality is, Parker has become a dependable fantasy WR3 who has scored just under 12 points or more in each of his past seven games.
Cooper Kupp, LAR: Kupp was shut out in Week 10 and caught three passes for 53 yards in Week 11. His current owner may be very concerned about the state of the Los Angeles offense and you must pounce on that anxiety. The return of Brandin Cooks will open things up for Kupp again as defenses will have to respect the deep ball more than they did when he was out.
Golden Tate, NYG: He is the safe play you want for some fantasy peace of mind during the playoffs. The nearing return of Sterling Shepard may concern some of his current owners. Tate will still post quality totals every week in PPR formats going forward. He was specifically acquired in the offseason to be a trusted target for a young QB and he has been ultra-reliable since he returned from an early-season suspension. Tate is the type of Fantasy “glue guy” that is not glamorous but yet he will be essential to the success of fantasy championship squads.
Tight Ends
Darren Waller, OAK: He has not scored in his past three games and did not top 55 yards in two of them. There aren’t many buy low opportunities at this point, but you could be getting Waller at a bit of a discount if you acquire him this week.
Jared Cook, NO: He has scored in three of his past four games and is starting to develop a better rapport with Drew Brees as the Saints play some very important games down the stretch.
Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray, ARI: Not many may have noticed he is the fourth-highest scoring QB in fantasy football. The prices are always lower when a guy is on a bye week, too.
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF: Opponents have started to load up against the 49ers ground game and are forcing Garoppolo to show he can beat them. Once he gets all of his targets back healthy, he may respond and make them pay. There is a lot of pressure on Garoppolo to show he can play better in meaningful later-season games, and it’s worth a minor deal to have him in case he takes to the challenges.
The Final Sell ‘Ems
Leonard Fournette, RB, JAC: He has been steady and has actually been able to stay healthy. But Fournette has one TD this season and one 100-yard rushing game in his last five outings. He could bring back a better return than you may deserve. There really is no reason to be unhappy with Fournette, but you should see what you get in return. He may be slightly overrated.
Latavius Murray / Jaylen Samuels, RBs, NO and PIT: If you own Murray and not Alvin Kamara, he really cannot help you too much unless Kamara is hurt. So sell him to the Kamara owner, who may really want him before the playoffs start. If Samuels is an extra piece for you, and the James Conner owner is desperate to win this week, you could fetch a pretty good return.
Keenan Allen, WR, LAC: Since Week 3, he has scored once and does not have a 75-yard receiving game. Yet he still has the market value of a fantasy WR1 to many owners.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, CLE: This is a week when he could finally have a big game against Miami. Sell him to an owner desperate for a win who may still be lured by his name appeal.
Deshaun Watson, QB, HOU: Over the past month, he is Fantasy QB16. Yet many owners still regard him as an elite player at his position. If you can get Kyler Murray or another viable Top 10 QB in return as part of a good package deal, you’ll be making out nicely.
TE NOTE: As we have been saying in this space for weeks, there are no pure "sell" candidates at the position. If you have a top TE you should keep him for the fantasy playoffs to maintain an edge over your opponents, especially in postseason matchups. If you have two top TEs, flex one if you can or just keep two for depth and away from an opponent in the playoffs.
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