RADIO
Who should fantasy football owners be targeting as a buy or sell candidate entering Week 10 of the 2018 season? Martin Konstantinov examines players whose fantasy value are rising or falling.
One of the toughest parts of fantasy football to navigate is trading with league-mates. As a result of the unique characteristics of every person in a fantasy football league, it is often difficult to find a strategy for trading players that works for everyone in any situation.
Nevertheless, highlighting the performances of certain players helps to create a starting point for fantasy owners. By knowing who to trade or trade for, fantasy owners are able to have a starting point for any trade negotiations that they have.
Each week, the trade values of certain players rise and fall according to their performances on the field. Let's take a look at some players that fantasy owners may want to consider offloading or trading for after Week 9 of the NFL season.
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Buy Low
Mark Ingram (RB, NO)
While there is certainly a case to be made for staying away from the Saints running back, Mark Ingram presents an interesting opportunity for fantasy owners who are desperate for more running backs in the back half of the season. Ingram has struggled over the last few weeks as he has been out-rushed, out-targeted, and out-used in the red-zone by fellow running back Alvin Kamara. It seems as if Ingram is firmly behind Kamara in the team's depth chart and plans going forward and therefore, his fantasy value looks almost completely shot given the original expectation that he would be a borderline RB1 when he came back from his PED suspension.
However, fantasy owners must remember that Ingram plays for the Saints, one of the most dominant teams in football. The Saints will be ahead in most of the games that they play, giving Ingram plenty of opportunities to run out the clock and tack on touchdowns if Kamara is being over-used. Although Ingram won't provide the elite value that many believed he had coming off of his suspension, there is still some upside in the veteran running back that could allow for a decent trade for fantasy owners who need more running backs to shore up gaps in their teams.
Kenny Golladay (WR, DET)
It has certainly been a tough few weeks for Kenny Golladay, as the young wide receiver has not been targeted in nearly the same capacity that he was prior to the team's bye. Golladay looks the part of a future elite NFL wide receiver; however, the play of quarterback Matt Stafford and the Lions offense as a whole seems to be limiting Golladay's production. In fact, the young wideout has not crossed 47 receiving yards in the last three weeks.
Nevertheless, Golladay should benefit from the departure of slot receiver Golden Tate, who soaked up a lot of targets in the high-powered Lions offense. Golladay and Marvin Jones are both good options to trade for due to their perceived increase in target share and natural ability between the 20's and in the red zone. Go get Golladay while you can, as he can turn into an elite flex option, especially if fantasy owners already have a pair of solid receivers that they can rely on.
Sell High
Jordan Howard (RB, CHI)
With four touchdowns in his last three games, Bears running back Jordan Howard looks like a great, consistent option for fantasy owners who struggled through the first few weeks of Howard's season. Although his yardage totals leave something to be desired, the high-powered nature of the Bears offense and Howard's involvement in the red zone boosts his value in a big way and keeps him in the RB2 discussion.
At the same time, it looks like the perfect time to sell the young tailback for more solid options who don't rely on touchdowns to be fantasy relevant. Howard is clearly losing more and more work to young back Tarik Cohen, and the amount of options on the Bears offense mitigates Howard's long-term viability for fantasy owners. It may be time to package Howard with a decent wide receiver and see if fantasy owners can get a trade for an elite or near-elite RB or WR option who is more likely to produce big numbers week in and week out.
Calvin Ridley (WR, ATL)
Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Calvin Ridley is quietly having a fantastic first season in the NFL. Ridley has seven touchdowns to this point, although six of them came between Weeks 2 and 4. The young wideout looks like a solid option for quarterback Matt Ryan and the future top wide receiver of the Atlanta Falcons. However, his production is very touchdown-dependent; Ridley has failed to score double-digit PPR points outside of games where he finds the end-zone.
Ridley scored in Week 9, thrusting him back into the thoughts of WR-needy fantasy owners. If fantasy owners can package the young wideout and a decent running back for a better option at the position who is perhaps underperforming up to this point in the season, they should consider the trade a win.
