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“Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean there are no more sales for fantasy football players to take advantage of.
If your fantasy league has no trading deadline or waits until the playoffs to institute one, you can still make that bodacious blockbuster that sets your team up for a Fantasy Super Bowl run. Assess the players on your roster and see who you can sell-high on, then assess the players on rosters throughout your league and see who you can get for a “Doorbuster” price that Target would be proud of.
Without further ado, here are the buy-low and sell-high candidates for Week 13 of the 2017 NFL season.
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Fantasy Football Buy-Low Candidates
Ameer Abdullah (RB, DET)
Abdullah is not making Lions fans forget about Barry Sanders or Billy Sims forget with his recent running. He has only amassed 36 rushing yards over his last two games and has not rushed for 60 yards or more since October 1. So this is the right time to trade for Abdullah because he could have a couple decent games lined up when fantasy owners could use him the most, during these crucial regular season and fantasy playoff weeks. None of the next four opposing defenses Abdullah is facing (Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Cincinnati) are ranked in the top 12 in stopping the run, and three have losing records. With franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford battling lower-body injuries, Detroit could rely more on the run than it usually does. Abdullah could end the season riding high fantasy-wise.
Rex Burkhead (RB, NE)
Dion Lewis has been getting more carries and James White has been getting more targets, yet Burkhead might end up being the best all-around Patriots back for fantasy owners. Burkhead’s re-emergence and resurgence have not been surprising. Mike Gillislee had his moment in the sun, but now is spending most of his moments in Bill Belichick’s deluxe doghouse. Lewis has been getting the bulk of the early-down rushes over the past month, but Burkhead has been showing spurts both rushing (50 yards and a touchdown last week) and receiving (16 receptions, two TDs over last four games) that make you tend to believe he will be an interesting flex option in the coming weeks when New England has two games against Buffalo (25th in total defense) and one versus Miami (21st in total defense). A minor trade for Burkhead could lead to a major payday for your fantasy squad.
Charles Clay (TE, BUF)
Unless your memory has been hampered by old age or special substances, you will recall that Clay was one of the top tight ends during the opening month of the season. He had 18 receptions for 227 yards and two touchdowns over the first four games and was on his way to a career year until a knee injury ruined his momentum. Now that his knee is better and Tyrod Taylor is back as Buffalo’s quarterback, Clay is lined up to finish the season strong. Three of his next four games come against pass defenses rated either 30th or 31st (Indianapolis and New England), and with Buffalo’s receiving corps banged-up almost as badly as the New York Giants’, Taylor will be locked in on Clay a lot over the next few weeks.
Fantasy Football Sell-High Candidates
Jimmy Graham (TE, SEA)
Finding a great tight end has been harder this year than finding a man in Hollywood who didn’t sexually harass somebody. That’s why Graham, even though his speed has been sapped (career-low 9.1 ypc), has been so valuable this season. He has scored eight times over his last seven games and leads all tight ends in touchdowns. The Graham touchdown train might be getting derailed shortly, however. His next two games are against the best team in the league (Philadelphia) and the best pass defense in the league (Jacksonville), and the one after that is against the division enemy Los Angeles Rams, who own the ninth-ranked pass defense. Graham will have a grueling time keeping up his TD-per-game pace the rest of the way.
Tevin Coleman (RB, ATL)
Coleman is the best backup tailback in the NFL and deserving of a starting spot somewhere in the league as evidenced by the four touchdowns he has scored over the past three games while being Atlanta’s main man in its rushing attack. Devonta Freeman is returning after spending a couple weeks in concussion protocol, however, so even if he is brought back slowly and Coleman is given more playing time because of his recent success, Coleman will not be getting the 20-25 touches per game he has been lately. Factor in that Atlanta has the toughest remaining schedule of any team in the NFL and has to face Minnesota, Carolina and New Orleans twice between now and season’s end and you can see why trading Coleman now (unless he is your Freeman handcuff or your only other option at RB is Wendell Smallwood) is the right thing to do.
Philadelphia Eagles defense (D, PHI)
Philadelphia has the best record in the NFL, and not only because Carson Wentz has quickly become one of the top quarterbacks in the sport while Zach Ertz has arguably become the top tight end in the league. The Eagles defense (third in points allowed and takeaways, sixth in sacks), led by a first-rate front seven that pressures quarterbacks and stuffs running backs, has been one of the fantastic fantasy finds of 2017. Philadelphia’s recent schedule has been filled with turnover-prone pushovers, though, and that is about to change real fast.
Philly’s upcoming schedule includes three straight road games, with the first two against Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams, ranked eighth and fourth in total offense, respectively. You could make the argument to keep the Eagles defense around since during fantasy playoff weeks they have Geno Smith’s New York Giants and Oakland as their opponents, but if you need help at another position and have another decent defense in the back pocket of your roster, trade Philadelphia now while its stock is sky high.
More Week 13 Lineup Prep
