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Joey's fantasy football trade analyzer article for Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season. His buy-low and sell-high fantasy football trade candidates and advice.
The first NFL week is already down, and Week 2 already started off with a bang after the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles combined for over 60 points. In Week 1, though, there were many crazy fantasy football occurrences. The Cowboys D/ST scored a whopping 37 fantasy points, and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill casually dropped 44.5 PPR points on 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
Whether you’re 1-0 or 0-1 in fantasy football to start the year, there is no reason to panic just yet on players. It’s a long season, and there will be plenty of bounce-back performances in Week 2. There will also be players that come back down to earth after a strong opening week performance.
This fantasy football trades advice column will be featured twice a week, and focus on players you should buy and sell in fantasy football.
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Fantasy Football Buy-Low Trade Targets
Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Chances are your league mate took Detroit Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs pretty early in your fantasy football drafts. Chances are that those same people were disappointed with Gibbs’ Week 1 performance on Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. So, if your league mates are willing to dish the rookie, you should absolutely buy low on him.
Week 1 wasn’t an ideal start to Gibbs’ fantasy career. He saw 19 snaps in his first career game, which was only 27% of the Lions’ snaps. Starting running back David Montgomery played an insane 55 snaps last Thursday. If that has fantasy managers panicking, it shouldn’t.
Despite the low volume for Gibbs, the rookie had nine touches for an impressive 60 yards. With every opportunity, it seemed like the running back broke every tackle for big gains. More chances will become frequent for him as the season progresses, including in Week 2. Head coach Dan Campbell has said Gibbs will see more snaps against the Seattle Seahawks this week.
Frankly, for how explosive and quick the rookie was in Week 1, he likely won’t see that few touches in a game the rest of this season. He’s a player who has the potential to be a league winner for your squad.
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White was not efficient with his touches in Week 1. He had just 17 carries for 39 yards while catching two passes for 10 yards. The second-year player averaged just 2.58 yards per touch to open the year, which isn't encouraging.
A big reason you should buy White is due to his usage. Not only did the 24-year-old back have 19 touches -- which was tied for the 11th most among all running backs in Week 1 -- but he played 79% of the Buccaneers’ snaps in the season opener.
Of course, White needs to produce when given opportunities on offense. You don’t want to trade for a player just because he gets high usage. However, there is a path to higher production, as quarterback Baker Mayfield threw almost 12% of his passes last season for checkdowns. With backups Sean Tucker and Chase Edmonds not providing much competition behind White, the young running back should be a huge factor in PPR formats going forward.
There are not many running backs that see that type of usage anymore. In two career starts for White, he has been utilized at a high rate in both games. That likely won’t change either as the season progresses. This might be the only time to grab a potential top-20 back who sees a ton of usage weekly.
Fantasy Football Sell-High Trade Candidates
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had a fantastic game in Week 1. He brought down eight catches for 97 yards on an impressive 11 targets, all while playing 97% of the team snaps. Let’s dive a little deeper into Pittman’s production to open the season.
For starters, the Colts wideout was also non-existent for most of the game before he surprisingly took a 39-yard screen play to the house in the third quarter. Pittman usually doesn’t have that type of speed to break away for a long touchdown. His 4.52 40-time, which ranked in the 44th percentile shows just that.
On top of that, four of his eight catches and five of his 11 targets came on the final drive of the game. With the Jaguars playing more over the top in the final minutes, the Colts worked more underneath on offense to move the ball.
With a rookie in Anthony Richardson under center, the Colts offense will experience plenty of up-and-down weeks on offense. It was a good Week 1 performance for Pittman. But he will have plenty of bad fantasy days with the inconsistencies at quarterback. You should be looking to trade him for a more secure wideout like Los Angeles Chargers wideout Keenan Allen or Cleveland Browns wideout Amari Cooper.
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert provided fantasy managers with an RB17 finish in Week 1. Mostert carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards with one touchdown while also catching two passes for 13 yards. Despite the double-digit fantasy performance, you should be looking to ship him.
For starters, running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (midsection, finger) will be returning from the injured reserve list in Week 5. So, Mostert will surely lose touches and snaps to Wilson when he returns.
Even if you wanted to get your money’s worth before Wilson returns, Mostert faces three straight solid defenses in the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills. All three teams ranked in the top 10 in rush yards allowed per game in 2022.
Then, throw in the fact that third-round rookie De'Von Achane should see opportunities at some point along the way. You might not be able to get much for Mostert. But trying to package players to get other running backs like Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. or Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco makes the most sense.
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