Three Players Fantasy Owners Should Sell High On

Fantasy football is just like the stock market. To succeed you have to buy low and sell high. There is a time to buy low and get players when their price tags are at their lowest points. There is also a time to sell high and trade the players on your fantasy squad who have gotten off to tremendous starts but have no chance of keeping up their record-breaking pace.

If you can trade players at the right time, when they are playing above their heads, you can net more talent in return than you probably should. Here are three players fantasy owners should consider selling high on right now:

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Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (QB)

Fantasy pundits like myself assumed Dalton would be throwing less and handing off to Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard more this year because No. 2 and No. 3 receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu fled via free agency. Also, tight end Tyler Eifert was set to miss the first month of the season.

Yet Dalton has been in a bizarro world during the first two weeks, throwing 84 times and recording back-to-back 366-yard passing days on the road against the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. And while his touchdown-to-pass-attempt ratio leaves a lot to be desired (he only has two TD tosses), Dalton leads the NFL in passing yards.

But Dalton cannot keep this up. Cincinnati is a one-receiver team right now. If A.J. Green gets bottled up, Dalton has fewer options than Ryan Lochte has swimming sponsors. Dalton has one 4,000-yard year to his credit in five seasons and has never thrown for more than 4,300 yards, so there is no way he will throw for 4,800-5,000 yards this season. Of course, I did not bank on Rick Porcello going 21-4 for the Boston Red Sox, so what do I know?

Look for Dalton and the Bengals to ratchet down their passing a couple notches as it gets colder and it their offensive attack becomes more suited for ground and pound approach with Hill and Bernard.  There is no better time than now to trade Dalton when he is coming off consecutive 366-yard weeks.

Ryan Mathews, Philadelphia Eagles (RB)

Unlike many backs stuck in running back rotations where even starters are lucky to get more than 10-15 touches per game, Mathews is the clear top tailback with the Eagles. Scatback Darren Sproles will catch his screen passes and run draw plays on third downs, but Mathews is the main man on early downs and near the end zone.

Mathews has 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the season and has made his fantasy owners very happy the first two weeks. But when will those smiles turn upside down? The smarter fantasy owners know that the Mathews train can derail at any moment.

Mathews has one of the most dubious histories among fantasy running backs. The man has burned more people than a group of pyromaniacs. He has missed 23 games over his first six seasons and only suited up for all 16 games in a season one time. Along with his myriad of injuries, he has lost playing time due to his untimely fumbles and his inconsistent play. Last season, even though DeMarco Murray kept running himself into brick wall after brick wall on his way to being one of the biggest busts of 2015, Mathews failed to capitalize and finished with a paltry 531 rushing yards and six scores.

The climate for fantasy running backs is ever-changing. Two or three running backs seem to get injured every week. So if you own Mathews there is no better time to send him packing for a package of healthier, more reliable players. Trade him before he strains a hamstring, bruises a buttock or fumbles away his starting spot in the Eagles backfield.

Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints (WR)

Here is how you have to talk Snead up to receiver-starved owners in your league:

“Hey, there!  You need a WR, right?  I have the perfect guy for you! He caught touchdown passes in each of his first two games, he has racked up 226 yards in the process, he has Drew Brees throwing pinpoint passes to him, he gets to run on the fast track of the Superdome, and he has Brandin Cooks keeping defenses from double-teaming him! You need Willie Snead!”

Feel free to use this as a template for how to speak to owners about trading for Snead…or don’t. But make no mistake, Snead should be dealt to the highest bidder in your league if possible. His trade value will never be higher unless you wait a week and he scorches the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.  If you gamble and wait a week and he has another super game, then Snead could bring you back even more.

The small speedster is only in his second season and had 69 receptions for 984 yards as a rookie, but the jury is out on whether this undrafted free agent can keep up being such a fantasy force of nature. Snead has done well thanks to Brees and the Saints’ high-octane offense. Is he a product of the system or would he put up similar numbers in other offenses? I have my doubts he would be doing anywhere near as well on natural grass in a conservative offense with Ryan Tannehill as his QB. Just look at Kenny Stills.

Cooks is Brees’ top target, rookie Michael Thomas is waiting in the wings, and tight end Coby Fleener has to start meshing with Brees eventually after they only connected on three of their first dozen targets.  Snead could keep posting solid numbers more weeks than not, but he is not going to pull a Megatron and have a 2,000-yard blowout season. Trade him before his role gets reduced, defenses start covering him closer and his fantasy value drops down a level.