Fantasy Football Buy Low, Sell High: Dak Prescott, Michael Gallup, Jeff Wilson, More Trade Deadline Targets
Tom Pennington/Getty Images. Pictured: Cowboys WR Michael Gallup, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Week 11 was an electric week of football.
The slate kicked off on Thursday night with a Super Bowl 2017 rematch between the Patriots and Falcons, which ended in a similar fashion.
Upsets and backup quarterbacks were a theme once again: The Bills, Titans and Packers were defeated by the Colts, Texans and Vikings respectively, and understudies Colt McCoy, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley started for their respective teams — two of which (McCoy and Huntley) picked up wins.
Running backs Jonathan Taylor and Austin Ekeler dominated this week and combined for nine touchdowns. Star signal-callers Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson were all duds for fantasy. And the Lions' one-game streak of not losing was snapped.
As the trade deadline nears in many fantasy leagues, now is an excellent time to toss out some trade offers to level up your teams heading into the playoffs. As we approach Week 12, here are the trade targets who saw their value shift after the last 11 weeks of games.
Buy-Low Week 12 Trade Targets
Below are nine Week 11 underperformers, or players whose value may increase over the next few weeks whom you should target via trades.
Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
Prescott is coming off of his worst fantasy performance of the season in what should have been a good matchup on paper. He completed 28 of 43 attempts for 216 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions versus the Chiefs. It was also the second time this season in which he recorded zero rushing attempts, which is a touch concerning that maybe he isn't 100%.
This could be a difficult game against the Raiders if both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb are out. Cooper has already been ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols, and Lamb is in the concussion protocol, which he may not clear in time for the Cowboys' Thanksgiving showdown versus Las Vegas.
I still like Prescott's rest-of-season value, especially if you are trying to level up at quarterback in preparation for the playoffs. Last week was only the second time all year he fell outside the top 14 at the position. He has a nice schedule down the stretch with Washington, Giants and Washington again in Weeks 14 through 16.
Rondale Moore, WR, Cardinals
Moore has dropped off a cliff since his electric Week 2 performance in which he tallied 114 yards and a touchdown. He is coming off of a strong game in which he caught all 11 targets for 51 yards while DeAndre Hopkins missed his third consecutive game. It's unclear if Hopkins will return after the team's Week 12 bye, but even if he does, Moore's target share is encouraging.
The Cardinals face the Lions, Colts and Cowboys in Weeks 15 through 17, which is a solid playoff schedule. You may be able to sell him to a manager who needs a win desperately this week.
Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Jaguars
Jones is coming off of another unremarkable week for fantasy in which he caught four of six targets for 52 yards. He hasn't scored double-digit fantasy points since before the Jaguars' Week 7 bye, but he may see an uptick in targets now that Jamal Agnew is out for the remainder of the season with a hip injury.
The Jaguars have a number of positive matchups to finish out the year including the Falcons next week, then the Titans, Texans and Jets in Weeks 14 through 16.
Michael Gallup, WR, Cowboys
Gallup saw a season-high 10 targets in Week 11 with Amari Cooper on the COVID-19/reserve list and CeeDee Lamb going down early. The oft-overlooked third receiver for the Cowboys could have a monster game in store if both Lamb and Cooper are out this week. Gallup is highly talented and tallied 1,107 receiving yards just two seasons ago. I view him as much more than a one-week rental.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens
Bateman's quiet Week 11 can be forgiven in light of Lamar Jackson's last-minute scratch. It should have been a good game for him with Marquise Brown out with a quad injury, but the rookie was forced to catch passes from Tyler Huntley in Huntley's first NFL start. The future is bright for Bateman, who has seen at least six targets in every game this year. He should bounce back once Jackson returns to full strength.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts
Pittman struggled in spite of the Colts tacking on 41 points against the Bills last week. Much of their success came on the ground with Jonathan Taylor scoring a whopping five touchdowns in the contest. Pittman is WR9 in half PPR scoring this season and should bounce back over the next two weeks. The Colts face the Buccaneers and Texans in Weeks 12 and 13 which should be favorable matchups for the second year wideout.
Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, 49ers
Wilson took on a larger role with star running back Elijah Mitchell out in Week 11. He recorded 19 carries for 50 yards and caught a pass for eight yards against the Jaguars, tallying nearly double Trey Sermon's touches in this contest.
Wilson could be a valuable fantasy asset given how Kyle Shanahan favors deploying a running back platoon and especially if Mitchell misses additional time. The 49ers have a favorable schedule down the stretch and face the Vikings, Seahawks, Bengals, Falcons, Titans and Texans in Weeks 12 through 17.
Ty Johnson, RB, Jets
Johnson did next to nothing in Week 11 after stringing together four solid fantasy performances. In Weeks 5 through 9, he scored three times and put up double-digit half PPR points in each of the four games. He and Tevin Coleman could see expanded roles with Michael Carter set to miss at least two weeks with a high-ankle sprain, making him an intriguing deep-league buy-low candidate.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons
Pitts is coming off of his second-worst fantasy performance of the year against the Patriots. He caught three of five passes for 29 yards, but let's face it: this was never going to be a good matchup opposite Bill Belichick, whose list of superpowers includes taking away a team's best weapon. With Cordarrelle Patterson sidelined in Week 11, it was all but etched in stone that Pitts would struggle in this matchup.
He should bounce back against Jacksonville and Tampa over the next two weeks and may be worth pursuing looking ahead to the playoffs, especially with Calvin Ridley's return this year uncertain.
Week 12 Trade Targets To Sell High On
Below are six Week 11 overperformers, or players whose values may decrease over the next few weeks whom you should try to offload via trades.
Cam Newton, QB, Panthers
Newton's fantasy value is on the rise after two electric performances. He didn't get the start in Week 10 but scored twice on his first two snaps. He was named the Week 11 starter against Washington and completed 21 of 27 attempts for 187 yards, two touchdowns and tacked on 10 rushes for 46 yards and a touchdown. His recent years have been hallmarked by inconsistency, however, which could certainly result in some duds for fantasy.
The Panthers face Miami in Week 12 but do have a late Week 13 bye which could be inopportune for a team in win-now mode. As much as it pains me to say as a Panthers fan and Newton apologist, managers should consider flipping him for a solid QB1 while his value is still surging.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Packers
Valdes-Scantling had his best game of the season with Allen Lazard sidelined with a shoulder injury. He reeled in four of 10 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown, which was only his second game of the year with more than five fantasy points. He remains an unreliable boom-or-bust option, especially once Lazard returns.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers
Aiyuk is coming off of his best fantasy performance of the year in which he reeled in all seven targets for 85 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars. I would proceed with caution, however, given that Jacksonville's defense isn't exactly a formidable adversary and how inconsistent Aiyuk has been this year.
He got off to a terrible start, tallying just one fantasy point in half PPR across the first two weeks of the year. Since then, it has been quite a rollercoaster, which has included a four-point dud in Week 10. I would be wary of placing too much trust in Aiyuk, even with the 49ers' favorable schedule.
Devonta Freeman, RB, Ravens
Freeman had his best game of the season in Week 11 with Latavius Murray back in the lineup. He saw a season-high 16 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 31 yards, while Murray saw 12 touches for 33 all-purpose yards.
I do think the team leaned more heavily on the running backs with Lamar Jackson — their best rusher — out of this game. I don't expect Freeman to put up consistent production week-to-week once Jackson is back.
Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
Sanders had a decent Week 11 against the Saints in his return from injured reserve. He tallied 16 carries for 94 yards but did have ball security issues which included a fumble and an almost fumble which was ruled forward progress.
The positive news is that he out-touched everyone else in this backfield, including Jordan Howard, who suffered a sprained knee during the game. Howard is expected to miss at least Week 12 versus the Giants, which likely spells for more touches for Sanders and Boston Scott (Kenneth Gainwell was a healthy scratch last week).
Zach Ertz, TE, Cardinals
Ertz made this column last week as a buy-low candidate, so hopefully you heeded that advice. He exploded in Week 11 in Seattle and caught eight of nine targets for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He now strikes me as a sell-high candidate, especially if you happen to be in win-now mode. The Cardinals have a Week 12 bye and face the Bears in Week 13, who have been tough against the tight end position.
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