Buy Low, Sell High: Week 10

By: Mike Johnson (@Mjohnson86)

These are the guys who public perception may be low on but have brighter days ahead…..as well as the guys who may be coming off a big game but have a tough schedule or potential role change in their future.

BUY LOW

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, JAX

• Thomas had a rough game in Week 9 against the Eagles after suffering an injury in Week 8. Philadelphia has been shutting down opposing WRs in recent weeks, however, and Thomas appears to have left the game no worse for wear. A look at his upcoming schedule shows matchups with the Vikings, Lions, Texans, and Titans in his four remaining games prior to the fantasy playoffs. Those four teams all rank in the top 10 in run defense DVOA, and with the loss of Christian Kirk for the season, the Jaguars are likely to be passing at a high rate with less target competition for Thomas. We know rookie WRs tend to truly break out in the second half of the season and Thomas could be in store for an epic run. Buy now.

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI

• Speaking of rookie wide receivers, Harrison is coming off a poor performance against the Bears’ stout secondary and now faces the elite unit of the Jets before heading into his Week 11 bye. The short-term outlook is not rosy, but forward-thinking managers who have more or less locked up their playoff spot should be targeting Harrison, who faces the Patriots, Panthers, and Rams in the fantasy playoffs – three teams that all rank 26th or worse in pass defense.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND

• Taylor had a rough outing against the Vikings’ strong defense on national TV on Sunday night. Something that most people will overlook is the fact Taylor set a season high in targets in his first game with Joe Flacco as his starting QB. Taylor has been mostly a “yardage and touchdown” back throughout his career with limited usage in the passing game. Flacco is a pocket passer with no mobility and is far more likely than the mobile Anthony Richardson to target him. Adding a few targets per game to his workload would vault Taylor back into the elite tier he was in earlier in his career. So many other RBs have been smashing lately that it is easy for Taylor to be viewed negatively right now. 

Breece Hall, RB, NYJ

• After an exciting couple of weeks with big games against the Bills and Jets, Hall disappointed against the Patriots and Texans. The outlook for him is positive, however, because the Jets seem to have found something in their Thursday night win over Houston last week. Aaron Rodgers got things going with his dynamic receiving duo of Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams, and that means we could see the offense as a whole become far more productive moving forward. The Jets have an incredibly soft schedule over the next few weeks (ARI, IND, SEA, MIA, JAX, LAR) and are in prime position to make a nice run. The offense taking off would undoubtedly mean Hall having some week-winning performances down the stretch. 

SELL HIGH

Alvin Kamara, RB, NO

• Kamara is the RB2 on the season and is coming off a big game against the lowly Panthers defense. He also just signed a contract extension with the Saints and his main young competition (Kendre Miller) was just put on injured reserve for the second time this season. The macro outlook on Kamara appears positive at first glance, but that is why it is a great time to “Sell High”. New Orleans just fired its head coach and the Saints’ season is circling the drain. The extension they gave Kamara just means they are more likely to consider his long-term health later in the season if/when they are eliminated from the playoffs. He is someone at great risk of being shut down for the fantasy playoffs when you need him most. If you can get a haul for him right now, you should pull the trigger.

Join us Thursday for Starts/Fades Week 10!