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By Dante Campione | September 19, 2024
Photo from Getty Images
Another week is in the books, and week 2 delivered plenty of takeaways both good and bad. Injuries are piling up fast, and if your roster looks like mine, you’re probably not feeling great. This season might be one of the worst in terms of early injuries, so it’s crucial to make moves and stay competitive. Whether you’re sitting pretty at 2-0 or struggling at 0-2, there’s always room to improve. We’ll dive into some buy-low and sell-high candidates that I like, plus key start/sit decisions to help if you’re struggling with who to plug into your lineup for week 3.
Buy Low
Chris Olave 8.0 PPG
If you drafted Chris Olave this year it’s fair to say the early second-round pick has been underwhelming thus far. How have the Saints put up 40 points back-to-back weeks and Olave has yet to surpass 12 points? I’m just as confused as you are. The good news here is that Olave had concerns in the past because this Saints offense was downright atrocious, which is no longer the case this year as Derek Carr looks the best he has in years. Olave is still the best receiver by far in this offense and I expect Shaheed to come down to earth at some point, so don’t worry about a few long touchdowns that he’s had this year. Also, when you’re blowing teams out of the water, the game script seems to always lean heavily on the run in the second half, leading to fewer opportunities for pass-catchers. If you’re in dire need of a receiver, go try to get Olave at the lowest his price will be all season this week. He’s facing a struggling Eagles defense at home and I expect this game to be won through the air. The big games are coming, so hold onto our boy Chris, or go grab him while you still can.
Garrett Wilson 11.1 PPG
Another guy yet to surpass 12 points this season, Mr. Wilson. Yet again a third-year receiver who has shown plenty of promise needing a competent QB/offense to showcase his full potential. Although the Jets are off to a slow offensive start, you shouldn't have expected an aging Aaron Rogers coming off a major injury to come out the gate on fire to begin with. Wilson, similar to Olave, has put up multiple 1,000+ yard seasons and was drafted with the expectation to take over the league in year 3 now that he finally has a healthy QB. I’m here to tell you not to worry, and continue to be patient because his best games are yet to come. Wilson is Rodger's favorite receiver and is pacing for 140+ targets again this year, but this time around I expect him to finish with 90 catches and 1350+ yards. Wilson faces a tough matchup in week 3 where he’ll be facing lockdown corner Christian Gonzales, but I still think he posts a decent stat line and has a chance of finding the endzone on Thursday night. Lock Garrett into your lineup and hold on, or go make a move for him if you can get the star receiver at his low price.
Bijan Robinson 16.1 PPG
This one may be a bit controversial considering Bijan has looked great and put up respectable numbers in both of his appearances thus far. But I’m here to tell you that 16 points per game is Bijan’s floor and sitting right now at RB15 is probably the lowest you’ll be able to get him all season. If you drafted Bijan you were probably expecting a multi-TD game and maybe a 30-burger by now, but he’s been slightly underwhelming in fantasy considering he probably went top 5 in your draft. As I mentioned previously, the Falcons face some tough opponents early in the season and their schedule continues to get easier as the season goes on. On top of that, the new offense and growing pains haven’t helped his case either. Bijan had multiple chunk runs over 10 yards on Monday vs the Eagles and looks like one of the top talents in the league, it just hasn’t translated to huge fantasy numbers yet. He has still yet to surpass 100 yards rushing and find the endzone in 2024, and I expect that trend to end soon. You heard it here first, Robinson is going for 100+ on the ground and will find the endzone Sunday vs the Chiefs so go trade for him before his price is way too steep.
Photo by Danny Karnik/AP Photo
Buy Low Honorable Mentions:
Sell High
Alvin Kamara 33.0 PPG
Coming off a massive week of 180 total yards and 4 TDs you’re probably wondering “Why the hell would I sell this guy? He’s the best!”. Although Kamara has looked like his old 2020 self where he went on to finish the RB1, I’ll give you a few reasons why to sell him at his highest point, or to proceed with caution if you choose to keep him. Yes, Kamara has been a fantasy stud for the last half-decade but he’s had his fair share of concerns and injuries that have kept him from holding his elite status. Last year, for example, he still finished 11th in points amongst running backs but only played in 13 games, and only surpassed 20 points once the entire second half of the season. He also relied heavily on check-downs and I still expect him to be involved in the passing game, but this offense looks a lot better and he’s not going to have those garbage time dump downs as often. While the injuries continue to stack up for AK, he’s also 29 years old and if history repeats itself, he’s due to see some form of regression. Look, I know he has 5 touchdowns already this year and he probably will finish as a top 12 back, all I’m saying is you can trade him at the highest his value will be all year, and you can get a king's ransom in return. If your squad is struggling, go trade AK for some help at other positions, but if you’re a huge AK fan and are cool taking on some risk, then let it ride.
De’Von Achane 26.3 PPG
Again, probably another controversial take where you’re scratching your head wondering why am I telling you to sell the most electric running back in all of football. I know, Achane has looked unreal and is one of the only players in the league who can go for a 60+ yard touchdown at any given time, but there are a few reasons I’m not sure about his future outlook. The first reason is his quarterback has now sustained his 4th concussion in his short career and may already have CTE, and it’s not looking like he’s coming back in a week or two. Although I think that his floor is still safe and he’ll have good games, his touchdown upside remains limited as this offense will take a hit and take trips to the red zone less often. The second reason is the main reason I’ve been cautious with him to begin with, is his injury history. Last year he missed significant time and when he returned found himself on the sideline again, not to mention he’s already dealing with an ankle injury this year. The 22-year-old stands 5’9” 188 lbs and is more susceptible to injury due to his small stature, and quite frankly I hold my breath every time he touches the ball because I fear he’s going to come off the field limping. Now, if you’re 2-0 and haven’t dealt with any injuries, don’t sell Achane because he truly is a one-of-a-kind talent. Go grab his handcuff and pray he stays healthy, and expect some regression to come with the recent injury to his quarterback. Thanks a lot, Tua, get well soon king.
Photo from the Palm Beach Post
J.K. Dobbins 21.5 PPG
I feel like this is the only one that’s super clear and obvious. If you drafted J.K. you hit the lottery the first 2 weeks and I’m telling you to go cash in your ticket now. I’ve played this game before where Dobbins looks great to start the year, and he finds himself on IR missing the rest of the season shortly after. Here’s his injury history since 2021: grade 3 ACL tear, meniscus tear grade 3 LCL tear, grade 3 thigh/hamstring tear, and grade 3 Achilles tear. I mean, these aren’t just little ankle injuries that he’s missed a few games here and there, they’re complete full tears in the parts of his body that make him explosive and valuable. Dobbins still is able to explode through the line of scrimmage somehow, but it’s very apparent he does not have any type of getaway speed. He is still going to get his 10-20-yard runs and some goal-line looks, but he’s not going to break a 50-yarder every game either. If these were small injuries I’d be able to overlook it but Dobbins has had to fully relearn how to run in a straight line and that’s too much risk for me to take on. Sell him while you can because the season-ending injury is coming, you’ll thank me later. I really do like Dobbins as a player and I applaud him for coming back from these huge injuries so it hurts me to write this, but please take this sell-high window and don’t look back.
Sell High Honorable Mentions:
Starts of the Week
Jameson Williams
Jamo has had a great start to the season and I expect him to keep it going against a middle-of-the-road Cardinals pass defense. He’s averaged 10 targets per game through 2 weeks, and with a banged-up St. Brown, Jamo is in line for a big one on the road in Arizona. As defenses already scheme around stopping their number one pass catcher Amon-Ra, Jamo finds himself open more frequently giving Goff a solid number two option in this offense. If you were on the fence about starting Williams this week, pencil him in your flex spot.
Photo from FOX Sports
Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk has not been himself this year after signing an extension with the 49ers and missing all of training camp. I like Aiyuk to get back on track in week 3 where he faces a Rams defense who just gave up a huge game through the air to the Cardinals. With Deebo and CMC out and Kittle questionable, the 9ers have no choice but to feed Brandon. If you were looking to sit Aiyuk this week due to his poor performances thus far, give the kid a shot this week.
Dallas Goedert
If you are debating on which tight end to start this week, look no further. Goedert has become overlooked these past 2 seasons by superstars AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and now Saquon Barkley. With Brown out again, Goedert will see a significant uptick in targets this week in New Orleans. I think this game will be a shootout between Hurts and Carr, and Goedert finds himself with 8+ targets and a couple of shots at the end zone.
Honorable Mentions:
Sits of the Week
Chargers Offense
Yes, you read that correctly. If you own any offensive players on the Chargers this week, go ahead and give them a rest week. Even if Herbert is able to string together a decent day, McConkey, QJ, and any other pass catcher will be hard to trust to have a good day at the office against this ferocious Pittsburg defense. Pittsburg has held both their opponents to 10 points or less this year, and I think this might be the case until further notice. Look for other options if you’re able to at QB, WR, and RB.
Photo from ESPN
Jaylen Waddle
I almost want to group Tyreek in this as well, but I think he’ll command enough volume to put up a decent day against Seattle. Although Waddle is great after the catch and doesn’t need a ton of volume to have success, I do not trust Skylar Thompson to get him the ball accurately and consistently enough to confidently plug into your lineup. Not to mention, Seattle’s secondary has looked good so far this year, it’s just not looking good for Waddle. Continue to sit Waddle until further notice, unless you have even worse options on the bench.
Kyren Williams
Williams has been serviceable so far this year but has been saved by a touchdown in both weeks this season. With the losses of Puka Nacua and now Cooper Kupp, this offense is primed for another slow offensive game against a division rival. Not only are the 49ers rivals, but they’re coming off a big loss and struggling offensively this defense is going to have to step up big this week on the road vs the Rams. Obviously, you spent some decent capital to draft Kyren so don’t bench him if you have no one else, just be aware if he doesn’t score on Sunday he’s in line for his first bust of the year.
Honorable Mentions: