Fantasy Football Edge: Sell High Candidates
By Moe Koltun, Matt Cott, and Matthew Schwimmer of Roto Analysis
After breaking down some buy lows last week, this week it's time to focus on some guys to sell high. Whether it's been skill, luck, or a little bit of both, there are clearly some players whose value is too high for this young season. We at RotoAnalysis are going to target a few of those players who are going to decline in the coming weeks for you to trade for better value, or just avoid.
Darren McFadden, Raiders RB
Darren McFadden is a big name, and for good reason—he was one of the most talented running backs in recent college football history, he was the fourth pick in the draft, and he is an extremely gifted runner. All that being said, Run DMC is entering into his sixth season in the NFL and has never played in more than 13 games in a season. As of this week McFadden is a top 10 running back scorer in fantasy, and that combined with both his name value and the lack of depth at the running back position could lead to an extremely nice haul if you move him now. If you own DMC, I would float his name out on the trade market and more likely than not, one of the many teams in your league that have running back depth issues will jump at the chance to acquire him—you just have to make sure you demand good value, and then you'll the be the one smiling when he (probably) gets hurt on someone else's roster.
DeMarco Murray, Cowboys RB
We've seen this before with Murray. Much like his breakout game during his rookie season, Murray rushed for an impressive 175 yards and a touchdown last week against a respectable Rams defense. Now is the perfect time to sell Murray however because we know exactly the play he is. Although Murray will flash glimpses of talent throughout the season, he's a major injury risk who has to share offensive touches with Jason Witten, Miles Austin, and Dez Bryant in the redzone. This is not to say Murray is useless, but given the current state of the running back market, you may be able to get top 10 value for Murray. Consider trading Murray for one of the preseason elite backs who are struggling out of the gate.
Wes Welker, Broncos WR
After averaging just 6.1 TDs in his six seasons with Brady, Welker is already up to four TDs in just three games with Peyton. This is an unsustainable rate and as good as this Broncos offense is looked, there's no way they can keep up this pace. Now is the prime time to deal Welker so definitely try to get on it this week – as the season goes on his performance will become more inconsistent as Peyton spreads the ball around. 19 catches is a much lower pace than Welker was at in New England, and it's obvious that Welker isn't the best red zone target with Demariyus Thomas, Julius Thomas, and Eric Decker around. Welker will remain a key part of the Bronco offense, but now is the time to get him out of your fantasy offense.
Agree? Disagree? Questions? Tweet @RotoAnalysis and be sure to follow Moe @MoeProblems, Matt @KidCotti21, and Matt@Schwimingly. Check out their work on RotoAnalysis.com, as well as The RotoAnalysis Fantasy Sports Podcast.
