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Week 12 - Buy & Sell Report
By Mike Beacom
You could have seen it coming… big money for injury-prone starting quarterbacks and – boom! – his season is over. Carson Palmer had a chance to have his Kurt Warner moment, but instead it appears he could end his career known for injury more than anything else. Still, no one believes the Cardinals are done because (a) it’s a well-built team on both sides of the ball, and (b) backup Drew Stanton had success earlier in the year when Palmer was out with a shoulder injury. We all fear something. For some, it’s bats. For others, spiders. For a large number of fantasy football owners, it’s New England Patriots running backs. Coach Bill Belichick does weird things with his rotation, and just when you think you have it figured out, he changes course. It’s been years since the Patriots backfield had stability.  Jonas Gray was a waiver wire suggestion weeks ago, but like most Patriots backs he fell back into mediocrity and out of favor among fantasy owners. But his 199-yard effort against Indianapolis on Sunday has brought him back to relevance. Now he’s the hottest wire pickup on the market.
Here are a few other waiver wire candidates to consider ... RB Tre Mason, Rams Mason logged 29 carries for 113 yards against Denver last week. Not a great average per carry (3.9), but Denver is no slouch and Mason showed flashes of greatness. He has faced some imposing run defenses as of late (Seattle, Kansas City and San Francisco twice) and now heads into a much easier stretch (Oakland, Washington). WR Charles Johnson, Vikings This one caught us by surprise, too. Leading up to Week 11 Johnson had caught just six passes in his NFL career – a total he matched against the Bears. He does have one thing going for him – a woeful Vikings passing attack in need of more help – but he still doesn’t have a touchdown to his name, nor any sort of track record so picking him up is all speculation at this point. WR Chris Hogan, Bills Hogan has caught 28 passes in the past five games including seven last week in a loss to Miami. He is quickly becoming a Kyle Orton favorite (more targets than Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods last week) and someone desperate fantasy owners may want to consider placing on their roster. TE Coby Fleener, Colts Fleener caught all seven of the passes Andrew Luck threw in his direction Sunday for a healthy 144 yards. It was the kind of day fantasy owners have been craving from Fleener, but probably only possible because the Patriots successfully took TY Hilton out of the equation. The waiver wire isn’t the only way for fantasy owners to improve their roster; a well-crafted trade proposal can help every bit as much as picking up an up-and-coming free agent. Here is a look at this week’s buy and sell candidates: {BUY} WR TY Hilton, Colts Buy low, sell high right? No better time to buy Hilton than now after his dismal Sunday night performance against New England. For much of the season Hilton has ranked among the top fantasy receivers (on pace for 94 receptions and 1,598 yards) but coming off a three-catch, 24-yard night he might be on the trading block. Make an offer; he won’t have to face Darrelle Revis again this season, so his prospects are solid. WR Jordan Matthews, Eagles If you watched Philadelphia’s epic loss to Green Bay you know why Matthews is a buy candidate. Mark Sanchez absolutely loves the young receiver. He threw to Matthews on key downs and for big plays. And Matthews delivered (107 yards, touchdown). Jeremy Maclin is the “name” receiver with a much bigger asking price but Matthews is closing the gap in this offense. {SELL} QB Russell Wilson, Seahawks First, plant the seed – remind your fellow owners that Wilson has been an effective passer AND rusher in recent weeks. Then let it be known that you’re taking offers. Why? Because Seattle’s upcoming schedule is brutal. They face the Cardinals twice (the only NFL team with more interceptions than touchdown passes allowed), 49ers twice, Eagles and Rams. Yikes. RB LeVeon Bell, Steelers Bell’s 33 carries on Monday night far exceeded his average for the season, and his 204 yards were well above anything he had produced since entering the league. An arrival? Maybe, but more likely it was just a good game. He beat up on one of the NFL’s worst run defenses (Tennessee) and all the pieces fell just right. Deal him now while his value is at an all-time max. Follow Mike Beacom on Twitter @mikebeacom |
