These are the players to buy and sell in dynasty fantasy football leagues ahead of Week 7.
Week 6 was one of the strangest weeks of dynasty fantasy football we’ve seen in a while.
For context, Week 6’s quarterback leader in fantasy points, Dak Prescott, would’ve been Week 5’s QB7. Kareem Hunt and Rashid Shaheed were top 12 options at their positions. The top 6 tight ends were Travis Kelce at the top, followed by Dalton Schultz, both Atlanta TEs, Vegas rookie Michael Mayer, and Taysom “Here We Go Again” Hill, obviously.
But amid the chaos, there’s room, as always, to capitalize on the constantly changing costs of your most cherished competitors.
So let’s have a look at those dynasty values I’m looking to take advantage of ahead of Week 7.
Buy Puka Nacua
It’s possible the manager in your league is looking to sell high on Puka Nacua after an uncharacteristically poor performance in Week 6. Nacua finished the week as the PPR WR56 and caught just 4 balls for 26 yards and no touchdowns. Cooper Kupp on the other hand continued to dominate looks, going for 7/148/1 on 9 targets. He finished as the PPR WR4 on the week, and has been a WR1 in both games played this year.
So why am I bullish on the Rams WR2?
Well, in Week 6, Nacua still maintained an elite target share and should’ve had a score to add to his totals.
Puka Nacua
⁃ 6.6 Fantasy Points Week 6
⁃ Cash in on WRs ranked 15-24 for PukaPuka still played 95% of snaps…
His 7 targets resulted in a 33% target share.
This is an elite role in a good offense…
Plus he dropped a TD in the endzone.pic.twitter.com/5ZC1Jgewbu
— Joe Orrico (@NoExpertFF) October 18, 2023
But sometimes the ball bounces the wrong way in dynasty fantasy football. I still like the usage for Nacua in the Rams pass-heavy O that will continue to pass even more now that both Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers are shelved for at least this week.
If anyone is concerned that Nacua’s time is up now that Kupp has re-assumed WR1 duties, I’d make a play for the current PPR WR6 in all of fantasy. A Marquise Brown/Terry McLaurin type could get it done for those who are very worried. But if I’m looking at a positional swap, I’d easily send away a solid RB2 like Joe Mixon for him. Better yet, an injured stud like David Montgomery, James Conner or his aforementioned teammate Williams could do the trick.
If I have to pay up, I’d be more than willing to send away a 1st rounder on a contender to acquire Nacua and ride his usage to a ship. He’s already what we want DeVonta Smith and Tee Higgins to be.
Sell Gardner Minshew
As QBs go, few are looking to acquire a journeyman backup QB who is thrust into the starting role due to injury. Still, there seems to be a mini-market for Gardner Minshew. Especially in Superflex leagues, Minshew is a screaming sell to anyone who is QB-needy.
He hasn’t looked great on the field, and his numbers back that up. Yet Minshew has the starting role locked down for the foreseeable future, as Anthony Richardson may in fact be done for the season.
In his two starts, Minshew has thrown the ball 99 times. That volume alone has propped up his numbers, which aren’t great.
But the real issue is that his next few weeks are a gauntlet of good defenses. The top-notch Browns secondary is next in Week 7, followed by the Saints, Panthers and Patriots before the Colts’ Week 11 bye. And it doesn’t get better until the fantasy playoffs roll around. If you’re still holding Minshew by then, chances are you’re not playing for much of anything.
I’m willing to accept a 2024 or even 2025 3rd round pick to jettison the game’s most glorious mullet. But, if I can grab a player that helps me now, like a Jaylen Warren type or even a Logan Thomas off a down week, I’ll happily make that swap.
It won’t be a pretty return, but he’s likely to be worthless after Cleveland destroys the Colts this weekend. Make the move now.
Buy Wan’Dale Robinson
Wan’Dale Robinson missed the first two games of 2023 working to fully recover from his ACL tear a season ago. Now, he’s seemingly back to full strength and back to seeing plenty of targets.
9) Don’t look now but Wan’Dale Robinson had a season high 26% target share last Wk, season high 73% route participation, 25% target per route run, has 3 straight gms w/5+ receptions and gets my Commanders secondary this week. 82% avail.
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) October 18, 2023
Last week, Robinson completed his takeover of the Parris Campbell role in the Giants offense, catching all eight of his targets for 62 yards. But what’s even more noteworthy is that Campbell was relegated to special teams and received no snaps with the offense.
So now it’s wheels up for Robinson, who continues to work the short areas of the field from the slot. As a legitimate checkdown option who can also turn upfield with burst, he makes the most of his targets. And, since he didn’t score last week, he’s still available for cheaper than he should be.
I’d be willing to move a guy like Jonnu Smith to acquire Robinson. Alternatively, a 2nd round pick should be good enough, but I’d try two 3rds first, just in case it gets the job done.
Sell Latavius Murray
I’m not gonna sugar coat it. It gets ugly in the dynasty fantasy football streets this time of year. And if you want to win the long game, you sell middling talents and aging vets with any kind of value in-season. And the one who just found a little bit of extra juice in that department is Latavius Murray.
Murray saw a dramatic bump in usage in Week 6, doubling his highest carry total in a single game. He ended the day with a 12 for 45 line and has been added over 167,000 times on Sleeper this week.
That kind of buzz is enough to get a return for a guy who only saw a bump due to an injury to another player. Damien Harris was stretchered off the field last week and, thankfully, had no issues moving his extremities after a concerning neck injury. Given the magnitude of the injury, Harris is likely out for a couple of weeks.
Though Murray has an increased opportunity, James Cook has still seen the lion’s share of the Bills‘ backfield work. And even though he’s ceded snaps to Murray due to pass protection issues, Cook is still the guy who is getting the ball.
I’d use this time to parlay Murray into a 3rd round pick. Or, if possible, I’d look to snag a guy who many are down on. Grabbing a Skyy Moore or Darnell Mooney could be possible, and their youth and longer-term upside are the perfect pivot. If needed, I’d easily include a 4th rounder to get that deal done.
Those are my best buys and sells ahead of Week 7. Check back next week for more buys and sells to help you build a terrific dynasty fantasy football team. I’ll see you then.
Jeremy Shulman
Jeremy is an avid football fan from New York who lives in Amsterdam and roots for the Patriots. This walking contradiction has played fantasy football for over than 20 years. He is now a Senior Dynasty Writer at The League Winners. In his spare time, he writes and edits professionally.