Players to buy low and sell high heading into Week 5 of the NFL season.
Week 4 is now wrapped up. Whether you are 4-0 or 0-4, you should always be looking to upgrade your fantasy football team. Some players you thought were studs may be struggling because of their matchups. Other players may be doing well based on how easy their schedule has been. Here are my favorite players to buy low and sell high in fantasy football leagues leading up to Week 5 of the NFL season.
Players to Buy Low
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
If you would have told me that the Cincinnati Bengals would be 1-3 after a month of football I would have called you crazy. If you told me it was because of Joe Burrow, I would’ve also called you crazy. The reality is Burrow is not healthy, and that will lead to bad weeks.
He is currently my favorite QB to trade for because how many other times have you had a chance to get a top-7 QB so cheap? Whoever drafted Burrow most likely spent a fourth round pick on him and has to be stressed. If you roster players like Kirk Cousins or Justin Fields, I would attempt to use them as trade bait with the manager who has Burrow.
In Week 5, the Bengals plays the Arizona Cardinals, which should be an easy matchup – maybe he gets things rolling again. Depending on your roster construct, you could even wait for him to get healthy before putting him into your fantasy football lineups. From Week 12-16 his matchups are:
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Indianapolis Colts
- Minnesota Vikings
- Pittsburgh Steelers (again)
These are all plus-matchups for the Bengals quarterback. Go get Burrow, you will not have a chance to get a player so talented for so cheap.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson has been a disappointment for fantasy football managers this season. After finishing last season as a RB1, he has yet to have a top-12 finish; with two games under 10 points. Why is Rhamondre a buy low target then?
Stevenson’s three hardest matchups will be over after this weekend. He plays New Orleans in Week 5 which is a hard matchup. But after that, it is all green for Stevenson. If you need a player to get into the fantasy football playoffs late in the season, Stevenson has that potential. With matchups against the Chargers, Giants, Raiders, and Steelers left, there’s plenty of boom games to be seen.
I am telling you this now to see if you can get him a little early. You can try and wait until after he plays the Saints, but if the manager sees that rest of the season schedule then it will be hard to get him. Go get Stevenson now before his value skyrockets.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Calvin Ridley is a controversial player. Either you believe Ridley can still be the player he was in Atlanta, or you think he is washed. Count me as on the side of the former.
Ridley has had some bad matchups so far this season and been a focal point for opposing defenses. The one good matchup he had against the Indianapolis Colts he put up a 8/101/1 stat line. The last three weeks Ridley has finished as the WR30,WR66, and WR81. He has not looked too great, but neither has quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
My argument for Ridley is the schedule. From Week 6-11 he has plus matchups against the Colts, Saints, Steelers, 49ers, and the Titans. I expect Ridley to show that he still is that guy, and after a rough couple weeks, this is the best time to go get him.
Players to Sell High
Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos
This is my biggest sell high at the moment. After a horrific 2022, Russell Wilson has looked good throughout the first month of the 2023 season. You may be thinking ‘why should I sell Russ if he has been so good?‘ Well, his schedule has been the easiest for QBs this season. His first four matchups have been against the porous defenses of the Raiders, Commanders, Dolphins and the Bears.
Nothing screams sell high like Russell Wilson. Despite his impressive start to the season, the Denver Broncos have been a disaster and got their first win last weekend; but Russ is about to be tested. His next five matchups are against extremely tough defenses. He will face the Chiefs twice, the Jets, Green Bay and the Bills. These are matchups you do not want to see your QB go against. It is hard to imagine that Wilson keeps cooking in the next couple of weeks. Do you really want to be stuck holding the bag? Start talking to your leaguemates now before that happens.
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have so many problems, and this may be your best chance to get rid of one of them. Najee Harris has been awful for fantasy this season. He easily had his best matchup of the season against the Texans and still barely managed to put up ten fantasy points. Because of that, it’s hard to consider him a ‘sell high’, but it’s probably the last time you can get real value for Harris in fantasy football leagues.
Harris and the Steelers will face these teams in his following six matchups:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Los Angeles Rams
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
- Green Bay Packers
- Cleveland Browns
Not only does Najee have bad matchups coming up, but running-mate Jaylen Warren is not going anywhere. Between the matchups, coaching, and Warren, it’s time to get rid of Harris while there’s still some value left.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This pick may get some push back based on his first four weeks, but I think we may have seen the ceiling on Mike Evans this year. In the first three weeks of the season, Evans put up at least 17 points per game. He would have crushed that number again in Week 4 if he did not tweak his hamstring against the Saints. But Evans is not on this list for any reason because of his injury.
Tampa Bay has a bye in Week 5 which should allow him to be healthy in Week 6. However, once he returns from that matchup he will have a string of hard matchups. Tampa will face the Lions, Falcons, Bills and Texans – all of whom have been exceptional against opposing WR1’s. On top of that, it’s still impossible to trust Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Evans still may put up good numbers, but if you want the most for Evans in dynasty leagues, this is the time to do so.
Not all of these buy low and sell high options will be found in this article. Nor will everyone agree with these selections. Every fantasy football league is different, and the players available to buy low and sell high will vary based on your league, score settings, and league type.
Harry Prskalo
Writer for The League Winners. Just a guy that loves Fantasy Football and will help you win your championship.