Week 2 was pretty tough to watch as we saw multiple players go down with injuries. Saquon Barkley likely has a torn ACL, Christian McCaffrey left the game with an ankle injury and is due to get an MRI, Davante Adams has a hamstring injury, and Julio Jones played through a hamstring injury as well. These are just a few of the notable injuries, with plenty of others around that your team was more than likely affected in some way.
After a week like this, it is important to go out and make some trade offers. Your team probably needs help or you can take advantage of an overreaction on an injury. These are some players that I’m looking to buy, sell, or hold this week in your dynasty leagues.
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Chris Carson (RB – SEA)
Through two weeks of action in the NFL, Chris Carson is currently the RB4 in PPR scoring and RB6 in standard-scoring leagues. He saw 17 carries and ran for 72 yards while adding three catches on three targets, with 36 yards and a touchdown through the air. Carson looks solid and has always been fairly undervalued in the dynasty community, but I’m using this as an opportunity to sell high on him if possible. If you’re not contending this year, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t try and sell him if you’re getting another running back in return that is producing. Carson is currently ranked as the RB23 according to our FantasyPros dynasty/keeper rankings, and there’s a handful of running backs behind him that I’d rather own straight up including Leonard Fournette.
If you are a contender, he’s someone worth holding on to, but from a long-term outlook, he’s not someone I’m crazy about investing in. Even if I’m a contender, I’d still try selling high. He’s had a history of fumbling the ball and the Seahawks have used draft picks on guys like Rashaad Penny and DeeJay Dallas over the past few years. Carlos Hyde has also been involved to some extent this year, but it’s still Carson clearly leading the backfield. Carson is a solid running back, but he doesn’t do anything exceptionally well and I still don’t believe he’s the future of this backfield.
Verdict – Sell High
Mike Williams (WR – LAC)
The next player that I’m looking at after Week 2 is Mike Williams of the Los Angeles Chargers. If you’ve watched him play over the past few years, he’s made some ridiculous catches and his talent has never been an issue. As a downfield threat, he’s one of the better wide receivers in the NFL, the fantasy production just has never come together. Last year, he put up just over 1,000 yards with 49 receptions on 90 targets, and just two touchdowns. This year he saw nine targets in Week 1 and just four targets in Week 2 with 83 total yards and no touchdowns. I’m using this opportunity to buy low on him if possible, and after seeing Justin Herbert get the start against the Chiefs, it looks like when he’s active he’ll be taking some shots downfield and I expect some of them to go to Williams. Keenan Allen will likely see the majority of the targets per usual, but Williams is currently ranked as the WR41 and this might be the cheapest you can acquire him for. Whether Tyrod Taylor continues to lead this offense or if it is Herbert, I expect Williams will eventually put it all together and become productive for fantasy football.
Verdict – Buy Low/Hold
Raheem Mostert (RB – SF)
Next up is the 28-year-old running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Raheem Mostert. I don’t usually like to talk about players that just got hurt, but right now it looks like Mostert has a sprained MCL and might miss some time. Mostert is in his 6th year in the NFL and has been fantasy-relevant for around ten games of his career. Last year at the end of the season, he looked great, and the 49ers and was their lead back during the playoffs. Mostert is currently ranked as the RB31 on FantasyPros and this backfield is looking like it will be a committee once again. Tevin Coleman was inefficient last week but did see 14 carries. Jerick McKinnon saw just three carries, but he posted 77 yards and a touchdown. Mostert ripped off another long touchdown against the Jets, giving him 92 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries while adding two receptions for 15 yards. While Mostert will likely see the most work when he’s healthy, I don’t trust any 49ers running back on a weekly basis. Despite his current MCL sprain, I’d be using this time to sell high as he’s currently the RB5 in PPR and RB4 in standard-scoring leagues.
Verdict – Sell High
DJ Moore (WR – CAR)
The next player that I’m taking a look at after Week 2 is DJ Moore of the Carolina Panthers. Through two weeks, he has 22 targets in total, which is tied for third in the league with Calvin Ridley, Stefon Diggs, and AJ Green. Last week I talked about selling high on Robby Anderson, and this week I’m looking to buy low on Moore, who is absolutely the WR1 on this offense. Moore put up 120 yards against the Buccaneers in Week 2 with eight receptions on 13 targets. Anderson has two straight 100+ yard weeks and I’d still look to sell high on him, but Moore has more targets but hasn’t found the end zone yet. The Panthers defense is awful and they’re going to be chasing points all year more than likely, and now is a great time to buy low on Moore.
Verdict – Buy Low/Hold
Austin Ekeler (RB – LAC)
Another Chargers player that I’m looking at this week is Austin Ekeler. If you own Ekeler in redraft leagues, you likely spent an early pick on him and there’s a chance he’s your RB1. In dynasty leagues, he’s someone that broke out last year and showed that he’s more than capable of carrying the load in this backfield. So far, he’s had 19 carries for 84 yards and 16 carries for 93 yards. Rookie Joshua Kelley quietly had a huge role last week, getting 23 carries against the Chiefs after getting 12 carries in Week 1 against the Bengals. Neither of them has had a huge role in the passing game, while Ekeler has five targets and Kelley has three. Ekeler is currently the RB18 in both PPR and standard-scoring leagues while Kelley is RB22 in PPR and RB19 in standard leagues.
One of the main reasons Ekeler hasn’t been good is that he hasn’t found the end zone. He’s also not been overly involved in the passing game, but I expect that will change, especially if we see more of rookie Justin Herbert. Ekeler is just 25 years old and is at the very least going to see the majority of the work in this offense. If you own Ekeler, don’t freak out yet. I’d use this time to send some offers out for Ekeler, as the owner is more than likely panicking a bit after another disappointing week.
Verdict – Buy Low/Hold
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Aaron Schillinger is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his profile and follow him @aaron_schill.