Dynasty Fantasy Football Players to Buy, Sell & Hold: Week 12 (2023)

Welcome back to another edition of “Dynasty Fantasy Football Players to Buy, Sell & Hold.”

As we head into Week 12, there’s a chance that your trade deadline is approaching. However, in dynasty fantasy football leagues, there are oftentimes no trade deadlines. With that, I’ll be digging into some players to buy, sell and hold this week.

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Dynasty Fantasy Football Players to Buy, Sell & Hold

Tee Higgins (WR – Cincinnati Bengals)

First up this week is the talented WR2 for the Cincinnati Bengals, Tee Higgins. So far, Higgins has been arguably one of the biggest busts of the 2023 fantasy season. Considering where he was getting drafted, you potentially took Higgins to be your WR1.

Fast forward to Week 12, and Higgins is the WR59 on the season. More importantly, he’s the WR47 in PPR points per game. That’s just 10.3 PPR points per game, tied for 47th with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Higgins has been a massive disappointment. However, Joe Burrow‘s early-season injuries and issues with the offense must be considered.

If you’re not looking to make the playoffs or rebuilding, Higgins is a fantastic player to buy low on if you can. Burrow is also in a similar position if you are rebuilding. If the Bengals find a way to re-sign Higgins, he’ll be in his typical WR2 role with a healthy Burrow in 2024. If not, he’ll be the WR1 for another franchise. No, the quarterback could certainly not be as good as Burrow, but with the youth and talent of a player like Higgins, he’s worth acquiring.

Despite everything going wrong with Cincinnati this year, Higgins still has a ton of value in dynasty formats. He turns 25 in January and has plenty left in the tank. Buy the discount if you can.

Verdict: Buy Low

Derrick Henry (RB – Tennessee Titans)

Like Higgins, one of the more disappointing fantasy players this year has undoubtedly been Derrick Henry. Currently sitting at the RB16 in PPR leagues, Henry has thankfully been able to avoid any injuries this year, as he’s played in every single game this year.

Unfortunately, Henry has been playing worse than ever this year, with a career-low 4.2 YPC. That’s since entering the league back in 2016. He’s looking slower and has never averaged this low of a YPC in his eight NFL seasons. However, this brings an intriguing buying opportunity for the veteran running back.

In dynasty leagues, the real hype in Tenessee surrounds rookie Tyjae Spears, who has played on more offensive snaps this year than Henry in seven of 10 games. With that, I’d be using this as a potential window to buy low on the veteran who turns 30 in January. He is also set to become a free agent after this season, which makes his pricetag even lower.

If you can acquire Henry cheaply enough, his schedule opens up, and he should be a very strong RB2 with plenty of upside as you make a playoff push.

Verdict: Buy

Austin Ekeler (RB – Los Angles Chargers)

The last player we’re looking at this week is another veteran running back, Austin Ekeler. Since entering the league, Ekeler has never averaged less than 4 YPC. This year, Ekeler is sitting at 3.88 YPC, a massive dropoff from his normal production.

Additionally, he’s just not getting as much work in the passing game as he typically does. Right now, he’s 22nd in the league for all running backs in receptions with 24. Not to mention, he’s found the end zone just once through the air this year. Regarding consistency, Ekeler has a top-12 weekly finish in 40% of his games this year, which could be a nice selling point.

Ekeler is someone who is entering the age for running backs where he’s inevitably going to fall off. Next year, Ekeler will be 29 years old and will be an unrestricted free agent as well. All things considered, I’d be looking to get out from Ekeler if you can.

With the age and contract situation looming, you might be better off selling him to a contender. If Ekeler is your RB1 this year, odds are you have been struggling with running backs and might not even make the playoffs. Sell Ekeler to a contender for a young running back, like Devon Achane, if you can.

Verdict: Sell