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With Week 9 of the NFL season about to start, many fantasy teams are running out of time to make a splash in their fantasy leagues with playoffs right around the corner. Most leagues are also coming up on their trade deadlines, and now is the time where injuries, suspensions, and poor performing players could be desperately hurting your team (especially you Adrian Peterson owners). With the majority of surprise free agency/waiver wire players already picked up and paying dividends on other teams, trades are one of the most key parts to a fantasy league this deep in the season. Whether its a small trade involving a 3rd option wide receiver for a backup to an injury prone running back or a blockbuster deal involving Dallas Cowboy’s RB DeMarco Murray for Indianapolis Colts’ QB Andrew Luck a trade no matter the size or “wow value” could be all the difference between winning the championship in your league or missing the playoffs all together (and being the butt of all the jokes for years to come). Below I will be giving you my opinions on a player whose stock is as high as it can get and on the DFSE (David Fantasy Football Stock Exchange, similar to NYSE- New York Stock Exchange) and is rated as a SELL, another player whose stock is lower than what it should be and on the DFSE is rated as a BUY, and than a surprise adjustment, a player who I believe could win the NFL’s “Rookie of the Year” award honors, and who any team should be happy to either keep or trade for him in the league your in.
Steve Smith Sr. (WR) Baltimore– Steve Smith Sr has had a stellar season. He has shown the league that no matter how old he is, how small he is, or whether or not the franchise who drafted him stopped believing in him or not, he could still play at an elite level. Through the first 4-weeks of the season, Smith was targeted 42 times for a total of 25 catches, 429 yards and 3 touchdowns. His biggest performance was against his ex team, the Carolina Panthers where he caught 7-passes for 139-yards and 2-touchdowns. Since that game his production has dropped, only catching 1-touchdown and having only 1-game where he had over 100 receiving yards. The first 4-weeks were pure fantasy gold, the last 4-weeks have been a consistent model, and if you aren’t in a Points Per Reception (PPR) league, a consistent model of disappointment and depression. His targets have remained consistent, however, targets don’t matter to a fantasy team unless they result in catches, yardage, and touchdowns. Steve Smith is owned by 94% of fantasy football leagues, and is a top ranking WR in most as well. I believe with the Steelers, Titans, a bye week, Saints, Dolphins, Jaguars, Houston, and finally Cleveland, he should only be expected to perform big on 2-4 of those games. Houston, Cleveland, and the Dolphins all have solid defenses, and you can’t sleep on the Steelers and Saints who both are playing at home. I’m not saying Smith will be a bad option, but he will come back to reality, with the cold wet weather of the east coast rolling in in the next few games, his old age coming into effect, and the lack of a run game by Baltimore, now is the time to trade Steve Smith Sr if you got him.
DFSE’s Rating: Sell
Ronnie Hillman (RB) Denver– Ronnie Hillman has always been a valuable asset to the Denver Bronco’s run game. Last season, Denver coach John Fox tried utilizing Hillman (who had the most explosiveness of anyone in Denver’s backfield) but fumbling issues and lack of pass protection skills pushed him down the depth chart behind both K. Moreno (now in Miami) and Montee Ball who is now currently injured. This season, Montee Ball was named the starter and struggled against many teams, never rushing for more than 67 yards which was against the Indianapolis Colts in week 1. In college, Ball ran for the NCAA record in rushing touchdowns, yet this year only found the end zone once (again in week one against the Colts) before getting injured. Since Ball has been out (injured week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals) Hillman has taken advantage of his carries, rushing for over 100 yards 2x, and rushing for no less than 64 yards which happened to be against the Arizona Cardinals in which he, not only didn’t start the game, but also happened to be running against one of the most stout rushing defenses in the NFL. Another interesting fact to look at is that he has put up very good rushing stats against many of the leagues top rushing defenses including the Jets, Cardinals, and 49ers. With Ball coming back in the next few weeks, Hillman has shown John Fox and Co. what he is capable of. Peyton Manning seems to be a real believer in Hillman, and if Manning believes in someone and wants them on the field that should result in him keeping the starting position and having Ball become his back up. Hillman will be a solid RB2-3 or Flex option to have, especially when playing in cold wet climates late in the year begin to diminish the ability to pass the ball. Some of the fridgid snowy places he will be playing in include Denver, New England, Kansas City, and Cincinnati.
DFSE’s Rating: BUY (HOLD)
Kelvin Benjamin (WR) Carolina- I have been high on Benjamin since prior to the draft, calling him the next Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. With height, size, strength, solid speed for a possession receiver, and some of the best hands in the NFL, like Megatron, this guy can go up there and snag a ball as long as its somewhere in his radius. With the lack of offensive weapons that Cam Newton has at his disposal, Benjamin has been reaping all the benefits being targeted between 8-11x per game (never less than 6x in a game) and hauling in 571 yards and 5 touchdowns thus far in his rookie year. With weak defenses including the Saints, Tampa, Minn, and Atlanta all coming up he should be poised to continue his breakout year and even improve on his already impressive stats. The only tough part of his schedule the rest of the way is playing Cleveland, but being that he is the only real weapon Newton has, should still have around 6-8 targets, 5-7 catches 60-90 yards and a touchdown. If you do not have this guy on your roster, trade for him. If you have him on your roster, close the door on any trade involving him, close your eyes and envision your fantasy football championship ring and how good it is going to feel on your hand at the end of the year.
DFSE’s Rating: Extreme Buy (HOLD)
There are many other players that are listed as top SELL’s and BUY’s on the DFSE, for more information on these players feel free to comment below on this article, you may also ask about certain players and I will give you their listed rating, or email me at [email protected]. Thank you so much for reading.
David Harris is a sports writer for CouchRiderReport.net.