Week 2 of the NFL season brought a lot of our Week 1 overreactions back down to earth.
Jameis Winston and the Saints weren't able to keep their offensive momentum going against the Panthers. Bill Belichick shut down another rookie quarterback. The Bengals offensive line still stinks. The Chargers lost a close game. And Aaron Rodgers and the Packers bounced back in a big way against the Lions in primetime.
As we approach Week 3, here are the trade targets who saw their value shift after the last two weeks of games.
Buy-Low Week 3 Trade Targets
Below are nine Week 2 underperformers, or players whose value may increase over the next few weeks whom you should target via trades.
Justin Fields, QB, Bears
This may be your last opportunity to "buy low" on Fields, whose takeover at quarterback for the Bears seems imminent at this point. Fields stepped in after Andy Dalton suffered a knee injury and completed six of 13 attempts for 60 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. It's not the production you'd like to see in the rookie's first real shot at playing time, but I believe he will only go up from here.
Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington
Fantasy Twitter seemingly lost its collective mind on Thursday night as J.D. McKissic finished with more fantasy points than Gibson, who is still far-and-away the best running back on the depth chart. He has 33 attempts for 159 yards and five catches for seven yards on the season. McKissic has five attempts for 18 yards and five catches for 83 yards. It's an overreaction that you may be able to capitalize on in your leagues.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts
Taylor has been fairly quiet over the first two weeks of the season. So far, he has 32 attempts for 107 yards and has caught seven of eight targets for 62 yards. Taylor started slow last year, and Week 3 should be an excellent get-right spot for him against the Titans' porous defense. His workload may even increase if quarterback Carson Wentz misses time and the team has to turn to Jacob Eason.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants
Barkley has had a slow start to the year, tallying just 23 attempts for 83 yards and zero touchdowns. It's not a surprise given the Giants want to ease their star RB back into play after tearing his ACL and meniscus just a year ago. He's also had two tough matchups against the Broncos and on the road against Washington. This will probably be your last window to buy low on Barkley, as he faces the Falcons defense in Week 3.
Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints
Kamara saw an impressive workload in Week 1 and tallied 20 carries for 83 yards and reeled in three of four passes for eight yards and a touchdown. He disappointed managers in Week 2, however, and saw just eight attempts for five yards and caught four of six targets for 25 yards, finishing as RB44 in half PPR.
His usage last week feels more like an artifact of the Saints' game script: The team trailed for all but three minutes and basically abandoned the run game. Backup Tony Jones Jr. saw just three carries for seven yards, and quarterback Jameis Winston was the team's top rusher. The matchup was also unfavorable opposite the Panthers, who have allowed the fewest rushing yards per game so far. Kamara should bounce back as he faces the Patriots, Giants and Seahawks in three of the next four games.
A.J. Brown, WR, Titans
Brown has been held to fewer than 50 receiving yards in each of the first two games this season, and was unable to capitalize on a soft matchup against the Seahawks. However, Brown remains Tannehill's top option and leads the team in targets with 17. He's an excellent buy-low candidate, since the Titans won't be able to lean on Derrick Henry for 240 yards and three touchdowns each week.
Rondale Moore, WR, Cardinals
This is not a traditional buy low since Moore is coming off of a monster game in which he caught seven of eight targets for 114 yards and a touchdown. That said, I think this rookie's value will only increase from here so if you want to acquire him, now would be the time. Moore currently leads the team in targets with 13, ahead of DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and A.J. Green. The Cardinals also played the most four-wide receiver sets in the NFL last year, which bodes well for his continued usage.
Corey Davis, WR, Jets
Davis was in my sit column last week, even after he scored a pair of touchdowns in his debut for the Jets. My concern was rooted in Zach Wilson's brutal matchup against Bill Belichick, who is kryptonite for rookie quarterbacks. Wilson threw four interceptions and zero touchdowns and Davis was held to two catches on five targets for eight yards behind receivers Braxton Berrios and Elijah Moore. Wilson won't always be facing Belichick and Davis will have better days ahead. The Jets face the Broncos this week in a tough matchup, but face the Titans and Falcons after that. Davis should be a WR3/flex play for the rest of the season.
George Kittle, TE, 49ers
Kittle has been rather quiet through two weeks and finished as TE26 last week with four catches for 17 yards and a fumble. It was an overall low-scoring affair with just 28 points total. He should be fine season-long, especially against the Packers, who have given up three touchdowns to tight ends so far. Grab him if you can from a panicking manager.
Week 3 Trade Targets To Sell High On
Below are eight Week 2 overperformers, or players whose values may decrease over the next few weeks whom you should try to offload via trades.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Broncos
It's unlikely Bridgewater is your QB1, so this note is more directed at managers in two-quarterback/superflex leagues. The Broncos have the softest first three weeks to start the year. So far, they have faced the Giants and Jaguars and haven't put up more than 27 points yet. They will take on the Jets in Week 3. Bridgewater will keep them competitive in games but this offense isn't going to carry the team by any means. Their schedule gets significantly tougher after Week 3 as they face the Ravens, Steelers, Browns and Washington in four of the next five matchups. This is likely the best version of Bridgewater we will see all year. Sell high on him if you can.
Devin Singletary, RB, Bills
Singletary is RB16 through two weeks in half PPR and appeared to have the starting job locked down when Zack Moss was a surprise scratch in Week 1. Moss returned in Week 2, however, and was utilized on the goal line significantly. He saw eight carries for 26 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for eight yards, while Singletary saw 13 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for nine yards. At best, this is a split backfield moving forward, with the looming possibility that Moss could be the top option, which was the assumption going into the season. Singletary is a sell-high candidate right now, especially heading into a tough Week 3 matchup against Washington.
J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington
McKissic shined in primetime, primarily through the air. He caught five of six passes for 83 yards and shockingly scored a rushing touchdown in the Football Team's close victory over the Giants. McKissic is a valuable PPR asset and worth adding off the waiver wire, but he isn't a league-winner, and this may have been his best game of the season. Moving forward, he is a low-end flex/RB3 in PPR formats with even less value in standard scoring.
Phillip Lindsay, RB, Texans
Lindsay finished as RB25 in half PPR after scoring a touchdown on his lone target of the game. He was out-touched by both Mark Ingram II and David Johnson in the game and remains in a messy committee within a low-ceiling offense. Especially with the switch to Davis Mills at quarterback and against the Panthers defense this week, I want nothing to do with this backfield.
Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Jaguars
Jones was targeted a whopping 11 times in the Jaguars' Week 2 loss to the Broncos. He caught six passes for 55 yards and a touchdown and finished as WR21 for the week in half PPR. It's unlikely he sees 11 targets again in a game this year, especially with competition from D.J. Chark — who led the team in targets in Week 1 with 12 — and Laviska Shenault — who suffered an injury during the game, but is expected to play against the Cardinals in Week 3. Offload any of the Jaguars receivers if you can, as none of them are exactly trustworthy for week-to-week production under Urban Meyer.
Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers
Samuel is Kyle Shanahan's top receiver, but for how long? If this season has taught us anything so far, it's that running backs aren't the only 49ers players we need to worry about. Brandon Aiyuk will be a factor, as will George Kittle. Samuel faces the Packers this week and will likely see a healthy dose of Jaire Alexander. Sell Samuel before he lands on Shanahan's bad side.
Rob Gronkowski, TE, Buccaneers
This isn't going to be a popular sell-high suggestion, but Gronkowski obviously can't sustain a two-touchdown-per-game pace for the rest of the year. He's 32 years old and has dealt with injuries due to wear-and-tear. The Buccaneers have also had one of the easier schedules to start the year against the Cowboys and Falcons. If you drafted Gronkowski, congrats! He was clearly a great value at his ADP. There's no telling when his production will slow down, though, and if you can use him as trade bait and flip him for a top-tier running back or wide receiver, I would seriously consider it.
Jack Doyle, TE, Colts
Doyle finished as TE7 in half PPR this week after reeling in five catches for 64 yards and making a two-point conversion. He has the second-most targets on the year behind Michael Pittman Jr. for the Colts, but in a fairly low-volume offense led by Carson Wentz, who might miss time after suffering a double ankle sprain. Eason would be a downgrade for Doyle, who might have a couple more good games this year, but is a far cry from being a reliable top-12 play each week.
