We are now two weeks into the NFL season and with two games we can really get a better idea of player’s values. Anyone can have one big week (or down week), but trends start to develop with multiple weeks of action. Injuries are also a big factor on a weekly basis in the NFL and they can vastly change the fantasy football value of certain players, so that is a huge thing to pay attention to. You always want to stay ahead of the game in fantasy, and making the right moves can make or break a season as you look to make trades and evaluate player stocks.
Without further ado, let’s dive in to this week's stock watch and trade value report.
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Fantasy Football Trade Candidates: Stock up
Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers: Samuel was someone I loved coming into the year (even stating that he would lead all 49er receivers in fantasy scoring this season), and he is trending way up through two weeks of action. He has started both games thus far and leads their receiving group in snaps played with 89. He didn’t have a breakout Week 1, but he did haul in all three of his targets for 17 yards and caught a two-point conversion. However, Week 2 was his breakout, as he hauled in five-of-seven targets for 87 yards and a touchdown. He currently leads 49ers WRs in targets, receptions, receiving yards, fantasy points, and is tied in touchdowns. He is the most talented receiver on this team, and Jimmy G is already showing great chemistry with him. Samuel is a talented kid with good hands who will consistently get open, so if you can get him for cheap now, do so.
Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals: Murray has looked decent, completing 54-of-94 pass attempts (57 percent) for 657 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He is currently tied for sixth in pass competitions of at least 20 yards with 10, and he is eighth in average intended air yards with 9.1 (right behind Patrick Mahomes II), despite currently being 22nd in time to throw, as the Cardinals' O-line is giving him just 2.64 seconds to throw, on average. He has a solid receiving corps, and the fact that he compiled 349 passing yards against a tough Ravens defense was a good sign. He should be in line for another good week this week, too, as he faces the Panthers, and they haven’t looked good at much of anything to this point. Fantasy owners can feel comfortable with Murray going forward, and he will likely finish in the top 10-14 range of fantasy QBs this year, so this is a good time to try to acquire him.
MORE WEEK 3: Waiver wire pickups | FAAB planner | Snap counts
Demarcus Robinson, WR, Chiefs: In the first game without the injured Tyreek Hill, Robinson went bananas, hauling in all six of his targets for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He finished as the highest scoring player in all of fantasy (in both standard and PPR) and showed off his speed and making a couple tough catches, including a contested grab on his second touchdown. I know Mecole Hardman was the hot grab for the Chiefs, but I actually liked Robinson this week. People failed to understand that Robinson isn’t a rookie, he already had chemistry with Mahomes and it was going to be much more likely that he would be Mahomes' guy, especially in the early going (which is what matters, since Hill is only expected to be out of action for four-to-six weeks). Don’t expect too many more weeks like this, though. Keep in mind he is still just the third option, at best (behind Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins). Having Mahomes as his quarterback and being a part of the explosive Chiefs offense will certainly help his cause, but if you already own him, this might be a good time to see what you can get.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Redskins: I’ll admit: While I called the Robinson breakout and loved Samuel going into the year, I wasn’t sold on McLaurin after Week 1. My hesitation had nothing to do with him, though, and everything to do with the Redskins offense and Case Keenum’s QB play. I didn’t feel that they would be able to consistently get the rookie wideout the ball, but through two weeks he looks great. After hauling in five-of-seven targets in Week 1 for 125 yards and a touchdown, McLaurin hauled in five-of-nine targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. I love the volume, averaging eight targets per game through two weeks. That type of volume will get the job done for fantasy football purposes. The last wide receiver with at least 50 yards and a touchdown in each of his first two games was Calvin Johnson in 2007. Of course I am not saying that he is the next Megatron, but that’s impressive nonetheless. He is the Redskins' best receiver, and they will be trailing in games frequently, making McLaurin someone that you can trust going forward. Buy now, as his price tag shouldn't be prohibitively high.
WEEK 3 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Fantasy Football Trade Candidates: Stock down
Phillip Lindsay, RB, Broncos: There was a lot of talk about a timeshare in the Broncos' backfield this year, and that had Lindsay’s ADP drop throughout draft season and his stock continues to fall now through two weeks. To this point he has 24 carries for 79 yards and has hauled in eight-of-13 targets for 53 yards. Freeman has 21 carries for 110 yards and has hauled in six-of-eight targets for 53 yards. The touches speak to a timeshare, and to make matters worse, Lindsay has been vastly outplayed by Freeman, which will likely lead to him losing even more touches to him. Lindsay’s fantasy owners should be very concerned, and at this point he isn’t someone you can really trust in your fantasy lineup. He is a FLEX play, at best, and this entire backfield looks like a headache at this point. Don’t get any ideas of dropping him, but you can’t expect weekly production from him at this point. See what you can get for him, as his name value might lead to a better-than-expected return.
Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons: Freeman is off to a horrendous start, has looked like he has lost a step, and has been outplayed by Ito Smith. Freeman carried the ball eight times for just 19 yards in Week 1 and followed that up with 11 carries for 22 yards in Week 2. That equates to an average yards per carry of 2.2, which is an unsightly number. As for Smith, he has carried the rock a total of 10 times through two weeks but has totaled far more yards than Freeman, as he has 63 rushing yards to this point. Freeman is still the guy, but the Falcons aren’t going to keep feeding him if he is only getting two yards per carry while the backup is pounding out over six yards per carry. Could it be some rust? Sure, he missed practically all of last year, but he will need to get it going soon or this could turn into a full split backfield. Like Lindsay, Freeman might be another guy to dangle out there and see if you can get any offers.
Cam Newton, QB, Panthers: Newton isn’t running, and when Newton isn’t running, he isn’t a good fantasy (or reality) quarterback. He has five carries for negative-two yards and zero touchdowns on the ground to go along with 572 passing yards, zero touchdowns, an interception, and a 56.2-percent completion rate. Zero combined touchdowns through two weeks is not going to get it done, especially when you consider that the Panthers have faced the Rams (scored 27 points against them) and the Bucs (a terrible team). He has another good matchup on tap this week in Arizona, and if he doesn’t get it done this week, he’s going to really look like a lost cause this season from a fantasy standpoint. There's now also potential for his reaggravated foot injury to keep him out. If he has a good game against the Cardinals, try to sell while you can.
Duke Johnson Jr., RB, Texans: The Texans traded for Johnson in the preseason, and that had the fantasy community all sorts of excited, but it looks like he has already been reduced to a change-of-pace role in which he doesn’t have a lot of fantasy value. He has 15 carries this year, which is five less than Carlos Hyde had in Week 2 alone and 15 less than Hyde has for the year. Johnson also only had one target and zero receptions against the Jags, which means he has just four receptions through two games. His average yards per carry is fantastic to this point, though, racking up 88 yards on 15 carries (5.9 YPC), so it’s a bit surprising to already see him losing playing time. He is still a decent FLEX play in PPR leagues, but those who drafted him with hopes of being an RB2 have to be concerned. He has minimal value in standard leagues at this point and probably won’t have much more any time soon.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Fantasy Football Stock Watch
Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints: Kamara being in this section is in no way me saying you should try to trade him or that you shouldn’t start him, so don’t get any wrong ideas, but his first game with Teddy Bridgewater did not go well at all. Drew Brees left early and Kamara finished with 13 carries for 45 yards and hauled in one reception for 15 yards on three targets. Kamara averaged seven targets per game last year and had eight in Week 1, so seeing just three targets from Teddy B is not ideal. It’s not time to hit the panic button considering the game plan going into the game was obviously with Brees and an in-game injury can make things go haywire, but the next two weeks will be worth paying attention to with Kamara and his target share from Bridgewater. He is a good rusher, but he racks up a ton of fantasy points in the passing game, and we need to see Bridgewater get him more involved. If he struggles over the next two or three games, he will be someone that you want to try and buy at a discount. From a DFS standpoint, I don’t think he is someone you can trust in cash games this week after what we witnessed in Week 2.