We're two weeks into the fantasy football season, and some managers will be panicking after a 0-2 start.
Here are the 10 moves to make ahead of Week 3 to capitalize on the panic, recommending who you should start, sit, add, and drop, along with players to buy low and sell high in the trade market.
🤝 Buy: Drake London
Your window to acquire Drake London may close after Thursday Night Football, which marks Michael Penix Jr.'s return under center for the Falcons. The quarterback play in Atlanta has been horrible this season between Cooper Rush and Jack Strand with Penix and Tua Tagovailoa still sidelined. Penix is hopefully the savior the Falcons' skill-position players have been waiting for; he should at least be more willing to take chances downfield. In 14 games with Penix throwing passes, London has averaged 6.5 receptions, 10.6 targets, and 91.9 yards per game.
It may be tough to pry London away from his current manager since everyone's been waiting for the switch to Penix. However, you can probably get the receiver for less than his value on draft day, so you'd still be buying low.
👋 Sell: Stefon Diggs
With Jayden Daniels sidelined indefinitely, it's tough to trust any Commanders pass-catchers. Stefon Diggs has exceeded expectations this season, leading Washington in every receiving category. He also caught Marcus Mariota's lone touchdown pass in Week 2, which you could use as a selling point in trade negotiations.
You won't be able to get as much for Diggs in a trade as you would have if Daniels were healthy, but that shouldn't deter you from trying to move him. Frustrated managers with Jameson Williams or Emeka Egbuka on their rosters may be willing to swap their underperforming wideout for Diggs.
❌ Drop: Marvin Harrison Jr.
It looks like it's over for Marvin Harrison Jr. in Arizona. He's been awful through two games, and if he wasn't the son of a former NFL great, fantasy managers would have given up on him ages ago. Harrison has one catch for 33 yards through two games and a 6.35% target share. That's the second-lowest target share in the NFL among receivers who have run at least 50 routes - outdone by only Bryce Lance of the Saints, who's rostered in 0% of fantasy leagues.
Most leagues have a more useful player available on the waiver wire. Harrison's only hope of turning this season around is if the Cardinals decide to trade him, but don't hold your breath.
🟢 Start: Tyler Shough
Another week, another top-10 outing for Tyler Shough. The Saints quarterback has now put up four straight weeks as the QB10 or better dating back to last season, yet he's still only rostered in 62% of Yahoo leagues. Shough is QB5 for the year and now takes on the Raiders at home.
Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, and Juwan Johnson provide Shough with a trio of solid passing options, and he can also earn fantasy points on the ground, helping to elevate his floor. Following a week in which Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Jaxson Dart were all injured, Shough is a more than suitable replacement.
🛑 Sit: Bears' pass-catchers
Things are going poorly in Chicago. Not only have the Bears' pass-catchers underperformed considerably, but they'll likely have Case Keenum at quarterback against the Eagles' stout secondary. Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland were all drafted to be every-week starters, but they're better off on your bench until either Caleb Williams or Tyson Bagent returns. Look for these names to be "buy" targets next week ahead of a much friendlier matchup against the Jets.
🤝 Buy: Jameson Williams
As someone who rostered Jameson Williams in several leagues, trust me: I know he's been one of this season's most disappointing receivers, especially when he was getting drafted just ahead of Christian Watson and Parker Washington. But now is a great time to buy low. The Lions have the Jets, Panthers, Cardinals, and Packers on the schedule for their next four games, all of which have great secondaries to attack.
And if it hadn't been for a couple of costly drops in Week 1, the negative sentiment around Williams wouldn't exist. He ranked eighth among all receivers in expected fantasy points, according to Establish The Run. Williams is a boom-or-bust type of player, and 100-yard, two-touchdown games still await managers who can exercise some patience.
👋 Sell: David Montgomery
David Montgomery had a sensational Texans debut, turning 20 carries into 60 yards and two touchdowns and adding another receiving touchdown. However, that production evaporated in Week 2. Montgomery split snaps with Woody Marks, who got 13 touches to Montgomery's eight.
There may still be an opportunity to move Montgomery based on his Week 1 performance while glossing over his Week 2 numbers in your sales pitch based on the Texans' blowout loss to the Bengals. However, if Marks takes over even 40% of the running back snaps, that caps Montgomery's ceiling. If you can trade Montgomery based on what will likely be his best game of the season, do it.
🤝 Buy: Travis Etienne Jr.
Travis Etienne Jr.'s usage this season doesn't make any sense. In Week 1, he split snaps with Kendre Miller. In Week 2, when Miller was a healthy scratch, Alvin Kamara earned 15 opportunities (carries plus targets) to Etienne's 11. Kamara nearly retired in the offseason and was one of the league's least efficient running backs last year. Meanwhile, the Saints gave Etienne $28 million guaranteed in the offseason, paying more than market price to land him in free agency.
I refuse to believe the Saints' brass will continue to misuse Etienne. He's by far the best running back on their roster, and unless he's dealing with an injury that no one knows about, he should start to receive more work. You can likely acquire Etienne for pennies on the dollar from his current manager.
🟢 Start: Emmett Johnson
The Chiefs are 11.5-point favorites over the Dolphins, so there will likely be opportunities to get Emmett Johnson more touches and give Kenneth Walker III more rest. Head coach Andy Reid hinted that this may be the case regardless of the opponent.
Johnson is averaging 7.36 yards per touch this season, consistently demonstrating his explosiveness as both a runner and pass-catcher. There's a good chance Johnson will handle 12-15 touches against Miami, which would make him a viable starter in deeper formats.
🛑 Sit: MarShawn Lloyd
MarShawn Lloyd's time as the Packers' lead back may be over. Lloyd fumbled in the fourth quarter last week, then got benched in favor of Kaleb Johnson. For Thursday night's game against the Falcons, sportsbooks are pricing Johnson's rushing yards and rushing attempts props at higher numbers than Lloyd's. The betting market appears to believe there's been a changing of the guard, and that would make Lloyd unstartable in leagues of nearly every size.
