Knowing when to buy, sell, or hold a player can be one of the biggest keys to success in fantasy football. If you can buy a guy at a low point and watch him turn into an asset, you are already giving yourself a big advantage over the competition. If you are able to sell a player at a high point and get a nice return, you can turn that into a league-winning move. Knowing when to hold a player is also important; not acting too rashly can save you from a monumental mistake down the road. Here are this week’s players to buy, sell, and hold.
Buy: Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
This is likely the last week for trades in your league, which means it’s the last chance to trade for a league-winning quarterback. This season, Murray has navigated the Cardinals through a strong headwind of opponents with very few hiccups along the way. A very manageable fantasy playoff schedule (Patriots, Panthers, Rams) straight ahead that could see the former Heisman Trophy winner rank as a top 2 or 3 QB during that all-important timeframe. You won’t have to trade away as much for Murray as you would for Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, or Jalen Hurts, but you’ll get that level of quarterback production when it matters the most.
Buy: Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
To the delight of Giants fans and Nabers managers alike, it appears more and more that Daniel Jones has likely taken his last snap as quarterback of the team. I’ve been dreaming of Drew Lock tossing deep balls to Nabers over and over and over again, and you should, too. Another example of an easy fantasy schedule down the stretch: every remaining defense on the calendar ranks in the bottom half of the league. Nabers is out of lineups this week on a bye, so you’ll have to wait until Week 12 to put him in your lineup. The juice will be worth the squeeze.
Sell: Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
While those who roster Malik Nabers are happy about a change at quarterback, the opposite feeling can be said for those who depend on Downs for fantasy production. Anthony Richardson is back from the dead like Jason Voorhees, and anyone who is associated with players on the Indianapolis offense should run away the same way you would run away from the classic horror villain. The Jets are a poor matchup for wide receivers as it is, but Richardson makes Downs nearly unplayable. See if you can package Downs in a deal to get another wide receiver because, unfortunately, his weeks as a staple of our lineups are likely over.
Hold: Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
I took Brown at 9.12 in the Dr. Roto staff league draft, and he has lived in one of my FLEX spots for most of the season. The Bengals trade for Khalil Herbert will do nothing to change that. Brown’s recent increase in passing game work may not be sustainable, but Cincinnati knows the type of running back they have on their hands. Brown’s heavy involvement in the offense gives the Bengals the best chance to win. He outplayed and outlasted Zack Moss, and he’ll hold off Herbert as the lead guy in the Cincinnati backfield.
