Week 7 is in the books! Cooterdoodle is back to walk us through the fantasy landscape from a buy, sell, hold perspective…
Here are some players with plenty of question marks looming, whether it's coaching questions, the return of elite competition for touches, bad offenses, or the dreaded RB by committee. Let’s break down some uncomfortable players to buy, sell, or hold heading into Week 8.
Players to buy
Patterns are emerging! It’s time to get out your pocketbook and think about buying:
Drake London, WR - Falcons
Atlanta’s offense has not looked pretty this season, but it’s also possible that the Falcons haven’t looked quite bad enough to make any major changes.
Desmond Ridder has thrown only six TDs in seven games this year (including two games with zero passing TDs), and he’s matched that mediocre TD production with six INTs. You have to wonder, can any WR thrive in fantasy under conditions like these?
That said, despite the Falcons' problems on offense, the silver lining for Drake London has been his target share and usage. In four out of the last seven games, London has seen 100% of Atlanta’s end-zone targets, and he's still managed to produce double-digit fantasy scores in spite of Atlanta's overall offensive struggles.
If the Falcons were to make a change at QB or somehow find a way to improve with the one they’ve got, London would be a direct beneficiary. I’m still buying.
Zay Flowers, WR - Ravens
In Week 7, Zay Flowers saw his lowest target share since Week 2 while Odell Beckham out-targeted him for the first time this season. Coincidence?
We’ve also been waiting for the Ravens to become a pass-heavy offense for what feels like an eternity. Are we falling victim to the dreaded confirmation bias after Lamar Jackson’s huge Week 7 performance?
New Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken is known for elevating an offense’s passing attack. However, it takes time for this kind of major scheme change to take hold, and it’s possible that the Ravens will continue to find ways to maximize Jackson's passing efficiency more consistently from here on out.
Flowers has already established a major role in Baltimore and looks like a great buy candidate given his potential down the stretch. We just need more TDs to fall into the rookie's hands, okay Monken?
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB - Patriots
The first “ugly” comes in the form of whatever griddy Mac Jones was trying to accomplish here. The “bad” is the fact that fantasy managers spent an early-round pick on Rhamondre Stevenson with little to nothing to show for it thus far.
This isn’t your dad’s New England Patriots, but it sure does feel like a Patriots backfield of old. Stevenson’s value couldn’t be much lower right now, and many fantasy managers might be happy to flip and sell on his double-digit fantasy outing against the Bills last week.
But it's worth noting that Stevenson's usage is sneaking back up.
If Stevenson can continue to see a 20% target share going forward, he might yet pay off his preseason ADP. But given the frustrations of fantasy managers who drafted him, it's very possible that he could be available for fairly cheap in your league. It's worth a shot.
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Player to sell
Sometimes there’s bad writing on the wall even when a player has been performing. It’s time to think about selling.
Darrell Henderson, RB - Rams
I’ll keep this one simple. I think that Darrell Henderson is here for a good time, not a long time.
Sure, he saw 18 carries for 61 yards and a TD in Week 7, so there’s no denying the volume. But Kyren Williams will return from IR in a few weeks time, and in the interim, the Rams seem content to use a split backfield between Henderson and Royce Freeman.
Oh, and don't forget that if you have Henderson on your roster, you likely got him at an extreme discount thanks to the Zach Evans hype train that was quickly derailed.
Sell high on the Henderson hype.
Players to hold
Here are some “They did so great, I bet I could get some value for them right now" players that we are not letting go of, no matter what.
Remember, we’re not chasing the next big thing if we already have it.
Jordan Addison, WR - Vikings
There’s another WR in Minnesota named Justin Jefferson…remember him? He’s the guy that usually catches Kirk Cousins's multiple TD passes per game, and Jefferson's eventual return from IR could throw a wrench in the Jordan Addison hype train.
We’ve seen rookie WRs thrive in 2023 even in spite of the return of elite veterans (hi, Puka Nacua), so it's possible for Addison and Jefferson to both produce like the Rams' WR duo has since Cooper Kupp's return.
It’s also possible that Jefferson’s return takes longer than expected. But even when Jefferson was on the field, Addison saw an average of 13% of the team’s targets with some end-zone targets sprinkled in.
Oh, and check out Minnesota's upcoming schedule. Can you say “cake walk”? While you could absolutely sell Addison for a major haul, I’m holding on this elite talent unless I get a trade offer that blows me away.
Courtland Sutton, WR - Broncos
The Broncos are 2-5, and Denver’s defense has allowed everyone and their momma to run and pass against them. It’s scary out there for Broncos fans.
While Courtland Sutton is the No. 1 WR, we’ve seen flashes of Marvin Mims. Head coach Sean Payton has been teasing a Mims breakout that may or may not ever come to fruition for a while now, but if it does, Mims could affect Sutton’s weekly consistency if the rookie were to eventually steal away more end-zone targets.
Sutton is one of the only players on this offense that you can trust right now from week to week. And while he hasn’t “exploded” like some players have this season, Sutton has consistently produced, having scored a TD now in five out of the first seven weeks.
Sutton has also logged four games with more than 50% of the Broncos' end-zone targets, and he’s also finished among the top-25 WRs in PPR formats in four games this season. I’m all-in on Sutton continuing to produce, and there's even a non-zero chance that Jerry Jeudy could be traded away as well, in which case Sutton could be a fantasy WR2 rest-of-season.
