Fantasy Football managers are coming to a crossroads in the season. Through five weeks, if you have a winning record, you can figure out if the success is sustainable. If you have a losing record, you will be able to figure out if a change of fortunes is on the horizon.
Is your team struggling because of bad luck, such as having a lot of points scored against you? Or is it underperforming players who have not lived up to expectations? Whatever the reason may be, making upgrades needs to happen as soon as possible.
Those managers may have a quick trigger finger when it comes to moving on from underachieving players and presenting good buy-low opportunities. There are a number of buy-low candidates to target this week, starting with Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys.
Pollard, like all of his teammates, was stifled in Week 5 by the San Francisco 49ers. He carried the ball only eight times for 29 yards, adding four receptions for 35. Pollard is currently No. 10 in the running back Fantasy Football rankings, but blowouts have contributed to his lack of production.
There isn’t a team in the NFL that has run more plays leading by 21+ points or trailing by 21+ points than the Cowboys. Pollard has played only 41.9 percent of the snaps in those situations, but 76.4 otherwise. If competitive games are on the horizon, Pollard will be seeing 20+ touches with regularity, making him an ideal buy-low candidate.
Another running back to take a look into acquiring is Kyren Williams of the Los Angeles Rams. He is locked into an elite role as the team’s lead back with very little competition, the perfect combination in Fantasy Football. Jonathan Taylor signing a long-term deal with the Indianapolis Colts was great for Williams’s outlook.
After facing the toughest schedule in the NFL in the first five weeks of the season, things will get easier for the Rams. Matthew Stafford has the second most dropbacks in the NFL, which could change in more competitive games that the running game will be leaned on more.
That is Williams’s time to shine, especially with Cam Akers out of the equation. The return of Cooper Kupp is also a positive as teams cannot stack the box any longer with him and Puka Nacua tearing up secondaries.
If you are looking to find a wide receiver, Marquise Brown of the Arizona Cardinals could be your man. Brown is having the best season of his professional career and it is going widely unnoticed because he is playing for the 1-4 Cardinals.
Even on bad NFL teams, there is Fantasy Football value to be mined. He has a huge target share and is already a borderline WR1 this season. With regression to the mean in uncatchable targets, Brown is someone who should continue being productive for managers. If Kyler Murray returns to the lineup at any point, Brown could be a league-winning player.
Another wide receiver to keep an eye on is Tutu Atwell of the Rams. Kupp’s return has adjusted the value of wide receivers in Los Angeles greatly. But, with Van Jefferson being traded to the Atlanta Falcons, Atwell is locked in as the No. 3 receiver.
The go-to deep target in this offense, Atwell has value as he rarely left the field. Fantasy Football managers will have to keep an eye on weekly opponents, as Atwell won’t be serviceable every week. But, there will certainly be some boom games in the future mixed with a few busts as well.
Last but not least, we have tight end Jake Ferguson of the Cowboys. He played more against the 49ers, given the lopsided score, but his targets didn’t increase. While the non-spike in production was disappointing, it’s clear he is the go-to passing option at the position in Dallas.
With a somewhat leaky defense, the Cowboys could be playing in high-scoring games, which is what Fantasy Football managers are looking for. Ferguson is a safe option at tight end and if you are in need of an upgrade, do what you can to acquire him before his price skyrockets.
