Buy Low Sell High: Immediate Trades to Make in Fantasy Football Week 2

Jennifer Piacenti | Sep 13, 2024

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Fantasy football season is in full swing, and it’s time to get proactive about winning! 

You have already raided the waiver wire, and now it’s time to think like a general manager. Don’t be afraid to send some trade offers as you look ahead to Week 2.

Here are five "buy low" and five "sell high" candidates as we head into the second week of fantasy football.

Buy Low: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

It feels weird to be even typing this, but someone in your league who is new to fantasy football is completely freaking out that their first-round pick put up a total dud in Week 1 — especially in what should have been a cake matchup. 

On the other hand, we are seasoned players who know Amon-Ra St. Brown is a stud and will remain a stud in this Detroit Lions offense. 

Buy Low: Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders 

Terry McLaurin was a total dud in Week 1, and managers could already be panicking after seeing Jayden Daniels dominate with his legs.

Despite catching just two of four targets for only 17 yards in Week 1 vs. Tampa Bay, there are plenty of signs McLaurin is still the alpha, and his value will improve as Jayden Daniels gets more comfortable. Mclaurin played a team-leading 48 snaps and ran a team-leading 30 routes. With the Washington Commanders expected to be in plenty of negative game scripts, Daniels will have to get the ball to McLaurin. He’s also a perfect fit in this Kliff Kingsbury offensive scheme.

The best time to make this trade could be right now, as the matchup for this weekend is very favorable for McLaurin. Giants CB Deon Banks ranks among the worst in the NFL in defensive right coverage, per PFF. 

Buy Low: Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

You can guess how many panicked messages I got about Derrick Henry on Sunday when he only rushed for 46 yards on 13 attempts. He also found the end zone but finished the week with just 10.8 PPR points. 

With John Harbaugh's recent quote that ”Henry was not signed “to give 30+ carries each game, it’s the perfect time to trade for Henry. Why? Because we already knew that.

Anyone who has watched the Baltimore Ravens backfield knows how they use their runners. Anyone who has watched Derrick Henry knows how well he runs, and anyone who saw how much Lamar used his legs in Week 1 knows that shouldn’t be sustained all season—anyone, that is, except the panicked Derrick Henry manager. 

Henry will get high-value touches and plenty of goal-line scores in this Raven offense. They won’t often be in negative game scripts, as they were vs. the Chiefs. 

Buy Low: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals

Full disclosure: I am not as high on Harrison as the rest of the industry. That being said, I am absolutely buying after his dud performance in Week 1.

You can probably get a great value after Kyler said it wasn’t his job to force targets to Harrison.

Harrison may take a bit to acclimate to the league, but we’re betting those targets are going to come. Harrison got plenty of playing time in Week 1, as he was on the field for 55 of 61 plays. 

Buy Low: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills

Despite it not showing up in the stat sheet, Dalton Kincaid played a career-high snaps (86.3%) for games in which Dawson Knox was also playing. Previously, he had only played that many when Knox was out (twice last season).

While we’d like to see more targets, and the Buffalo Bills will lead with the run game, Kincaid will undoubtedly see positive regression. No receiver truly stood out on Sunday, and Kincaid could still emerge as a primary target for Allen as the season goes on. 

Sell High: Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Update: WIth Friday's news that Marquise Brown needs surgery that will cost him more than half the season, Worthy becomes a hold.

I love Xavier Worthy’s speed, and he certainly put up an impressive rookie debut with two touchdowns (one rushing) and 22.8 PPR points, but he’s unlikely to be dependable on a week-to-week basis, as is often the case with Kansas City Chiefs receivers.

Worthy will be behind both Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce in targets, and veteran Hollywood Brown will return to the receiver rotation soon, increasing the competition for Patrick Mahomes’s attention. 

Worthy will pop off for big games, but there could also be plenty of games where he doesn't figure into the game plan. Trading this week after such an impressive debut should net you plenty of return. 

Sell High: Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I was low on Rachaad White heading into the season and am even lower on him now after seeing Bucky Irving figure more into the game plan on Sunday.

Rachaad White averaged 16 rushing attempts per game in 2023; however, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run game ranked last in yards per game (88.8) last season, and White was not efficient as a runner, averaging just 3.64 yards per attempt. Where White did succeed, however, was in the receiving game. White was targeted 70 times last season, and his 549 receiving yards ranked third among running backs.

But, with a healthy Chris Godwin, will they need to lean as much on White as a pass catcher? 

Irving led the Buccaneers in rushing on Sunday despite playing half as many snaps as White. The rookie was also a far more efficient runner in Week 1, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, while White managed just 2.1. Irving looks like a player who could earn much more playing time down the stretch, limiting the value of Rachaad White. 

Sell High: Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders

Brian Robinson Jr. split early downs evenly with Austin Ekeler in Week 1, which resulted in only 12 carries for 43 yards. Luckily, he also scored a touchdown, which could help his trade value.

With Jayden Daniels eating up a lot of the ground yards and Austin Ekeler, the back who should be trusted more to catch passes in negative game scripts, now is the right time to move Robinson to a team needing runners. 

Sell High: Isaiah LIkely, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Yeah. I said it. If you have Isaiah Likely, you should know better weeks are coming for Mark Andrews and he won’t be popping off every week like he did against the Chiefs.

I still like Likely a lot, but he is a great trade piece if you have more significant needs at other positions. If you have him, you may have drafted him in the last round to back up Andrews or another top tight end. Or maybe you grabbed him just because you had the waiver priority. Either way, he is excellent trade capital right now to help you beef up at other positions. 

Sell High: Stefon Diggs, WR, Houston Texans

The less experienced fantasy manager will see Stefon Diggs’s two touchdowns on Sunday and think the old Diggs is back. Collins is the alpha, however, and Dell is trending upward in Houston. Diggs caught those two touchdown passes, but he averaged just 5.5 yards per catch. Now is the time to see what you can get for the veteran passer.