Fantasy Football Buy and Sell Candidates For Week 2

Joe Gallina analyzes the top buy and sell candidates for 2014 Fantasy Football. These undervalued or overrated players should be targeted in trades for week 2.

It's Too Early To Panic But It Doesn't Hurt To Look

Like most serious fantasy football players you started prepping for your draft while the general public was at the beach, grilling burgers and enjoying the dog days of summer. You participated in mock draft after mock draft and maybe you even envisioned what your fantasy team would look like. Did those visions include Allen Hurns or Isaiah Crowell? If they did you should seriously consider writing a column for RotoBaller.

The opening week in the NFL proves that you could analyze and speculate in preparation for your draft but until regular season games are played you never truly know how an NFL team will use an individual player. If you lost your week one fantasy matchup don’t panic.

I’ve got four players to buy (one’s a super sleeper) and two players that you should sell while they still have some value left. Some will most likely be available on your leagues waiver wire and others will require you to wheel and deal and test your trading abilities. Good luck in week two!

Week 2 Fantasy Football Buys

Knowshon Moreno - RB, Miami Dolphins

Owned in 93% of Fleaflicker leagues

Knowshon Moreno wasn’t shown any respect on draft day, languishing on the board until the eighth round on average, but with a big week one performance he has shown that when he is healthy he is a force to be reckoned with. All we heard all preseason was that Moreno was listed behind Miami RB Lamar Miller on the Dolphins depth chart but when push came to shove he rushed for 134 yards on 24 carries and scored a touchdown in the season opener.

Talk about getting some value from the back end of your draft! You are going to have to be crafty and most likely will need to trade for him since his ownership level in most leagues is rather high but he is a must start in all non PPR leagues.

Dwayne Allen - TE, Indianapolis Colts

Owned in 48% of Fleaflicker leagues

With Jordan Reed and Tyler Eifert out this week you may find yourself needing to shop for a tight end. Get yourself a piece of the projected high flying Indianapolis Colt offense and pick up Dwayne Allen off of your league’s waiver wire. Allen doesn’t look any worse for wear after undergoing hip surgery and missing practically all of the 2013 season.

With four first week catches for 64 yards and a 41 yard touchdown grab Allen looked like the emerging star who caught 45 passes in 2012. It looks as if he will see a lot of work in the red zone and with Andrew Luck on track to have a breakout season Dwayne Allen is a waiver wire pickup with huge upside potential.

Isaiah Crowell - RB, Cleveland Browns

Owned in 27% of Fleaflicker leagues

The savvy fantasy football owner was reluctant to draft Cleveland Browns running back Ben Tate due to his injury history and unfortunately he did not prove them wrong after he sprained his knee in week one. He is expected to be out for two to four weeks.  Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell are expected to carry the load in Tate’s absence against a Saints D that gave up 123 yards on the ground to the running challenged Falcons in week one. West was on many fantasy owners radar but I don’t think anyone thought to choose undrafted free agent Crowell on draft day but we all could learn a lot from him.

Crowell wasn’t originally part of the Brown’s week one game plan but I guess he had just finished watching Rudy and prepared as if he was the starter and when head coach Mike Pettine called his number  he responded with 32 yards on five carries and two touchdowns. He is a real feel good story in this young season and should see some scoring opportunities and red zone carries this week.

Latavius Murray - RB, Oakland Raiders

Owned in 21% of Fleaflicker leagues 

I love the fact that Maurice Jones Drew takes pride in his fantasy production but he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry last season and didn’t do much in week one, rushing nine times for just eleven yards. It was also revealed that he had a procedure on his hand this past Monday and it is questionable as to whether he will be able to play in week two. Darren McFadden would get the start in his absence but with two straight sub-par seasons in which he averaged 3.3 yards per carry you may want to pick up and stash away the speedy 6’3” 225 pound Latavius Murray, especially if you play in deep or dynasty leagues.

He has all the tools necessary to develop into a premier back and with the uncertainty and ineptitude surrounding the Raider running game if you have an extra spot on your roster and you missed out on Crowell, or Justin Forsett it might be worth your while to give him a look.

Week 2 Fantasy Football Sells

Victor Cruz - WR, NY Giants

Owned in 94% of Fleaflicker leagues 

I know that we’re only heading into week two but this is more of a sell high recommendation. As a Giant fan it pains me to have to tell you to sell Victor Cruz but when Eli Manning announces that it may take the offensive team an entire season to adjust to the new West Coast offense introduced by offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, and then the Giants stink up the place on Monday night it’s time for you to cash in on Cruz while you still have the shirt on your back. Since you probably picked Cruz in the third or fourth round of your draft you need to make sure you get production from that spot from day one.

With just six targets coming his way and the Giant offense looking way out of synch my suggestion is to put Victor Cruz on the trading block. Dangle him out there and see if there are any takers. Someone who is desperate, or as desperate as you can be after week one, for help at wide receiver is bound to make you an offer. Just make sure that you get good value for your early round pick.

Tony Romo - QB, Dallas Cowboys

Owned in 92% of Fleaflicker leagues 

I know what you’re saying. He is on my sell list because I am a Giant fan and I hate the Cowboys. Well I learned a long time ago that if you want to be successful in fantasy sports you have to keep emotions and team allegiances out of the equation. Truth be told, Romo has been a very good fantasy quarterback over the years and everyone has been very high on him coming into this season because of Dallas’ new offensive scheme and because of all the weapons he has at his disposal. Everyone that is, but me.

I’m wary about how durable he will be this season since he’s coming off of off-season back surgery. Were the three first half picks Romo threw simply the byproduct of not playing much in preseason or the lingering effects from his back issues? Only time will tell. A bad Dallas “D” may cause the team to have to play from behind this season, forcing Romo to throw more passes than he would normally have to and if the real Romo is the QB who played in week one, it could be a long season for “America’s Team”.