2019 Week 11 Fantasy Football Buy Low, Sell High: Playoff Outlook Edition

If your trade deadline has yet to hit midnight, we've got you covered for a lengthy playoff run.

Folks… it’s that time. Trade deadlines are either here or quickly approaching, and you need to strengthen your roster for your playoff run. Maybe you want to trade a couple depth pieces to get one more superstar, or shed a top performer with a tough upcoming schedule for a few guys to beef up your bench and make your squad injury-proof. Regardless, you’ve come to the right place.

All season long I’ve been giving you a few guys each week to buy low on, as well as a few to sell at their peak before they inevitably fall back down to Earth. We’ve looked at past and remaining schedule, developments in surrounding pieces on offense, and specific player history to nail down who you should have faith in and who you should pawn off to your league-mate who doesn’t read RSJ. And it all boils down to this — the last move or 2 to make before the trades are done and all that’s left is postseason glory.

Have any ideas for Buy Low/Sell High candidates that aren’t on my radar? Tweet at us and tell us why!

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Buy Low

Baker Mayfield: Current QB23

Yes, Baker Mayfield has been a huge disappointment after a promising end to 2018 and a hype-filled offseason. Combining Baker, Nick Chubb, and Odell Beckham, Jr. was supposed to result in the most explosive offense we’ve seen in decades. Instead, Cleveland is 3-6 and Baker has more INTs than TDs on the year.

However, I expect a bit of a surge from Mayfield and the Browns to finish out this year. While a postseason berth is becoming less and less likely, the Browns will still presumably fight to get as close as they can, and their remaining schedule could get them closer than you might think. 4 of Cleveland’s final 7 games come against the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Bengals (twice), so for a guy that’s owned in less than half of leagues right now, Baker could be a real asset for the remainder of 2019.

David Montgomery: Current RB24

While he’s shown some flashes over the course of his rookie season, David Montgomery has not been what many hoped he’d be in 2019. Part of this stems from usage, as he has less than 15 carries in 5 of 9 games so far this year, but even when fed he’s struggled to make an impact, as shown by his 3.6 yards per carry average.

Montgomery’s Bears are all but gone from the NFC playoff picture, but Matt Nagy needs to rattle off a few wins to ensure he remains employed in 2020. The best way to do this would be to ride his rookie RB, who’ll face 5 straight teams from Weeks 12 to 16 that currently sit in the bottom half in the league in slowing opposing RBs.

Golden Tate: Current WR46

Golden Tate served a 4-game suspension to start the season, but since then is averaging over 15 PPR points per game. His production has been solid, but with so much attention now shifting towards teammate Darius Slayton, Tate may be an even stronger breakout candidate for the stretch run of this season.

If you make a move for Tate now, you’ll have to stash him for a few weeks as the Giants enter a bye before tough matchups with Chicago and Green Bay. After that, however, Tate has a near-perfect slate of matchups for Weeks 14-16 — @Eagles, vs. Miami, @Washington. It really doesn’t get any better than that for the heart of the playoffs. Make an under-the-radar move for him now, stash him until unleashing him at WR3/Flex in the playoffs, and thank me later.

Honorable Mention Lightning Round:

Nick Foles: Current QB50 — Foles somehow got his job back from Gardner Minshew after a Week 1 injury and most people probably didn’t hold onto him for those 9 weeks. He returns off a bye week with 2 tough-ish matchups before 3 of 4 against defenses in the bottom 5 in terms of stopping QBs from Weeks 13-16.

Phillip Lindsay: Current RB13 — He’s been solid overall this year, but Lindsay could be a huge piece to own down the stretch in 2019. Coming off a bye he enters a tough matchup with Minnesota followed by 4 of 5 strong matchups to finish out the fantasy season, including Weeks 15 and 16 against the worst (Kansas City) and 2nd-worst (Detroit) defenses against RBs in football.

Corey Davis: Current WR61 — As much as I hate putting his name here, this is about finding value where others can’t. And while we were all over Davis a few weeks ago (puke), a couple consecutive slow weeks have brought that hype back down close to zero. But Ryan Tannehill gives the Titans the first competent QB they’ve had in a while, and the Titans have a great stretch of matchups — @Oakland, vs. Houston, vs. New Orleans — for the fantasy postseason. Factor in they’ll be fighting for an AFC Wild Card spot, and Davis could shock some people down the stretch.

Sell High

Patrick Mahomes: Current QB7

Before you go and get your eyes checked: yes, I’m selling Patrick Mahomes, and no, I’m not (that) drunk right now. Mahomes is clearly one of the best, if not the best, fantasy QB in the game right now, and his return from injury is huge for a Chiefs team that still has Super Bowl aspirations. But Mahomes is still coming off a tough injury that probably should’ve kept him out for longer, and it’s no guarantee that his knee issue won’t linger through the rest of the regular season. And yes, he looked — for the most part — back to his old self against Tennessee in his return. But Tennesee’s D is pretty average, and the road only gets tougher for Mahomes moving forward.

The tough times begin next week with a matchup against the Chargers, the 6th-best team in stopping opposing QBs, before a bye week and a favorable matchup against Oakland in Week 13. After that, Mahomes hits an absolute gauntlet of @ New England, vs. Denver, and @ Chicago to close out the fantasy playoffs — not only less than ideal, but arguably the worst slate of matchups for your All-World QB as you head into the playoffs. If you still can, make a big splash and trade Mahomes for a star RB or WR.

Derrick Henry: Current RB5

Derrick Henry has overcome a lackluster offense and “meh” usage to be a top 5 RB in fantasy this year, something very few people saw coming. And he’s coming off his best performance of the year, with 188 yards and 2 TDs against Kansas City last week — which makes now the perfect time to sell. Henry has the potential to be a very TD-dependent option as he gets virtually no usage in the passing game, and relying on the Titans to score points is never all that fun. And Henry’s schedule following the team’s Week 11 bye is no joke. From Weeks 12 – 16 he won’t face one defense that’s particularly generous against opposing RBs, and for the fantasy championships in Weeks 15 and 16, he’s got Houston (9th-best against RBs) and New Orleans (4th-best). Use his most recent breakout and sell Henry for a safer RB option for the postseason.

Stefon Diggs: Current WR14

After a disgustingly slow start that had him in the “Buy Low” section of this series more than once, Stefon Diggs now brings it full circle into our final Sell High of the year. Through 5 weeks he was averaging less than 9 PPR points per game; now, he’s up to 14 points per game and, especially with Adam Thielen dealing with a hamstring injury, looks poised to finish out the season strong. Except… I’m not so sure that’s the case.

Much of Diggs’ struggles in 2019 can be attributed to the shaky play of Kirk Cousins, and unfortunately, he isn’t going anywhere. Not only does he have to deal with a QB that limits his ceiling, but Diggs has an incredibly arduous schedule in front of him. Week 11 brings Denver, followed by a bye week, and for the fantasy playoffs, 3 out of Minnesota’s 4 opponents — the Seahawks, Chargers, and Packers — are in the top half of the league in terms of slowing opposing WRs. Diggs may have turned his lost season around once, but like his presence in this series, he could be destined to come full circle once again.

Honorable Mention Lightning Round:

Dak Prescott: QB4 — Like Mahomes, Dak seems like a crazy candidate to be sold just as the home stretch gets going, but looking at his remaining schedule gives it a little more context. Week 11 brings a great matchup with Detroit, but after that, it’s bleak — @ New England, vs. Buffalo, @ Chicago, vs. Rams, @ Philadelphia to close out the fantasy season. He’s shown enough this year that he could withstand the tough road ahead, but if you’ve got another competent QB on your roster, you might as well see what you can get for Dak.

Marlon Mack: RB19 — Despite QB turmoil and turnover all year in Indianapolis, Mack has withstood everything to put together a decent season on the ground. Moving forward, however, I have trouble trusting him to continue putting up RB1/RB2 numbers. Indianapolis just lost to a Miami team that’s actively tanking, so part of my concern lays in his offense’s ability to put him in a position to make a real impact. Aside from that, however, is Indy’s remaining schedule. While Mack has a juicy matchup with Carolina for Week 16, the lead-up to that is anything but easy — from Weeks 12 to 16 he’ll face 4 straight teams in the top half of the league against running backs, including 2 of the top 4 in Tampa Bay and New Orleans.

Tyreek Hill: WR23 — Hill missed some time due to injury this year but has averaged 23 points per game in his 5 games since returning. Obviously Hill is a fantastic talent, but much like his quarterback, his remaining schedule makes him a very intriguing sell high option. He’s heading into a matchup with the Chargers, the 6th-best team in football in stopping WR production. After a bye and an easy matchup with Oakland, the rest of the fantasy postseason brings New England (best against WRs), Denver (8th-best), and Chicago (5th-best). It sounds crazy on the surface, but moving Hill for a large haul could be a huge step toward getting your roster fine-tuned for a championship run.

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  • Fan of Boston sports, hazy IPAs, and chicken pot pie. Frequent user of obscure movie quotes that nobody else finds funny.

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