Raise your hand if you made it through bye-mageddon unscathed!
Well, the injury monster struck again. Social media darling Cam Skattebo is done for the year after sustaining one of the more grotesque injuries I’ve seen in a while.
Malik Washington and Samaje Perine popped off and may have even cracked the lineups of some desperate fantasy players trying to stay afloat!
The bright side of bye-mageddon is that it creates pockets of buy-low and sell-high opportunities for players often deemed an afterthought by fantasy managers.
Which players should you try to target? Which should you try to capitalize on for a profit and strengthen your team in the long run?
Through a combination of opportunity-based expected fantasy points (xFP), usage, and market analysis, we hope to guide when and why players should be bought and sold to maximize value while helping with roster construction.
Let’s go!
WEEK 9 BUY LOW, SELL HIGH TRADE TARGETS
WEEK 9 BUY LOW TRADE TARGETS
RICO DOWDLE, RB CAROLINA PANTHERS
It should be inherently obvious. Surely Dave Canales can’t continue to lean on Chuba Hubbard when it’s clear he isn’t playing well right now, right?
After sweating out that difficult decision for a couple of weeks, it seems Canales may be seeing the light and leaning more into the productive Dowdle.
Dowdle (11.2 xFP/g) is scoring an alluring 0.84 fantasy points per opportunity despite playing for a bad football team.
Meanwhile, Hubbard (13.4 xFP/g) is scoring a much more pedestrian 0.73 FPPO and is producing -1.3 fantasy points vs. expectation.
After scoring the touchdown, Hubbard could have fantasy managers worried about Dowdle, despite Chuba’s putrid 12 carries for 34 yards.
After the comments made suggest that Dowdle could be in store for more work, this backfield might be switching away from that disgusting 50/50 split.
CHRIS OLAVE, WR NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
I have been one of the most outspoken Olave haters for years. After loving what he brought to the table as a prospect, he repeatedly left fantasy managers wanting more.
With Tyler Shough being trotted out starting week 9, Olave’s perceived value could be taking a bit of a dip.
Perfect time to strike!
Olave is a mid WR2 on the season (WR19) despite being a WR3/flex option in the draft.
This isn’t to say Olave hasn’t been leaving fantasy managers holding the bag for most of the season, but the touchdowns have started falling Olave’s way.
While Spencer Rattler made strides as a passer in 2025, he still left much to be desired; as a result, Olave is scoring -4.2 fantasy points vs. expectation (19.2 xFP).
Should Shough be able to more consistently hit Olave on high-value targets, Olave could be not only a strong buy-low, but a potential league-winning WR2 down the stretch!
Other Buy Low options: Courtland Sutton, TJ Hockenson
WEEK 9 SELL HIGH TRADE TARGETS
RJ HARVEY, RB DENVER BRONCOS
The Harvey breakout finally happened!
Unfortunately, it happened against the Cowboys defense where all you have to do is touch the ball and breakouts are expected.
His first hat trick of his young career has bolstered him up to a three-way tie with Ashton Jeanty and Quinshon Judkins for second among rookie RBs in TDs (5).
Harvey scored three touchdowns on only eight touches… if anyone tells you that is sustainable, remind them you have a tropical paradise property in Serbia you’d like to sell them.
On the season, Harvey averages just over eight opportunities per game (8.1 xFP). Despite that, he’s clearly making the most of his chances, averaging 1.9 fantasy points over expectation.
If it weren’t for the fact that he’s scoring 0.3 TD/g over expectation, then a buy-low case could be made! His goal-line work (0.5 opportunities per game inside the 5) could make him a valuable throw-in.
However, JK Dobbins is the lead back and is not showing signs of falling off like in 2024.
Try to sell him on a mid-season breakout after a breakout game as the Joker in Sean Payton’s offense.
KAYSHON BOUTTE, WR NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
This may sound like a hot take, but is Boutte the best WR on the Patriots?
I don’t think it sounds all that ridiculous. For whatever reason, he doesn’t get the target share that his production deserves.
In fact, there are eerie similarities between him and Jameson Williams as far as how they’re deployed.
Drake Maye is the best deep passer in football right now and is in the middle of arguably the best deep passing season ever.
With Maye slinging it at the level he is, it’s apparent that Boutte’s value could be on the rise!
It’s just unsettling to continuously start a player who has three finishes outside the top 50. It makes him seem touchdown dependent (hello Jameson?).
In fact, this season, Boutte’s usage has been good for 7.1 xFP/g and 0.21 xTD/g. He’s blowing both of those out of the water with 12.0 ppg and 0.6 TD/g.
Seeing an average depth of target of 17.7 and only being targeted on 14% of his routes makes Boutte a high-risk boom play every week.
If a decent value comes along for Boutte, take it and run.
Other Sell High options: Jaylen Waddle, CJ Stroud
