Friday, September 03, 2010
   
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Steeler's Buy Low/Sell High

The lowest point of everyone’s fantasy football season is the offseason, with only the allure of the upcoming NFL Draft really keeping “we” stalwarts of gridiron fandom afloat. Thankfully, many of us choose to partake in dynasty leagues that make the offseason potentially one of the most interesting times of the year.

Now is the time that teams are built for Super Bowl runs by those with enough foresight and/or luck to make the right deals at the right time. Here are some players whose values are at their highest points right now and those whose values can only go up from their present low value.

Sell High

Kurt Warner, QB, Arizona Cardinals – This is probably a no-brainer for most owners, but just in case… He’s turning 38 in June, and he’ll likely have two years tops left in him. He’s worth owning if he completes a squad ready to win now, so look to market him to a team in need of a high-caliber signal caller.

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons – The Offensive ROY has a lot of promise, certainly, but you can never know with rookies. He could go onto a great career, and should be held onto if you need to invest in a young franchise quarterback. However, if you are pretty well set at the position, now is the perfect time to deal him, as his value may never be much higher than it is now.

Steve Slaton, RB, Houston Texans – He had a very nice rookie season, and for now he appears to be the starter in Houston with Ahman Green out of the picture. However his small stature means he will likely continue to take a pounding, which does not lend itself to a long career. He’s worth dealing if you can get a nice return.

Ryan Grant, RB, Green Bay Packers – Grant had a second-half of 2008 that saved a lot of nervous owners in the end, but there are some serious concerns about his future in Green Bay. Reports have the organization divided on whether or not he’s their starter, and his slow start following a 2007 breakout that spanned less than a full season leaves some questions as to his ability to put together a full season’s worth of quality work. Many owners will only look at his overall yardage numbers, making him a great sell-high candidate.

Steve Breaston, WR, Arizona Cardinals – Breaston has Brandon Stokley circa 2004 written all over him. He benefited from a prolific passing attack that left him as the beneficiary operating out of the slot. He could be solid if the Cardinals manage to deal Anquan Boldin, but all signs point to the Cardinals holding onto him right now. We also have to wonder if he’ll perform nearly as well if Warner fails to return to the desert. Oh, and don’t forget that the Cardinals drafted Early Doucet fairly high last year. Still, many owners value him despite the questions around him - a perfect sell high situation.

Chris Cooley, TE, Washington Redskins – Cooley has enjoyed a great deal of success these past few seasons, but he vanished in the second half of 2008 once teams realized the Skins didn’t have many weapons outside of him and Santana Moss. There are now rumblings that there could be a change at quarterback with the front office not entirely sold on Jason Campbell, which could really upset the whole offense. Right now his name alone will allow you to sell him high, but it looks like his days of high production are not guaranteed by any means.

Buy Low

Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles – McNabb is an interesting case. He rebounded nicely following his benching in 2008, but it’s obvious things are not rosy in Philly. Given that he’s 32 and not always consistent, some of his owners may be happy to deal him at a lower price than he’s worth. Even if he isn’t playing for the Eagles in 2009, he has the skills to be a top-ten fantasy quarterback.

Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants – Lost in his 2008 season was the fact he set a career high in passing completion percentage, which is generally a good sign of maturing decision-making  by a quarterback. He missed having Plaxico Burress for half the season, but the Giants will make moves this offseason to help their franchise player out. Take advantage of the current question marks and snatch him up cheap.

Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis Colts – Addai had a lousy season, and probably killed more than a few fantasy owners who were relying on him to be their primary running back. Injuries played a part, but even more was the slow start of the offense with Peyton Manning returning from knee surgery and offensive line changes. Even if Dominic Rhodes plays a significant role in the backfield, Addai should bounce back nicely.

Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers – Right now his value is pretty low after his worst season as a starter. He was hampered by various injuries for a large chunk of the season, but did rebound nicely to have a great in the postseason when he was fully recovered. He should be fine in 2009, and he could actually benefit from having Rashard Mendenhall taking some of the workload from him. Fast Willie may only have 2-3 seasons left of high production left in him, but he can be a good RB2 in that time. Buy him cheap.

Terrell Owens, WR, Dallas Cowboys – Many think he may not be in Dallas in 2009, but there seems to be a rising sentiment that Jerry Jones will keep his troublesome prima dona in town. Owens is getting long in the tooth, but he still can produce. Most owners are panicking and trying to offload T.O. “while they still can,” so see if you can pry him away to be your WR2.

Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland Browns – The perfect buy low target. He had a terrible 2008 season, injuries be damned. He dropped passes left and right, and the Browns look to be back to square one with a new coaching regime coming in. Edwards is simply too talented to be as bad as he was in 2008, and Eric Mangini can right this offensive ship. Get him while his owners are down on him.

Jeremy Shockey, TE, New Orleans Saints – He’s not a spring chicken, and his history of injuries are disconcerting, but he’s too competitive a player to not make every effort to rebound in 2009. He’s got the talent, and he’s in an offense where he could be truly explosive. Owners shouldn’t be looking for a whole lot to part ways with him.

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