Thursday, March 11, 2010
   
Text Size

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.

Comments (0)
Write comment
Your Contact Details:
Comment:
[b] [i] [u] [url] [quote] [code] [img]   
:D:angry::angry-red::evil::idea::love::x:no-comments::ooo::pirate::?::(
:sleep::););)):0
Security
Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

KFFL Hot Off The Wire

  • NFL | McGaha undergoes Lasik surgery
    Kent Somers, of The Arizona Republic, reports Arizona State WR Chris McGaha underwent Lasik surgery Friday, March 10, to improve his vision. McGaha never had a problem catching the ball in college, but he had trouble seeing the ball inside Lucas Oil Stadium at the NFL Scouting Combine.
  • Vikings | Tomlinson discusses meeting team
    Judd Zulgad, of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, reports free-agent RB LaDainian Tomlinson discussed getting to know the Minnesota Vikings. Tomlinson said, “You just kind “of have to kind of get a feel and see where you fit in at and see how it goes."
  • Giants | Rolle not brought in to replace Phillips
    Ralph Vacchiano, of the New York Daily News, reports New York Giants S Kenny Phillips plans to help S Antrel Rolle to form “the best safety tandem in the NFL.” Phillips said, “The coaches have reassured me they didn’t bring him in to replace me - - they made that very clear. After the performance we had last year in the secondary, they had to bring someone in. It would be foolish not to. It’ll be a privilege playing next to him.”
  • Giants | Phillips expects to run by the end of March
    Ralph Vacchiano, of the New York Daily News, reports New York Giants S Kenny Phillips (knee) says he is “feeling good,” and that he expects to run by the end of March. Phillips believes he will be ready for the start of training camp.
  • Steelers | Roethlisberger denies allegation
    ESPN.com reports Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger told police in Milledgeville, Ga., no sexual intercourse took place between himself and his accuser, according to KDKA in Pittsburgh. A 20-year-old woman told police Roethlisberger assaulted her early March 5. Roethlisberger has not been charged, and his attorney believes Roethlisberger will emerge from the incident with his reputation intact.
  • NFL | Q. Porter works out at Pro Day
    Justin VanFulpen, of NFL Draft Bible, reports Stillman RB Quinn Porter measured in at his Pro Day with a height of 6-foot, 205 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds. He measured a 32 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-3 broad jump and completed 16 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.
  • NFL | G. Johnson works out at Pro Day
    Justin VanFulpen, of NFL Draft Bible, reports Rutgers DE George Johnson measured in at his Pro Day with a height of 6-foot-4 1/8, 268 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds and the short shuttle in 4.32 seconds. He measured a 31-inch vertical jump and completed 29 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.
  • NFL | Webster works out at Pro Day
    Justin VanFulpen, of NFL Draft Bible, reports University of Cincinnati S Aaron Webster measured in at his Pro Day with a height of 6-foot-1 1/4, 208 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.22 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.72 seconds. He measured a 33 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-3broad jump and completed 21 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.
  • NFL | Daniels works out at Pro Day
    Justin VanFulpen, of NFL Draft Bible, reports University of Cincinnati DE Alex Daniels measured in at his Pro Day with a height of 6-foot-1 3/4, 269 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.22 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.93 seconds. He measured a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-9 broad jump and completed 31 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.
  • Ravens | Harbaugh happy with Mason returning
    Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was very pleased when hearing the team re-signed WR Derrick Mason. "This is outstanding - just great news for the Ravens. Our coaches are happy. Derrick's teammates are happy, and you know Joe (Flacco) is smiling," Harbaugh said.
  • Ravens | Mason's deal worth $8 million
    ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Baltimore Ravens WR Derrick Mason agreed to a two-year deal worth $8 million, including $3.5 million in the first year.
  • Cardinals | Spach re-signs
    The Associated Press reports the Arizona Cardinals have re-signed free-agent TE Stephen Spach to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
  • Buccaneers | S. Jones to visit Thursday
    Roy Cummings, of The Tampa Tribune, reports free-agent S Sean Jones (Eagles) will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday, March 11.
  • Seahawks | To host Whitehurst
    Danny O'Neil, of The Seattle Times, reports the Seattle Seahawks will host free-agent QB Charlie Whitehurst (Chargers).
  • NFL | C. Grant has three teams he'd like to play for
    D. Orlando Ledbetter, of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reports free-agent DE Charles Grant (Saints) said on Sirius NFL Radio that he would like to play for the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers or Tennessee Titans.
  • Ravens | Mason agrees in principle to two-year deal
    Updating previous reports, the Baltimore Ravens have announced they have agreed in principle on a two-year deal with free-agent WR Derrick Mason. Financial terms were not disclosed. "We know exactly what we're getting with Derrick, and that's production," general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome said. "Every Ravens fan knows what Derrick brings to this team. It's reliability, toughness, leadership, the fight to win and the want of the ball in the clutch times."
  • Bills | Kennedy to visit Thursday
    Judd Zulgad, of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, reports free-agent DT Jimmy Kennedy (Vikings) will visit the Buffalo Bills Thursday, March 11.
  • NFL | Pitts says teams showing interest in him
    Nicholas J. Cotsonika, of the Detroit Free Press, reports free-agent OG Chester Pitts (Texans) said on Sirius NFL Radio that the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks have expressed interest in him.
  • Ravens | Reach two-year deal with D. Mason
    Aaron Wilson, of the National Football Post, reports the Baltimore Ravens have reached an agreement on a two-year contract with free-agent WR Derrick Mason (Ravens), according to a team spokesman. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
  • Browns | Fargas to visit
    David White, of the San Francisco Chronicle, reports free-agent RB Justin Fargas (Raiders) will visit with the Cleveland Browns.
**Please use the new Forums link to access the forums, and log in from the forum page. If it is your first time at the new Forum, please have the system reset your password. Thanks, and we apologize for any inconvenience!**
Remember Me
-This login form is now for site administration only.-