Fantasy Football Week 2: 5 Players You Should Sell High

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The end of Week 2 brings the opportunity to evaluate your fantasy football squad after seeing your team in action twice.  The evaluation process can be quick, but needs to be thorough.

Take a look at your roster and see where your weak spots are.  Are you lagging at the running back position, despite drafting who you thought were a couple of top 15 backs?  Are you required to start three wide receivers, but have a soft rotation for the third spot?  Did you draft a quarterback early, like Vick, but picked up Stafford in the mid-rounds?

Decide where your strength lies and cash in to upgrade other positions.  

While you're evaluating your team, you may want to consider shipping these five guys to other owners who are willing to live in the past while you move toward your future championship. 

Frank Gore, RB SF

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Gore is riding high on name value alone right now. 

Week 1 provided an uninspired 59 yards on 22 carries, while Week 2 brought 47 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown.  When you put it all together, Gore is averaging a paltry 2.52 yards per carry. 

While Gore may still be as talented as he ever has been, the offensive line hasn’t helped his efforts, and it’s not going to get any better going forward.  Sell Gore before everyone else in your league realizes that his struggles will be a season-long issue.

Tim Hightower, RB WAS

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Hightower was the trendy sleeper pick in the preseason.  Now he's just a guy averaging 3.77 yards per carry through the first two weeks of the season. 

Hightower looks like a different runner through two weeks than he did in the preseason.  He doesn’t appear as fluid or confident behind the offensive line.

Hightower doesn’t have a particularly tough schedule coming up, but does have rookie Roy Helu, Jr. breathing down his neck. With head coach Mike Shanahan’s history with running back rotations, you’ll want to cash in on Hightower before the exchange rate plummets. 

Reggie Wayne, WR IND

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Wayne is a player that is going to have to rely on previous performances to maintain his perceived value in 2011. 

The Week 1 version of QB Kerry Collins was absolutely atrocious.  Week 2 brought a slightly better version of Collins, but Wayne failed to create the production of Week 1, posting only four receptions on eight targets for 66 yards. 

Unless Collins dramatically increases his accuracy, Wayne will be far too inconsistent to rely on in any capacity beyond a third wide receiver. 

If you can find someone in your league that still believes in Wayne, send them an offer and see if you can upgrade a weak spot on your squad. 

Willis McGahee, RB DEN

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McGahee got his shot to start on Sunday with RB Knowshon Moreno missing action with a strained hamstring. 

McGahee posted 101 yards on 28 carries with a score.  McGahee is nothing special, but even an average guy can produce when given plenty of opportunities. 

The thing is, Moreno isn’t going away.

There may come a point in the season where McGahee receives more carries than Moreno.  But Moreno is the more talented running back and will continue to get opportunities, cutting into the volume of carries that McGahee needs in order to produce. 

If you can ship McGahee while he’s a hot commodity, do so and let another owner deal with the upcoming headache.

Dwayne Bowe, WR KC

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If Bowe had scored on Sunday, his perceived value would be higher, but as it stands, five receptions for 101 yards helps a little bit. 

With RB Jamaal Charles out for the remainder of 2011 with a blown up ACL, some fantasy footballers will assume that Bowe’s value will increase.  That would be the case if a professional quarterback were taking snaps in the City of Fountains.

Quarterback Matt Cassel has averaged 126 yards and two interceptions per week in 2011, and the loss of Charles will not help his development. 

Not much could. 

As a result, Bowe will be inconsistent at best, and unproductive at worst.  There are probably plenty of people in your league that remember Bowe’s double-digit touchdown performance last season.  Go find them.