Fantasy Football Advice: Best Buy Low, Sell High Options for Week 2

Fantasy football leagues can be won and lost in how an owner trades throughout the season.  

Much like the stock market, the best owners sell high on players they project to fall off, and buy low on players they expect to rise in value.

After a riveting week one of the NFL season, fantasy football owners are scrambling to add and drop off the waiver wire.

The best strategy moving forward, though, is to sell high on lesser players that had a monster week, and to buy low on good players that had an off week. 

**Note: All fantasy points are based on ESPN’s standard scoring unless otherwise noted.**

Buy Low: Stevan Ridley

Stevan Ridley is my top buy low option this week. 

Ridley was benched after a fumble, and his fantasy numbers took a big hit because of his lack of playtime.

Ridley only scored two fantasy points on nine carries for 46 yards total, and fantasy owners who started him could be feeling some pressure to offload him.

Shane Vereen scored 15 points on 14 carries for 101 yards after Ridley was taken out of the game.

Considering that Vereen will be out for the next few weeks with a broken wrist, there are fantasy points up for grabs in the Patriots' backfield.

Picking up Stevan Ridley for a high-end flex option is definitely a risk worth taking, unless you think that LeGarrette Blount is going to take over the starting running back role for the Patriots.

Sell High: Michael Vick

Michael Vick scored 25 fantasy points with 203 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in Chip Kelly’s fast tempo offense.

Michael Vick has already been traded in my fantasy league, and it was obvious why.  Most fantasy owners picked Vick as a backup or as a second quarterback.

With a vast history of injuries and the fact that he was absolutely pummeled by a not-so-stellar Redskins' front seven, it is likely that Vick will not play 16 games this season.

If you have a solid starting quarterback option in place already, Vick could be used as a trading piece to pick up one of the top running backs that underperformed last week.  

Buy Low: Giovani Bernard

Giovani Bernard shot up draft boards after an impressive showing on Hard Knocks, and while his pass blocking may be questionable, his raw athleticism is not.

Bernard only scored two points this week, but he also had a lot of his yardage production called back on penalties.  

The Bengals other running back option, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, did score a touchdown, but his 14 rushes for just 25 yards limited him to just eight fantasy points.

The starting running back role and the majority of the touches in the Bengals' backfield seem to be up for grabs, and Bernard could easily find himself winning out over the lackluster Green-Ellis in the coming weeks.

Bernard is a great buy-low option, especially in deeper formats and PPR leagues. 

Sell High: Wes Welker

Wes Welker is going to be a great fantasy player this season, and I would be surprised if he did not finish near the top of the wide receiver rankings.

That being said, wide receiver is deep this season, and if you can find an owner in your league that is deep at running back and in need of an elite wide receiver, it would be smart to make a run at one of the top running backs.

Chances are you drafted Welker as a second wide receiver or flex, and if you can buy low on players such as Trent Richardson, Stevan Ridley or Maurice Jones-Drew, you will have a better roster for it.

Welker is just one of many Denver receivers, and his numbers will likely vary greatly each week.

It will be tough to know what you are getting out of Welker on a weekly basis, and for that reason alone, it makes sense to trade him while his stock is as high as it is now.

Buy Low: Lamar Miller

If you are going to buy low on Lamar Miller, you will be buying on his perceived talent level, and not his past performance.

Miller put up a goose egg in the season opener with just three yards on 10 carries. 

The second year running back out of Miami came into the season as an unproven commodity, and fantasy owners with Miller on their team are probably feeling the pressure to offload him in a hurry.

With a favorable matchup against a Colt’s defense that gave up 171 total rushing yards to the Raiders coming up for Lamar Miller, chances are he is able to rebound and will present some fantasy value moving forward.

The price tag for Miller is likely as low as a bench player, and at that price, he is a player worth taking a risk on.

Sell High: Miles Austin

Miles Austin is a great sell-high option in PPR formats. 

Having caught 10 passes for 72 yards, Austin scored 17 points in PPR formats, making him a low-end second wide receiver or a great flex option. 

Austin was the beneficiary of a bad game by projected fantasy stud Dez Bryant, who was troubled by a twisted ankle for the majority of the game against the Giants.

Austin is a constant injury risk, and quite frankly, will probably not get as many targets as he did this past week when Bryant is back and fully healthy moving forward.

If there is interest in Austin as a second wide receiver or flex option, you would do well to find a more consistent player for your roster.