Dynasty Fantasy Football — Buys, Sells, And Holds: Week 2

Welcome back to our weekly dynasty fantasy football series. In this series, we delve into the weekly performances that have left an impact on the general trade market. Throughout this series, we’ll steer you through key choices that shape your team’s fate. In the first week of this new NFL season, we assess prime targets for your lineup, players to let go, and players worth your patience. In case you missed it, you can find last week’s edition of this series here.

As a preface, when I say “Buy”, “Sell”, or “Hold”, it is in reference to the price shown by the trades that accompany the player section. If you can get a price that you deem better in your own leagues, feel free to take a different route, As a baseline, all of the trades are sourced from 12-team Superflex/2QB leagues.

Joe Burrow, Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow‘s performance against the Browns in the opener was rough due to injury and poor conditions. Despite hopes for a rebound against the Ravens, concerns about his calf injury were valid. Throughout the game, Burrow’s injury limited him to short passes, frustrating fans. He attempted only seven passes over 12 yards, most of which were incomplete. This explains his modest 222-yard, two-touchdown, one-interception performance.

In fairness, he missed a potential third score due to a dropped pass by Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow improved in the second half, offering a glimmer of hope for Week 3 and beyond. In fact, over his first few seasons, Joe Burrow has been historically slow to start off the regular season.

Ultimately, the only concern for the immediate future is his calf injury that was apparently reaggravated in Sunday’s contest. The worst outcome is that it lingers and hurts his rushing floor over the season, making him a meager top-12 fantasy option as opposed to the top-five option we know he can be in any given year.

Trade One: CJ Stroud, Puka Nacua, 2024 first round pick

Trade Two: CJ Stroud, Kenny Pickett, 2024 first round pick, 2024 second round pick, 2025 second round pick

My Verdict: Buy

Tuli Tuipulotu, Edge, Los Angeles Chargers

Tuli Tuipulotu, a former USC interior defensive lineman primarily at 5-tech, displayed remarkable versatility in college. He lined up from 1 technique to wide nine, excelling in pass rushing and covering tight ends. This caught the NFL’s attention, leading to his transition to an edge rusher.

His versatility shone in a recent game. The standout moment for his skillset was a well-executed stunt blitz. He stood as a rusher over the left guard, while Joey Bosa lined up outside the left tackle. At the snap, Tuipulotu swiftly penetrated the B gap, requiring both the guard and tackle to stop him from an instant sack. Meanwhile, Bosa capitalized on the space left in the A gap, securing an easy sack on Ryan Tannehill with the guard occupied.

In his second game, Tuipulotu, who played 22 snaps in Week 1, started and played 50 of 65 snaps. In this new role, he racked up 7 tackles and a sack. Certainly worth an add in your dynasty IDP leagues.

Trade One: Shaq Barrett, 2024 fourth round rookie pick

Trade Two: Zach Ertz

My Verdict: Buy

Puka Nacua, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams

In Week 1, Rams’ rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua caught 10 passes. He continued to shine with 15 receptions for 147 yards in his second game. Nacua’s 25 receptions in two games set an NFL record, surpassing the previous mark of 19. Notably, he was drafted as the 177th overall pick in the fifth round, a true standout considering his draft position.

He has been truly remarkable these first two weeks. However it has only been two weeks, and teammate TuTu Atwell has been performing similarly well in yardage, and even outpacing Nacua in yards per catch. That brings me to the question of what his role looks like with the return of Kupp. Now, I cannot truly speculate as to what the offense will look like inside and out, but I do know that Cooper Kupp is one of the best receivers in the league when he’s healthy. He also dominates the Rams’ target share, averaging well over 30% of their targets in the Stafford era.

Ultimately, this leads to a question of risk tolerance. Are you willing to bet on him to be an outlier, or are you willing to “sell high” and wash your hands of this profile that has very few paths to meaningful long-term success?

Trade One: Rachaad White, two 2024 second round picks

Trade Two: 2024 first round pick

My Verdict: Sell

James Cook, Running Back, Buffalo Bills

James Cook, Buffalo’s second-year running back, had a standout game against the Raiders on Sunday. In that game racking up 159 all-purpose yards (123 rushing, 36 receiving) on 21 touches. Despite yielding red zone touchdowns to Latavius Murray and Damien Harris, Cook’s dominance in the backfield is clear.

What’s more, Cook’s performance over the first two weeks has been truly impressive, marking his first-ever 100-yard rushing game. The Bills are showing confidence in this young talent over seasoned veterans, and Cook is making the most of it. If he maintains his form and stays injury-free, a fantastic season could be on the horizon.

He may never eat into the goal line work as long as Josh Allen and the two aforementioned running backs are in town, but when he scores like he did this week, adding those touchdowns on top would break fantasy.

Trade One: Mike Evans, 2024 third round pick

Trade Two: Tank Bigsby, 2024 second round pick

My Verdict: Buy

Justin Fields, Quarterback, Chicago Bears

Justin Fields has played in 27 NFL games, winning just five and suffering a whopping 101 sacks. His completion rate stands at 59.8%, having thrown 26 TDs and 24 INTs. Additionally, he’s fumbled 31 times, losing eight, while averaging only 156.5 passing yards per game in his career. In short, not great Bob.

Fields endured six of those sacks and two to the interception tally in a humiliating loss on Sunday. To be fair to the offensive line, not all six sacks on the mobile quarterback can be blamed on them. For example, in the second quarter, Fields fumbled due to holding the ball for too long. This was one of several instances where Fields lingered too much in the pocket.

On the day, he completed 16-of-29 passes for 211 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. In 2023, Fields has regressed in every aspect, including his running abilities. Surprisingly, he scrambled only four times, gaining just three rushing yards and a touchdown. Fields ran twice on the opening drive, which means he ran only twice for the rest of the game. This reflects poor coaching and decision-making on Fields’ part.

I wasn’t wanting to call a close to the experiment with him in Chicago, but I think it’s time. It has been three years now of no progress as a passer, and with the Bears organization in prime position for the Caleb Williams sweepstakes, I expect them to make a move from Fields after this season, possibly sooner.

Trade One: Deebo Samuel, 2024 first round pick, 2026 first round pick

Trade Two: Jared Goff, Tyler Lockett, Josh Downs, 2024 first round pick

My Verdict: Sell

Jahan Dotson, Wide Receiver, Washington Commanders

Despite many outlets and fantasy analysts touting Dotson as a surefire breakout for 2023, none of that has yet to pass. What managers received instead, was more of the same opportunities that he saw last season, yet with a lack of touchdowns.

Dotson saw five targets on Sunday, securing three for 22 yards, though he didn’t score. His catches kept Washington’s offense going. This season, he’s been targeted 12 times, catching 8 for 62 yards. Additionally, he’s currently ranked as WR76 for the week and WR63 for the season, Dotson’s ongoing role in the Commanders’ passing attack holds potential for the future should quarterback play or passing volume improve.

Trade One: Darnell Mooney, Roschon Johnson

Trade Two: Michael Thomas, Joshua Kelley

My Verdict: Buy

Jerome Ford, Running Back, Cleveland Browns

Nick Chubb‘s unfortunate knee injury on Monday night has plunged the Cleveland Browns’ season into chaos. Jerome Ford, the backup to Chubb, is now in the spotlight as part of the solution to Cleveland’s backfield dilemma. Drafted in the fifth round in 2022, Ford had limited NFL experience with just 23 carries and no receptions before this week. However, he stepped up admirably in an emergency relief role on Monday night, delivering 106 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, along with 25 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown against the Steelers. Ford, standing at 5-10 and weighing 210 pounds, boasts impressive speed and athleticism which should yield decent weekly returns in Cleveland’s wide zone running scheme.

During his final college season at Cincinnati, Ford displayed his prowess by amassing 1,319 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, complemented by 21 catches for 220 yards and an additional touchdown. Despite his college production, the fact that he was a fifth-round draft pick raises questions about whether the Browns will eventually turn to a higher-caliber player when the opportunity arises through free agency, a trade, or next year’s rookie draft.

Back to the present. He should be productive as an RB2 in fantasy this year at minimum, barring an unforeseen addition like the disgruntled Jonathan Taylor. Free agents such as Leonard Fournette and Kareem Hunt are not threats to start over Ford at this point in their careers, though they are clear upgrades for passing downs due to their proven blocking and receiving acumen.

Trade One: 2024 second round pick

Trade Two: 2025 second round pick, 2025 third round pick

My Verdict: Contender Buy, Rebuild Sell

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