The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

What’d I tell you about Carson Palmer? He might have only thrown one TD pass, but 286 yards and a 98.9 QB rating against the Giants defense should tell you that the reports of his demise were exaggerated indeed. Just wait to see what he does this week with Cleveland in town. If you were in need of QB help last week, I hope you listened to me and did your best to wrench him away from his dejected owner.

Now that we’ve all learned an important lesson (I am infallible and questioning me puts you at risk of looking as silly as the dissenters in last week’s Sell High, Buy Low comments section), we’re on to this week’s trade ideas:

Sell High

Reggie Bush, RB, Saints – He’s a must-start for now and – as long as he stays healthy – should continue to be a top fantasy rusher. But Deuce McAllister’s healthy again, and coach Payton says “his time is coming.” With the Saints struggling to run the ball (most of Bush’s production has come in the passing game), count on Payton to dramatically increase Deuce’s workload in the weeks to come, which will cut down on the number of plays that Bush is involved in. As far as fantasy football value is concerned, Bush will likely go back to being more of an RB2 than an RB1. If you’re a Bush owner, find the member of your league who’s most likely to be enamored with Bush’s famous name and thus-far stellar production and see if you can swap him for a feature back like Joseph Addai, Marshawn Lynch, or Clinton Portis.

Chris Chambers, WR, Chargers – Fantasy-point-wise, Chambers is a top receiver right now. He’s got nowhere to go but down. He’s managed 154 yards and four touchdowns on a total of six receptions. He’s a deep threat who’s managed to connect a few times, but these types of players will break your heart just as often as they make your day. Trade him away before he puts up his first goose egg and reminds everyone else in your league what a risky start he is.

Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins – Pawn him off to the highest bidder now. Just do it. I’ve already explained why.

Buy Low

Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals – It might be tough to tear him away from his owner before the excellent matchup with Cleveland, but it’s worth a try. His value couldn’t be much lower right now, and this is likely your last chance to get him at a bargain price.

Ryan Grant, RB, Packers – He’s been playing hurt, which means his numbers are likely to improve as the season moves on and his hammy heals. He’s a low-end RB2 with the upside to become a low-end RB1 later in the year. Invest now, my friends.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, Giants - His inexplicably poor performance against the Bungles was like a punch in the gut for his owners, who were forced to watch Derrick Ward get the bulk of the carries in the second half. Consider this an anomaly – he was averaging almost six yards per carry before this game. The Giants will still spread the carries around, but there’s no reason to panic. Take this opportunity to test the waters and find out just how dejected his owner is feeling about him.