The 2022 fantasy football season has been nothing short of frustrating unless you bought plenty of stock in elite quarterback play from Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Jalen Hurts. Perhaps you also landed Mark Andrews and Saquon Barkley. But for all those studs paying off there are players like Najee Harris, Ja’Marr Chase, Kyler Murray, Kyle Pitts, etc. But we’re now five weeks into the 2022 season and by now you know what you have with your team. The problem with fantasy football is that we don’t get 80+ games like the NBA or NHL. We get a fraction of the 162 games that MLB plays. So while five games may not seem like much, it’s a large enough sample size in fantasy football to know who needs to be on the move and who we should target. We’re seeing plenty of situations come to light that can be beneficial to our teams, but we also need to make some tough decisions on struggling players. You may see some of your studs slipping in our Fantasy Football Player Rankings. But fantasy football is more than just rankings. You need to be doing your own work and analyzing our Fantasy Football Target Report as well as our Weekly Snap Count Analysis. Live beyond the box scores and see for yourself which players are trending up and down to know who you should buy, sell, or hold ahead of Week 6.

 

 

Fantasy Football Buy Low

 

Breece Hall, NYJ RB

I was very optimistic about Hall coming out of the preseason and even I am a bit surprised with how quickly he’s taken over the backfield. But Hall is my favorite player to acquire right now via trade and I fully understand this is not a “buy low” situation. Did Michael Carter score twice on Sunday? Yes, but they were setup on big plays from Hall. In the first half, Zach Wilson and Hall touched up for a 79-yard pass and Hall was brought down at the one-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Wilson and Hall connected for a big 21-yard play that saw Hall go down at the one-yard line yet again. What happened following both plays? Carter runs it in for a touchdown. Hall eventually found his own way into the end zone late in the fourth quarter, but it’s clear he’s the guy to roster in the Jets backfield and he has been the last two weeks. The price is surging right now, but I’m willing to buy high if you still can. The window is closing, but it’s not completely shut with some imposing matchups coming up in New York’s schedule. I’ll give an honorable mention to Kenneth Walker III who is likely available on your league’s fantasy football waiver wire. If he is available, get him and pay the price tag for him. But if we’re looking to trade for a running back, give me the incredible upside of Breece Hall for the remainder of the season.

 

Jaylen Waddle, MIA WR

After an electric start to the 2022 campaign, Waddle hasn’t quite been able to whip out his signature celebration dance. Not to worry, better times are ahead. In his last two games Waddle has just five catches on eight targets for a paltry 62 yards. However, Tua Tagovailoa could potentially return in Week 6 and Waddle’s better half, Tyreek Hill, is nursing a foot injury. Waddle’s monstrous Week 2 performance is the only game we’ve seen him log more than six targets, but the potential return of Tua means more production and it doesn’t hurt to see if the Waddle manager in your league is freaking out about these last two duds.

 

Tom Brady, TB QB

It hasn’t been a glamorous start to Brady’s 2022 campaign but there are reasons for optimism. He’s only thrown seven touchdowns in five games including four games with just one touchdown. But despite Brady’s preseason wishes to throw the ball less, he’s attempted 50+ pass attempts in back-to-back games and 40+ attempts in three straight contests. The volume is certainly there regardless of the game script. The price on Brady is likely reasonable because of the lack of touchdowns. But he’s still thrown for 350+ yards in back-to-back games and both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were tackled inside the five-yard line on big plays on Sunday. If they find the end zone, we’re probably looking at Brady in a different light. The Bucs are getting healthier and we saw what Brady can do on Sunday with his full collection of weapons. You can still acquire TB12 at a reasonable price tag and I suggest doing so.

 

Brian Robinson Jr., WSH RB

The writing was on the wall for Antonio Gibson long before Robinson’s epic entrance in Week 5. Despite being listed atop the depth chart while Robinson has been out, Gibson’s snap shares started at 64% in Week 1 and slowly dropped to 54%, 44%, 41%, and finally 32% this past Sunday in Robinson’s return. Despite being on a pitch count, Robinson had nine carries compared to Gibson’s three. It won’t be long before Robinson’s role expands so if looking for a buy low opportunity at running back, it might be Robinson, but savvy managers will know not to give him up for cheap.

 

Christian Kirk, JAC WR

Kirk is coming off a bad performance against the Texans where we saw Marvn Jones, Evan Engram, and Zay Jones drastically out-target Jacksonville’s true number one receiver. Kirk was still on the field for plenty of routes, but he just didn’t get the looks. That’ll happen especially with a developing offense like Jacksonville’s. Kirk only has three catches the last two weeks so it’s possible his manager is worried about the production and may view him more as a Flex option. The Jaguars visit the Colts this week and don’t forget that Kirk found the end zone twice in their first matchup in Week 2.

 

Travis Etienne Jr., JAC RB

Let’s stay in Jacksonville because as much as I hate to admit it, we might be seeing a changing of the guard in the Jaguars’ backfield. Truth be told, Sunday’s performance against Houston was a dud for the whole organization and perhaps showed us we need to pump the brakes a bit with this team. But one noticeable trend the last few weeks has been Etienne gradually getting more involved. He’s out-snapped James Robinson each of the last two weeks as the more efficient runner and he was more involved in the passing game. With back-to-back poor performances from Robinson, we could be seeing Etienne emerge as the running back to roster in this backfield and the price may still be low enough where he won’t cost you very much.

 

Drake London, ATL WR

He’s not my favorite “Buy” candidate but one I feel okay about considering how heavily he’s targeted despite the team preferring to run the ball more. The problem is the Falcons will find themselves trailing more often than not and they’ll need to be going to him more to stay in the game. He’s coming off a couple poor games against Tampa Bay and Cleveland where he totaled just six catches for 52 yards. But he has at least six targets in every game this year including seven or more targets in four games. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a return to the production he boasted in Weeks 1-3 in due time.

 

 

Fantasy Football Sell High

 

Kyler Murray, ARI QB

If you’re a Kyler Murray fantasy manager, obviously you haven’t enjoyed what he’s done so far this year, but he’s been salvaging some fantasy matchups in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals offense has been a bit of an eyesore. Here’s what I wrote in last week’s NFL DFS D/ST Coach regarding Arizona’s offense: “In Week 1 against the Chiefs, they had just seven points through three quarters before a pair of touchdowns in the fourth made up for a lackluster day. In Week 2, the Raiders had a 23-7 lead at the end of three quarters before collapsing and losing in overtime to Arizona. They put up 12 points (four field goals) against the Rams and they all came in the second half. Last week in Carolina, they were tied at ten through three quarters before the Cardinals pulled away in the fourth quarter collecting 16 points…” And once again, the Cardinals had just ten points through three quarters this past Sunday. Perhaps things change once DeAndre Hopkins returns and maybe that is what you sell a buyer on. Even in just a ten-game sample size in 2021, Murray and Hopkins connected for eight touchdowns. The big issue with Murray is that he just isn’t running enough. He set a season-high in rushing yards on Sunday with 42 yards but on just four attempts. And he has five or fewer rushing attempts in four games. As it stands right now, Murray isn’t even a lock as a must start player and if you’re moving him you should be pushing Murray’s success with Hopkins on the field.

 

Dalvin Cook, MIN RB

Cook found the end zone twice on Sunday so that makes selling him a little easier. By no means do you need to sell him but I think there’s an argument for it and it never hurts to see what the market is like. He’s due for about 18 touches each week, can rack up yards, probably still scores over ten touchdowns this year, blah blah blah. Cook has actually seen his snap share drop from 77% in Week 1 down to 69%, 61%, 62%, and finally 57% this past week while Alexander Mattison has carved more of a role for himself while playing 39%, 38%, and 43% of the snaps each of the last three weeks. This backfield is trending in the wrong direction for the RB1. Cook is also barely involved in the passing game and fortunately he’s still produced this year on the ground. But I do believe you can still sell him and get an elite player.

 

Deebo Samuel, SF WR

This may come as a shocker, but he’s really one of the few “sell” candidates that you can probably get an elite option in return just based on Deebo’s name recognition. In 2021, Samuel scored fewer than 15 PPR points just three times. That’s how great he was last year. But we’re five games into the 2022 season and Deebo has scored 15 or fewer PPR points on four different occasions. Sure, if you move the goal posts a bit you’ll see he’s scored 14.6, 14.7, 12.9, 23.7, and 13.2 fantasy points each week. Good floor? Sure, but are you satisfied with that return given the draft capital you invested? He’ll have the occasional big game. He’s a playmaker and always a threat to turn the shortest pass at the line of scrimmage into a big gain and a score. But I don’t think it hurts to test the water to see what you can get in return for this human highlight reel. Remember, he was fifth in receiving yards in 2021 but outside the top 25 in aDOT. That’s a testament to how good he is, but if we’re getting a hodgepodge of 13-point fantasy efforts on average then I would look to sell.

 

Najee Harris, PIT RB

You may need to consider Harris as a “Hold” candidate because if you do sell him you likely won’t be pleased with the return. But he’s far from the every down back he was in 2021. His production a year ago was dependent on a heavy workload and we’ve seen that cut back in 2022. He only has two touchdowns on the year and he could only muster 20 rushing yards on 11 carries in Week 5. Jaylen Warren got more run with the offense in garbage time and with a matchup against Tampa Bay coming up we could see a similar game script that makes Harris largely unplayable in Week 6.

 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC RB

I have been looking to deal Edwards-Helaire wherever I roster him. The saving grace for CEH so far has been that he’s finding the end zone as ugly as it may be. He scored five touchdowns in his first four games and even had another Monday night but he was ruled down at the one-yard line and the touchdown came off the board. He was likely exposed Monday night as he touched the ball just eight times through three quarters for a total of 27 yards. And mind you, this is a “sell” section because everyone on the internet knows you can’t sell high with Edwards-Helaire. He’s not a top five running back. Probably not even a top ten running back. But given how the landscape has changed in the past week you can still find a suitor. Maybe target the 0-5 or 1-4 team in your league and offer them CEH and another player they can easily start in their lineup to help you upgrade at a position of need. CEH can still be sold as a player on a productive offense that has been finding the end zone.

 

AJ Dillon, GB RB

Truthfully, Dillon may be finding himself in the “Hold” territory because he’s seen at least 14 touches in four of his first five games this year. But aside from his Week 1 performance he’s been a disappointment the last month. He’s averaging just 3.7 yards per carry over his last four games and has just four catches with no touchdowns in that span. The snap share has been split evenly with Aaron Jones, but this past Sunday Jones saw 46 snaps to Dillon’s 20. And even when Dillon was on the field for Green Bay’s last two offensive plays in the red zone, he was in there purely for pass protection. If you can sell him on the touches through the first four games then great, but we’re looking at a touchdown dependent player right now and one that’ll likely be on your bench.

 

Diontae Johnson, PIT WR

It’s hard to imagine selling a wideout who has double-digit targets in four of five games this year. However, despite the target share, Johnson hasn’t found the end zone and he’s topped 70 receiving yards just once. He’s serviceable in PPR formats but you might be able to sell him for a decent offensive piece. The other point of concern is that George Pickens looks to have emerged as Kenny Pickett’s favorite deep threat. Pickett puts a concentrated effort to move the ball down the field and he’s connected with Pickett who has back-to-back games of 80+ receiving yards. The rookie is trending up, while Johnson is trending down.

 

Ezekiel Elliott, DAL RB

The good news for Zeke is that he has 15+ carries in four straight games. The bad news is that every other aspect of his game looks pretty bad. He has just one touchdown on the year and just FIVE catches through as many games. He’s still getting more touches and snaps than Tony Pollard, but Pollard has been far more efficient with the football and he found the end zone on Sunday. The Cowboys seem content with this 60/40 split in favor of Zeke, which we knew was a likely scenario heading into the year. However, Elliott isn’t doing much with the workload. He may be a tough sell candidate but if you can pitch him to someone in need of a running back, his production can only get better once Dak Prescott returns.

 

 

Fantasy Football Players to Hold

 

DJ Moore, CAR WR

It’s been wildly frustrating for the Panthers WR1 this year. I know many people are looking to drop him, and I get it. Personally I can’t do that unless I’m absolutely desperate five weeks into the season. Moore hasn’t topped 60 receiving yards in a game yet and he has just one touchdown. But there has been an effort to get him going. He has 19 targets in his last two games. The Panthers let go of Matt Rhule on Monday. Baker Mayfield is going to miss some time. It hasn’t been pretty and it likely doesn’t get better this week with PJ Walker under center. But if and when Sam Darnold is able to return, maybe we see more production from Moore. I get the frustration and realistically he has always been more of a WR2, than WR1. But with the Panthers likely realizing this season is a loss, let’s keep an ear to the ground if they end up moving some players for draft capital. Given the NFL’s trade deadline history, it’s unlikely, but I’d still hold Moore for now.

 

Kyle Pitts, ATL TE

Truth be told, what could you honestly get for him at this point anyway? Whether it’s been the lack of targets, the injury designation this past week, or the fact this elite tight end still only has one career touchdown, it’s been awfully annoying to roster Kyle Pitts. But the tight end position is such a mess that you can’t trade him because you aren’t getting a player in return that can match his upside. And you certainly can’t drop him because the position lacks depth. Sadly, you hold him. The pedigree is still there and he’s essentially a wide receiver that’s credited with playing tight end, but we haven’t seen that usage so far in 2022 and the coaching staff has been prickly about this as well. The passing totals for Atlanta are a big concern especially this past week when they were down 21 points at one point and still put an emphasis on running the ball. Marcus Mariota has attempted over 30 pass attempts just once in five games. But when Pitts returns you have to swallow your pride and keep him on your team unless you can get somewhat of a return for him.

 

Taysom Hill, NO TE

We all know the problem with Taysom Hill. We can’t always expect him to do what he did on Sunday to the tune of four touchdowns. Most weeks when you’re playing him you’re likely hoping for just one goal line touchdown and you’ll take that from the tight end position. He’s barely on the field for over 40% of the snaps, but when they put the ball in his hands he produces and teams can’t seem to bring him down. No intelligent fantasy football manager is going to give you anything worthwhile for Hill. And dropping him would just mean he’s an easy grab for an owner hungry for tight end production. But this position is so bad outside of Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce. There are plenty of injuries we’re dealing with at the position and we saw Dalton Schultz fail to log a catch for the second straight week. This position is doing what it does best and that’s give us just a couple guys in an elite tier while pissing us off with every other option. Hill’s involvement won’t be consistent and you’ll be pulling your hair out plenty of times when he’s only getting 20% of the snaps and maybe four or five carries each game. But you may need to roster two tight ends going forward and struggle with the weekly decision on playing Hill. We can all fawn over Sunday’s performance, but we’ve seen this before and need to be realistic about what he’s capable of. 
 

 


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