If you play in competent leagues, oftentimes buy-low recommendations aren’t very attainable, as the amount of information available on players leads to smarter decision-making from managers.
A true buy-low requires one to take on risk. This week, we will embrace uncertainty with a few underperforming stars.
Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Every manager with Etienne is unhappy with him right now.
He went down briefly with a shoulder injury Sunday, and Tank Bigsby was the more efficient back on the day. Even if Bigsby takes some work from Etienne on early downs, it’s nothing to fear. You want Bigsby taking the least valuable work away from Etienne, as it protects him from needless harm and keeps him fresh for the high-value touches.
The Jaguars are a mess at the moment, but brighter days are ahead with Doug Pederson halfway out the door. The Jaguars could become sellers near the trade deadline and send Etienne to a contender, but that’s more of a wish than a prediction. The main takeaway is that Etienne is a true buy-low because of the perceived uncertainty of his role. It’s safe, however, and his stock can’t dip lower unless he suffers an injury.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
Certainly, there are issues with the Jets hampering Wilson’s ability to score fantasy points.
Aaron Rodgers‘ slow pace of play limits his volume, while the team’s strong defense won’t create shootout environments very often. We knew this going into the season, though, yet Wilson is still massively underperforming his projection. How is it possible he produced better with Zach Wilson than Aaron Rodgers? It’s a product of three things: matchups, the offensive line and Nathaniel Hackett.
In the first four weeks, Wilson’s primary matchups have come against Charvarius Ward, L’Jarius Sneed, Christian Gonzalez and Patrick Surtain— four of the best corners in the NFL. The offensive line hasn’t held up against those defenses either, limiting Rodgers’ time to throw. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett hasn’t done him any favors, though, running a painfully unimaginative scheme that brings back memories of late-stage Mike McCarthy in Green Bay.
Rodgers likely plays a hand in this as well, as Hackett is an old crony who allows Rodgers to get his way more often than he probably should. This approach has created dismal results before, and that’s what we’re seeing right now. Despite the early troubles, talent tends to win out. The schedule is about to lighten up, and adjustments will be made to get Wilson on track.
Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
After a rough Week 1 for the Falcons, things have turned around and so have London’s prospects for a WR1-level season.
He’s the top pass catcher in Atlanta with inferior talents in Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud as his main competition. Kyle Pitts has become an afterthought, as the player we once knew is gone. As a result, London has registered a strong 27.4% target share through Week 4. If that persists, London is undervalued.
He remains the top red-zone target as well, making him a safe weekly bet given his volume and touchdowns upside. Once Cousins and London are on the same page, we will see higher totals from London.
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