Week 5 marks the beginning of the bye week season, with the Chiefs and the Panthers taking the week off. This introduces a new aspect of Fantasy Football trading: good teams targeting bad teams with players on bye. The truth is, a 0-4 or 1-3 team cannot be as picky when it comes to replacing guys who won't score any points for them in Week 5. And, of course, good teams will find replacing a zero much more palatable. The way I presented this may make you think I'm framing the bad teams as the victims here. That may be true, but it doesn't have to be. In leagues where half the teams make the playoffs, this game is as much about survival as anything.
So if you are the team with a bad record, you should definitely consider selling your players on bye to get a win this week. The same goes for injured players. It just so happens that an injured guy is my favorite buy this week. At the same time, if you are sitting at 3-1 or better, go scour those cellar dweller rosters and see if you can make your team better for the stretch run.
Buy Ladd McConkey
McConkey sustained a chest injury earlier in the year and is now expected to miss time due to a foot injury. He was drafted in the first four rounds of almost all drafts and hasn't helped his manager much at all. In other words, there's a chance they are approaching desperation mode. If you can afford to wait for him to get healthy, there are promising signs in the underlying data. He's still averaging 2.13 yards per route run and 10.76 yards per target despite playing most of the year at less than 100%. Those are both better than his career averages. Also, the other receivers have not stepped up in his absence, so once McConkey is healthy, his target share could truly explode. The Chargers have a Week 7 bye, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if McConkey is a top 20 receiver from Week 8 on.
Sell Derrick Henry
I definitely feel like the boy who cried wolf right about now. We've been cautious about Henry for the last three years, and he's been awesome. It may happen again. But there are warning signs. The Ravens' run blocking has taken a major hit, first from the loss of Tyler Linderbaum and Patrick Ricard, and more recently from a mounting injury list on the offensive line. Now they are likely going to be without Lamar Jackson for at least a week, maybe longer. Henry's yards before contact per rush attempt (1.01) is his lowest since he joined the Ravens. He's averaging 4.2 yards per carry and the defenses he's faced have collectively allowed 4.3 yards per carry. The Falcons look like the best run defense he's faced, and with Tyler Huntley at quarterback, it could be ugly. Henry is the number four running back in Fantasy through four weeks, and I would expect him to be in the top 12 conversation for the rest of the season, so look to sell for a ransom. Dealing with him could be a great way to replace multiple injured players, as he should bring multiple starters. I would target a low-end RB1 and a starting wide receiver or tight end.
