10 Fantasy Football Buy Low Candidates

I feel like I lost some of your already. Wait, come back and I’ll explain. I’ll wait a second until that vomit that crept up the back of your throat clears. Ok, good? Great. Henry owners are most likely ready to cut bait and are most likely worried that he’s washed up and has become just another notch on Father Time’s belt. That’s not what’s going on in Baltimore. Henry’s best blocker is Lamar Jackson, as when the Ravens QB is in the game, the defenses have to respect his running ability. Lamar will be gone for another couple of weeks, so you may have to wait until Week 8 when the Ravens come back from their bye to fire King Henry up with any confidence, but there is reason for optimism.

Henry has shown he isn’t washed yet with a few solid runs, and all he needs is a full complement of carries to rumble his way back into the top 10 amongst fantasy backs. After the Week 7 bye, the Ravens’ final 11 games include matchups against soft run defenses like Miami, the Jets, Minnesota, two against Pittsburgh, and two against Cincinnati. The Ravens will start to get some of their walking wounded back, and your window to buy King Henry at a discount may not be very large. I would count on another down game this weekend against the Rams and then make an offer for him while he’s on his bye. Offer a package of Jacory Croskey Merritt and Quenten Johnston for him, or go straight up with somebody like Jaylen Waddle or George Pickens.

2) TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots

The window to buy him cheap may be closed already, but let’s hope Mike Vrabel stifles him for one more week behind Rhomondre Stephenson for no apparent reason. The season-ending injury to Antonio Gibson is going to give his owner hope that this young stud that they drafted in the 4th round is ready to break out, but another week of watching Rhomondre scoring twice may be enough to break them. The breakout is coming, and once it happens, there won’t be any looking back for this explosive talent out of Ohio State. It’s going to take a serious offer, but in the end, it will be worth it. I would offer D.K. Metcalf, mentioning that he’s clear of his bye week, hoping that piques some interest. If it’s going to be a running back for running back, I would consider somebody like Javonte Williams for Henderson, plus an upgrade at another position.

3) Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Panthers

McMillan is another player whose window may be closing. He had a couple of touchdowns Sunday against the Cowboys, so we can probably forget buying him on the cheap. Even with the TDs, his yardage total was rather unimpressive, so some might see them as a bit of a fluke. Why would we want this guy if he can’t score against the miserable Cowboys defense anyway?

The talent is undeniable as McMillan has looked like a natural route runner and pass-catcher so far through five weeks. The issue has been with Bryce Young and a high number of uncatchable targets. McMillan ranks as the #33 WR in fantasy points per game with four deep targets and three red zone targets. He has a 22.8% target share and a 28.4% first-read share, so he’s their clear number 1 option in the passing game. The bottom line is he’s been involved, and he’s only getting better. If you act quickly, you may be able to get Tet and another upgrade somewhere by dangling a hot name like George Pickens or Deebo Samuel. Ideally, the best time to trade one of those older players is right after a big game.

4) R.J. Harvey, RB, Denver

He was drafted somewhere around the fourth or fifth round, and he’s been J.K. Dobbins’ backup since day one. The tricky part here is that most Harvey owners were also able to grab Dobbins late and have them both on their roster. If the Harvey owner in your league doesn’t have Dobbins, you may still have a chance to buy him at a discount to stash on your bench until later in the season. His owner knows what he’s capable of, but we have to hope that he’s in need of a starter right now and will need to move the young star for some immediate help. Dobbins has been hurt every single season of his career, and it’s just a matter of time before Harvey is forced into action as the Denver feature back. I would be willing to give up Jacory Croskey Merritt now to secure Harvey for the homestretch of this season.

5) Matthew Golden, WR, Packers

Golden is our fourth rookie on the list, who was taken with high expectations. Most of his owners grabbed the Packers‘ top draft pick in the 7-8th round as their WR3 or 4, hoping they snagged Green Bay’s new alpha pass catcher. So far, the results have been less than amazing, but they have been improving. Let’s hope his owners are more focused on the fact that he hasn’t eclipsed 60 yards in a single game and not the fact that his snaps have gone up every week, as have his routes run and his target percentage. In the Packers’ last game, they began to use Golden in the slot, and that may end up being the game-changer for him this season. He’s another young player whose window will close quickly with a big performance, but if you can get him now for somebody like Romeo Doubs, Jerry Jeudy, or Calvin Ridley, pull the trigger.

6) Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville

OK, now we move from the promising rookies who haven’t clicked yet back to a high draft pick that’s given his owners nothing but annoyance this season. BTJ was taken right at the end of the first/beginning of the second round in most drafts this year, and he’s been a mess. The entire Jaguar passing game has been a disappointment as Trevor Lawrence has only averaged about 200 yards passing per game, thanks to the team’s defense leading the league in turnovers and a surprise 4-1 record.

The Jags haven’t really needed their passing game very much this season, but that will likely change. Lawrence has been looking for Thomas, as he still leads the Jacksonville receiving room in targets (38) as well as yards per catch. With an increase in volume, we should see an increase in production as witnessed with his TD catch on Sunday. Still, Thomas isn’t going to give his owner the return that others drafted around him, like Puka Nacua or Amon Ra St. Brown will, but he can still be a top 20 WR for the rest of the way. I would offer somebody like Stephon Diggs or Quenten Johnston for him and see if his owner will bite.

7) Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers

The second round was pretty rough on us this year, especially when it came to wide receivers. McConkey was over-drafted this year in the second round, but he isn’t this bad. Chances are, his manager is hurting right now and can use some bodies to fill his active lineup. The writing was on the wall when the Chargers added Keenan Allen to their roster late in the preseason as his profile is very similar to McConkey’s, so this slow start isn’t a surprise. Justin Herbert has been locking in on his first love, Allen and Ladd’s numbers have been suffering.

Deep threat, Quenten Johnston has been the Chargers’ most productive pass catcher through the first five weeks, but that should change going forward. The collective loss of both Najee Harris and Omarian Hampton, as well as offensive linemen Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, is going to really hurt both the running game and the deep passing game. I expect the Bolts to focus on getting the ball out of Herbert’s hands quickly, and that should mean more work for both Allen and Ladd. Ladd has already been leading the team in first read targets, and as the season wears on, we should expect the older receiver, Allen, to become less and less effective. If you can trade Keenan Allen straight up for Ladd right now, do it. If you have to sweeten the deal with a band-aid back like Michael Carter or Rachaad White, I would still do it.

8) A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles

I told you the second round was rough, and we didn’t even mention Tyreek Hill or Tee Higgins. Brown’s owners are way down on him and the entire Eagles passing game right now, and for good reason. Brown entered this week’s matchup with the Giants with just one game with more than 10 fantasy points. His owners may be ready to move on after he failed to score a touchdown against New York, even though he was able to catch a season high 8 passes. The volume is only going to increase as Philadelphia needs to stay balanced to win games. While they will never be a high-volume passing offense, the targets will remain funneled to Brown, Smith, and Goedert, with A.J. having the highest ceiling of the trio. If you can pry him away from his owner in exchange for somebody like Jordan Addison, who will be clear of his bye after this week, or Xavier Worthy, who will likely take a backseat to Rashee Rice when he returns, do it.

9) T.J. Hockenson, TE, Vikings

Last year, we were patiently waiting for him to round into form as he was returning from a knee injury. While he didn’t appear in a game until Week 9, it didn’t take very long before he began to contribute, as he posted 8 grabs for 72 yards in Week 10. It was up and down for most of 2024, but he was able to stay on the field, and we all assumed that a healthy off-season would give us something close to the 2023 version of Hock, who totaled 95 catches for 960 yards and 5 scores.

That hasn’t been the case as of yet, but there is some reason for optimism. J.J. McCarthy is going to return under center after the Vikings return from their bye, and my guess is that they will try and keep the offense simple for him. That means it will be Justin Jefferson as the main pass target all over the field, Jordan Addison as the field stretcher, with Hockenson as the short-yardage guy. In college, McCarthy’s favorite target was Colston Loveland, so we know he’s able to find the tight end. The biggest attraction here is that he should be cheap, as he’s likely on somebody’s bench. If you’re hurting for a tight end, he’s probably going to be better than the week-to-week streaming options you’ve been using. Don’t give up much to get him. I would offer a bye week, flex option like Kareem Hunt, or a handcuff running back like Jaydon Blue. Just keep in mind that trading away a guy like Blue is the equivalent of buying somebody a lottery ticket for their birthday. While it would be nice for the other guy if that ticket hits, we might have some mixed emotions about it.

10) Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers

This guy should be pretty easy to pry away from his owner after the Steelers likely cost him a win in Week 4 with his last-minute inactive status being announced while many of us were still asleep. Add to that the fact that his replacement, Kenneth Gainwell, ran all over the Vikings, and we haven’t heard from Warren since. Well, the Steelers had a bye in Week 5, so there’s a reason why we haven’t heard from him or any of his teammates. Warren is fully healthy and will move back into the 1 spot in Pittsburgh’s backfield.

In the Steelers’ Week 3 game, Warren was on the field for 80% of the snaps to Gainwell’s 26% and he finally looked like the back we drafted. He didn’t have an amazing day, but he contributed as both a runner and pass catcher with 47 yards on 18 carries and another 34 on 5 catches. If we are going to get anywhere near 20 combined rush attempts and pass targets every week, Warren will be a top 12 back for the remainder of the season on volume alone. Don’t break the bank to get him, but if you can get him as a “throw-in” when you sell high on a guy like Cam Skattebo, you will win the deal at season’s end. Imagine a deal where you trade Cam Skattebo and Quenten Johnston for Jaylen Warren and Ladd McConkey. They’ll laugh at you and think you’re crazy, but they won’t be laughing at the end of the season when you’re cashing a big check.