Buy & Sell

We're barrelling towards the mid-point of the fantasy regular season and I think it's time we take a look at some players that are good acquisitions for the second-half of the season, and also take note of some players who you might want to consider selling.

STRONG BUY: QB, Byron Leftwich
Byron Leftwich is now statistically a Top-5 fantasy QB in many leagues' scoring systems, but that isn't the reason you should be looking to acquire this laser-guided passer. Have you seen Jacksonville's upcoming schedule? 3 out of their next 4 games are against Houston and Tennessee. In addition, the Jags have a very pass-friendly fantasy playoff schedule. If you've been struggling to find a must-start QB, you should seriously consider using Leftwich's week 6 bye as an opportunity to try and deal for him now before Lefty's stats start knocking on Peyton Manning's door. It's very conceivable that Leftwich will be 2nd only to McNabb in QB fantasy scoring by the time mid-November rolls around. For Leftwich, Christmas came early in the form of Maurice Jones-Drew.

SELL: QB, Peyton Manning
I know this is playing with fire as Peyton is still an ultra-reliable fantasy option, but if you've got some depth ie, Grossman, Kitna, Brees, Carr you may want to put some feelers out to see what kind of a package you could get for Peyton Manning. Indy's second-half schedule is pretty tough, and this offense is clearly a step behind previous years production levels. Their fantasy playoff schedule also worries me greatly with a road game in Jacksonville and then back in the dome to face Cincinnati, both teams are capable of taking advantage of Indy's poor run defense and keep Peyton off the field with long, sustained drives. I'm also worried about that Week 16 game in Houston. It looks great on paper, but if Indy continues to win albeit tight games, that could easily be a game that Peyton, Marvin, Wayne etc. don't see 4 quarters. Are we nitpicking, maybe a little, but its not all peaches and cream for the Colts offense anymore.

BUY: RB, Willis McGahee
Willis McGahee has really been having one of those 'under the radar' type seasons thus far, and truthfully that's pretty much standard fare for McGahee who continues to log mondo touches but never seems to get any endzone love. However, if you read the tea leaves it would seem that McGahee could be well-positioned to be one of those guys who gets hot just when you need him most. Buffalo has an attractive playoff schedule @NYJ - Mia - Ten and with all of those games being played in the state of New York, cold weather, wind, snow etc. may make those games very run-heavy. Maybe McGahee's mediocrity continues, but if you're looking for a late-season spark he might provide it.

STRONG SELL: RB, Reggie Bush
I know he's been serviceable in PPR leagues, but don't let his first NFL touchdown get you starry-eyed. Use this as 'the' opportunity to move Bush off your roster. You overpayed for him on draft day, now it's time to get some of that value back. Bush will be challenged all season long to get consistent scoring opportunities and McAllister's resurgence is all but destroying Bush's chances of toting the rock 18-20 times per game. He catches too many short passes to be a prolific fantasy wide receiver, and doesn't get enough carries to be a stud running back. A jack of all trades and an expert in nothing, no good. Dish him while you can.

STRONG BUY: WR, Deion Branch
This is a real shark move if you can pull it off. When the Branch deal went down and he landed in Seattle, I immediately circled Week 6 as Branch's 'coming out' party. He's now had ample time to practice, get some game reps in, and also get familiar with the organization and locker room dynamics. The Seahawks have a very pass-friendly schedule and there is no reason to believe Branch's role in this offense won't continue to grow as the season progresses. The time is now to scoop up Branch if you can, his value is as ripe for the picking as its ever going to get. In a few weeks he may be unattainable, especially if Engram's health and Burleson's drops continue to be issues.

SELL: WR, Santana Moss
This isn't a 'strong sell' but if you can get a nice package for Santana Moss right now, I'd give it some serious thought. This week Moss plays at home against Tennessee so this could be the peak of the season for the Redskins offense and Santana Moss in particular. I know the Redskins torched a good Jaguars defense recently but I'm still not a believer in Mark Brunell's ability to keep up this level of production. Moss will have those monster games every now and then and after this week, it could be two big games out of his last three, which essentially means his value is about to hit the roof. With an upcoming bye, and matchups against @Ind, Dal, @phi, Car, Atl, Phi, a timely sale after this week's Tennessee game might be a real shark move.

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