Players with a Downward Arrow: Wide Receiver Edition
It’s that time of the year when the season wraps up and everyone revels in their riches or sulks in their losses. The season is done, the holidays are here, and everyone takes some time away from fantasy football to spend with their loved ones.
I think a little bit differently. I think this is the perfect time to invest some energy into your rosters and start making a plan to sell players whose values are sure to drop next year and beyond, never to recover again. The faster you can recognize such players before your opponents, the better off you’ll be in the long run.
Cooper Kupp, WR LAR
The appropriate time to sell Kupp was somewhere in the first few weeks of the 2019 season when people were debating whether or not he was a WR1, and most people seemed to think that he was. I figured the current production was his ceiling and he had nowhere to go but down.
While his value has gone down a little since then, it also should be noted that Kupp is 27 next year, on a team whose quarterback, coach, roster, and owner are all in question. These are not desirable factors when judging a player’s status, and I tend to shy away from players in turmoil when given the opportunity.
It’s my advice to sell Kupp before Jared Goff under-produces yet again. You can wait until a few months into the off-season when everyone forgets the miserable second-half of the year and when rumors of a Kupp extension kicks in since he’s in the final year of his rookie deal. If you do, you can watch the offers fly in and wait to take the best one on your plate.
Tyler Lockett, WR SEA
Lockett didn’t have the breakout 2019 season that all were expecting, but we can wait and see what he does in the playoffs. All it takes is one big game on the big stage to make Lockett look like a blue-chip asset. Being that Seattle will be without much of a running game, we might get exactly that moving forward.
He’s 27 going on 28 and is passing the torch to a much bigger, stronger, faster receiver in DK Metcalf. The tight end situation is improving with guys like Will Dissly and Jacob Hollister becoming relevant. With so many options, this Seattle offense might change in 2020, making Lockett less relevant simply because there will be more to choose from for QB Russell Wilson. These are all great reasons to sell Lockett in the off-season.
DeVante Parker, WR MIA
This is probably my favorite sell-high in the league. Parker was irrelevant for four-and-a-half seasons. He turns it on in the second half of his fifth year and now he’s a great WR. I think we’re talking about fools gold.
The first thing to consider is his quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has made a career out of targeting one guy each and every game. The second thing to consider is, who else is there to throw to in Miami? Parker owns a monopoly in passing targets. This is sure to change after the draft.
The third thing to consider is that the Dolphins signed him to a contract that has a clause where the Dolphins can get out after the end of next year – not exactly a ringing endorsement by the team. If you truly believed in his future, you wouldn’t need such a clause to exist in the first place.
Sell now while the iron is hot. I’m sure a good negotiator can get a plethora of draft picks with which to pick from. Parker is the best sell-high in all of fantasy football, in my opinion.
Robby Anderson, WR NYJ
I don’t trust deep target WRs such as Anderson. They rarely retain their value from year to year. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen such an overvalued WR like Anderson.
He gets one or two big games a year and then he’s worth a first-round pick forever. He’s never had a 1,000-yard season, he’s never had more than 65 receptions, and his touchdown ceiling is seven. Sell now, get a late first, and move on.
Tyrell Williams, WR OAK
He had a pretty good season in 2019, but let’s not forget that he was supposed to be the WR2 in Oakland to start the year. He would have been a forgotten player if fellow WR Antonio Brown had panned out. I don’t think Oakland stays the course with the current WRs on staff, so I would unload on Williams before it gets too crowded.
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