Tuesday Transactions: Week 12
The countdown is on. We are two weeks away from the start of most fantasy playoff matchups and the Thanksgiving week of football always brings excitement in my household. By now, the contenders and pretenders have taken shape and there is little time to kick things into gear if you still have hopes for a championship. It is a short week as football starts in two days.
Here are five transactions to make ahead of week 12.
Gardner Minshew, QB JAC – Sell
The Jake Luton experiment appears to be over in Jacksonville. After a hot start, Luton has turned in back-to-back duds and was atrocious Sunday against the Steelers. With his thumb fracture healed and the number two pick all but locked in, the Jaguars likely go back to Minshew for the rest of the season in hopes to gain some value back on his trade stock.
The schedule is moderately tough, but fantasy managers can hope Minshew will bring some of the upside he has shown in his first year and a half in the NFL.
The Move – Approach the Drew Brees, Nick Foles, Teddy Bridgewater, Joe Burrow, or any other quarterback-needy team and see if they want an extra option or replacement. The value bottomed-out on Minshew just a few weeks back and this may be the last sell window.
Any second-round pick is an automatic accept in superflex and even a swap to a future option like Jalen Hurts or Jameis Winston would be a fair deal.
Tee Higgins, WR CIN – Buy
Through 11 weeks, Higgins currently sits at the WR27 for the season and provided fantasy managers who drafted him with potential in-mind were seeing the fruits of their pick earlier than expected. With Joe Burrow’s injury ending his season, the upside and weekly usability of the former Clemson star is also done for.
The connection with Burrow, the ascension on the depth chart quicker than expected, and the overall profile (entire season at age 21 and draft capital) makes Higgins a perfect target. His price will not completely bottom out, but there is no doubt he can be acquired cheaper over the next few weeks than he could have prior to this weekend.
The Move – Regardless of your team status, any future first-round pick is worth sending for Higgins. In superflex, any pick that projects outside of the top five is a fair price. As a rebuilding team, try dealing a veteran receiver away to the Higgins manager if they were using his production to win games. Cooper Kupp is a perfect pivot option that you could send over in a deal for Higgins and feel okay about it in a few months.
James White, RB NE – Buy
To be fair, this one is a very low-level move that many teams may not see as interesting. However, the torn ACL club welcomed another member with Rex Burkhead going down on Sunday and White was revitalized. He saw five carries and nine targets and finished as RB15 on the week.
It looked like White was being phased out prior to this week and despite the mini breakout from Damien Harris, he has only seen four targets in seven games. Sony Michel’s return from injured reserve does not threaten the passing game work and JJ Taylor has been missing due to undisclosed reasons. White should have some short-term value down the stretch.
The Move – A zero running back team or a team who lost any of the many position casualties could take a chance on paying a third for White. His role is clear, the lack of production and outlook (he will be a free agent) could make him very available. A contender should be interested if needing the extra depth.
Robert Tonyan, TE GB – Sell
Amazingly, Tonyan currently sits as TE6 on the season and is coming off his second double-figure performance of the year. Welcome to the current state of the position. There are many arguments you can make for the third-year man being a long-term asset, but I am skeptical.
His lack of investment capital, the lack of historical production from the position and the presence of Jace Sternberger is reason to sell high. Furthermore, can the opportunity Tonyan has earned this season be due to the lack of weapons in the Green Bay offense?
The Move – Dalton Schultz also fits in this same mold but the attachment to Rodgers and the perception of his upside makes Tonyan a classic sell candidate. A rebuilding team should shop him for any second-round pick in a start two tight end league and would consider a third-round pick in a tight end premium format. Attempt to get another player thrown into the deal (Chris Herndon comes to mind) and hope the value variance falls your way next year.
Rodney Smith, RB CAR – Add
With the news of Christian McCaffrey still being week-to-week and the Panthers facing a showdown in Minnesota on Sunday, a loss could bury any chances of turning the season around. Smith has served as the backup to Mike Davis over the past two weeks and has logged 12 touches after Reggie Bonnafon landed on injured reserve. The rookie from Minnesota is the next man up and is worth a pickup. At this point, any back getting work should be on a dynasty roster.
The Move – Like Salvon Ahmed a few weeks back, add Smith on any roster with more than 28 roster spots and prioritize on teams with less than a full PPR or points per carry. The Panthers, albeit an average team, have shown a history of giving clear opportunity to only two ball-carriers and you never know who could be relevant down the stretch. Davis has a significant injury history and there is nobody else in line for carries.
CONCLUSION
It is crunch time. Weekly maneuvers are necessarily due to virus impacts and for many leagues, the trade dealing is rapidly approaching or already here. I am not going to attempt to project the season for the next five weeks given how quickly it can change.
Instead, use this short week to accumulate depth and hope it can get you through the next month as you continue to make a push for the title. If your dynasty team is out of the race, be aggressive. Contending teams need stability and points, hit them up.
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