Fantasy football buy/sell: Otton emerges as Buccaneers’ go-to target
In case you somehow didn’t hear, Sunday was National Tight Ends Day in the NFL. And the production from the position was through the roof.
Fantasy managers can certainly overreact to one week’s worth of stats, but in some cases, there may be underlying reasons for the success those players enjoyed — holiday or not. Of course, there are value pickups available this week at other positions, too, not just at tight end. And there are others whose fantasy stock is fading fast.
Here are some players whose values are trending upward (or downward) as a result of their performances in Week 8:
Fantasy football players to buy for Week 9
TE Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: When Mike Evans and Chris Godwin went down last week, it wasn’t clear where all those available targets would go. QB Baker Mayfield leaned heavily on Otton, connecting with his tight end nine times for 81 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens: Andrews started the season in rather rough fashion, and perhaps he wasn’t quite 100% in the first month. He is averaging four receptions per game across the past four outings, and he has scored at least one touchdown in three in a row. He is back to TE1 status.
RB De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins: Achane was one of many Miami players glad to see Tua Tagovailoa back under center in Week 8. Achane ran for 97 yards, while adding six receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Now that he has an NFL-caliber quarterback again, he is back to RB1 fantasy status.
WR Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns: Since the Browns traded Amari Cooper to Buffalo, Tillman has stepped up his game. He is the top target in the Cleveland passing attack, and he jelled nicely with QB Jameis Winston for seven catches, 99 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens.
WR Tank Dell, Houston Texans: Dell is the last man standing in H-Town. Nico Collins is on injured reserve, and Stefon Diggs left Sunday’s game with a knee injury. In line to be the Texans’ WR1, Dell found the end zone in Week 8. Don’t expect much competition from John Metchie III or Xavier Hutchinson for targets.
Fantasy football players to sell for Week 9
RB Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals: Moss had five rushing attempts for just 11 yards in Week 8, and he could not take advantage of Chase Brown struggling a bit. Moss now has four consecutive games with single-digit carries, and he has 13 or fewer rushing yards in each of his last three. Expected to start going into the season, Moss is clearly the backup now.
RB Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons: In two games since his 100-yard performance in a favorable matchup at Carolina, Allgeier has run 17 times for 69 yards. He averaged just 2.8 yards per attempt in Week 8, and is the clear No. 2 as long as Bijan Robinson remains healthy.
WR DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots: This isn’t really Douglas’ fault, but he is back to fizzling. When rookie QB Drake Maye took over the offense, Douglas suddenly saw a jump in production. But in Week 8, Maye was knocked out, and with Jacoby Brissett back in there, Douglas was back to being a do-nothing.
WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers: Reed has managed just two catches apiece in the past two games, and now he is staring at another setback with QB Jordan Love dealing with a groin injury. Reed is not necessarily worth benching yet, but he is tumbling down the rankings.
WR Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts: Pittman just cannot get on the same page with QB Anthony Richardson, who misfired on 22 of his 32 pass attempts in Week 8. WR Josh Downs sucked up all of the available targets, leaving crumbs for Pittman. He needs veteran Joe Flacco back in there, stat.