The fantasy football waiver wire can only improve your team so much. Sometimes you need to make a bold trade to unlock your team's full potential.
Good news: The time to strike is now.
We're three weeks into the NFL season, which is long enough to determine which players might be fantasy studs yet short enough to leave the door open for improvement or regression.
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Savvy fantasy owners can exploit both sides of this coin by acquiring talented players off to slow starts who may have brighter days ahead, or dealing away players who came out on fire but likely won't be able to sustain that success.
We're here to help you become a (more) savvy fantasy owner. So, here are four players to "buy low," meaning you should trade for them now.
Buy Low
Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans: Gardner Minshew and Ryan Fitzpatrick both have more fantasy points than Watson this season. But Minshew and Fitzpatrick haven't had to play the Chiefs, Ravens and Steelers over the first three weeks. Watson's brutal schedule gets much easier going forward (vs. Minnesota, vs. Jacksonville, at Tennessee, at Green Bay) so expect him to return to QB1 form.
David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears: Montgomery has dealt with a groin injury and hasn't seen more than 16 rushing attempts in a game this season. Now that Tarik Cohen is out for the season with a torn ACL, however, Chicago should lean more heavily on Montgomery in his sophomore season.
James White, RB, New England Patriots: White missed New England's last two games after the tragic death of his father and may be overlooked in fantasy circles. Rex Burkhead won't be catching seven passes a game when White returns, though. Cam Newton should target the Patriots' top pass-catching back plenty when he returns to action.
A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans: Feeling dangerous? Go out and grab Brown, who could miss his third game in a row this week (if that game even happens) with a knee injury. While the injury is a red flag, Brown could be a top-20 receiver when healthy, and his value likely will never be lower.
Time to get pessimistic. Here are four players to "sell high," meaning you should trade them away.
Sell High
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers: Yes, the Rodgers Revenge Tour is off to a smashing start. But the NFL's saltiest quarterback has also lit up two questionable defenses in the Lions and Vikings and has a brutal stretch after Green Bay's Week 6 bye that includes the league's top three passing defenses in the Colts, 49ers and Texans. Besides, do you trust Rodgers to maintain this level of play at age 36?
James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Conner is off to another great start, but we've seen this story before. The fourth-year back has missed 11 games over the last three seasons due to various injuries and likely can't sustain this pace for the entire campaign. Expect Pittsburgh to manage his workload with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland in the mix.
Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams: Henderson has come through in back-to-back weeks for managers who scooped him off the waiver wire. Cam Akers shouldn't miss too much more time, though, meaning Henderson will have to split carries with the rookie and Malcolm Brown going forward. Not ideal.
D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks: The good news: Metcalf has tallied at least 92 receiving yards and one touchdown in each of his first three games. The less good news: He's caught four passes in each of those games. That lack of volume suggests a regression once (if?) Russell Wilson stops throwing five touchdown passes per game. Deal Metcalf while he's hot.