Every year there is always the week 1 panic that goes through every owners head when one of his top picks does not live up to the hype. This season there have been plenty of players not playing as expected and you can easily target them if their owners are panicking.
QB Targets
Now that Thursday night football has already went down we know Peyton Manning is going to be ok but his brother Eli not so much. If you are desperate for a QB in a larger league, you can easily target Eli Manning for a low cost. The younger Manning scored only 7 points in week 1 and now is going up against the same Atlanta team that gave the NFC East favorite Philadelphia Eagles a loss in week 1. Manning is certainly a target this week and could easily be a target next week. A second potential option to target is Cam Newton who similar to Eli Manning struggled in week 1. Newton is currently the 21st ranked QB and many people are already looking at the Kelvin Benjamin injury and have deemed Cam’s season over. Newton will play some weak defenses this year including the Bucs twice as well as the Saints twice and to top it all off they play Washington at home in week 11. Newton will simply wreck these defenses and after week 2 when he will matchup against the Texans, Newton will still likely be at the bottom of the QB leaderboard. As far as QB’s goes you can get Manning for the lower price but his upside is not has high. Newton will cost a bit more but his upside is far better.
RB Targets
There were plenty of week 1 surprises such as Chris Ivory breaking out and Adrian Peterson playing sub par. Carlos Hyde also had a great week 1 and is currently the top running back. Hyde for Peterson would be a great trade believe it or not, Peterson is still in my opinion the superior of the two backs despite Hyde outplaying Peterson in week 1. If any panicking Peterson owner puts him on the trade block you need to look at making a move. Another alternative to Peterson is LeSean McCoy. McCoy only scored 8 points in week 1 which like Peterson was a preseason favorite at the running back position. LeSean McCoy would be a lower cost because he is known for being injury prone. McCoy has missed time in his career with injuries and was hurt in the preseason. McCoy will get touches when he is on the field but unless he is on the field he has no value. If a panicking McCoy owner puts him on the block move one of your week 1 middle of the line guys. Breakout week 1 players like Austin Seferian-Jenkins or Carson Palmer who both went undrafted would be great trade values. Peterson and McCoy would have significantly more value over the course of a season than Palmer and ASJ will.
WR Targets
There were plenty of week 1 players who underperformed in week 1. Many of them came at the receiver position. Odell Beckham Jr. saw 4 points in week 1 and he broke his streak of scoring a touchdown in each game that dated back to last season. OBJ scoring 4 points in week 1 suprised me and many owners who viewed him as their guy. OBJ underperformed in week 1 and many people now see the madden curse looming over his head. James Jones was one of my waiver wire targets and if you picked him up an OBJ for James Jones trade would be a great idea. A second guy you can go after is Calvin Johnson who is the receiving version of LeSean McCoy. If he is on the field he is great but he is injury prone and always will be. Calvin Johnson scored 3 points in week 1 and Megatron needs to have a better week 2 if he wants to stay at the top. Trade any of the breakout week 1 players for Megatron, Johnson has a higher ceiling than the week 1 only guys. Odell has the higher cost but the higher ceiling simply because he is more popular than Johnson. Johnson would still be a high cost with a high ceiling but lower than OBJ.
TE Targets
There is only one true tight end target this week and it is the obvious Greg Olsen. Olsen scored a single point in week 1 and now going into week 2 against Houston, I do not see Olsen’s situation improving. Olsen is a target this week and I could see him staying as a target into week 2. Look to trade a breakout week 1 guy for Olsen. There is a drawback with Olsen. Do not give up a bigger piece of your team. For example do not trade Carlos Hyde for Olsen. You can trade a decent player but do not trade one of your top guy for Olsen, Olsen is a tight end which is the position that is dominated by Gronk, then the rest. After week 1 I do not seeing the tight ends playing nearly as well. Trade for Olsen only if you need him but do not give up too much.