Fantasy football is back! Some players will live up to their ADP. Some won’t. Others will greatly outproduce it. But week one is all about mirages. With teams still figuring out their identities, there are a ton of anomalies that take place. Certain players will flame up with huge performances, only to fizzle out for the rest of the year. The best thing to do with these types of players is to sell them high while they are at the top of their game. Delanie Walker, Patrick Mahomes, and Marquise Brown are three of those players.
Delanie Walker, Patrick Mahomes Highlight Sell High Fantasy Football Candidates
Delanie Walker
Delanie Walker has played in the league for a long time. In fact, the 35-year-old tight end is coming into his 14th NFL season. He is already way past the average lifespan of an NFL player. Prior to his injury week one of the 2018 season, Walker was a top ten tight end for years. After that, he fell down draft boards, with many wondering whether or not he could come back from the injury or not at his advanced age.
Well, he quieted his doubters week one against the Cleveland Browns. Walker scored two touchdowns en route to five catches for 55 yards. This good for the TE4 spot for the week, putting him right back on the radar in an eternally fickle tight end landscape. At the moment, he looks like he returns right back to being quarterback Marcus Mariota’s favorite target.
But this won’t last. Walker’s numbers are buoyed by his two touchdowns. The Titans also have other young players who will likely have more endurance down the stretch than Walker. Rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown looked great in his first game of action, and will likely become more and more a part of the game pan. Former first-round pick Corey Davis was shut out in the game, but won’t be for the entire season.
Mariota completed just 14 passes week one, and Walker was responsible for more than a third of them. His numbers are just unsustainable, os it would be a good idea to sell him now, when his value could be at its peak. Look for the owner of Vance McDonald, who is probably disappointed. An even better option would be the person who has Hunter Henry, since news of his knee injury broke after waivers cleared.
Patrick Mahomes
It sounds ludicrous to try and sell Patrick Mahomes, the reigning MVP of the NFL. Especially after he picked up right where he left off in 2018. Mahomes racked up over 300 yards passing and two touchdowns before halftime against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished with 378 yards and three touchdowns, looking like he might well be the QB1 OVR yet again.
But a deeper look shows some concerns. Mahomes injured his ankle a little bit before halftime. He went into the medical tent and got his ankle heavily taped up. He came back into the game, but he obviously hampered. He couldn’t plant on that foot, and was visibly limping around the field.
The Chiefs are saying he is fine, but is he really? An ankle injury could sometimes last all season, and his limited mobility puts him at risk for another injury.
Now Patrick Mahomes will still play, and probably still play well. But his fantasy numbers might take a hit. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to find someone willing to buy Mahomes at a high price. Remember, some leagues had him off the board in the first-round. Find a need and send out some feelers. It’s not hard to find another starting-caliber quarterback on the waiver wire.
Marquise Brown
It seems odd to try to sell high on a wide receiver who was probably on the waiver a week ago. But that is exactly what people who went after and attained Marquise Brown. Brown dazzled in his first game as a Baltimore Raven. “Hollywood” Brown put up four catches for a ridiculous 147 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, his first two catches went for over 45 yards and a touchdown each.
Those numbers are already unsustainable even at the surface level. And most people know that. No player puts up 100-plus yards and two touchdowns every week. But, expectations might need to be further tempered. Brown only played in 14 snaps of the game against the Miami Dolphins. And the Dolphins are looking like they have all but secured the number one overall pick before the season even started.
Brown only playing 14 snaps should be extremely concerning. That means he doesn’t have a great grasp of the offense, or the route tree. With him putting the league on notice as a deep threat, teams will start adjusting as early as next week. Brown is a candidate to put up a goose egg any week. Considering what most people gave up to acquire Brown, it might not be a bad idea to flip him for a more established, consistent player.
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