Quarterback

Russell Wilson, Seahawks

If you haven’t been paying attention to Russell Wilson’s numbers this year, let’s review. He has started seven games this year, throwing for 1,812 yards with a 65.6 percent completion percentage—solid. You probably noticed that I didn’t mention touchdowns. That’s because Wilson has only thrown five of them this season and hasn’t found the end zone through the air since October 2. This has to change.

Seattle is leading the NFC West, but will need to do more through the air if they want to hang on to their division lead. Make no mistake this team has weapons. Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin are both above average receivers that have strong track records. Seattle has seemed out of sync at times, but Wilson is a proven fantasy commodity. I fully expect the touchdowns to come as soon as this Monday’s game at home against the Bills. If you waited too long for a quarterback in your draft and are currently fighting for a playoff spot, Wilson will be a cheap upgrade.

Verdict: BUY. You almost have to try to not throw a touchdown pass for three straight weeks, but somehow Wilson managed to do it. Nevertheless, it presents a solid buy-low opportunity.

Running Back

Mark Ingram, Saints

There seems to be trouble in New Orleans at the running back position. Against the Seahawks, the Saints’ coaching staff decided to insert Tim Hightower into the backfield after Mark Ingram fumbled the ball inside the 5-yard line. Ingram finished the game with three carries for five yards. These are the kind of performances that cause fantasy owners to make an abrupt move that could bite them in the future.

Look, watching your third-round pick fall flat on his face is demoralizing, especially if you’re a team on the bubble gunning for a playoff spot. Currently, Ingram has zero trade value. Nobody wants him—and rightfully so. This is why you have to stash Ingram away on your bench. I am not a believer in Tim Hightower.  He is 30-years-old and has been a backup for practically his entire career. It’s highly doubtful that a switch turned on and he’s all of a sudden going to perform like he’s back at Richmond again. The Saints will go back to Ingram, it’s just a matter of when. Your only option is to wait it out.

Verdict: HOLD. Ingram has been a huge pain this year, but he’s in the gray area where you can’t trade him and he cannot be dropped. Hang onto him until he regains his starting job.

Christine Michael, Seahawks

After I recommended buying Russell Wilson, it would only be right to flip the script on the RB1 in Seattle. I have never been a big fan of Christine Michael. Neither the Seahawks nor the Cowboys thought much of him—which is why both teams released him at one point. He has always been a backup and only found himself with a starting job this season due to Thomas Rawls’ fibula injury. This year he’s been above average from a fantasy perspective, but that is tied to his five touchdowns; two of which came against the lackluster 49ers run defense.

Rawls has already been ruled out this week against Buffalo, but he will be returning soon. It seems pretty clear that Pete Carroll prefers Rawls to Christine and that means that if Rawls if fully healthy, he will be the starter. In turn, Christine will go back to doing what he does best: trying to stay warm on the sidelines. Michael has seen his carries drop from 18 to 16 to 10 over the last three weeks. The trend isn’t looking very good. He is still listed as the starter, so move him before the Seattle backfield gets shaken up upon Rawls’ return.

Verdict: SELL. Michael doesn’t really have what it takes to be an RB1 even though he’s entrenched in that spot right now. He’s a great player to package with a wide receiver to make a serious upgrade at either RB or WR.

Wide Receiver

Jamison Crowder, Redskins

The Redskins have been forced to air it out in recent weeks due to the realization that their running game is putrid. In back-to-back weeks, Jamison Crowder has a combined 22 targets and has gone over 100 yards in both games. Kirk Cousins is second only to Matt Ryan in passing yards this season and is averaging 307 yards per game. Washington is going to stick to the air it would seem that Crowder has supplanted DeSean Jackson as Cousins’ number two look behind Jordan Reed.

Verdict: HOLD. We could be witnessing the transition to a new favorite receiver for Cousins and I’m willing to hold on to find out.

Donte Moncrief, Colts

I wrote about Donte Moncrief a few weeks back and want to reiterate my stance. He returned to action this past week against the Chiefs and saw nine targets. Moncrief is Indianapolis’ most physical receiver and will see looks in the red zone due to his size. On top of that, he is the possession wideout for the Colts and will do plenty of damage in PPR leagues going forward. We know that Andrew Luck is going to throw the ball 40 times per game and most weeks, Moncrief will lead the team in targets. He only caught four of his nine targets against Kansas City so his value is still down. Moncrief has four plus matchups in a row and I would advise making a move prior to this weekends game against the Packers.

Verdict: BUY. Moncrief was a fifth-round pick in drafts this year, but an injury has caused his stock to fall. He is primed and ready to blow up going forward.

Tight End

Jack Doyle, Colts

It was fun while it lasted, but the Doyle train looks like it’s about to reach its final destination. With 31 receptions for 318 yards, Doyle has been a pleasant surprise. The issue here is that the Colts are starting to get healthy and that means Doyle won’t see nearly as many snaps or targets. After seeing 10 targets against the Titans two weeks ago, Doyle saw just three against Kansas City. It would appear that Donte Moncrief’s return had an effect on Doyle’s target share. It’s worth noting that Dwayne Allen will return soon and that would basically make Doyle worthless from a fantasy perspective.

Verdict: SELL. It may be too late to move Doyle, but it’s worth a shot. His target share is going to dip dramatically going forward.