Week in and week out, we have no shortage of surprises. Week 6 was no different. Injuries and general craptastic or surprisingly good play all had a hand in making the week quite an interesting one.

There was a good bit of shake up in the value of some players too, so let’s get right to it.

“Buy Low” Candidates

Quarterback Andy Dalton

Yes, I’m saying buy low. Over the last two weeks, the “Ginger Wonder” has come back to Earth a bit. He now faces a Pittsburgh defense that is ranked third in the league in total passing allowed and fourth in passing yards allowed per game. That, as well as the fact that Dalton will be going on bye the following week and his owner could likely be willing to let him go at a discount on the prospect of getting a decent Quarterback. Once Dalton returns from his bye he has a nice schedule that includes the Giants, Chiefs, Oakland, and San Diego. Depending on the other pieces on your roster, he could provide a nice boost for your playoff push.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford

He is quite talented. He has Megatron to throw to… oh wait… I just looked at his schedule the rest of the way… nevermind. I’ll pass on him. I give up on “Fat Face Stafford.”

Running Back Jamaal Charles

This may be going out on a limb, and it’s totally based on how your league’s JC owner feels. They could be getting antsy. Charles hasn’t rushed for a touchdown the past two weeks, an he’s currently on a bye. An owner may be disappointed that Charles didn’t do more against what was thought to be a not-so-good Tampa Bay defense. It’ll be worth it to put an offer out there and gauge the interest in a trade. Throw in a decent running back in return as incentive for Charles’ bye week replacement. Go for it.

Running Back Doug Martin

Take this with a grain of salt. I am a Bucs fan, and I’ve got a slight man-crush on the “Muscle Hamster.” That being said, I really do believe he is about to start coming on strong. Any concern of Blount vulturing reps should be quelled by the fact that most of Blount’s production has come in garbage time. Look for Martin to solidify himself as the starter when they go up against a weak New Orleans defense this week. He’s already had his bye,  and I like his schedule going forward.

Wide Receiver Demaryius Thomas

Coming off a rather disappointing 2 catch, 37 yard performance with a score (to salvage his day), an owner of Thomas may not like the fact that he has only scored that one touchdown in the last four weeks. Many fantasy pundits thought Demaryius Thomas would be the leading receiver for Week 6, but apparently San Diego was set on stopping him. He is another case of a good player on a bye that has an attractive schedule going forward. Chief among them is the fact that he gets to see New Orleans in Week 8. If it’s even possible, this is probably the lowest Thomas’ value will be all season (barring injury of course.)

Wide Receiver Antonio Brown

I’ve mentioned him here before and I’ll say it again – I still believe in him. Maybe it’s just the point of it now, but his targets keep me believing. He just hasn’t posted great numbers. Get him cheap and hope for the best.

“Sell High” Candidates

Running Back Shonn Greene

I can’t believe there’s even value here. Somehow, someway, the guy bursted out for 161 yards and 3 TDs against the Colts this past week. He actually broke tackles! I just think this is going to be a faster flash in the pan than that horrid “Gangnam Style” thing. Pitch him to any and all owners who are desperate for running backs while they have guys on bye. Use him to get something back. For the love of all things fake and football please sell, sell, sell.

Running Back Felix Jones

Maybe you just used a nice chunk of your FAAB. Maybe you just burned your number one waiver wire priority. All I’m saying is that the guy hasn’t been the most injury-free guy. He’s seeing a sudden value boost with Murray going down, but my caution on Felix is that Murray didn’t look like he left because of a single play. He didn’t leave the game entirely. He was still standing on the sidelines. He may not miss more than just one week. Whether you are a running back starved team or someone else in your league is, then try and turn him around to someone needing help. Felix Jones’ value will never be higher than right now…. unless he has a really good showing this week.

Quarterback Christian Ponder

The guy has looked surprisingly good this year. He’s been finding Harvin and Rudolph consistently, and he hadn’t been turning the ball over like crazy… despite his 2 interceptions in each of the last two weeks. Regardless, this is where you sell. All it comes down to for me is schedule. I hate his schedule going forward. Simple as that.

Wide Receiver Wes Welker

I’ve been loving the scoring this guy has been putting up since Aaron Hernandez went down just as much as anyone. The problem is, Aaron Hernandez is back. I’m just scared that things might trend a bit back toward what we saw early this season. Granted, it may not be all the way back to those dismal numbers for Welker but, the idea of “more mouths to feed” certainly comes in play here.

Running Back Michael Turner

How can you sell high after an 11 carry, 33 yard week against a rather weak Oakland defense? Well, name recognition mostly. I just dislike him that much that I’m making him a “sell high” candidate in this article (again) just because I want to remind you that if you have him… trade him. Get … something. You’ll be a better person because of it.

Some thoughts on trades

After questions I have been getting on Twitter I just want to re-emphasize the point and purpose of trades:

If you are asking for someone’s top quarterback and they don’t have another one on their roster, for the love of Tebow please offer one in return. Please take their needs into consideration. Don’t just try to “low-ball” your offers to a point where no one in your league even pays attention to your proposals anymore. When you offer a trade please have it centered on meeting their needs. That is how you get good trades done.

Hit me up on Twitter: (@Ladd_Davies)

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