🌶️ A Spicy NFL Trade Rumor

Taysom Hill outscored Travis Kelce this week. Deal with it...

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Motley Fool:

We begged the Panthers to throw the ball to Christian McCaffrey.

We begged them to free D.J. Moore.

We begged them to feed Shi Smith... just kidding, they did that on their own.

But it would appear that our pleas didn't fall on deaf ears as the team finally canned coach Matt Rhule yesterday after the team fell to 1-4 with a home loss on Sunday to the 49ers.

In addition to the Rhule ouster, we also learned that QB Baker Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain and will miss some time.

This means we'll enter a new era for the Panthers with former XFL star P.J. Walker at QB and longtime Panthers assistant coach Steve Wilks serving as interim head coach.

It would be naïve to think either of these two guys can turn around the team's 2022 trajectory right now—especially with the Rams and Buccaneers on tap—but a shakeup was desperately needed. 

The most interesting narrative for fantasy right now isn't whether Walker can unlock Moore (don't hold your breath) but whether the team could blow everything up in a full rebuild. 

Jay Glazer is reporting that teams are already calling up the Panthers looking for deals, and rumors are already flying. It's worth noting that the Bills did reach out to the Panthers about CMC before the draft, so there is some interest there.

I do like the four suggestions that our friend Justin Freeman from Run The Sims proposed on Twitter for dismantling the team:

Only time will tell how this plays out, but I am very much here for the chaos and some trades that would (Jamocha) shake up the fantasy landscape.

🚨 We just launched our Waiver Wire Hub! 🚨

Each week the Fantasy Life staff will be diving DEEP into the Waiver Wire to compile all of the best available players to help you dominate your league!

Go to the hub, place your bids, and figure out how much FAAB you need to spend to secure that waiver star! 

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Each week during the season, Cooterdoodle walks us through the fantasy trade market from a buy, hold, sell perspective...

BUY/SELL/HOLD

😵 Taysom Hill

If Taysom Hill can be a TE / RB / QB all wrapped in one, he can also be a simultaneous Buy, Sell, and Hold. This was a huge week for the Saints' offense. Well, Taysom was the Saints’ offense.

I can’t blame you for selling high off of his record-breaking week. However, if you’re nursing your Kyle Pitts wounds or don’t have another trusted starter: HOLD.

With Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, and possibly Chris Olave out, Taysom could have more juicy games in his future. Sure, he could be a bust any given week. But any TE can bust at this point (Hi, Week 4 Mark Andrews).

Taysom comes with Big Point Potential.

You down with BPP?

Buy

🛒 DK Metcalf

I have to admit that I was wrong about Seattle this offseason, but I’m taking a hard pivot and correcting the error of my ways.

Paint me green and call me Shrek, because I’m a believer in Geno Smith.

While I also like Tyler Lockett as a buy, he likely comes at a higher trade price than DK, with similar potential. 

DK Metcalf is averaging 5.6 targets per game, but he is making huge plays with those catches. DK has had 50+ yard plays in his last two games and he brought in another TD this week. Geno is cooking and I’m ready to get DK on my teams so he can eat.

SELL HIGH

👋Michael Carter

In case you missed it, Carter vultured some TDs this week. The Jets RB usage suggests Carter is on his way out. Breece Hall is running more routes and getting more carries week to week.

I want to see if this two-headed beast of a backfield can continue to produce, but I’m too antsy to hold on in the event that Carter is faded out of the red zone opportunities, too. 

🔥 RAPID FIRE - FIRE SALE

Here are some rapid-fire sells for Week 6. Maybe you can get a nice kicker in return…

Antonio Gibson

• Washington’s backfield is a mess, and Gibson just isn’t the guy. 

Terry McLaurin

• Washington’s offense is a mess, and McLaurin just isn’t the guy. 

Allen Robinson

• I am a mess, but Robinson just isn’t the guy.

🔔 The surprise bellcow back is here to stay. Zamir who??

📷 You shouldn't do this, Davante. Not a good look.

😤 R.I.P. defensive backs covering George Pickens. Good luck with that.

🍸 Best trade targets for 0-5 teams. Send some offers out.

🤔 A surprising QB to stream this week. It seems gross because it is gross. 

⚔️ Early 2023 QB controversy. Oh boy.

🚌 Ron Rivera throwing people under the bus. Look in the mirror, sir.

🍿 An epic Week 6 matchup is on tap. Get your popcorn.

Waivers are a crucial component of fantasy football, and nabbing the next league winner ahead of your leaguemates can help you edge out that title. Each Tuesday, Sam Wallace will highlight players to target in your redraft leagues. 

These players are rostered in most leagues, but would be priority adds over anyone mentioned in this column if available in your league:

• Kenneth Walker III (Available in 55% of leagues)

• Rachaad White (Available in 66% of leagues)

➕ WR Rondale Moore

• Available in 82% of leagues

In his second game of the season, Moore posted an efficient line of 7-68. He was No. 3 on the team in targets (8), but the Cardinals offer A) an explosive enough offense to support multiple fantasy options and B) an average enough defense to keep them in neutral or negative game scripts. Moore’s talent profile and usage (63+ snaps in consecutive weeks per PFF) make him a must-add.

FAAB: 25%

➕ WR Alec Pierce

• Available in 92% of leagues

Rookie WR Alec Pierce is turning some heads. Despite the poor quality of the Thursday night game, Pierce led the Colts in targets (9), receptions (8), and receiving yards (81). He played a season-high 47 snaps in Week 5 (PFF) and topped 60 receiving yards for the third straight game. If WR Michael Pittman Jr. continues to draw primary coverage, Pierce could be a favorite target for QB Matt Ryan.

FAAB: 20%

➕ RB DeeJay Dallas

• Available in 92% of leagues

Injuries suck. There’s no other way around it. RB Rashaad Penny suffered a broken fibula and will miss the rest of the season. The Seahawks now turn to rookie RB Kenneth Walker III as the primary backfield option but RB DeeJay Dallas should see an uptick in work as well. Dallas has had an uninspiring career thus far but volume and opportunity are king for RBs.

It’s also worth noting that RB Travis Homer is eligible to return from IR on October 30th at the earliest.

FAAB: 15%

➕ RB Tevin Coleman

• Available in 100% of leagues

Coleman has returned to fantasy relevance in a familiar place. The veteran has experience in this offensive system and now appears locked into the RB2 role behind RB Jeff Wilson (18 touches). Coleman (11 touches) scored twice in Week 5 and figures to remain integral to the 49ers offensive attack. 

FAAB: 15%

What if we told you the highest scoring TE of the week wasn't Travis Kelce who had four TDs, but this guy...

Playing safe ain't it. We need to make big moves to win our leagues. Today, Sam Holt shares a rookie she thinks is primed for a breakout...

🤯 Kenneth Walker III

After week two, Pete Caroll recognized that he needed to let Geno Smith loose. He needed to trust his QB with more opportunities while picking up the pace of the play. As part of this up-tempo scheme, the entire offense has seen a boost.

Among them is rookie RB Kenneth Walker, who was on his way to a more stable offensive role prior to Week 5, and Rashaad Penny’s seasoning-ending injury. 

Given the new offensive philosophy, Walker saw his highest usage on the season in Week 4 with 36% of the snaps and 25% of the rushing attempts, amounting to eight carries for 29 yards.

Once Penny exited the game, Walker had 88% of the snaps and 100% of the rushing attempts, per Dwain McFarland. Capitalizing on this volume, Penny had 8 carries for 88 yards and a TD. 

I understand that we live in a world where we value our RBs based on their passing game usage. Do not fear, Walker is getting targets as well. In week 4, Walker had a 41% of the team's target share and 23% route participation. He’s also been efficient with all the targets he’s seen so far this season, making 6 catches on 7 targets. Going forward, look for Walker’s opportunities to continue to grow as he takes the mantle of RB1.