NFL Supercoach Week 4 | Buy, Hold, Sell

Buy

Jordan Mason ($11.35m, Minnesota Vikings RB, 1 BE, 1% ownership)

A risky buy high option that I’m looking at this week is the new number 1 RB for the Vikings Jordan Mason.

Mason is the beneficiary of fellow RB Aaron Jones going down with an ankle injury and will be the guy going forward for at least the next 3 weeks.

Jones hadn’t been taking too many carries away from Mason, but the fact that he was there was enough to keep me away from him until now. 

Mason saw heavy usage due to the Vikings taking a huge lead against the Bengals, showing the same explosiveness that he had last year in place of CMC at the 49ers.

It’s looking more and more likely that Wentz will stay in the driver’s seat of this offense for longer than expected to help with the development of McCarthy, which I think could be perfect for Mason to excel.

If you want a mid-range priced RB with top-tier RB scoring potential and an incredibly low ownership percentage, then Mason is your guy.

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Ricky Pearsall ($12.03m, San Fran WR, 15 BE, 3% ownership)

Pearsall has started the season with at least 100 yards in 2 out of 3 games so far.

It hasn’t mattered if it was Purdy or Jones at QB; Pearsall has produced.

He hasn’t scored a TD yet this season, but I like the fact he’s being targeted and bringing in multiple big yardage games as well as having a high volume of targets.

The 2 teams he’s had big yardage games against aren’t pushovers either, so expect him to perform against whoever he’s up against.

Pearsall is verging on must-start territory in the draft world, which means he’s going to translate into points in Supercoach.

With only a 3% ownership, Pearsall could be a great POD as we head towards midseason. 

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Puka Nacua ($19.19m, LA Rams WR, 16 BE, 19% ownership)

As discussed on earlier podcasts, my concern with Puka was his health.

It seems as though he’s prioritising staying healthy and really taken on the role as the number 1 guy in LA, which has led to him being the number 1 scoring receiver in Supercoach thus far.

I think at this stage he’s going to be a set and forget, barring injury, and it’s a case of if you don’t jump on him now, when will you be able to afford him?

He’s the second most targeted receiver through 3 weeks with 35 targets, and he’s turned that into 29 receptions for 333 yards.

The touchdowns will come, hopefully.

Puka’s biggest knock from a fantasy/ Supercoach perspective has always been his health and his TDs so hope and pray he stays healthy and increases his TDs because if he does, we could be looking at one of the statistically best seasons in NFL history.

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Jonathan Taylor ($21.77m, Indy Colts RB, -9 BE, 6% ownership)

He’s finally back!

One of the most dominant RBs of the last decade has found his form again, and it’s largely due to elite O-Line play and Danny Dimes doing the damn thing.

Taylor is currently the 3rd highest scoring player in Supercoach and is still only owned by 6% of coaches.

JT is in the same boat as Puka, in my opinion; if you don’t jump on him now, when will you?

With a -9 BE I’m starting to sweat on whether or not I’ll be able to bring him into my team.

JT has the most carries so far with 60, the most yards at 338, and 3rd most TDs on the season with 3.

The Colts offense will get you in the air or on the ground, and JT seems to be a beneficiary of either way, where he’s also scored 1 TD and has just under 100 receiving yards through 3 games.

Get on board before it’s too late. 

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($15.02m, Seattle Seahawks WR, 12 BE, 9% ownership)

Going into the season, I was on the fence about JSN and whether he could become the guy in Seattle.

Well, turns out he can.

Seattle traded away DK Metcalf, and to be honest, that should’ve been enough for everyone to say “okay, we’re about to see big things”.

On 29 targets, JSN has made 22 catches and turned that into 1 TD and 323 yards, 2nd most in the league.

Darnold has had a fairly good start to his tenure in Seattle, and it looks like he’s found his Mr Reliable in JSN.

Expect more of the same going forward for the rest of the season.

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Hold

Ja’Marr Chase ($21.54m, Cinci Bengals WR, 38 BE, 55% ownership) 

I know it looks bad to have someone on this list for the second time this season, and we’ve only had 3 games, but stay patient Chase fans!

The weekend wasn’t great, particularly after the success Chase had with Browning in week 2.

The Vikings were far too good for Cinci.

I’m still to the belief that Chase is a must-have.

I may be having another serve of humble pie in a few weeks if things don’t change, but I’m banking on a few easier match-ups after the Denver game for Chase to bounce back.

Chase should be the only Bengals player owned in Supercoach, and it’s because he’s one of the best in the league, don’t forget that fact.

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Malik Nabers ($17.27m, New York Giants WR, 17 BE, 24% ownership)

I’ve been so so worried about keeping this bloke in my team.

Russel Wilson was straight-up trash on the weekend.

Nabers had 2 receptions on 7 targets for next to no yards.

It was utterly embarrassing watching that team try and play in primetime.

Nabers is a hold to me because the Giants fans prayers have been answered!

Jaxson Dart has been named a starter, which should mean positive things for Nabers owners.

A rookie QB is going to look for his best player and get the ball to him as often as possible.

The Giants have a terrible O-Line, however, Dart’s dual threat capabilities will leave some defences second-guessing themselves and could lead to big pass plays to our man Nabers downfield.

I’m not going to panic on this one just yet, but boy am I close.

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Saquon Barkley ($22.5m, Philly Eagles RB, 68 BE, 44% ownership) 

It’s been a mixed season for Saquon owners.

Philly’s offense hasn’t looked spectacular thus far.

The team scored its first passing TD of the year on the weekend, which is crazy but also good.

What I like about this is you’d think if the passing game gets going and Brown, Smith, and Goeddert start becoming bigger threats in the passing game, it’d open up more big-play running opportunities for Saquon.

The BE is scary, and he’s going to most likely lose money, but we did say at the start of the season that players of his calibre are probably going to lose money but still put up big scores.

I’d be holding and waiting for the next week or 2 to see how he performs, but I still think it’s crazy to consider at this stage getting rid of the league’s best RB.

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Zay Flowers ($12.49m, Baltimore Ravens WR, 37 BE, 18% ownership)

If you are one of the many people who traded in Flowers after his week 1 performance, there’s simply no way you can trade him out of your team after only 2 weeks.

His last game was woeful, that’s for sure, but he’s still the guy in Baltimore.

Hopkins is taking away some TD opportunities, and Bateman decided to show up for 1 of his 4 good games throughout the year by his standards in prime-time, but that shouldn’t be a cause for concern.

The Ravens looked average on Monday night football against the Lions and couldn’t get anything going after the first drive.

Lamar was sacked 7 times, which simply never happens.

Look for Baltimore to bounce back this week, and look for their stars to be the ones leading the way for the bounce back. 

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Derrick Henry ($20.82m, Baltimore Ravens RB, 81 BE, 18% ownership)

If I have to tell another person to hold Henry, I may turn into Hodor from Game of Thrones, it’s been that often and repetitive.

King Henry has had 3 games in a row that he’s fumbled and lost the ball, which is so so uncharacteristic of him.

It’s almost as if he’s thinking about it too much, therefore doing it more often.

For someone so dedicated to perfection, it must be eating him up.

His QB Lamar Jackson has come out in the media and said Henry just needs to forget about it and move on, and not let it eat him up.

Easier said than done.

A player of this caliber isn’t going to be in a slump for much longer.

He absolutely smashed it week 1, so what’s to say he won’t do that against the Chiefs this week?

Henry has a point to prove, and I’d hate to be the team in his sights to help get his point across. 

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Sell 

Chase Brown ($14.63m, Cinci Bengals RB, 53 BE, 9% ownership) 

Prior to the season, I had one question that kept eating me up on a day-to-day basis: Irving or Brown?

My god, am I happy I went with Irving.

Fellow podcast panelist Eden Richards found a stat stating that since the year 2000, Chase Brown has the least amount of yards and yards per carry out of any running back who had 45 carries or more.

That is straight-up trash.

Brown isn’t a bad player, he’s just another Bengal suffering at the hands of the poor Bengals O-Line.

1.9 YPC is not what you want out of your bell cow back.

He’s losing money at an astronomical rate, and if you don’t get rid of him now, you will regret it.

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RJ Harvey ($4.05m, Denver Broncos RB, 10 BE, 15% ownership)

Outside of the big 3 rookie RB’s, Harvey was the next most hyped rookie RB after many believed he was going to an ideal situation in Denver.

Harvey has been unlucky in a way, as JK Dobbins has played out of his skin so far this season.

Coach Payton won’t be looking to change from his productive RB1 unless he drastically declines in play.

If I were a Harvey owner, I’d be looking towards Quinshon Judkins from the Browns, who hasn’t had a price rise yet but has taken over RB1 duties in Cleveland, or Giants rookie RB Cam Skattebo. 

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Tre Tucker ($10.79m, Las Vegas Raiders WR, -24 BE, 1% ownership)

Yes, he only had 1% ownership in week 3, so why include him on this list?

Because 6% of trade-ins have been for this guy this week!!!

Absolute insanity.

The raiders have one of the most inconsistent offenses in the league, and this to me, is an anomaly.

Tucker was the highest scoring player this week with 73 points, but has only scored 30 other points across the first 2 weeks of the season.

This is the ultimate knee-jerk reaction, and I’m happy to eat my humble pie if he pans out in a few weeks.

If you’re looking for a temporary cash grab, look elsewhere.

You’ll have buyer’s remorse and be trading him out in 2 weeks time. 

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Travis Kelce ($10.43m, Kansas City Chiefs TE, 28 BE, 13.6% ownership)

How on Earth are there this many people still holding onto this Swifty?

I know Bowers hasn’t had the greatest season either; however, his upside is so much higher than Kelce’s.

The Chiefs are expecting Rice and Worthy back soon, and if he’s not producing while they’re away, he won’t produce when they’re back.

You expect your big game players to step up, but it’s looking more and more likely that father time is fast approaching Trav.

The TE position is so so hard to pick this year, go use that money on someone else who is a proper POD. 

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Sam LaPorta ($9.83m, Detroit Lions TE, 32 BE, 10.7% ownership)

LaPorta hasn’t lived up to his rookie hype in the fantasy and Supercoach world.

He’s a great player, but he’s playing on a team with so many other great players.

When in the redzone, LaPorta is competing with the league’s best RB duo in Gibbs and Montgomery, as well as the ever-reliable St. Brown.

Throw in a bit of Jamieson, and you can see why LaPorta is often the 4th or 5th option for star QB Goff.

Look for other TE options who have more of a TD upside, like a Hunter Henry. 

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Trades and Captain

Last week I used my boosted option and am fairly happy with the results.

The Ravens D was atrocious, and the Packers, despite losing the game, put up 60 points, which you can’t complain about.

Odunze scored well, and Fannin Jr is ticking along nicely, making coin.

This week I’m looking at making one trade with a possibility of another 1, but that will depend on my mood and the amount of research I do over the weekend.

Look for a text to come through late Sunday night with my final verdict.

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BUT at this stage, I am doing the following: 

IN: Nacua

OUT: Lamb

An obvious trade this one.

I tossed up putting Lamb on my bench and playing Golden and Egbuka, but given my current position, I need to maximise points and maintain my spot.

Nakua is thus far the leading receiver in the NFL and is backed by a QB who loves to throw the ball.

The same QB who helped a healthy Cooper Kupp become a triple crown receiver just a few seasons ago.

If Puka can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for him, and I’m stoked to welcome him to Clutzy’s Patriots.

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ALTERNATIVE TRADES

IN: Nacua, Taylor, Olave

OUT: Lamb, Irving, Nabers

I have considered trading out Bucky Irving for Jordan Mason, which would free up some cash and possibly help me jump up to Jonathon Taylor.

I need to decide if it’s worth trading him out and using 2 trades to get Taylor or just backing Irving to start producing slightly more and making more cash to help me jump to Taylor in one trade.

But there was another way I was thinking of getting Taylor…

Before I heard the news that Dart was starting at QB, I was considering getting rid of Nabers as well.

He would’ve been a sell for me if Wilson was still at QB, and I would’ve got rid of him and brought in either JSN or Olave.

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In this scenario, I bring in a guy on a bad team getting heaps of targets and who’s actually producing at half the price of some for these guns performing inconsistently at the WR position, and then using that excess cash to get rid of a decent RB in Irving and go to the top and come out the other side with the ever consistent Taylor. 

Time will tell, and as mentioned above, I’ll put in the chat what my final movements are, but at this stage, my head is telling me to go with option 1.

There’s always next week to make a few of these moves… hopefully. 

Captain this week will be Josh Allen unless I wish to do a loop with Jackson and make sure I’m up to make the change if necessary.

I’m fairly confident Allen will score well against the Saints, however, there’s always the risk of him leaving the game early.