We have reached the fantasy football semifinals, and every passing week adjusts the strategy for who to add and who to drop.
The players to add are either those who can immediately enter your starting lineup or players your opposition might want. Similarly, the players to cut could be anyone who is destined to spend the fantasy football playoffs on your bench anyway.
This week, we will focus on a combination of players who are either available in most leagues and saw a significant increase in value or have a strong Week 16 matchup where you can stash the player for a week and then make them a very risky championship-game start. The list of players to cut features a mix of players with decreased playing time and those with bad playoff matchups.
Like last week, the week before and the week before that, the players to buy low and sell high will focus on players from a dynasty perspective, taking into account what roster changes could occur between now and next September. All references to cap hits, salary cap space and potential unrestricted free agents come courtesy of the data available at Over The Cap.
FIVE PLAYERS TO ADD
1. QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts put together an excellent performance in his first start. The rookie signal-caller ran more than any quarterback has run in a game this season and joins Lamar Jackson as the only quarterbacks with 16 or more rushing attempts in a game in the last six seasons.
The rushing production gives him a very high floor. And while he didn’t grade out well as a passer, he still put up good enough numbers from a fantasy perspective.
Hurts completed 17-of-30 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown, and this all came against a Saints defense in the top five at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks.
The next two games are against teams in the bottom 12 at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks, with both defenses also ranking among the worst nine at allowing rushing yards to the position. Hurts should be a viable option for the remaining rounds of the fantasy playoffs.
2. RB Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' running back situation has stabilized now that most of their backs are healthy. It’s now a two-back committee, with Wilson taking 36% of the early-down snaps and 85.7% of third-down snaps. He received 18 carries and eight targets against two formidable opponents.
The next two games should go a little better for the 49ers' offense, which should mean more yards (and potentially touchdowns) out of Wilson. The third-year back has also taken the majority of goal-line carries for the 49ers these past two weeks, which is a positive sign for him.
He’s not the “highest-upside back,” but he should be the safest option available in most leagues.
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