Week 12 Buy Low, Sell High: Trading is one of the best parts of the fantasy football season as it can make or break your success in a given year. Every league is different with roster makeup and which players fantasy managers value more than others, so the trade market may be different from league to league. With that being said, here are some players that should be bought low and others that should be sold high heading into this week. 

Fantasy Football Buy-Low Candidates

Elijah Mitchell (RB, SF)

After Jeff Wilson got the starting job in Elijah Mitchell’s absence against the Jaguars, you can see why the 49ers favor Mitchell so heavily. Wilson averaged a measly 2.6 yards per carry on 19 attempts so the result was not what people were expecting heading into Week 11. Mitchell is clearly the best back for the 49ers and he should be treated as such from here on out but the status of his finger is still a question mark at the moment.

There is still the possibility that Mitchell fails to suit up for Week 12 so his value should still be lower than it is when he’s healthy. Once he returns to play, Mitchell provides RB2 value for rosters that have him and if you can handle the unknown surrounding his injury for Week 12, I’d suggest sending an offer over to the owner.

D.K. Metcalf (WR, SEA)

Ever since Russell Wilson returned to the Seahawks, their offense has looked putrid. They just can’t get anything going on offense as it looks like Wilson came back to play a little too early. With Wilson struggling this mightly, D.K. Metcalf hasn’t seen the numbers that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing these past couple of years. In back-to-back weeks he’s put up 4.1 and 5.1 Half-PPR fantasy points and that won’t get the job done for a highly drafted receiver. 

But from what we’ve seen from this offense in the past, you’d like to think that they can get back on track, especially considering their rest of season schedule as the Seahawks should take advantage of their upcoming matchup against Washington. After that, they play incredibly favorable matchups aside from a Week 15 game against the Rams. Buy-low on Metcalf before the start of the playoffs because his numbers won’t stay this low for the rest of the year.

David Montgomery (RB, CHI)

Since David Montgomery returned to the Bears from IR, he has been a little disappointing. In their matchups against the Steelers and the Ravens, Montgomery has failed to reach 10 Half-PPR fantasy points both times. While it can be suggested that this is really just a result of the Bears figuring themselves out, owners might be a little panicked after waiting for his return.

From what was said in a prior article, David Montgomery has a pretty nice schedule from now until the end of the fantasy season. There is definitely a possibility that he repeats his stellar run to end the 2020 season where he acted as a league winner. It’d be wise to secure him for your roster before it is too late because he could easily pop off during the fantasy playoffs.

Fantasy Football Sell-High Candidates

Mike Williams (WR, LAC)

Mike Williams finally had a nice fantasy day after disappointing managers for weeks. He finished with a stat line of 5 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown in a shootout of a game against the Steelers. While that looks great on paper, you need to look into it a little more to see the context.

For a decent amount of the game, Williams was being shut down as he has been lately, and then he bailed himself out with a 53-yard touchdown late in the game. This performance could be a step in the right direction but I’d look at his recent finishes outside of this game and wonder whether you’re going to trust him again. This might be your last shot so if you want to sell him high, now is the time. 

Zach Ertz (TE, ARI)

Zach Ertz had a massive game in Week 11 as he finished with 8 receptions for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns. That could be a sign of good things to come but then you realize that he had all of that production without the presence of DeAndre Hopkins and with Colt McCoy at quarterback. McCoy is a nice backup but he is sure to be back behind Kyler Murray once Week 13 rolls around.

Also, once Hopkins comes back, he should be garnering more of those red-zone targets from Kyler Murray while Zach Ertz moves back to a more complementary role in the receiving game. Sell high on Ertz now before he inevitably comes back to Earth. 

Myles Gaskin (RB, MIA)

You might as well call me a hater at this point but there is a reason I’m putting Myles Gaskin as a sell-high this time other than his efficiency not being there. He is clearly getting the opportunity with Malcolm Brown being out and he’s even had nice performances in 2 out of the past 3 weeks. But over these past weeks without Malcolm Brown, Gaskin has been given a large share of the opportunities coming out of the backfield.

Now, after Phillip Lindsay was surprisingly cut by the Texans, the Dolphins claimed him off of waivers shortly after. I could see Gaskin losing a decent chunk of his touches with Lindsay joining the team and the move crowds this backfield even further. While Gaskin has proved me wrong for a decent portion of this season, I will die on top of this hill by ranking him as a sell-high prior to many leagues trade deadlines.