We’re almost halfway through the fantasy football regular season in most leagues. It may feel early in the year, but it really isn’t. It’s time to get serious about shoring up your roster if you’re in playoff position, or about how you can get your team back on track before it’s too late. We’ll go over the best buy and sell opportunities ahead of Week 7 to put yourself in the best spot possible as we move towards the fantasy playoffs. As we look towards Week 7, a couple of superstar names stand out as buys.
BUY
Derrick Henry, Running Back, Baltimore Ravens
Week 6: 17 carries, 58 yards, 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards
When an elite fantasy producer like Derrick Henry has a down week, it’s almost an obligation to at least see if you can acquire him at a lower cost. Henry had a fumble late in the game, adding to his already off week. Without Lamar Jackson the Ravens offense were out of sync and lost in somewhat of an upset to the Browns. Week 6 was Henry’s first game under double-digit fantasy points this year. Even at 32 years old, the 11-year pro still has plenty of juice and hasn’t shown many signs of deterioration. When he’s in the open field, Henry is still the same bowling ball that we all have grown to know, and if someone is willing to move off him from one lesser performance, it should be looked into.
It’s still uncertain if Lamar Jackson will play in Week 7, but regardless, the ankle injury he has isn’t long-term. He should be back within the next few weeks, at least, which hopefully turns the Ravens offense back into an explosive force. Lamar probably won’t be fully 100%, but just his sheer presence forces defenses to account for him and can open running lanes for Henry. If you’re deep at receiver and can afford to ship a guy off your roster, that’s probably the ideal way to acquire Henry. The Yahoo trade value site shows Christian Watson was recently traded for Henry. That’s a trade that makes sense. If you have Watson, maybe you went a heavy WR build and can turn a player you took in the middle rounds into one of the greatest ball carriers we’ve ever seen.
Schedule: vs. Bengals, @ Bills, vs. Jaguars, vs. Ravens, @ Panthers
AJ Brown, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots
Week 6: 10 targets, 3 receptions, 27 yards
This is about the lowest you might be able to ever buy AJ Brown, even when you take into account some down moments in Philadelphia over the past couple of years. Brown had three drops in his first game back from an ankle sprain he suffered in Week 1. He looked rusty, to say the least. Did he forget how to play football? Can he no longer catch? No way. He’s still just 29 years old, and this forgettable outing in Week 6 gives you a buy-low window that may not last that long. The Ole Miss product was still targeted 10 times on Sunday, the most of any receiver on the Patriots. Quarterback Drake Maye was looking his way a lot, and as the games become more meaningful as the season goes on, he’ll continue to need to look Brown’s way for explosive plays in the passing game. The Patriots are 4-2, have already beaten the Bills, and look like they’ll be squarely in the playoff hunt. Brown’s targets shouldn’t be going anywhere as the Patriots look to build off their three-game win streak.
Maye is also playing like the MVP candidate he was in 2025. Week 3, when Jacksonville blew out the Patriots and Maye played poorly, seems like five years ago at this point. When you buy Brown at a reduced cost in this window, you’re also investing in one of the best young quarterbacks the NFL has to offer in Drake Maye.
Patriots WR Romeo Doubs suffered a shoulder injury and will miss at least the next four games on IR. Without Doubs, DeMario Douglas becomes the #2 receiver behind Brown. Not that we hope for injuries, of course, but Doubs’ absence likely makes this offense even more consolidated in Brown’s favor. He won’t stay down forever. Take advantage of the sale price on Brown and get him on your roster ahead of the stretch run to the fantasy playoffs.
Schedule: @ Bears, @ Dolphins, vs. Packers, vs. Lions (Germany), BYE
Jordan Mason, Running Back, Minnesota Vikings
(Was placed on IR after Week 1)
Mason was placed on IR following Week 1 when he fractured his thumb. He’s eligible to return this week and mix into a backfield currently held together by almost 32-year-old Aaron Jones. According to JJ Zachariason of lateround.com, Mason carried the ball 15 times in Week 1 against Green Bay and came away with 11.5 expected PPR points. The Vikings also have the fifth-best rest-of-season schedule for running backs, and the second-best over the next four weeks, according to Late Round’s adjusted fantasy points allowed model. If you’re hurting at RB and have a little bit of depth at WR, see if you can turn a bench piece into Mason to help carry you through at the running back position. Between injuries and bye weeks, you can do a lot worse than Mason. Their top-tier defense also gives the Vikings plenty of opportunities for positive game scripts, keeping Mason involved in the running game, as Zachariason notes.
Schedule: vs Colts, @ Lions, vs. Bills, @ Packers, @ 49ers
SELL
Jaylen Warren, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 6: 14 carries, 50 yards, 4 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yards
This pains me to write as a Warren manager. I was hopeful the Steelers would continue to feature Warren as their every-down back (since, you know, he’s really good), but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Rico Dowdle returned in Week 6 and saw 38.5% of the backfield touches. That kind of involvement from the former Panther and Cowboy isn’t going to allow Warren to reach anywhere close to the ceiling that he showed while Dowdle was on the shelf. The other concerning point is the game script from Sunday. The Steelers were behind a good portion of their Week 6 matchup in Tampa Bay. As a great pass-catching running back, you’d think Warren would be more involved in a trailing game script, but that wasn’t the case. Warren only had two receptions for 28 yards, while Aaron Rodger’s new buddy Germie Bernard had a whopping 11 receptions on 12 targets for 87 yards. Dowdle has also played under McCarthy for five years prior to his arrival with the Steelers. Mike McCarthy made it a priority to bring Dowdle to Pittsburgh, and he’ll probably continue to prioritize involving him in the backfield. Sell Warren while your league mates still remember his Week 5 masterclass.
Schedule: @ Saints (France), vs. Browns, BYE, @ Bengals, @ Eagles
Jayden Daniels, Quarterback, Washington Commanders
Week 6: 29/40, 300 passing yards, 2 TD, 4 carries, 10 yards
Daniels had by far his best outing of the season through the air in Week 6, as he hadn’t exceeded 200 passing yards in any of his previous games this season. A trailing game script against one of the best teams in the league gave Daniels plenty of opportunities to sling the ball all over the place. His 20+ point performance opens a nice sell-high window that may allow you to capitalize on trading Daniels to a quarterback-needy team. The fact that Daniels missed Weeks 3 and 4 with the elbow injury actually puts these managers at an advantage in being able to trade him. I can speak from experience that I picked up Saints Quarterback Tyler Shough in the league where I have Daniels, which provides some flexibility in possibly being able to trade Daniels off a good week while still having a good option in Shough. I’m definitely not the only one in this position, and if it’s you, see what you can get for Daniels before a down week or an injury comes back into play.
John Hansen of fantasypoints.com noted Daniels had a 16% scramble rate heading into Week 6. We love when quarterbacks run, but considering Daniels’ injury history and his frame, scrambling at a higher rate puts Daniels in harm’s way. The 2024 2nd overall pick also has plenty of questions with his supporting cast. WR Terry McLaurin is out for the season with a torn patellar tendon, vaulting almost 33-year-old Stefon Diggs to the #1 receiver spot. Diggs still has some gas left in the tank, but he’s not the guy I want to rely on as my top option in the passing game. The schedule is another matter. Daniels and the Commanders still have the Rams, Texans, Jaguars, and Vikings on the docket for the remainder of the regular season, all challenging matchups. Between the injury risk, questionable weaponry, and the schedule, it looks like a good week to move off Daniels while your league mates see 300 passing yards in the most recent game log.
Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)