Fantasy Football Buy, Sell, Hold: Getting Comfortable With Christian McCaffrey and TreVeyon Henderson

These types of articles are always written inside of a vacuum, but you're not living inside of one! That's why you need to take your personal league scoring and roster construction into account when making buy/sell/hold decisions.

If you have a weak spot, it's time to start addressing it! Do the work. Send the offers.

Now, let's get into some Buyin', Sellin', and Holdin'. And since the most interesting player is a Hold this week... let's begin there... 

Players to Hold

Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers

"DUH, I'M HOLDING!"  Well, hear me out...

With Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, and George Kittle all returning to the field sooner rather than later (see above), some fantasy managers think it's time to sell high on CMC. And I get it. He won't get the same amount of targets with a fully healthy 49ers roster. And how could he??

But CMC is still CMC. And he's already logged 91-282-0 on the ground and 39-387-3 through the air across five games. Throwing in a few more pass catchers might affect his share of the workload, but he's used to being fed the ball regardless of the roster when healthy. Just #CheckTheStats.

Unless you're faced with a trade offer for CMC that you absolutely cannot pass up, consider holding on to the guy with the 3rd most targets and receptions through five weeks… Who also happens to run the ball a f*ckton, too.

And if you don't want to hold? I did the Lord's work for you...

What Are Christian McCaffrey Managers Looking For?

I asked a few real-life CMC managers what types of trade offers they'd be willing to consider in order to let go of the RB1 this week. A CMC temperature check.

Here's what they had to say:

• "Javonte and JSN" - @jptucker.bsky.social
• "There's not a player I would do a 1-for-1 trade for. He's injury prone, but worth the risk." - Guy that just beat me with CMC in Week 5.
• "A couple managers in my league swapped CMC for Puka Nacua straight up this week." - @gregsauce.bsky.social
• "F*ck off." - What I imagine anyone in my home league would say.

For what it's worth, I ran the Javonte/JSN trade through our trade analyzer tool, and it came out... pretty even!

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots

What the f*ck is going on in New England??

• Is Henderson eating boiled eggs and broccoli in the locker room?
• Did Henderson prank Mike Vrabel by sticking his stapler in Jell-O?
• Has Robert Kraft drafted Rhamondre Stevenson as his RB1 in his home league??

The usage in this backfield is unpredictable. And if I'm being honest, it's downright disrespectful to the rookie RB who was drafted 38th overall in April.

Don't get me wrong, RBBC's are fine… but:

• Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled three f*cking times this season, yet continues to see carries within the 10-yard line.
• Antonio Gibson is now out for the season with a torn ACL, but before the injury in Week 5 he already amassed 25 carries for 106 yards and 1 TD (nearly identical to Henderson's 32-121-1).

It's been a huge, frustrating, and unpredictable split in New England's backfield. And I know it's been tough for Henderson managers, but I'm not giving up yet. There's a reason your leaguemates are trying to buy TreVeyon Henderson right now…

Players to Buy

Stefon Diggs, WR, Patriots

Diggs isn't that far removed from his six consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons spanning 2018-2023. But after a couple of team changes and a torn ACL last year, Diggs has unsuccessfully tried to find that dawg in him… That is, until now.

• Week 4 marked Diggs' first 100-yard game since October 2023.
• In Week 5, he logged a massive 10-146-0 statline against the Bills.

Back to back 100 yard games?? Drake Maye could use a consistent WR1. And Diggs could quickly fill the spot with a whopping Utilization Score of 91. 👀

Premium

Go FantasyLife+

Your league is unique. Your advice should be too. Get personalized tools, rankings, and projections tailored to your fantasy football league settings.

Learn More

Rashee Rice, WR, Chiefs

He's back from suspension in Week 7, folks.

Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints**

(**monitor his ankle -- but also... this may make him even more of a deal)

And if the Los Angeles Chargers call up New Orleans tomorrow to acquire Alvin Kamara in their RB needy offense that lost not just one, but TWO backs in the matter of weeks... THEN WHAT!?

I'd like to be the one rostering Kamara. That's what.

Omarion Hampton was just starting to pick up steam, too.

• Week 3: 19-70-1 (6-59-0 receiving)
• Week 4: 12-128-1 (5-37-0 receiving)

Is it a gamble? Yes. Absolutely. If you think Kamara remains a Saint, then forget everything I've said. Leave him where he is. Let your leaguemate watch Kendre Miller steal touches each week. (Though, admittedly, Nick Chubb reminded us in Week 5 that the vets won't just roll over for the rookies that easily…)

But if the Saints continue to lose, we have to consider that they might try to make moves before the deadline.

While the Saints finalllyyyyy got their first win in Week 5, they are still only projected to win enough games to count on one hand. [Ed. Note: There was an incredibly well-placed punchline here that we had to cut out. We atill are hemming and hawing over whether we should've left it in. If you want to know it, please hit up @cooterdoodle on twitter and let her decide if she wants to share it]

I looked up the latest Kamara trades on the Yahoo Trade Market. Keep in mind these are completely out of context (you can't see rules/format/league type, etc) but it might help give you an idea of what you need to "sell" in order to "buy":

Other Buys:

• TE Mason Taylor
• WR Tetairoa McMillan

Players to Sell

Brock Bowers, TE, Raiders**

**This is totally contingent on your current win/loss record.

If you're struggling with 1 or fewer wins, you're not in a position to wait this injury out. Sure, Bowers is "week to week," but we've seen those hopeful expectations extend beyond the seven day mark before.

Your best bet is to sell Bowers to a winning team that has the luxury of waiting and paying for his better days ahead.

Jake Tonges, TE, 49ers

While you might be able to push it one more week, the Jake Tonges train is nearing the end of its ride and it's time to exit before your leaguemates remember that injured players can heal.

Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, and George Kittle return soon. The elevated role that Tonges has benefitted from these past few weeks will finally be returned to its rightful owner.