Fantasy football, in many ways, is like the stock market. Knowing when to buy and sell is key to your success. Sell too early, and miss the optimal value. Buy too late, and you will pay a pretty penny. But finding that sweet spot of when to buy and when to sell? Now that, my fantasy friends, is the name of the game. We will refer to this as the fantasy market. Good news… that is exactly what this article is about. Think of me as your fantasy stockbroker. I charge no trading fees, and I know exactly what you are going to ask. Yes, you can name your firstborn after me. I would be honored. On to the Bears and the Bulls for the week 5 fantasy market! (For those not in the know, Bear is trending down, Bull is trending up).

Bear: Nick Foles

Apologies to you Foles truthers. Actually, no, I am not sorry. If you think Foles is good, you are probably 0-4. I don’t apologize to people who bought Enron do I? 2020 Foles has a 59.2 % completion rate, 4:2 TD:INT ratio, and is averaging -0.8 yards per carry. And he turned 31 in January. Oh, and he is officially 0-1 on the year. Meanwhile, just turned 26-year-old Mitchell Trubisky has a 59.3% completion rate, 6:3 TD:INT ratio, and is averaging a whopping 10.9 yards per carry on the ground. He is also technically undefeated. Combine that with Trubisky beating Foles in most career categories(63.1 vs 61.8 completion percentage, 26-18 vs 26-23 career record, and a 5.8 vs 2.9 yards per rush avg) and you have a recipe for Matt Nagy getting fired. Is Mitch dating his daughter or something? Did Foles get footage of Nagy doing something inappropriate?

This Bears QB has a Bear market and should be traded for, well, anything. Foles has a 42.1 QBR on the year. Compare that to a 56.4 QBR for Trubisky, and you can see as clearly as I can that Foles should likely be wearing a mask on the sideline while Trubisky continues to make the front office regret choosing him over Mahomes and Watson. But at least he sucks less than Foles, who only seems to be able to perform in the playoffs. Sadly, I mean NFL playoffs, not Fantasy playoffs. Sell sell sell, regardless of the price. Or else you will be holding a backup QB with no value wondering why you didn’t see it coming after 9 years of evidence on 5 teams telling you otherwise. Oh, and Foles is always hurt. See you in less than three weeks, Mitch.

Bull: Cameron Brate

O.J. Howard is done for the year. It’s Rob Gronkowski season according to everybody everywhere. I was fooled last week too. I figured after seeing flashes, he was back. But much to my chagrin, and the chagrin of the WWE, Gronk was an absolute dud in week 4. Meanwhile, Howard and Brate each scored, Brady threw 5 TDs to 5 different guys, and somehow Gronk wasn’t one of them. Too much wrestling, not enough nestling that deflated football in his liquor-stained hands. I will be frank, I think Gronk would be so fun to hang out with, and I want him to be good. But 9 catches on 14 targets through 4 games with 0 TDs becomes difficult to roster. especially considering his career-low yards per target and yards per catch. It isn’t impossible that Gronk finds himself, just like it technically isn’t impossible Tom Brady plays until 60. But do you really want to bet your 2020 fantasy season on that?

Meanwhile, Brate has 1 catch on the year, but more TDs than Gronk already. And now that Howard is out, Brate and not Gronk will see the biggest benefit from that. When it comes to blocking, Gronk still has it, but when it comes to fantasy relevance, Gronk had that wrestled away on one of his party boats or medical tent visits before ever arriving in Tampa. A big game could happen, but for consistency, Brate will prove the wiser add. His fantasy market value is still very low, but won’t be for long.

Bear: Julio Jones

Julio truthers, chill out. I acknowledge his greatness. But my goodness, how many times does Julio have to be wide freaking open in the end-zone, waving his arms like he is auditioning for “Angels in the End Zone” while Matty Icicle forces a throw to a TE who is double covered before you realize, Matt Ryan hates Julio Jones. Maybe it’s because Julio wouldn’t use the nickname Jonesicle, or because one time at a BBQ Julio said Matt Ryan’s cooking sucked. Whatever the case may be, Matt Ryan intentionally(go ahead, prove me wrong, this shit is on purpose at this point) will not throw to Julio in the end zone. I assume Calvin Ridley loves Matt Ryan’s BBQ, and Ridley Fridgely is now the WR1 in Hotlanta. I find it weird that the city is hot, but the QB is cold. Just like the shoulder Ryan gives Julio every time they enter opponents’ territory. Julio is still performing admirably, bless him, but a WR is only as good as his QB lets him be, and Matt Ryan is the jealous girlfriend who can’t stand the attention Julio gets from fans.

Until ATLiens start hating Julio, his fantasy ceiling is capped by a sheet of ice wider than the margins Atlanta opponents come back from. I suspect Golden Tate likes Jalen Ramsey more than Matt Ryan likes Julio Jones. Oh, that must be it, Julio must have hooked up with Matt’s momma? If only he would have called her back. And for you statheads out there, here is all you need to know. Julio is on pace to finish with zero TDs on the year. Sell him for a WR who has a QB who will throw them a TD before hell freezes over. Julio’s fantasy market value always seems high, capitalize on it, and get someone who can score.

Bull: Darius Slayton

Slayton is averaging over 7 targets a game, however his production has faded after a stellar week 1 performance. But losing Saquon Barkley was devastating to this entire offense, and Devonta Freeman is only the answer to a trivia question asking: “Who does not need to be a starting RB in 2020?”. That being said, the Giants still get to play the Cowboys twice this year, including next week. If you are looking for a bounceback, the Cowboys are like those little nets kids throw balls at when none of their friends wanna play catch and dad works all day. Slayton is going to ignite against the Cowboys porous D, and he will take that momentum along with that target volume and run with it. This guy is a freaking stud who has improved upon his yards per catch in 2020 even with an anemic offense that cannot run and a line that cannot block. Daniel Jones is better than this, and if the offensive line can at least resemble anything close to a professional unit, Slayton will be the prime beneficiary. Don’t be fooled by the couple bad games, Slayton is an absolute machine(I have been high on him all year) and will prove it this week.

There will be some dud games when New York plays elite defenses, but as that line continues to solidify, Slayton will emerge as a star, and you will be glad you snagged him when you did. His price is cheaper, and the iron is hot, so strike! Daniel Jones loves Slayton, and unlike Matty Melted Ice for Julio, he will throw to him in the end zone. I nearly included Danny Dimes in this article, but if Danny does improve, it is going to be because he locks in on Slayton. Guess what stack I’m targeting this week? Some Slayton owners are truthers(like me), but his fantasy market value does not equal his actual value moving forward.

Bear: Kenyan Drake

The last time I saw someone this concerned about their fans’ opinion of them, Kevin Durant was using a burner account to troll his haters. KD stands for Kevin Durant, and Kenyan Drake. If only Drake spent more time getting better, and less time whining at his fantasy owners, maybe he would have more than 1 TD. He hasn’t had a 100 scrimmage yard game either. But how dare any of you fantasy owners complain! It’s not like he was a high pick or anything. It’s not like his yards per carry has gone down every week, or that his targets have yet to eclipse two in any game, or that Chase Edmonds looks like the better back. Insanity is defined as doing something over and over but expecting different results. Trade this man right now before he is benched for Edmonds. I know I have been funny, but I am as serious about this as Kenyan Drake is about fantasy owners not liking him. I would pay good money to watch Drake and Durant whine about how unfair life is. Scratch that, I would prefer to pay to see him score, but I doubt I get my money’s worth. 13 carries for 35 yards averaging a pathetic 2.69 yards per carry against a Carolina defense that, including Drake’s abysmal performance, is allowing 125.2 yards per game, 5.1 yards per rush, and 7 TDs on the year. Oh, and he had 0 targets, 0 catches, and 0 involvement in the passing game.

Hope for your sake there is a sucker in your league who thinks Drake doesn’t suck. You would almost think Kliff Kingsbury turned into Adam Gase during his Miami days. Yikes, is this possible? They did lose two straight. 12 more and I will get concerned… but concerned is an understatement considering Drake’s downward trend. If you are able to dump him onto someone dumb enough to take him, don’t feel guilty and hose that sucker hard. His involvement in the passing game leaves much to be desired. Oh, and Edmonds had 5 catches on 6 targets. Plus he averaged 4 yards per carry, which is not impressive until you compare it to Drake’s numbers. There is going to be someone who thinks he will be good. Sell him to them, along with your oceanfront property in Arizona. Because unless you live in Kliff Kingsbury’s house, the view in Arizona when it comes to Drake is bleak. I guess it could be worse, but for the life of me, I can’t see how. Pray you weren’t too late in moving him, and his fantasy market value is plummeting quickly, no matter what Drake tweets about.

Bull: Tyler Boyd

“But Tyler Boyd isn’t cheap!” I never said he was. What I am saying is he is worth the price. He has clearly emerged as the WR1 in Cincy, and Joe Burrow looks like the real freaking deal. After early returns on focusing on A.J. Green didn’t pan out, Burrow decided to look to Boyd, and the results look really nice. Boyd has seen 29 targets the last three games and caught 24 of them for 287 yards and 1 TD. He has clearly become the primary target in this offense, yet he is being priced as a WR2 by most. Whoever “most” is, hasn’t been watching Bengals football. Boyd is clearly the guy to own in Cincy, and if those fantasmic target numbers didn’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. He has a whopping 80 % catch rate, 9.4 yards per target, and a rookie quarterback who continues getting better while looking his way more and more. While his matchup in week 5 versus Baltimore isn’t pretty, Terry McLaurin just proved skill trumps matchups. And Boyd is definitely skilled.

The price will only go up from here. I am deadly serious saying I would consider moving Julio for Boyd. However, I can nearly guarantee you can get more than that. Maybe a second-rounder in dynasty, or a guy like Hines, Lindsay, or Edmonds thrown in on top. You can do it! League mates will laugh this week, but it is you who will be laughing all the way to a title. Again, I realize acquiring Boyd is no small task, but that task will only loom larger and larger as the season progresses. His fantasy market value has yet to adjust to his actual value, which means the time is still now. Boyd is on pace for 136 catches and 1,280 yards receiving. That is not a WR2, so pay the upper-end WR2 price for him before anyone else realizes he has WR1 value.

There you have it folks, your weekly fantasy market report. Grab a cup of coffee or a beer and find out where to invest, where to sell, and why Matt Ryan hates Julio Jones. It’s all here, just for you. Thanks for the read, I am interested in your feedback. You can find me on Twitter @realryanhicks, and remember to follow @BellyUpFantasy for all your fantasy needs. We also do life advice.