Buy Giants RB Saquon Barkley NOW

By: Zach Kurt

Many people are in Panic mode 2 weeks into the season and I am going to address 3 Rbs drafted as top 12 RBs in most dynasty startups this year. The three backs I am going to highlight are Saquon Barkley, Clyde Edwards-Helaire (CEH), Antiono Gibson (Gibby). These are some high-profile guys who have had a less than stellar start to the 2021 season. As a dynasty owner, what are you supposed to do with these assets? I will tell you!

Saquon Barkley (RB-NYG) BUY!!

This one is the easiest decision of the three for me and it’s not particularly close. Saquon is the best running back in the NFL when healthy. He is a great pure runner of the ball and a pass-catching savant. He can turn any play into a TD and you don’t get that ability from many RB’s in the NFL (CMC, Henry, Dalvin, Saquon). He has been on a slow start this season. The man is coming off an ACL tear.

Let’s get some perspective here. Jamaal Charles tore his ACL in 2011 and in 2012 his first 2 games totaled 25 touches. Saquon in his first 2 games tallied 26 touches. It is okay to start slow as a skill player coming off this injury. If people are worried about him you absolutely should buy him he is the best running back in the NFL when healthy and he is a few weeks from being there. Buy! Buy! Buy!

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB-KCC) Hold

CEH was heavily hyped a lot this offseason with the upgrades to the Chiefs O-line. Through two games in pass-heavy game scripts, CEH has been involved but not what you want for the workhorse back we were expecting him to be. It has been ugly for CEH thus far and despite the game scripts not being in his favor, he hasn’t impressed on any front. I believe that his trade value has taken a gigantic hit in the last two weeks that it is not smart to trade him right now. I have a few shares of CEH and have sent some offers out and the return I have been looking at is Chase Edmonds and Myles Gaskin. He is absolutely not worth selling for that. Wait for him to get a great majority of touches in a positive game script and his price will rocket back up because he is on the Cheifs.

Antonio Gibson (RB-WFT) SELL

Over this offseason, Antonio Gibson may have been the most hyped player in the fantasy community. People have been calling him CMC 2.0, Believing he would get a similar role to CMC. I had a lot of red flags when it came to this claim with Gibby and through a two-week sample, they seem to be coming true. J.D. McKissic was still there and was going to be the 3rd down back, Gibson was in for touchdown regression, and the more touches he saw his efficiency started to drop. All of those things have been happening two weeks in and I am a firm believer that they continue to happen. If you can sell Gibby for Saquon, Chubb, or David Montgomery I would sell Gibson for any of those guys very quickly. 

These first two weeks of NFL action have been peculiar but I believe that some of the evidence we have seen on the field is telling. None of what I have laid out here is a guarantee however sometimes it pays to buy low and sell high. Like I always say, send trade offers because Dynasty Never Rests.