FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast

Episode: "Go Get Calvin Ridley ASAP! | Week 2 Buy Low and Sell High Targets (Ep. 1696)"

Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Ryan Wormley
Expert Guest: Andrew Erickson

Overview

This episode dives deep into early-season fantasy football strategy, focusing on actionable Week 2 buy low and sell high targets. Andrew Erickson joins Ryan Wormley to share immediate takeaways from Week 1 games (including a Monday Night Football recap), strategic trade advice, and a detailed look at specific players to move for or away from right now. The conversation is practical, analytic, and rooted in both film review and data, with a candid and entertaining tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Monday Night Football Recap: Vikings vs. Bears

(01:45–05:15)

• Key Takeaways:
  • Both Caleb Williams (Bears) and JJ McCarthy (Vikings) showed next-step development in their second years.
  • Vikings offense was “non-existent” in first half but McCarthy exploded in the fourth quarter with three total TDs.
  • Jordan Mason led Vikings in rushing, but Aaron Jones caught a touchdown—“both these guys can coexist.”
  • “DJ Moore was seeing backfield carries... not just reverses. Just like, DJ Moore is in the backfield lined up at running back, like, let's hand the ball off to him.” (Andrew Erickson, 03:30)
  • Bears RB D'Andre Swift was once again uninspiring, but dominated carries.

“I think it's just the progression of two young quarterbacks taking that next step in year two.” – Andrew Erickson (02:50)

Week 2 High-Level Strategy Advice

(06:13–10:16)

• Reacting vs. Overreacting:
  • Erickson notes a market inefficiency: groupthink is pushing people to underreact. Accept that some Week 1 results are meaningful, especially roles and usage.
  • “You can't overreact. So, so, so we're just not going to react at all to anything we saw in week one. Like, I think that's wrong. Like we have to react somewhat now.” (Andrew Erickson, 06:25)
  • Example: If you expected someone (like Calvin Ridley) to flop in Week 1, don’t downgrade them further if they underperformed.
  • If a sleeper from draft season explodes, don’t assume it’s a fluke—sometimes value is just value.

“If you can get the right thing [in trade], consider it. But just because a guy did what you expected doesn’t mean regression is coming.” – Ryan Wormley (09:50)

Core Segment: Week 2 Buy Low & Sell High Targets

Buys

1. Calvin Ridley (WR, TEN)

• (12:12–15:53)
• Disappointing Week 1 (locked down by Patrick Surtain), but still saw 28% target share.
• Cam Ward “looked poised” even if the box score was ugly.
• “I think that Ridley is going to be a bounce back candidate and for all the reasons we talked about him during draft season, why we liked him so much, those are all still apparent.” (Andrew Erickson, 13:20)
• Buy by offering hot-start WRs who have less season-long upside.

2. Travion Henderson (RB, NE)

• (16:05–19:24)
• Led Patriots in rushing and caught 6 passes; outperformed a sluggish Rhamondre Stevenson.
• “I think Henderson is the best player on the Patriots offense. He's like one of the few guys that has a ton of juice.” (Andrew Erickson, 18:12)
• New England faces Miami in Week 2—a great bounce-back spot.

3. George Pickens (WR, DAL)

• (19:58–23:27)
• Underwhelming Week 1 stat line, but ran a route on 90% of dropbacks and is clearly established as WR2 on a high-upside Cowboys offense.
• “This is only going to get better as the season progresses and now that he’s significantly cheaper, I think to acquire, I'm willing to take it on.” (Andrew Erickson, 21:36)

Sells

1. Deebo Samuel (WR, WAS)

• (28:12–32:32)
• Big Week 1 game, but McLaurin was still ramping up after a holdout and should retake WR1 status soon.
• “He's not built to last... we've seen him break down in the second half of seasons consistently.” (Andrew Erickson, 31:17)
• Sell high as long as hype is peaking.

2. J.K. Dobbins (RB, DEN)

• (32:34–35:10)
• Led snaps/carries, scored TD, but Denver is clearly back to a three-man RB rotation (with Bidet & Harvey pressing).
• “Dobbins looked okay... we know he's not built to last.” (Andrew Erickson, 34:31)

3. James Conner (RB, ARI)

• (35:16–38:58)
• Conner’s snap share is lower, Trey Benson is eating into workload, and schedule gets tougher.
• Sell high, maybe after a good performance vs Panthers in Week 2.
• Watch Benson as a buy/waiver candidate.

QB & TE Buys/Sells

Buy: Justin Herbert (QB, LAC)

• (39:57–42:52)
• Mobility spike in Greg Roman’s offense, looked “fantastic” against KC, rushing for 32 yards (23 called back by penalty).
• “I think Herbert is just slated to be an absolute monster... he has all the recipe, all the ingredients to be that league-winning quarterback.” (Andrew Erickson, 41:08)
• Buy high if needed.

Sell: Travis Kelce (TE, KC)

• (43:14–44:46)
• Target share was disappointing (10.3%) even with numerous WR injuries.
• “I'm just not optimistic that Kelsey's going to take full advantage of this window where all these Chiefs receivers are hurt.” (Andrew Erickson, 43:53)
• Downward trend continues—move off the name value.

Buy, Sell, or Hold Mini-Segments

(44:46–54:27)

• Each trio: select one to buy, sell, and hold, with justification (quick picks, highlights only):

• RB Trio 1: Omarion Hampton, Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker

  • Buy: Breece Hall (“looked absolutely fantastic” – 45:47)
  • Sell: Hampton (NFL RBBC concerns in NYJ, theory Walker may rebound)
  • Hold: Walker (wait for clarity in role/usage)

• RB Trio 2: Isaiah Pacheco, Bill Croskey Merritt, Javonte Williams

  • Buy: Croskey Merritt (“Wheels up, sky high for Mr. Bill” – 48:43)
  • Sell: Pacheco (committee + dare we say, “bad vibes”)
  • Hold: Javonte Williams

• WR Trio 1: Zay Flowers, Ricky Pearsall, Emeka Egbuka

  • Buy: Pearsall (“I think like he’s gonna be awesome this year” – 51:34)
  • Sell: Flowers (week 1 likely an outlier; “If anybody is believing that he is like a league winner because of that first game, I would sell him.” – 52:38)
  • Hold: Egbuka (immediate impact, high ceiling)

• WR Trio 2: Rome Odunze, Michael Pittman Jr., Keenan Allen

  • Buy: Keenan Allen (Herbert’s top guy, cheap relative to value)
  • Sell: Pittman Jr. (schedule, target competition, “time to sell high and take the profit” – 54:10)
  • Hold: Odunze (ascending second-year with top QB)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On early-season trading:

  “I think you should be open to changing your opinions on certain things after we see what happened in week one, especially if it was something that you didn't see coming.” – Andrew Erickson (10:16)

• On Ridley bouncing back:

  “For all the reasons we talked about him during draft season, why we liked him so much, those are all still apparent.” – Andrew Erickson (13:20)

• On selling Dobbins:

  “We know he's not built to last... Love the man. He's not built to last for the long haul for a 17 game season.” – Andrew Erickson (34:34)

• On patience with young RBs:

  “This is where I'm looking for angles this week—is who just disappointed week one, where the bet hasn't really changed.” – Andrew Erickson (21:26)

• On Zay Flowers’ monster game:

  “That's an outlier. The Ravens I think are probably, if healthy, going to be the best offense in football this year... It's not going to be where all of the passing game production goes to Zay Flowers.” – Ryan Wormley (51:34)

Listener Q&A Mailbag

Q: Should I trade T.J. Hockenson? If so, what should I expect in return?
A: Hold for now; wait for a bounce back game with Addison sidelined, then consider trading for a need like WR (ideally a struggling but high-upside option like Calvin Ridley).

“I think he's a hold for me, especially with Addison out for the next couple weeks.” – Andrew Erickson (54:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Monday Night Football Recap: 01:45–05:15
• Early Season Strategy Talk: 06:13–10:16
• Calvin Ridley Buy Analysis: 12:12–15:53
• Travion Henderson Buy Analysis: 16:05–19:24
• George Pickens Buy Analysis: 19:58–23:27
• Deebo Samuel Sell: 28:12–32:32
• JK Dobbins Sell: 32:34–35:10
• James Conner Sell: 35:16–38:58
• QB Buy (Herbert)/TE Sell (Kelce): 39:57–44:46
• Player Trio Buy/Sell/Hold: 44:46–54:27
• Listener Mailbag: 54:27–55:35

Conclusion

This episode gave fantasy football managers a data-driven, nuanced approach to trade strategies and immediate actionable moves for Week 2. With a strong push to react (not overreact) to new info while trusting preseason analysis when appropriate, Erickson and Wormley stress the value of moving decisively on players before groupthink settles in and the “buy” and “sell” windows close.