Rest Of Season Top-150 Rankings: Players To Buy And Sell Before Week 4 (Episode 1029 with Adam Levitan, John Daigle, Mark Dankenbring, Jack Miller)

# Establish The Run: Rest of Season Top-150 Rankings — Week 4 Buy/Sell Breakdown

This episode is the crew's weekly ranking-update and trade-market show, walking through team-by-team fantasy fallout from Week 3 injuries and usage shifts before fielding listener trade questions. The central argument across nearly every segment is that several preseason-hyped situations (Giants, Eagles, Chargers, Dolphins) have genuinely curdled, while a handful of struggling-but-talented players (Puka Nacua, Ladd McConkie, Tucker Kraft, Colston Loveland) are being undervalued by panicked fantasy managers and should be bought now.

The arguments

The Giants passing game is now a sell-low across the board. Mark Dankenbring and Adam Levitan agree Jameis Winston's arm has looked shot and that Todd Bowles' staff will likely hide him in good matchups (Cardinals, Commanders, Saints) rather than let him air it out, mirroring how they protected him against Tennessee. Levitan adds that J.J. McCarthy's historical catchable-target-rate was even worse than Winston's, meaning Malik Nabors and Theo Likely face a depressed JJM ceiling once the rookie takes over after the Week 8 bye.

Saquon Barkley's offense is more broken than Barkley himself. Dankenbring notes Barkley is averaging 5.5 YPC in full games but the passing attack is dysfunctional (25th in pass EPA) because Jalen Hurts won't throw over the middle, funneling targets to DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown's replacement instead. Daigle pushes back, arguing the O-line and running game are fine and this is just a new scheme finding its legs, making him a buyer on Barkley specifically at the current depressed price; Dankenbring and Levitan remain more bearish, citing only two designed Hurts runs all season as a red flag for Barkley's TD equity.

O'Marrion Hampton is a sell-low because the route share just isn't there. Dankenbring found Hampton ranks 26th of 28 qualifying backs in route share (24%) behind both Tory Taylor and Kimani Vidal, retaining only early-down and goal-line work without receiving value, compounded by a brutal six-game stretch (Seattle, Denver, Chiefs, Rams, Houston, Ravens).

The Dolphins have the worst talent environment in recent memory, undercutting Ollie Gordon's value. Jack Miller notes Gordon's target share cratered to 8% once Malik Willis took over (scrambling QBs target backs less), and Jaylen Wright, who played the same snap count in Week 1, could reclaim a real role once healthy. Levitan says the models (including theirs) can't fully price in how bad Miami's talent is, though Daigle counters that an easier rushing schedule from Week 5 on gives some hope purely from game-script necessity.

Brian Thomas Jr. is unrosterable short-term and the crew called this runout before the season. Miller notes BTJ ran only 45% of routes in Week 3 as routes consolidated to Jacoby Myers and Parker Washington, with Liam Cohen publicly praising Josh Cameron's blocking, not his receiving. Daigle recommends holding only on trade-rumor hope and circling back after Jacksonville's Week 8 bye, while flagging Myers as the real buy-low beneficiary of Washington's continued role.

Colston Loveland and Puka Nacua remain buys despite ugly box scores because talent-based long views still apply. Dankenbring notes Loveland's target-per-route-run rate has been cut more than half from his rookie year (25% to 11%) but calls this unsustainable given the talent, ranking him TE7 anyway. On Nacua, Dankenbring and Levitan both say they'd hold or buy him over Chris Olave despite the current hip/groin uncertainty, comparing the opportunity to last year's Brock Bowers buy-low spike.

What it means for your roster

• Sell now: Malik Nabors and Theo Likely (Giants passing funnel concerns under incoming J.J. McCarthy); O'Marrion Hampton (24% route share, brutal schedule); Brian Thomas Jr. if you can find a taker, otherwise stash for a Week 8 trade/return.
• Buy low: Puka Nacua (even amid injury uncertainty, preferred over Chris Olave straight-up), Ladd McConkie (Chargers' success rate jumps from 28th to 8th with him on field), Tucker Kraft (healthier post-bye, target share should rise with Jayden Reed out for the season), Josh Downs (31% target share with Alec Pierce on IR, elite Commanders matchup), Jacoby Myers (likely target-share beneficiary in Jacksonville).
• Add/stash: Jordan Mason off IR (described as the cheapest possible buy, return eyed for Week 6, needed given Aaron Jones' unsustainable workload); Braylon Allen as a short-term Jets RB2 play (great Bears matchup) while treating him as a bridge, not a long-term lock-in.
• Hold, don't panic-sell: Derrick Henry (schedule gets tougher but talent/role unchanged — ranked 9th overall); Ashton Jeanty (still RB1 in his own backfield via passing-game role despite 3.3 YPC efficiency concerns); Jalen Waddle (volatility is matchup-driven, not a role collapse).
• Trade evaluations from the calculator: Garrett Wilson for Javonte Williams graded as a fair/slight edge to the Javonte side; Bowers + Javonte for Henry + McConkie leans Bowers' side; Saquon Barkley + Waddle for Olave + Christian Watson favors the Olave/Watson side by roughly 30%, especially appealing in 3-WR/flex formats and strengthened further by Jayden Reed's season-ending neck surgery news.
• David Montgomery: no need to panic-sell despite losing a goal-line carry to Woody Marks — still handled 68% of backfield touches, and expect improvement once Nico Collins returns against Dallas.