Play/Stay Away - Week 8
As bye weeks continue, finding players to plug into your lineups is getting more and more difficult. This week, you have to replace guys like Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Tevin Coleman, Matt Ryan, Ezekiel Elliott, Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, and Amari Cooper. Not every fantasy owner is so lucky to have great depth at every position, so throughout this article, we were sure to include some deeper league plug-ins that could help win you your matchup. Check out who you should play, and who you should stay away from in week 8!
Quarterbacks
Play:
Mitchell Trubisky (vs. New York Jets)
Trubisky has been on quite a hot streak lately. He’s thrown for at least 315 yards and 2 TD’s in each of his last 3 games. He has also rushed for at least 45 yards in each of those 3 games. In week 8, the Bears face the Jets, who have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in 5 of their last 6 games. Trubisky’s 102.2 fantasy points over these last 3 games are the most by a QB in a 3-game stretch since Cam Newton in 2012. Trubisky is owned in just over 60% of leagues right now, but should be owned and started in 100%.
Andy Dalton (vs. Tampa Bay)
Despite a rough performance against Kansas City on Sunday night, Andy Dalton is still a top-15 QB in fantasy. And, in week 8, the Bengals face the Buccaneers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing QB’s. They’ve conceded an average of 26.7 PPG to opposing QB’s, more than 1.5x the league average. A favorable matchup in a bounce back game for Andy Dalton puts him in the QB1 range in week 8.
Carson Wentz (@ Jacksonville)
It isn’t typical that I’d go out of my way to tell you to start someone facing the Jaguars defense, but I have Carson Wentz as a QB1 in fantasy this week in a London game against the Jaguars. The Jaguars defense has looked awful lately, conceding 90 points over their past 3 games on their way to 3 consecutive losses. They’ve given up an average of 18 PPG to fantasy QB’s over that stretch, and Wentz has scored an average of 21 PPG over his last 3 games. He has scored 18 or more in every game this year excluding his first game back, and will look to keep this consistency going in week 8.
Stay Away:
Cam Newton (vs. Baltimore)
Newton has been a staple of consistency in fantasy over the last few years, and this year is no exception, as he’s averaging 22.5 PPG so far. However, this week, he’ll get a very tough challenge from the Baltimore defense. The Ravens are allowing an average of just 12.1 PPG to fantasy QB’s, and only Andy Dalton in week 2 was able to top 17. The Panthers are 18th in the league in PPG so far this year, and Baltimore is 1st in PPG allowed. In this tough matchup, I have Newton outside my top-15 and on the bench.
Matthew Stafford (vs. Seattle)
Stafford, through 7 weeks of the 2018 season, is barely inside the top-20 for fantasy QB’s, averaging a decent 16.3 PPG. He has been efficient, throwing for at least 2 TD’s in each of his last 5 games, a stretch over which he’s only thrown 1 interception. However, the yardage is relatively low as far as fantasy scoring goes, as he’s averaging just 263.2 yards per game over the last 5. Also, Theo Riddick is trending towards missing another game this week. In his absence last week, Kerryon Johnson set season highs in touches, total yards, and playing time. Their offensive line is 3rd in the league in yards created before contact per rushing attempt. The Lions are seemingly shifting towards a more balanced offensive attack, lightening the load that Stafford has been shouldering for years. And the cherry on top, the Seahawks have allowed the fewest fantasy PPG to opposing QB’s.
Russell Wilson (@ Detroit)
Russell Wilson has been another staple of consistency in fantasy football, but he’s off to a pretty slow start in 2018. He is currently QB21 averaging 15.8 fantasy PPG in a run-heavy Seattle offense. Wilson has only thrown for over 200 yards 3 times this year, but the silver lining is that he’s thrown 2+ touchdowns in 5 of his 6 games so far. Detroit has held their own against fantasy QB’s this year, allowing an average of 16.5 PPG. However, they’re 29th against fantasy RB’s, allowing an average of 22.7 PPG. Expect Seattle’s run-heavy approach to flourish in week 8.
Running Backs
Play:
Tarik Cohen (vs. New York Jets)
Tarik Cohen has emerged this year as the Bears RB to own in fantasy, distancing himself more every week from Jordan Howard. Cohen is RB20 through 7 weeks while Howard trails behind him at RB31, and Cohen has even begun to look like Chicago’s version of Tyreek Hill in the Matt Nagy offense. He is averaging 17.3 fantasy PPG over the last 3 weeks in standard scoring, and is averaging 24.7 fantasy PPG in PPR formats. He has at least 69 receiving yards and a TD over the last 3 weeks. He has become a staple of the offense with at least 12 touches in the last 3 weeks and an average of 15.3 touches, making him a must-start going forward.
Kerryon Johnson (vs. Seattle)
Kerryon exploded last week against the Dolphins, rushing for 158 yards on 19 carries while adding 2 receptions for 21 yards in the passing game. He set season highs in touches, total yards, and playing time and is running behind an offensive line that ranks 3rd in the NFL in yards created before contact. With Theo Riddick trending towards missing the week 8 game combined with the sound pass defense of the Seahawks, Kerryon is in for another big day.
Marlon Mack (@ Oakland)
Speaking of exploding in week 7, let’s move on to Marlon Mack. Mack took 19 carries for 126 yards and a TD, and he added 3 catches for 33 yards and a TD as well. Over the last 2 weeks, he has averaged 107.5 rushing yards per game and 18.5 fantasy PPG in standard scoring formats. Despite missing 4 games, he’s already just 7 points behind Nyheim Hines to be the #1 fantasy RB for the Colts, and is emerging as a workhorse. As long as he’s healthy, he should be in your starting lineup.
Stay Away:
Christian McCaffrey (vs. Baltimore)
McCaffrey provides far more value in PPR scoring than he does in standard scoring, presenting a 40 fantasy point difference through 6 games. In standard scoring, his fantasy performances are game script dependent, as he’s accumulated just 15 carries over the last two weeks. Baltimore is the #1 defense in the league against fantasy RB’s, allowing an average of just 9.6 fantasy PPG. Only the Saints’ and Broncos’ RB’s have scored more than 11 fantasy points against Baltimore, so McCaffrey has a very tough matchup ahead of him.
Isaiah Crowell (@ Chicago)
Isaiah Crowell has been one of 2018’s more inconsistent fantasy options. He has 3 games where he combined for 66 fantasy points and 4 games where he combined for 12. Bilal Powell was moved to the IR this week, seemingly opening up more opportunity for Crowell, but volume hasn’t been the problem. He has double-digit carries in all but 1 game this year, but the yardage totals seem to be impossible to forecast. The Bears are 5th against fantasy RB’s, making this boom or bust RB trend far more toward bust than boom in week 8.
T.J. Yeldon (vs. Philadelphia)
Yeldon’s future with the Jaguars become pretty murky last week when the Jaguars went out and traded for Carlos Hyde. His role as the pass catching back in Jacksonville seems cemented, at least for this season, but with Hyde active, he’s going to lose touches and playing time going forward. Once Fournette comes back, he’s likely to lose even more time. The Jaguars want to return to being a run-dominant offense as Blake Bortles’ true colors have really shown these last couple weeks, and that starts with downhill runners like Hyde. On top of that, the Eagles are 2nd in the league against fantasy RB’s, allowing an average of 10.4 PPG so far this year, only conceding double digits to the Falcons and the Giants. Let Yeldon ride the bench this week as the Jaguars integrate their new RB into the offense.
Wide Receivers
Play:
JuJu Smith-Schuster (vs. Cleveland)
JuJu is emerging as a young star and fan favorite during just his second year in the NFL. He has gone for over 100 yards in 4 of his 6 games so far this year, has found the endzone twice, and has posted 9+ standard fantasy points in all but one game this year. The one where he didn’t was unsurprisingly against the dominant defense of the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers play the Browns this week, who JuJu burned for 119 yards on 5 catches in horrible weather back in week 1. The Browns are a bottom-10 team in the league against fantasy WR’s, and their star rookie Denzel Ward will be shadowing Antonio Brown all game. The attention that Brown demands from defenses allows JuJu to fly under the radar and take advantage of lesser matchups. He’s a high-end WR2 in week 8.
Sterling Shepard (vs. Washington)
In week 7 against Atlanta, Sterling Shepard posted a career high in receiving yards, taking 5 catches for 167 yards. The Redskins have been weak against fantasy WR’s, allowing an average of 28.25 PPG over the last 4 games and 2 TD’s in 3 of their last 4 games. With Saquon Barkley and the rivalry between Odell and Josh Norman demanding a lot of attention, Sterling Shepard finds himself in a great spot to build off of a career performance against a weak Redskins secondary.
Geronimo Allison (@ L.A. Rams)
In week 4 against Buffalo, Allison tied his season high in catches (6) and set his season high in yards (80) on 11 targets. The Rams have been awful against the pass lately, with the exception of last week’s matchup with the 49ers. Prior to that, they conceded 33 standard fantasy points to the Broncos, 30 to the Seahawks, 50 to the Vikings, and 25 to the Chargers. As long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers are one of the league’s most dangerous passing offenses. While Davante Adams is still the WR to keep an eye on for opposing defenses, Allison and his big play ability present with a high ceiling in fantasy.
Stay Away:
John Brown (@ Carolina)
John Brown is having a surprisingly strong season so far, ranking as WR11 in standard scoring formats. However, his fantasy performances have been a little inconsistent. In week 6, he caught 2 passes for 28 yards and scored 2 points. In week 7, he caught 7 passes for 134 yards and a TD, and scored 19 points. This level of unpredictability makes starting players like Brown a difficult decision, and I’d recommend being a week too late on starting a consistent John Brown than starting the inconsistent John Brown every week and hoping he booms.
T.Y. Hilton (@ Oakland)
2 TD’s salvaged what otherwise would have been an awful performance from T.Y. in week 7 against an awful Buffalo defense that allowed the Colts to score 37 points. Hilton caught only 4 passes for 25 yards and is barely a top-30 fantasy WR so far this year. Until T.Y. is more consistently involved in the offense, I have him ranked as a WR3 and sitting on the bench.
Devin Funchess (@ Baltimore)
Funchess has had his two best games of the season these past 2 weeks, catching 11 passes for 136 yards and 2 TD’s over that stretch. But, for the same reason that Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey made the Stay Away list this week, Devin Funchess is on it as well. It’s that dang Baltimore defense. They’re currently allowing an average of just 19.1 standard fantasy PPG to opposing WR’s, the 8th lowest number in the league. For that reason, Funchess is on the bench this week.
Tight Ends
Play:
Jared Cook (vs. Indianapolis)
Jared Cook has been an up and down player this year, posting 2 games of 18 or more standard fantasy points and 4 games of 4 or less fantasy points. However, that was all before Amari Cooper left. Cooper was averaging more than 5 targets per game, and those now need to spread out elsewhere. With Marshawn Lynch moving to the IR as well, this will likely become a pass first offense. Cook is now the safest option in an otherwise weak Oakland offense, and is already TE6 on the year. He becomes a TE1 going forward.
David Njoku (@ Pittsburgh)
Njoku has already cracked the top-10 for TE’s on the year after scoring a total of just 6 standard fantasy points through the first 3 games. Over the last 2, he’s posted 2 games of 11 points and has found the endzone each game. He is 3rd in targets among TE’s over the last 3 weeks behind only Zach Ertz and Eric Ebron. His chemistry with Baker Mayfield has really flourished lately and he’s now a must-start TE against a Pittsburgh defense that has allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing TE’s.
Jimmy Graham (@ L.A. Rams)
Jimmy Graham posted his best game of the year in week 6, catching 5 passes for 104 yards and scoring 10 standard fantasy points. The Rams’ defense has been spotty against TE’s, but gave up 20 points to the Raiders’ TE’s and 15 to the 49ers’ TE’s. Graham is one of the best TE’s the league has seen in the last 10 years and he’s catching passes from a HOF QB, giving him great upside against a defense that has proven vulnerable against the position.
Stay Away:
Kyle Rudolph (vs. New Orleans)
A position favorite among fantasy drafters back in early September, Rudolph hasn’t been this year what he had been in the past. He’s TE12 through the first 7 weeks and is averaging just 5.3 standard fantasy PPG. He’s now coming off of a 1 catch, 16-yard game and will now face the Saints. The Saints have allowed an average of just 4 standard fantasy PPG to TE’s this year, the 2nd fewest in the league. With Latavius Murray revitalizing the ground game and Adam Thielen leading the league in targets, the volume just isn’t there for Rudolph, and that’s why he’s on the bench.
Jordan Reed (@ New York Giants)
Jordan Reed is another highly drafted TE that has had a disappointing start to the 2018 season. He has scored more than just 6 standard fantasy points 1 time and it was back in week 1. Since then, he is averaging just 3.6 PPG. The Redskins offense has pretty balanced between the run and the pass, but 32 pass attempts per game for Alex Smith isn’t enough to provide Reed with the volume he needs to make a splash in fantasy. Leave him on the bench this week against the Giants, who are top-10 in the league in defending fantasy TE’s.
C.J. Uzomah (vs. Tampa Bay)
A touchdown last week against Kansas City saved Uzomah from what would have otherwise been a horrible, 1-point fantasy performance. Uzomah has been trying to fill in for Tyler Eifert since he was moved to the IR, but the volume has been inconsistent. The Bengals are 30th in the league against WR’s so expect A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd to shine in week 8, leaving Uzomah in the shadows.