This week represents the halfway mark for most fantasy leagues, and we are well over halfway until the start of the fantasy football playoffs. If you are waiting for a player to produce that you used a high draft pick on, chances are they are not going to perform to the level of where they were drafted. Lineup decisions should now be based on production, not what pick you used to select a player.
If you are looking for a way to improve your team, here are a few players to consider adding on the waiver wire. Doug Martin and Jalen Richard will be competing to be the Raiders running back now that Marshawn Lynch has been placed on injured reserve.
If you can only target one, my pick would be Martin, but there is a lot to like about Richard in PPR leagues. With Ted Ginn sidelined, Tre'Quan Smith is expected to step into the WR2 role in a potent Saints offense. Geronimo Allison is owned in the majority of leagues, but if someone dropped him as he dealt with injuries you should run to pick him up.
We rarely see NFL trades that have fantasy implications, but we have had two major trades within a few days of each other. Look for Amari Cooper to see an uptick in production once he finds his footing in the Dallas offense. I am also bullish on Nick Chubb for the rest of the season now that he will be getting the majority of carries in Cleveland.
The Packers-Rams, Bucs-Bengals & Broncos-Chiefs Highlight This Week's Shootouts
Vegas has pegged the Packers and Rams matchup as the highest scoring game for Week 8, and for good reason. The over-under is set at 57 points thanks, in part, to the Rams prolific offense. Both teams have multiple wide receivers that should have great fantasy outings.
The Chiefs look to continue to keep up their frenetic pace as the Broncos come to town. Patrick Mahomes has thrown for more than 300 yards in six straight games. Mahomes has four games where he has thrown for at least four touchdowns.
The Broncos offense is hoping they found their footing last week, and can bring that momentum into Kansas City this weekend. Mahomes admitted that success has come a little sooner than he expected.
"To be able to learn every day from Coach Reid, to be able to get out here with all these guys ... we literally have fun every single day,'' Mahomes told ESPN. "We love coming to work, I guess you would say, and just getting to play this game that we've loved since we were little kids and winning a lot of football games.''
Tampa Bay and Cincinnati's point total is set at 54, but it is one of the games that could not live up to the offensive expectations. Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton did not have the best fantasy days this past weekend, and will look to bounce back in Week 8.
Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @JonDAdams with any fantasy football questions you may have. It has been fun interacting with many of you each week, and hopefully, we are helping you make your playoff push. Click the next arrow to see my fantasy football predictions for Week 8 in the latest edition of Start-Sit.
Start: WR Golden Tate vs. Seahawks
Sit: Jaguars WR's vs. Eagles
Tate was part of the early success of the Pete Carroll era in Seattle. Like most athletes playing against their former team, Tate will be more than motivated to have a great outing against his former squad. Tate has struggled the last two weeks compared to his usual production. Tate has just 78 yards and zero touchdowns over this two-week span. The Lions receiver spent the offseason watching film with new Lions head coach Matt Patricia.
“We watch (Julian) Edelman and (Danny) Amendola film, just to watch them and give me hints to on what I can do better,” Tate explained to USA Today this summer. "...Jim Bob has done a great job of just getting the ball in my hands and once the ball gets in my hands, I think I’m just as good as any of these running backs or receivers."
Tate also discussed his faith in quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Lions wide receiver has been a vocal supporter of Stafford since he arrived in Detroit.
“Talent-wise, he’s right there with everyone else, and he just brings it every single day,” Tate told USA Today. “And to be the leader of an offense, it’s tough to do, so his consistency is through the roof. He’s definitely the leader of our team, but the guy has it right here (points to heart). It doesn’t matter what type of check you write him, he’s bringing it every single day to work. That’s what you want in a quarterback, and it drives the guys around him to do the same.”
The strength of the Lions offense may be shifting toward the run game, but look for Tate to have a good week against his former team.
The Jaguars Offense Is a Trainwreck
Jacksonville is heading to London at the worst possible time. Things went so bad against the Texans that Doug Marrone benched Blake Bortles during the game. There is so much uncertainty surrounding the Jaguars offense that you cannot start a Jacksonville wide receiver with confidence. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey admitted to how much tension there is in the Jaguars locker room.
“You all walk in here, you all see how it is in here, you all see how we vibe with each other, you all see how we vibe towards the coaches, you all see how it is," Ramsey said per Pro Football Talk. "It is no secret what’s going on here right now. Ain’t nobody going to say it because we can’t, but it ain’t no secret what’s going on and it ain’t right right now. It is what it is.”
My advice is to bench Keelan Cole, Donte Moncrief and Dede Westbrook until things get turned around. There is no guarantee that things don't get worse with how bad the Jaguars have looked over the past several weeks. The Jaguars face an Eagles defense that is one of the best units in the NFL, so the cards are stacked against them for things to turn around this week.
Start: TE O.J. Howard at Bengals
Sit: TE Benjamin Watson at Vikings
Since Jameis Winston has returned, Howard has been one of his main targets. Last week, Howard had five receptions for 67 yards, solid numbers in PPR leagues. The Bengals are giving up the fourth most passing yards in the NFL, and I like Howard's chances to finish as a top-12 tight end for Week 8.
This offseason, Howard spoke about what he worked on to improve for the upcoming season.
"We all have to do our reports on last year's film and tell the good and bad about it," Howard told The Tampa Bay Times. "So I had a lot of things I wanted to improve on such as the run game, running routes, getting open a lot in man coverage."
Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter spoke about Howard's talent level after an early training camp practice this summer.
"You saw two good examples of O.J. right there at the end," Koetter explained to The Tampa Bay Times. "He made that great catch in the end zone (Tuesday). He made that beautiful catch in the seam, then a few plays later, we threw the screen to him. I mean O.J.'s incredible athleticism just jumps out to you."
Look for Howard to find the end zone against the Bengals this week as his plus matchup makes him a start for Week 8.
Watson Is Not a Priority in the Saints Passing Attack
Watson is coming off his best fantasy performance of the season, and now I am telling you to sit him. The truth is Watson is not a huge priority in the Saints passing attack, which means he is not someone you can count on a weekly basis. Watson had six receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown last week against the Ravens. Chances of that happening very often are unlikely.
It marked the only touchdown reception Watson has made this season. There has only been one other game where Watson received five or more receptions. Watson also faces a difficult matchup against a Vikings defense that is trending up.
Watson is a veteran tight end who helps the Saints win, but that does not always translate to fantasy production. Watson was on the receiving end of Drew Brees' 500th touchdown pass.
“One of the greatest things about the 500th touchdown pass, it was caught by one of my favorite teammates of all time,” Brees told NOLA.com. “I couldn’t think of a better guy to catch this touchdown than Ben Watson. He is a terrific veteran, and I look up to him.”
With the tough Vikings matchup combined with Watson's inconsistent usage, there are better tight end options for you to plug into your fantasy lineup this week.
Start: RB Nick Chubb at Steelers
Sit: RB Carlos Hyde vs. Eagles
The Browns trading away Carlos Hyde cleared the way for Chubb to be a plug and play RB2 with upside the rest of the season. Chubb does not have a great matchup this week against the Steelers, who are only giving up 97.8 rushing yards per game. However, talent always trumps matchup when considering who to put in your fantasy lineup.
Chubb rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown against the Bucs in his first game as a starter. Chubb averaged 4.4 yards per carry and can have even bigger fantasy days if the Browns figure out how to utilize him in the passing game.
The Browns used an early second-round pick on Chubb, so it was only a matter of time before he was given more work. Earlier this month, Hue Jackson noted they needed to get Chubb more carries. GM John Dorsey took the decision out of his hands by trading away Hyde.
"No, just have to give him more carries," Jackson told Cleveland.com in early October. "There is nothing holding him back. We just have to stick him out there...We need to do a better job of making sure that he has a series or two each half and go from there...I watched those two touchdowns on tape today, and they were even better than they were on the field. He ran away from some people on the first one and ran away from some people on the second one. It just looked natural and easy. He was gone."
You should feel comfortable starting Chubb in your lineup going forward.
The Jaguars Running Backs Get a Bad Matchup Against the Eagles Defense
The Hyde trade appeared to open up fantasy opportunities for both Hyde and Chubb. Unfortunately, Hyde was inactive for the Jags against the Texans. This week, Hyde is expected to play, but he faces one of the best rushing defenses in the league. The Eagles are ranked No. 2 in rushing yards allowed as Philly is giving up just 85.7 yards.
The Jaguars want to run the ball, but it is hard to predict how they are going to split carries between Hyde and T.J. Yeldon. The combination of usage questions and the tough matchup makes Hyde a sit for this week. Hyde should be a start in Week 9 against the Colts, but leave him on your bench for Week 8.
Since beating up on the Patriots, the Jaguars have been on a downward tailspin. After another loss, Jagurs head coach Doug Marrone said every position is up for grabs, which makes the offense hard to predict from a fantasy perspective.
“We’ve lost three straight games and we can’t stop shooting ourselves in the foot for lack of a better expression," Marrone said per Big Cat Country. "For us, the focus is going to be on that, but if you’re that side of the football…everything, special teams. We’ve got to do something, but the first thing we’ve got to do is stop turning the damn ball over. Period. That would be the positive of how we can build.”
Start: Seahawks DST at Lions
Sit: Browns DST at Steelers
The Seahawks DST is available in most leagues thanks to their recent bye week. Many fantasy owners have faded the Seahawks defense thinking all the talent was released this offseason. Seattle's young defensive players have stepped up, and the Seahawks have been one of the better defenses during the first half of the NFL season.
Seattle is top-five in points allowed at 19.5 points per game. The Seahawks rank No. 3 in passing yards allowed, but their rushing defense has been the one weakness. The Seattle DST has a chance to be more than just a stream going forward, but be advised the Seahawks have notable offenses coming up on their schedule with games against the Chargers, Rams and Packers.
The Lions don't provide a great matchup for the Seahawks, but they are likely to perform better than most of the DST's available on your waiver wire. The Seahawks are expecting linebacker K.J. Wright to make his 2018 season debut.
Seattle is coming off their best defensive performance of the season against the Raiders. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll explained how the team was able to notch six sacks against the Raiders.
“Everybody was hot, everybody was going,” Carroll said per Seahawks.com. “All the fellas up front. (Jarran) Reed continues to do stuff. (Quinton Jefferson) got in there. I thought Jacob Martin looked particularly quick on coming off the edge, it was great to see him get some pressure. He wasn't always able to get there, but he was part of the problems for them. That really was kind of the story for the day was our ability to rush the passer, and it was great to see those guys get that kind of day.”
Facing the Steelers Offense at Home Makes the Browns a DST to Avoid
The Browns have typically been one of the solid DST's to stream, but I don't like them this week against the Steelers offense at home. Pittsburgh should be sharp given they are coming off a bye, while the Browns had a tough loss in overtime against the Bucs. The Steelers have had their fair share of drama this season, but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is pleased with the direction of the offense.
“Things have gone really well, smooth, we’re doing some really goo things on offense,” Roethlisberger explained to Trib Live. “The communication is going well. It’s not like we haven’t had a couple hiccups here and there. The great thing like with other coordinators, or players-coaches, even if you have a disagreement, an argument, whatever want to call it, the key is how do you move on, how fast do you move on. … It doesn’t seem like anything has changed since (Fichtner) was a quarterback coach, and that’s a good thing.”
Roethlisberger and the Steelers are going to be looking for revenge against a Browns team they tied to open the season. There are much better streaming DST options this week than Cleveland.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin
Start: QB Andrew Luck at Raiders
Sit: QB Cam Newton vs. Ravens
Luck's numbers from Week 7 look like you are reading a typo. The Colts quarterback threw for just 156 yards but had four touchdowns. It was an odd way to achieve his typical fantasy production, but Luck is back to his days as a must-start quarterback.
This week, he gets a great matchup against a Raiders team that seems to be waiting for the season to end. The Raiders rank in the bottom half of the league for passing yards allowed. Oakland is giving up the fourth most points per game at 29.3. Luck's recently spoke with ESPN about his desire to protect his body more so he can stay on the field.
"It's weird, but I am happy I chose -- in those two instances -- to do what I did," Luck explained to ESPN. "It's more important to be on the field as a quarterback. That's the truth. Certainly situationally, you will take hits. I'd like to think that if it was the fourth quarter in a really tight game that I would have put my shoulder down to get in the end zone and taken a hit. But within the context of this game, I think I did the right thing."
Luck has a chance to be one of the top fantasy quarterbacks this week. If he keeps up this pace, Luck is going to help some teams win fantasy championships.
Cam Newton Is Hard to Trust Against a Stout Ravens Defense
Newton is coming off a good fantasy performance against a tough Eagles team, but I don't trust him to make it two straight outings against the Ravens. Baltimore just held Drew Brees to 212 passing yards, not a great sign for Newton.
The Ravens rank second in the league against the pass, giving up just 190 yards per game. Baltimore is tops in the NFL in points allowed at just 14.4 points per game, close to three points ahead of the next team. Newton is hoping the Panthers can build some momentum after their big win over the Eagles.
"This place was as advertised, playing in a hostile environment but we overcame that and kept pushing through," Newton told WRAL. "Good teams have to win on the road and win close games and we did that...I took that one [loss to Redskins] extremely personal. I told myself if we get in that position I have to hold up my end. I didn't want to let anybody down."
If Newton is the only quarterback on your roster, I am not telling you to drop him. You would just be wise to modify your fantasy expectations in a bad matchup against the Ravens defense. There is a slight hope Newton could salvage the day with some rushing yards.
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Week 8 Predictions