Welcome to the Week 8 edition of which guys I tell you to play! I hope I've been doing more bad than good for you all. There have been so many twists and turns with this season so far and keeping track of it all has been straining in more ways than one, but we are here to continue to deliver the best borderline starts for each week this season. We're fighting to maintain playoff position here with the obscene number of injuries so let's dive right into it!
QUARTERBACKS
START Bo Nix vs Carolina Panthers
Don't look now, but Nix is looking quite solid in his rookie campaign despite being overshadowed by Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. He finished with two straight top 10 QBs in Weeks 5-6. The key is that he's been getting comfortable stretching plays with his feet attempting almost 8 rushes a game over the past 5 weeks. He has over 45 yards rushing in 3 of those past 5 games and 2 rushing scores. That kind of threat opens up the pass game where he has a 5/1 TD/INT ratio in that same span. This week, Nix gets the Panthers... Yeah, those Panthers you can feel comfortable playing just about anyone. So go ahead and fire up Nix this week confidently.
SIT Brock Purdy vs Dallas Cowboys
What looked like a "Game of the Week" kind of matchup prior to the season, both the Niners and Cowboys come stumbling into this matchup. Purdy is set to lead his below .500 team against a Cowboys team that is looking to bounce back after getting trounced before their bye week. While Purdy has a nice matchup on paper, he has everything else working against him. He will be without WR Brandon Aiyuk and likely without Jauan Jennings. Deebo Samuel is also recovering from pneumonia so who knows if he's even set to play. Purdy will have TE George Kittle but that's about it; the Cowboys have done fairly well at limiting production at the TE position (13th least number of points). Purdy is likely to lean on his running game with Jordan Mason against a bottom-five rushing defense and limit Purdy's turnover potential (5 INT over his last 3 games). Sit Purdy this week.
RUNNINGBACKS
START Raheem Mostert vs Arizona Cardinals
The whole city of Miami must be jumping for joy knowing that QB Tua Tagovailoa will be returning after a 6-game absence due to a concussion. This doesn't just boost Miami receivers, but the entire offense as a whole. Mostert has been down in the dumps for most of this season. He has the chance to return to glory vs the Cardinals this week. Over his last two games, he's seen 11 and 19 carries showing the offense still needs his production to succeed. With Tua back against a lackluster defense that is middle of the pack against the run, I see the Dolphins trying to go for the statement win to start a run and return to playoff position. Don't be scared to roll with Mostert this week with the explosive Miami offense looking to return.
SIT Zack Moss vs Philadelphia Eagles
Guys, Zack Moss is toast. I'm not sure how he did it in Indy but he is again the Buffalo version of Zack Moss. He still has half of the snap share which is good for his volume but his production over the past 3 weeks is abysmal. 7-8 PPR points in two of them and a disaster in New York where he rushed for 13 yards on 6 carries. He may still be nursing an ankle injury, but it is clear: Chase Brown has taken over as the lead back. It would be hard for me to even trust Brown against the Eagles this week (5th least points against RBs) but Moss is an easy sit for me despite the volume he may command. He would not be considered a FLEX option at this moment.
WIDE RECEIVERS
START Jerry Jeudy vs Baltimore Ravens
Jeudy has been in fantasy hell for this season so far. He had a steady start with at least 11 PPR points in 3 of his first 4 games. He then has since dropped off big-time with not even 5 PPR points in his previous 3 games. This kind of struggling can't all be blamed on him, but also the lack of attention from Deshaun Watson who had struggled mightily before going down with a season-ending injury. So, in comes Jameis Winston, the backup QB who has a reputation of pushing the ball downfield by any means necessary. That helps Jeudy's case to potentially become the #1 target in the Brown's offense with the departure of Amari Cooper. With the return of Nick Chubb to the offense as well, the Brown's offense has a chance to make a grand return with Winston under center. I would take a chance on Jeudy as a FLEX option this week against a Ravens team that could run up the score.
SIT Chris Olave vs Los Angeles Chargers
Wow, that's a big one. Olave has been in a tough spot this season. He's been struggling through a concussion while playing with a backup QB for the past couple of weeks. I won't hold the Week 6 game against him where he was knocked out with his concussion, but his production against a suffocating Kansas City defense was not encouraging (2 catches for 10 yards). The Chargers defense that Olave gets this week is just as good against the pass this year (KC 4th best against WRs, LAC 3rd best) I think until Derek Carr is healthy enough to come back, you should sit Olave to protect yourself against more disappointment.
TIGHT ENDS
START Sam LaPorta vs Tennessee Titans
So shockingly enough, the 1-6 Tennessee Titans team has a surprisingly stout defense. They are particularly good against defending the tight end (2nd best against TEs this season). LaPorta has something working in his favor this week; the absence of Jameson Williams. Last season, LaPorta was able to break out as a rookie and that was because of the lack of connection established with Williams. To start this season, Williams has taken all of the attention away from LaPorta in terms of fantasy production leaving managers who invested in LaPorta early in drafts very frustrated. I'm hear to tell you that despite the tough matchup, the Lions will be ready to feed LaPorta this week. The fact that the Titans also just recently traded their top LB Ernest Jones away also helps LaPorta's case to be back in it in case you forgot about him.
SIT Pat Freiermuth vs New York Giants
Freiermuth was targeted a lot more to begin the 2024 season, but since Week 5 he's only been targeted 3 times a game. He's normally been reliable for the steady 7 PPR points per game, but his lack of volume is concerning to that reliability. Russell Wilson, the new QB under center as of last week, was able to fine him for a couple of big gains saving his fantasy week from being a complete disaster. Despite this, I don't like the declining production and volume from Freiermuth; this is coupled with the fact that the opposing Giants team he gets this week has allowed the 6th least number of points to tight ends. It is best that you find a better streamer at tight end this week.
Comments