Fantasy Football Week 8 Lineup Advice

As we enter the mid-point of the NFL season, winning games in fantasy football becomes that much more important to secure a place in the playoffs to get that coveted championship ring. Bye-Weeks continue to hamper rosters leaving it extremely significant to start and sit the right players. This week’s edition does house some high profile names and some lesser trusted talent to make a difference. Never give up in fantasy football as your outlook could drastically change with a couple victories. Let’s get to it…      

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START - GET THEM IN YOUR LINEUP

Quarterbacks:

Kirk Cousins (MIN)

While the Vikings have been able to win their last three contests, Kirk Cousins hasn’t necessarily been the reason for those victories. His play has been steady but not spectacular hitting less than 20 points in the last three contests. This week having a primetime showdown with the Saints on Sunday Night Football should bring out the best in Kirk. New Orleans gives up the 2^nd most to fantasy quarterbacks which should bode well for Cousins this week. This contest should erupt into a shootout leaving both Cousins and Brees matching shot-for-shot. It’s not out of the question to witness Kirk amass statistics over 300 passing yards and at least 2 touchdowns.  

Mitchell Trubisky (CHI)

What can we say about the Bears young star in the making? Mitchell Trubisky has been on another level these last few weeks which has made us take notice buying what he’s selling. In his last three contests, Trubisky has been able to generate a whopping 120 fantasy points while throwing for just over 1000 yards and hitting 11 touchdown passes, incredible. While this pace is truly unsustainable, the Bears have a juicy matchup against the Jets who allow opposing quarterbacks to garner middle of the pack numbers. Coach Nagy has this offense humming and executing fantastically to the point Mitchell is becoming a weekly starter. If the thought process is to play Trubisky over the likes of Cam Newton or Ben Roethlisberger, we can’t argue and would actually endorse the move.  

Jameis Winston (TB)

We at ADF preached the play of Jameis Winston a couple weeks ago to which he rewarded us with a very sound performance. That recommendation has once again come for the Tampa Bay pivot to start this week with a very sound matchup on the horizon. Even though the Buccaneers travel to Cincinnati to play on the road, the Bengals defense has been rather anemic at stopping big plays from happening. Giving up the 5^th most to fantasy quarterbacks, the Bengals should be in tough to guard the many receiving talents the Bucs employ leaving Jameis to throw darts all over the field. It’s definitely not out of the question to see Winston go over 300 yards and 2-3 touchdowns on Sunday afternoon.      

Running Backs:

Phillip Lindsay (DEN)

While the Broncos appear to be on life support in the AFC West, undrafted rookie Phillip Lindsay has been a breath of fresh air to a run game that has been much improved. With his teammate Royce Freeman nursing an injured ankle, even if he suits up for this contest his usage may be limited leaving Lindsay the featured back to start. Phillip has been uber-productive only seeing one contest go below the 10 fantasy point mark with a ceiling of 17 points. Going up against the Chiefs this week who give up the 2^nd most to running backs, Denver should employ a heavy run approach in attempts to keep Mahomes off the field. An endzone trip should almost be a formality this week for Lindsay.      

Adrian Peterson (WAS)

As the Redskins quietly continue to win games leading the way in the division, Adrian Peterson has seemingly found rejuvenation in his aging legs to lead the team in rushing while helping to assist in setting up the play action pass. While the yardage has been there for AP these last couple weeks, he hasn’t found the endzone since week three to lift his numbers to levels we’d expect. Going up against the Giants who will literally be packing it in as one of the worst teams in the league, all signs point to a solid outing for Peterson and the Skins. Adding to that, with recent news that the Gaints will be without their stud line backer Alec Ogletree for this match, lanes should be wide for Adrian to run through. Fire up AP and don’t think twice.   

James White (NE)

Our infatuation for James White this season has been real as we’ve promoted the talented running back on more than one occasion. This week it appears to be an absolute no brainer with New England going up against the Bills who can’t seem to do much of anything on both sides of the ball. With rookie Sony Michel on the wrong side of health and looking doubtful to dress for this contest, James White will have an expanded role that would suggest he could find the endzone multiple times. White should find his way to being a top five fantasy producer this week. 

Raheem Mostert (SF)

It almost appears there’s a new man in town that has caught the eye of coach Shanahan and his name is Raheem Mostert. While he hasn’t exploded on the stat sheet as of yet, Mostert has definitely carved out a role for himself on this 49ers offense that should continue to bear fruit heading into this contest against the Cardinals. His appeal could be a little more than his teammate Matt Breida moving forward with Raheem possessing better hands making him a better option in the pass game. Going up against the Cardinals this week who give up the most to fantasy backs, we truly see a very good day for Mostert.     

Wide Receivers:

Robert Woods (LAR)

In one of the better contests to don the week eight slate, the Rams and Robert Woods faceoff against the Green Bay Packers. Woods has been very solid so far this season generating a healthy 108.13 PPR fantasy points leading the way as the top receiver on the club. With Cooper Kupp poised to miss yet another game with his injured knee, we fully expect Robert to again be the number one target for Jared Goff. Even though the Packers give up middle of the pack numbers to opposing wide receivers and look to get stud rookie Jaire Alexander back from injury this week, Woods will yet again be a PPR darling for your team. Robert hasn’t found the endzone since week four but should find pay dirt in this one.

Emmanuel Sanders (DEN)

Since the offseason, we at ADF have been singing the praises of the Broncos Emmanuel Sanders to which he has rewarded us with being one of the best wide-outs in all of fantasy so far this season. Going up against the Chiefs in a monster divisional showdown, Sanders should again be featured seeing lesser coverage on his side with Thomas drawing the top cover corners. Over the last two weeks, Sanders has lifted his game to see an average of 24.2 fantasy points scored giving Case Keenum a vow of confidence to keep looking in his direction. It’s clear that Patrick Mahomes will continue his torrid pace throwing touchdowns in bunches leaving the Bronco offense attempting to match. Sanders will have another large showing this week.    

John Brown (BAL)

The Ravens John Brown has been absolutely fantastic this season leading all receivers on the club while getting back to business last week with a great game. Even though the Ravens travel to Carolina to face the Panthers defense that has seen improvement these last few weeks, their secondary still has abundant weaknesses that should allow Brown to get free on more than on occasion. It’s quite easy for us to make a case for all the Ravens receivers in this contest, but Brown has proven to be the most consistent at finding the endzone. Crabtree and Snead should also have a role which could limit the overall productivity for Brown, but his appeal is with big plays, and there should be more than one this week.     

Taylor Gabriel (CHI)

Our heightened appreciation for what coach Nagy has been able to accomplish so far this season with this young offense will continue as the Bears host the Jets. Nagy comes from the Andy Reid coaching tree that loves to highlight speedy talent creating mismatches on the field. Gabriel and Cohen fit that mantra of game breakers that can strike at any moment. For players such as these, game plan specific situations usually dictate their output which the Jets give favor to Taylor having a handsome performance. Cooling off last week in terms of production, Taylor should have a very solid bounce back against New York who gives up the 5^th most to fantasy receivers. It’s not out of the question to see Gabriel find the endzone again here.  

Tight-Ends:

Kyle Rudolph (MIN)

Some may scoff at the notion of the Vikings Kyle Rudolph finding ways to improve his performance against the Saints who are great at covering opposing tight-ends. It’s no secret that Kyle has fallen off a cliff these last four weeks leaving some fantasy owners looking for other options. Normally the trend with slumping players of this talent level should correct itself and this will be the week Rudolph gets back on track. His targets over the last three weeks has been the concern, as Cousins has looked to his direction a mere 14 times in that span. His teammate Stefon Diggs has been the culprit stealing the target share to a whopping 30 over the last three games, with limited production. It’s impossible for us to believe that coach Zimmer will continue to force feed Diggs to that level opening up a nice opportunity for Kyle to get back on track.

OJ Howard (TB)

It couldn’t be clearer to us at ADF that the Bucs coaching staff have the appetite to keep their athletic tight-end OJ Howard a big part of this offense. Beating out Cameron Brate for targets and playing time week-to-week should provide confidence that OJ will again see his fair share of the workload. The Bengals give up the 4^th most to tight-ends and will be without key contributors this week on defense. Howard has been very reliable when he’s been on the field and possesses a ceiling of 15 fantasy points with a floor of 10. You could do a lot worse than OJ this week; get him in your lineup.

SIT - LEAVE THEM ON THE BENCH

Quarterbacks:

Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)

This is perhaps an unpopular opinion this week, but we have no choice but to suggest placing Big-Ben on the bench against the Browns. While we understand that Pittsburgh is fresh coming off the bye, the Steelers have again shown that they play to the level of their competition and struggle in the pass game when facing a solid defensive club. The last time these teams met back in week one, it ended in a tie and limited Ben to an abysmal 9.77 points. While we can see an improvement on those numbers, it’s tough to see them not feeding the run game which has been the achilles heel of the Browns defense.  

Cam Newton (CAR)

While Cam Newton has been quite consistent this season racking up solid numbers in the process, this week is the week to sit that talented quarterback as they face one of the best defensive units in the NFL. The Ravens give up the 2^nd fewest points to quarterbacks and should have a tough game plan ready to rattle the Panthers star. Adding to that, it’s been documented that Cam is dealing with soreness in his throwing arm which is never a positive given the amount of punishment he normally endures. He will have better days and we have no qualms to suggest benching him this week.     

Alex Smith (WAS)

As the Redskins move down the path to becoming a very good club overall, this week shouldn’t be kind to Alex Smith being anything more than an average to below average quarterback against the Giants. Washington will lean on the run game to batter the New York defense seeing Smith continue his obvious output of checking down his passes to Chris Thompson and company. The receiving core has been decimated by injury and Alex has been unable to create any chemistry with tight-end Jordan Reed leaving his options limited. If you require a bye-week passer to fill the void, you could do a lot better than Alex Smith this week.    

Running Backs:

Corey Clement (PHI)

Even as we are witness to the Jaguars imploding upon themselves right in front of our eyes, we fully believe that the Eagles will have a difficult time running the ball this week in London. Jacksonville still gives up the 9^th least to fantasy backs making it quite the task for the Eagles to generate much on the ground. Clement would possess some PPR upside with the potential to find the endzone on a screen pass or dump-off, but the likelihood of that coming to fruition is small.  

Isaiah Crowell (NYJ)

The New York Jets are a team that now have lost their top two wide receivers for this contest and will look to lean on Crowell to carry the load. Unfortunately for Isaiah, his challenge facing the Bears front seven that has been very solid this season will again feel like he is trying to run through a brick wall. Chicago gives up the 5^th least to fantasy runners and with an offense depleted of pass catchers, we fully expect this play to be an upright bust in week eight. Look elsewhere to fill your running back needs.   

Aaron Jones (GB)

With a great match coming our way between the Packers and the Rams; it’s difficult to believe that the run game for Green Bay will be anything more than a letdown. Overall the Packers still can’t seem to get their run attack moving to the point that it could be taken seriously from week-to-week. Also, Los Angeles employs a run defense that rivals the best in the business and will again be on high alert to shut down the run game. We should me a multitude of points grace the scoreboard in this one, but none of it will come from Aaron Jones.     

Wide Receivers:

Marvin Jones (DET)

The Detroit Lions seem to be turning a corner now that Matt Patricia has pushed his agenda to get his run attack moving in the right direction. The one player in this offense that has taken a backseat to everything productive has been last year revelation in Marvin Jones. With the impressive play of second year receiver Kenny Golladay, Jones has become something of a decoy on this offense and should remain that way this week against the Seahawks. Seattle has played better on defense than we predicted early this offseason limiting receivers to the 19^th fewest points in the league. Can’t trust Jones at this point.   

Josh Gordon (NE)

Some view this contest as a must start for Josh Gordon going up against the Bills, but we must caution that thought process as Buffalo does in fact employ a very sound defensive back group. Tre White should draw the assignment to Gordon’s side more often than not leaving his safeties to help clean up where he lets down. While Josh has seen a healthy amount of targets these last couple weeks gaining the trust of Tom Brady, we feel the Patriots will choose to exploit the Bills with whoever is open on the field. Josh could find his way to have a decent game but we really don’t like the matchup.     

Nelson Agholor (PHI)

The disappearing man who’s fallen from grace in the fantasy community, the Eagles Nelson Agholor will provide little relief to suggest he will get back on track against the Jaguars. Even as the Jags have seemingly began their decent of effort feeling the pinch of carrying the offense getting burnt all over the field in the process. Agholor has become nothing more than a check down option for Carson Wentz. Mediocre PPR stats will be the outcome if you intend to start him on Sunday.     

Tight-Ends:

Greg Olsen (CAR)

It appears to us that the Panthers are using kid-gloves to get Olsen back in this offense to the dominating force he once was. Fearing over usage could once again aggravate his existing foot injury that has cost him many games over the last two seasons; they also have a difficult task of playing a top-flight defensive club. While we do see encouragement for Olsen’s outlook moving forward this season, this is a contest that we want no part of for the Panthers offense.   

POTENTIAL BIG DAY – ALL ABOUT THE RISK/REWARD

Quarterbacks:

Andrew Luck (IND)

Admittedly, we failed our prediction last week on Andrew Luck thinking he wouldn’t be able to perform to high levels, which he did making us look foolish. This week we will jump back on the Luck train given the fantastic matchup in front of him going up against the Raiders who have packed it in already for the season. Players are very clear that they will not give up their body for a system in full tank-mode, to which Oakland is clearly in. With that state of affairs looking quite grim, Andrew Luck should have a field day.     

Andy Dalton (CIN)

The Bengals took one on the chin last week showing they don’t belong amongst the cream of the crop in the NFL just yet, but Andy Dalton and company should be able to rebound quite nicely this week with a home date against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay gives up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks making this a great opportunity for Dalton to rebound providing a very sound stat-line. Andy has seen a ceiling of more than 30 points this season which could be replicated in this prime matchup. If you require a filler for bye week troubles, Andy should provide relief.    

Running Backs:

Doug Martin (OAK)

The easy evaluation suggesting that Doug Martin will have a good day because he is now the lead back for the Raiders is quite lazy to be honest. Realistically, Martin is coming in fresh with limited game play so far this season and should be leaned upon to try and jump start this run attack against the Colts who have struggled to stop the run. The Raiders will employ a RBBC approach which could limit Martin’s overall output, but we could easily see the muscle-hamster find the endzone in this one.    

Trenton Cannon (NYJ) (PPR)

Some reading this will say “who is Trenton Cannon” and why is he listed as a potential big day candidate? Well since you ask, Cannon is a rookie running back that was selected in the 6^th round of the 2018 NFL draft and has been thrust into the supporting role now that Bilal Powell has been sent to injured reserve. Cannon has a good skillset that will show in the pass game when Sam Darnold checks down to relive pressure. Going up against the Bears this week is a very difficult test, but garbage time points should be the name of the game for Trenton. If you’re stuck this week, Cannon could be the help you need.

Carlos Hyde (JAX)

After sitting out last week’s contest due in part to the late week trade to the Jaguars, Carlos Hyde will once again get a fresh start with a new team. Jacksonville has been underwhelming in the run game which has been the preferred scheme for this offense and not achievable without Leonard Fournette. We absolutely love the prospects of Hyde on this offense with his brand of hard nose running comparable to the system they ran with Fournette in the lineup. Learning the playbook on the fly will be a heavy ask of Hyde, but we have quite a bit of faith that he’ll overcome. Volume should be high in his first action in a Jags uniform. 

Wide Receivers:

Kenny Golladay (DET)

As the Lions come off their bye-week and host the Seattle Seahawks, we attempted to find any data that would suggest Golladay could be shut down in this contest. Alas, we couldn’t find anything tangible to support the case as Kenny will be a featured product this week on the field. The Hawks sit around half way in regards to points giving up to fantasy receivers and will have a very difficult time stopping the talented playmaker. Kenny should lead all the wide receivers this week for Detroit.  

Willie Snead (BAL)

Last week we gave a solid endorsement to Willie Snead in a revenge game against his former club (the Saints) and he let us down with extreme failure. This week we will once again drink the Kool-Aid recommending Willie as a potential to have a break out performance. While the Panthers strength is in defending the run, the backend has holes that can be exploited especially with all the attention Crabtree and Brown will occupy. Snead saw a healthy amount targets (7) last week but wasn’t able to turn them into anything special. One more week of believing before we jump off the boat for Snead.     

Donte Moncrief (JAX)

With Carlos Hyde anchoring the run game this week for Jacksonville, the play action pass should see a jolt of improvement leaving Donte Moncrief a great benefactor. Donte has been hit-or-miss so far this season and the key has been to try and predict when he’ll be used more prevalently. Facing the Eagles who’ve struggled to stop the pass game, Bortles will attempt more than a few shots to his direction in hopes to garner big gains. While the bust factor remains on high for Moncrief, we could see a very good day in London. 

Martavis Bryant (OAK)

With the Raiders shipping their star Amari Cooper to the Cowboys in a trade this week, the troubled talents of Martavis Bryant could be on display as Derek Carr needs to focus his targets elsewhere. Most weeks we wouldn’t even look in the direction of Bryant, but this could be something productive. Obviously there is a high chance at this play being a bust, but if you have the kahunas to place him in a flex spot, you might get rewarded.

Tight-Ends:

Jimmy Graham (GB)

While the Rams are a group that have played very well on the defensive side this season, they do struggle in defending the tight-end position to see their ranking sit at the 10^th worst. Jimmy Graham hasn’t been the revelation we would’ve thought coming into the season but has seen his target share increase nicely these last three games. The Rams will put their best foot forward in attempts to shut down Davante Adams, leaving Jimmy as a potential huge day performer.