by Jared Leonard
Week 8
With a lot of byes this week, no need to panic. There are still great options and matchups to exploit.
Quarterbacks
Quarterback is affordable, making it easy to pay up at other positions.
Dak Prescott- Great matchup against a banged up Redskins defense.
Russel Wilson- Seahawks can’t run the football, that means it’s all Russ. Plus, he historically plays better at home. Favorite play of the week.
Andy Dalton- Great matchup against a bad Colts’ defense and at home.
Kirk Cousins- Love the amount of points that both teams will put up in this game. Redskins’ offense goes through Cousins.
Running Backs
A good mix of Expensive options and cheap options, makes it easy to pair up backs.
LeSean McCoy- He is the Bills’ offense. Should put up big numbers against a mediocre Oakland defense.
Jordan Howard- He always gets a ton of volume and faces a poor Saints’ defense. He’s due for a TD.
Christian McCaffrey- Carolina makes it a point to heavily involve him in the pass game. I like his matchup against Tampa and this looks like a great week to play McCaffrey.
Alvin Kamara- Fantastic in PPR formats. I love his role in this offense and he will be involved quite a bit this week against the Bears.
LeGartette Blount- This is looking like a Blount week. The 49ers get gashed on the ground and the Eagles should build up a comfortable lead, giving Blount big volume.
Joe Mixon- He is the most talented back in Cincinati and at his price tag, he’s tough not use in a matchup against the Colts.
Wide Receivers
Love the top and mid tier options this week. Not much on the low end that I would be using.
AJ Green- Great matchup and one of the best recievers in the league, I’m expecting a big game.
Mike Evans- This game has shoot out written all over it. Which means Evans will get his share in the scoring.
Doug Baldwin- Love Baldwin paired with Wilson this week. This is the time of the season where Baldwin heats up.
Michael Crabtree- Cooper had 19 targets last week (which is absurd) and Crabtree still got into the end zone. So, look for Carr to spread the ball around a little more this week and get Crabtree more involved.
Devin Funchess- He has torched Tampa in the past and the Bucs’ secondary is looking bad this season. Funchess has the potential for 100+ yards receiving and a score.
DeSean Jackson- Carolina plays the run well. So I’m expecting a lot of passing from the Bucs’ offense.
Tyler Lockett- Could see 5+ targets this week in a pass heavy offense. He has the potential to greatly outscore his value. Sneaky low end option.
Brandon LaFell- He has seen 15 targets over the last two weeks and I expect that trend to continue. LaFell is a decent low end option with a plus matchup.
*Late Add/Ted Ginn- Becoming a bigger part of this offense and had 7 targets last week. Brees is getting more comfortable with Ginn. He’s a good low cost option this week.
Tight Ends
Again, I always go cheap here, but there are some great options at the top and especially mid tier.
Zach Ertz- This guy is in play every week.
Hunter Henry- Great matchup against a Patriots’ defense that has struggled against the tight end this season.
Jason Witten- Washington is terrible at defending the tight end position and I’m expecting a huge day from Witten.
Nick O’Leary- Has a great matchup against a bad Oakland defense and should hit value.
Tyler Kroft- He’s super cheap, has a great matchup, and gets a good amount of looks in this offense. He’s the guy I’m playing this week.
Defense
I’m always looking for a cheap option that is playing at home and has a favorable matchup.
Eagles
Bengals
Patriots
*Late Add/Seahawks- This play will depend on how the Texans respond to their owner and his strange comments. I think the Texans’ players will tank this one on purpose to give the owner the old middle finger. This means good things for Seattle’s defense.
Super late add/Cowboys- super cheap, Skins’ o-line is banged up.