Week 7 was obviously a rough go for a lot of folks. It was a "Welcome-to-The-UpsideDown" kind of experience, with all kinds of odd touchdowns being scored by backups and role players. Somehow I managed to have a solid week, but my Week 7 plays on WEEI were not the ones that saved me, so it didn't help you all enough. For this, I will grind even harder in Week 8.
Looking for seasonal advice? For my take on every relevant skill player for Week 8 fantasy purposes, check out my lineup rankings at rotobahn.com. It's completely free. No registration. No signing in. Just follow the link and enjoy.
All pricing in this article was sourced from DraftKings.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Texans vs. Raiders, $7100
I'm landing on him a ton this week as I put my lineups together, and it makes sense. Deshaun is in a great spot at home, versus a defense that plays well against the run, but has been exceedingly weak versus the pass. For this reason, I'm less concerned about negative game flow than I normally would be in a potential blowout situation. My basic take on Watson is this. The matchup gives him enough floor to play in cash, and if Oakland can even come close to their Vegas implied point total of 22.5, he'll pay off in tournament play as well.
Stacking Watson is pretty easy this week, but your choices will certainly have consequences. All three of his primary Week 8 receivers are stack-able when you consider their cost.
DeAndre Hopkins, $8,100 (viable in cash or tournament play)
Kenny Stills, $4,700 (best for tournaments)
Keke Coutee, $4,100 (tournaments only)
How to do this really depends on what your strategy or end goals are. If you want an original lineup in a large field tournament, Coutee gets you there and you can certainly add either one of the other two along with him. Stills will be popular due to the savings and Hopkins will be similarly popular because he's a stud in a great matchup. My inclination is to use Hopkins as my primary piece but to use the others in a few builds.
Chris Carson, RB, Seahawks at Falcons, $7,000
He is getting nearly all of the backfield work lately and if that holds in this primo matchup, he has a monster ceiling. Game flow is of almost no concern, though a Seattle blowout does seem possible with Atlanta starting the wrong Matt at quarterback--Schaub instead of the injured (ankle) Matt Ryan. Carson will be in a lot of my lineups this week because he gives me a sturdy floor with plenty of ceiling as well. He's well worth the price tag.
Potential RB Cost Savers:
- Chase Edmonds, Cardinals at Saints, $6200
- Latavius Murray, Saints vs. Cardinals, $5,800
- Ty Johnson, Lions vs. Giants, $4,900
Johnson is the safe play as of now because we know he's going to start. The risk with Johnson is that we're not yet sure what his role will be in the wake of Kerryon Johnson's potentially season-ending knee injury. Chase Edmonds is a better play in my view, but only if David Johnson is out, and I suspect he will be. Murray's situation is less certain with Alvin Kamara (ankle) listed as questionable. The good news here is that all three teams play at 1pm, so we'll probably know what we need to know before noon--giving us ample time to create and or alter our lineups.
Corey Davis, WR, Titans vs. Bucs, $4,400
Davis is, quite simply, mis-priced. And, so are most of the skill pieces in Tennessee, because they are carrying year-long stats that were accrued with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. The Titans new QB, Ryan Tannehill, brought about a seismic shift in Week 7. Everything looked different. Throws that were off the menu were suddenly chef's specialties. I expect the "new" offense to grow even more against Tampa Bay's pass funnel defense. If you can't fit Corey's 4,400 units under your salary cap, you can also consider A.J. Brown, who saves you another 300 units at $4,100.
Lastly, please remember to play within your comfort level. You can have loads of fun playing DFS without spending more than ten bucks a week, so please play responsibly.
Jim Hackett and I will get into all of our favorite Week 8 plays on the Fantasy Football Hour, live on 93.7 at 8 a.m. on Sundays. Join us!
