Fantasy football cheat sheet: Start, sit and more tips for Week 8
— -- The NFL really should honor fantasy football owners for our devotion to watching completely awful games all the way to the bitter end just for the love of box scores. Thursday night's tilt between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans was basically over halfway through the second quarter and, quite frankly, was a yawner from the get-go.
Fortunately, garbage time is a great thing in Fantasyland, so any frustrated owners of Blake Bortles?and his whopping two points at the half who stuck through the fourth quarter of the blowout got to see the Jaguars quarterback hang 27 second-half fantasy points on the Titans.
Yay, stats!
Enough looking back, though. It's time to look ahead to the weekend. As you set your fantasy lineups, be sure to take advantage of our Roster Advisor tool to get an edge on your opponents. And for those taking part in the Eliminator Challenge, you can get an edge here, too, with the Survivor Guide.
Our weekly ESPN Insider cheat sheet provides a rundown of the greatest hits from all of our Insider fantasy football content. In this file, you'll find answers to the top questions of the week, along with injury updates, matchup advantages and wild-card plays from Eric Karabell, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Matt Bowen, Scott Kacsmar, Mike Clay, Al Zeidenfeld and ESPN NFL Nation reporters. It's all the best tips, distilled into one handy file.?
Here's what our experts are saying about Week 8:
Top tips
Ty Montgomery, WR/RB, Green Bay Packers
It's a rarity when we bestow multi-positional eligibility upon a player in ESPN Fantasy Football games, but Montgomery has earned it. The question now becomes whether you should actually put him in your lineups this week. At the very least, in leagues which reward a point per reception, it certainly looks like you should.
"With Montgomery's role covering running plays and a high volume of short passes, he could be a huge steal in PPR scoring. Given the overall poor quality of the Atlanta defense (ranked 26th) in what could be a shootout against the Packers, Montgomery is a great play for any format this week," noted Football Outsiders Scott Kacsmar.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield
We can keep riding Jacquizz Rodgers while he's hot, and while ? Doug Martin is in the infirmary, but how will this backfield look once Martin is back on the gridiron? "Coach Dirk Koetter has not provided specifics on Martin's hamstring, other than 'he suffered a setback' on Oct. 16. He said Martin will have a job when he returns but there is no timetable for that return. There's really no sense in rushing it either, given the way Rodgers has played,"? wrote NFL Nation Bucs reporter Jenna Laine.
"The Bucs inked Martin to a five-year deal worth $35.75 million this past offseason. Whenever he returns, he'll start, and Rodgers figures to step into the complementary role that he had in Atlanta, when he was a change-of-pace back for Michael Turner and Steven Jackson, although I think his recent performance warrants more touches."?
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Bryant is expected to return to action Sunday night, but putting him right back in your lineups is a risky move. In fact, Kacsmar recommends fading the receiver in daily fantasy games in Week 8: "Bryant is expected to return to action for the first time since Week 3. His salary is high, but you should fade him until he proves he can play at a high level again, especially with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott still starting for Dallas."
"While Prescott has been incredible with Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams, he completed just 11 of 23 passes for 150 yards to Bryant in their three games together. Look for Dallas to lean on the run with Ezekiel Elliott this week."
Seattle Seahawks offense
It's been a rough start for just about every player in this unit, but a tasty tilt with the pathetic New Orleans Saints defense should get them off the schneid. Granted, Russell Wilson isn't 100 percent, so we may not see his rushing yards reappear for a while, but you'll want to keep a close eye on some of his teammates on Sunday.
" Christine Michael has to be feeling the pressure of the looming Thomas Rawls for Week 9, but maybe it doesn't matter to coach Pete Carroll how he looks this Sunday. Tyler Lockett is also worth watching. He has scored 14 fantasy points this season. OK, so he hasn't been much of a sleeper, but remember that the Seahawks were a middling offense for half of last year before Doug Baldwin turned into Jerry Rice in November and suddenly they were awesome. Now, Jimmy Graham, returning to New Orleans, is healthy enough to be a top tight end option. This should be the start of something big for the Seahawks and their fantasy owners," wrote ESPN Fantasy Insider Eric Karabell.
Playing the matchups
Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears
How bad have things been for Jeffery owners this season? Let's put it this way... They hope that the return of Jay Cutler this week will get Jeffery back on track. Talk about desperation. The truth is that Jeffery has a rough matchup, which makes a return to form Sunday unlikely.
ESPN Fantasy's Tristan H. Cockcroft breaks it down: "Cutler's impending return might have some Jeffery owners optimistic again, but this is one of the worst possible matchups he could face. This season, the Minnesota Vikings have been the seventh-toughest matchup for opposing No. 1 wide receivers (minus-2.5 adjusted fantasy points allowed), most of that the product of cornerback Xavier Rhodes' outstanding year. Rhodes has shadowed Jeffery in past matchups, and could again on Monday, which would again shift the Bears' team-target lead to someone else, perhaps Cameron Meredith, Eddie Royal or Joshua Bellamy (not that any of them would be advisable plays, either)."
Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, WRs, Denver Broncos
Neither of these players performed well the last time they faced the Chargers. Will they turn it around in Week 8? Here's what ESPN Fantasy's Mike Clay thinks: "These teams met two weeks ago, so we actually have a pretty good idea of what San Diego figures to do defensively. In that game, Casey Hayward shadowed Thomas on 38 of his 47 pass routes, including 38 of 41 on the perimeter. Thomas produced six receptions for 44 yards on 10 targets in the game."
"Meanwhile, Steve Williams shadowed Emmanuel Sanders (who missed some time with an injury) on 24 of his 28 routes. Sanders was limited to four receptions for 40 yards. The plan seemed to work for San Diego, so it's fair to expect more of the same this week. Thomas needs to be downgraded slightly, but Sanders figures to do better now that he's healthy."
Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders
It's been feast or famine with Cooper this season. Coming off a pair of big outings, he mustered just four catches for 29 yards and no scores on Sunday. Fortunately, it looks like he has a much more appetizing matchup in Week 8. As Clay notes, "Cooper is coming off a rough day at the office against standout rookie corner Jalen Ramsey, but he figures to have better luck against another rookie this week. Vernon Hargreaves III has been heavily targeted and has struggled in coverage so far this season. After starting out in the slot, he recently took over as the team's starter at right corner."
"That's where Cooper lines up on 58 percent of his routes. Cooper will also see a little bit of Brent Grimes and Jude Adjei-Barimah, who present tougher matchups but are still inferior players to Cooper. Especially off the down week, Cooper is a sharp DFS play this week."
Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland Browns
After pulling in nine scores last season, Barnidge is flat out scoreless in 2016. Don't give up on him completely, though, especially with a promising matchup this week against the Jets. "Finding consistency at tight end is difficult, but Barnidge has had at least 57 receiving yards in five straight games. In fact, there have been only four such streaks by any player in the NFL this season. Barnidge is second on the Browns in targets (40), and the Jets are prone to allow big pass plays. While Barnidge has yet to score a touchdown this season, this could be the week for him to break through," wrote Kacsmar.
Injury impact
Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
Eifert returned to action last week, but you'd barely know it from the box score, which read one reception for nine yards on two targets. However, per NFL Nation Bengals reporter Katherine Terrell, Eifert's role should expand in Week 8: "Eifert should see a huge jump in snaps this week now that he's back on a normal routine. While he might not return to his normal use, it should be enough to take a chance on starting him against Washington, as he's a huge component of the Bengals' red zone plans."
LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills
As of Friday afternoon, the Bills were listing "Shady" as doubtful due to his hamstring injury. How will backfield touches be divvied up if he doesn't play? Here is what NFL Nation Bills reporter Mike Rodak had to say: "Carries should go mostly to Mike Gillislee. Even though he's listed with a foot injury and was limited in practice, both coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn have insisted Gillislee is 'fine.' The only other options are Reggie Bush and Jonathan Williams, who have barely seen touches in the offense this season. Bush is more likely to be used as a slot receiver."
Michael Floyd and J.J. Nelson, WRs, Arizona Cardinals
Fellow Arizona wide receiver? Jaron Brown is done for the season with a torn ACL. Will Floyd's role now expand as a result? "Predicting how Floyd will play is like trying to predict how a weekend in Las Vegas will turn out: It'll be great or awful with a chance of coming out even. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was pleased with how Floyd blocked in the Week 7 tie, but a big drop in overtime helped cost the Cardinals a chance at winning."
"But Floyd has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of practice thus far this week. If he can't play or is limited physically, then Nelson will take Floyd's snaps. Nelson told ESPN after his three catches for 84 yards against Seattle that he felt he showed the coaching staff enough for them to be confident in him. Arians said this week Nelson has made 'great strides," noted NFL Nation Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss.
Sammie Coates and Eli Rogers, WRs, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are off this week, but questions linger about why the production of Coates and Rogers has tailed off, leaving fantasy owners wondering if they remain worthy of a roster spot going forward. Here are NFL Nation reporter Jeremy Fowler's thoughts: "Coates' case is injury-related. That fractured left index finger clearly has affected him the past two weeks. But his downturn in targets is still curious. QB Landry Jones simply seemed to have more chemistry with Darrius Heyward-Bey and Cobi Hamilton, despite Coates' big-play ability."
"Coates should return to No. 2 status when Ben Roethlisberger returns. Rogers was in the doghouse for the Patriots game. He was not injured. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley said Rogers 'has to show he's accountable and that we can trust him.' Rogers will return to the game plan as a No. 3 receiving option vs. Baltimore in Week 9."
Lottery tickets
Paul Perkins, RB, New York Giants
The rookie running back won't be a lottery ticket in Week 8, since the Giants are taking their bye, but he may be the kind of player you could snag off waivers now in the hopes of hitting a jackpot later in the season. "The Giants went into the bye week and said 'everything is on the table' when it comes to offensive changes. Jump-starting the running game should be atop the list, and one way to do that is by increasing Perkins' role.:
"It seems likely to happen. He's averaging 1.2 more yards per carry than starter Rashad Jennings. Expect Perkins' role to increase in the second half of the season, even if it's not immediately. At the very least, he's worth storing on the bench in hopes that he's this year's David Johnson," wrote NFL Nation Giants reporter Jordan Raanan.
Brock Osweiler, QB, Houston Texans
If you are looking for a cheap DFS play at quarterback or a bye-week filler in a deeper league, Osweiler carries some sneaky upside in Week 8. As Cockcroft notes, "... The opposing Detroit Lions have surrendered multiple passing touchdowns to six of seven quarterbacks they've faced, and in the past two weeks, they've allowed 28 fantasy points to Case Keenum and 16 of Kirk Cousins' 21 fantasy points in the fourth quarter alone (in what to that point was an entirely ordinary effort by Cousins)."
"Osweiler has struggled mightily this season, posting the fourth-worst completion percentage (58.2), fifth-worst touchdown-to-interception ratio (1:1) and third-worst Total QBR (47.0), but he also has a strong arm and the wide receivers to exploit it (when they're open). Perhaps most importantly, he showed us he can capitalize on soft matchups, as he scored 16 fantasy points against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, at a time many were questioning him. He's a solid choice in a two-quarterback league, or a bye-week plug-in if you're in a pinch."
C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Houston Texans
If Osweiler comes through, a likely beneficiary would be his top tight end, who is available in nearly 90 percent of ESPN leagues, making him a viable streaming option this week. DFS expert Al Zeidenfeld wrote that, "When paying down at tight end, you want either a significant spike in snap count this week over last or consistent volume against an opponent that is weak against the position. Last week, we utilized the former to pinpoint Jack Doyle, and this week I have my sights on Fiedorowicz as my favorite low-cost tight end. Fiedorowicz's market share in the Texans' offense has been stable the past three games, as he got eight, seven and seven targets in that span, which resulted in 15 catches."
"The Lions are just one of those teams we're going to target with opposing tight ends every week; they simply give up way too many touchdowns when teams get into the red zone. It's a serious leak in their defense that offensive coordinators have attacked since last season. If you're going to try to save at tight end this week, Fiedorowicz provides the opportunity for a solid game at his price point, with some very real touchdown upside."
New York Jets D/ST
This unit is available in more than 80 percent of ESPN leagues, and they are cheap in DFS games. More to the point, they face the Browns in Week 8. "The Browns need to run the ball to be effective, and the Jets are very good at stopping the run. If Cleveland is going to be forced to pass, New York will bring tons of pressure. Josh McCown's return at quarterback improves the Browns' offense, but not enough to make the Jets' defense something to avoid," wrote Zeidenfeld.
Big question of the week
The good news for C.J. Anderson is that it looks like he could be back in action in about a month, if all goes well with his recovery from knee surgery. In the meantime, though, it will be Devontae Booker handling the workhorse role in the Denver Broncos' backfield. And with beatable defenses on tap the next few weeks in the Chargers, Raiders and Saints, Booker is in position to make a big difference for fantasy teams. He has the talent and opportunity, but will he come through Sunday versus the Chargers?
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