RosterWatch Nation, the clock struck midnight last week at Arrowhead Stadium and Landry Jones turned back into a pumpkin (or maybe just a crappy NFL quarterback). Landry didn’t put up a 2014 Phillip Rivers minus-3-point special but he sure didn’t light it up like I expected. Thankfully, Big Ben is back to soothe some of your pain. Let’s wash our hands of the “aww shucks” former-Sooner and get back on track.

Week 8 is not a great bye-week when it comes to running backs. Fantasy owners are losing LeSean McCoy, TJ Yeldon, Alfred Morris, Darren Sproles and DeMarco Murray to a week of rest. You’re also hurting if you have to start a fatass ineffective Eddie Lacy in a brutal matchup or a banged-up Carlos Hyde going against a filthy St. Louis Rams defense. But if you’re looking for a bye-week filler or a bargain at running back in daily fantasy, Tennessee Titans running back Antonio Andrews is your guy!

The Tennessee Titans got their running back of the future in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft in Bishop Sankey? What’s that you say? Sankey’s been a huge disappointment? Oh. RosterWatch tried to tell you. We’ve said “No Sank You” from the start.

Well luckily, this year, the team drafted an under-the-radar guy with stud potential in former Minnesota Golden Gophers running back David Cobb. What’s that? Cobb had to go on injured reserve (designated to return)? You would think then that the Titans could lean on the running back they traded for from the Cleveland Browns, Terrance West. Nope. The guy who is coming into save the day is unheralded, undrafted Antonio Andrews.

Andrews is a versatile big back who could carve out quite a spot for himself in the Titans backfield as Bishop Sankey quickly loses favor with the coaching staff. He had 10 carries in a losing effort against the Atlanta Falcons and despite the loss he looked good in the process. You’re in desperation at running back. You need help. Antonio Andrews is here to help.

Let’s take a look at the positives and negatives for Antonio Andrews while considering his fantasy value in Week 8 versus the Houston Texans defense.

Positives

– Size: There’s no doubt he’s a bruiser. He’s 5’10” and weighs 225 lbs. He’s got the kind of frame that can not only take punishment but dole it out. He packs a wallop. He could be your lead back and probably handle the wear and tear of a large workload.

– Vision: Despite being a banger he can be patient and has good vision. His experience at running in man and zone blocking schemes gives him great versatility in the running game.

– Receiving Ability: He’s a nice receiver out of the backfield. Adjusts to the ball well for a guy with his size (not clumsy). He was a punt and kickoff returner at Western Kentucky, which I think benefits him in the open field.

– Productive: He was extremely productive at Western Kentucky. He ran for just over 3600 yards, had 29 touchdowns, and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. That’s pretty impressive considering his freshman and sophomore years were fairly pedestrian as he backed up the Buccaneers’ Bobby Rainey.

– Matchup: But the Texans have superhuman JJ Watt! Unfortunately one man can’t fix this dumpster fire of a defense and Watt is banged up anyway. The Texans just gave up 248 yards rushing to the Miami Dolphins. Things are not looking good in Houston but this is great if you plan on using Andrews. The Texans are unlikely to get torn up quite as badly this Sunday. However, they are giving up the 5th most fantasy points to running backs this season.

Negatives

– Inconsistency: Andrews can take you on a bit of a roller coaster ride and that’s slightly concerning. He started off his season well averaging 4.1 yards per carry against the Colts and finding the end zone. He then turned around and had two abysmal performances before facing the Falcons. So do we get the Andrews who put it on the Colts and Falcons or the Andrews that got stymied by the Miami Dolphins?

– The System: Who knows what the hell goes on in the heads of Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive coordinator Jason Michael. They seem hellbent on giving a dozen running backs carries and targets on any given week. That’s a bit of a problem. Running back committees give fantasy players headaches and they are risky. Then again, so is playing fantasy football.

– Limited athleticism: “Tone” runs hard but he’s not going to blow you away with his measurable. Not a lot of burst there. No crazy long speed. Not incredibly elusive. RosterWatch came away from the 2014 Senior Bowl feeling that Andrews was a total J.A.G. Luckily his body control makes up for a lot.

– Pass Protection/Ball Control: He’s had some issues in pass pro in the past. If he can’t prove to the coaching staff that he can be relied upon on passing downs, that big role he carved himself out will quickly go down the drain. He’s also got to hold on to the football. He put the ball on the turf far too often in college.

DECLASSIFIED: Antonio Andrews Week 8 Fantasy Outlook

He’s worth picking up in redraft leagues if you have some dead weight on your bench. The only risk to keeping him around is if David Cobb fills the big-back role upon his return. However, he’s available in 72% of leagues. Why not add him? You can always pick up Cobb later.

Andrews looks like a crazy good bargain in daily fantasy! He’s only $3300 in DraftKings. $300 above the minimum. He’ll cost you less than Knile Davis who had exactly one carry last week. He’s also cheaper than Ameer Abdullah who is going into a nightmare scenario.

Andrews is going for $5300 in FanDuel which is cheaper than Andre Williams and Isaiah Crowell. Both of them are going to be sharing a lot of touches.

Is Andrews going to have a Lamar Miller-esque insane game this week? Probably not. In fact, certainly not. But I think he could do quite well in the flex and he might even be a solid RB2 in a few weeks.

All factors considered, I would expect Andrews to run for about 85 yards on 14 carries with two receptions for 15 yards with either a receiving or rushing touchdown in Week 8 versus the Houson Texans!