Trashmans’ Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 8 of the NFL Season

Phew, We’re through bye-week hell week, but we’re not out of the woods yet. There are still plenty of moves needed to be made to get right for this week. Here’s the fallout….

 

Broncos – 14 @ Browns – 17

 

• Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams each had 10 touches and scored. They’re getting almost an exact split every game, and while each of their ceilings are capped, they both have solid floors. 

 

• Jerry Jeudy returns to game action this week. He’s available in about 25% of leagues, so there’s a chance he’s still out there for you.

 

•  D’Ernest Johnson did a fine Nick Chubb impersonation on Thursday, putting up 168 yards and a score on 24 touches. Chubb has a good chance of returning this week, but Kareem Hunt is out for at least a couple more games so Johnson should retain some fantasy value. Demetric Felton‘s would likely suffer though.

 

• Jarvis Landry led the Browns in targets(8) for 5 catches for 37 yards in his first action since Week 2. Landry might have reaggravated his knee a bit late in the game, when he twisted his leg on the grass and didn’t return, but that shouldn’t keep him out of Week 8. Unowned in about 37% of leagues, make sure Landry is not still on the waiver wire in your leagues. 

 

• Case Keenum was serviceable under center for the Browns, but he was nothing to write home about. Baker Mayfield has a fracture in his shoulder in addition to the torn labrum we were aware of, so there’s no telling when he returns. Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper may retain value, but it’s unlikely Odell Beckham gets the kind of deep ball action he’ll need to stay viable in most formats. 

 

Panthers – 3 @ Giants – 25

 

• Sam Darnold has turned back into a pumpkin after a deceptive 3-0 start, dropping 4 straight in pitiful fashion. As the QB goes, the WRs go as well, and only DJ Moore has been able to salvage some decent fantasy value with his stellar after-the-catch abilities. The Panthers do face the Falcons this week though, so perhaps Moore and Robby Anderson will still be able to move the fantasy needle. 

 

• Devontae Booker ceded 9 carries to Eli Penny, but managed 66 yards and a TD nonetheless, on 16 touches. Booker will get another game of fantasy relevance in Week 8, as Saquon Barkley is out until Week 9. 

 

• Darius Slayton led the Giants in targets(9) and yards(63) on Sunday with the G-Men down several WRs. Only 15% owned, Slayton has a juicy matchup with the reeling Chiefs in Week 8. 

 

• Dante Pettis had his 2nd straight week of fantasy relevance in Week 7, catching 5 balls for 39 yards and a TD. If Sterling Shepard can’t find the field in Week 8, Pettis makes for another decent bye week WR. 

 

Chiefs – 3 @ Titans – 27

 

• Patrick Mahomes took a nasty hit in the 4th quarter but passed concussion protocol shortly afterwards. He was only kept out of the game from that point because it was virtually not winnable by then. He should be good to go against the Giants this week. 

 

• Byron Pringle led the team in yards(73) on the day, catching 5 of his 6 targets. It was his highest snap count of the season, and Pringle made the most of it. One of my favorite prospects the year he entered the league, Pringle is worth a deep league stash if he can supplant Mecole Hardman as the no.2 WR in KC. 

 

• Julio Jones only managed a 2 rec, 38 yard day in a rout of the Chiefs. With the Titans leaning heavily on Derrick Henry and AJ Brown, and Jones dealing with a nagging hamstring, Jones is a low floor flex at best right now. 

 

• TE MyCole Pruitt caught 2 balls for 27 yards and a TD, his 2nd in 3 week, but the targets are few and far between. Still, he’s on the hottest team in football right now, so maybe there’s some deep league value to be had. 

 

Jets – 13 @ Patriots – 54

 

• Rookie QB Zach Wilson has a strained PCL and will miss the next 2-4 weeks. Mike White relieved Wilson after his injury and proceeded to throw for 202 yards, a TD and 2 INTs. To be honest, I don’t see much of a change for Jets WRs, as WIlson was playing like garbage anyway. Expect the Jets to trail most of the time, so there should always be garbage-time value to be had. 

 

• Michael Carter led the Jets backfield on Sunday, logging 104 yards on 19 touches. Carter has either scored or gone over 100 yards in his last 3 games, and he should retain value even with Zach Wilson sidelined as a safety valve for a beleaguered Mike White. 

 

• Ty Johnson managed to put up 71 yards as the 1B RB to Carter’s 1A role. Both he and Carter should see plenty of action while White is under center, though his ceiling isn’t high. 

 

• Elijah Moore showed why he was such a high draft pick with his dynamic 6-yard TD scamper against the Pats on Sunday. That being said, he only brought in 1 of 6 targets on the day. Still, the Jets should see themselves in negative gamescripts from here on out, so he’s a deep league and DFS hail mary. 

 

• JJ Taylor was active over Rhamondre Stevenson on Sunday, but it was Brandon Bolden who took the James White role and ran with it, catching 6 balls for 79 yards and a TD. It’s hard to say what role Taylor will play moving forward, as much of his action was due to the positive game script the Pats found themselves in, but both he and Bolden can be added in deep and PPR formats this week as potential second fiddles to Damien Harris. 

 

• All 3 starting WRs had a decent day against the Jets, but when you score 54 points, that’s likely to occur. Up against the stout Chargers secondary this week, only Jakobi Meyers is a safe play, though Bourne offers some deep league upside. 

 

Falcons – 30 @ Dolphins – 28

 

• Mike Davis came out of the bye to see a season low 4 touches for 10 yards. He’s completely unreliable moving forward, as the Falcons seemingly went all in on Cordarrelle Patterson. 

 

• Russell Gage saw 6 targets for 67 yards and a score on Sunday, in his first game back from a Week 2 injury. It’ll be hard to find targets behind Patterson, Ridley and Pitts, but Gage offers more flex upside than he’s being given credit for. 

 

• Just as soon as you got him out of your lineup, Myles Gaskin went off again, touching the ball 19 times for 77 yards and a score. His inconsistency is infuriating, but perhaps he’ll get some run now that Malcolm Brown may miss time with a quad injury. Salvon Ahmed had 9 touches on the day for 52 yards with Brown out, but he offers little upside against the Bills this week. 

 

• Mack Hollins had another decent game this week, scoring one of Mimai’s TDs, but he won’t be a solid option against Buffalo this week. 

 

Bengals – 41 @ Ravens – 17

 

• Samaje Perine saw his 2nd straight game of double-digit touches, not counting last week when he was out with injury, as the passing-down back for Cincy. Most of his yardage and his score came on one play, but he’s worth adding in deeper formats if he keeps getting consistent touches. 

 

• Cj Uzomah was a bye-week savior for many in Week 7, catching 3 balls for 91 yards and 2 TDs, but he’s about as TD dependent as you can get. 4th in line for targets behind arguably the most talented WR corps in football, Uzomah is a boom or bust option moving forward. 

 

• The Ravens backfield is a hard thing to watch right now, as no RB had more than 39 yards on the day, though Devonta Freeman did score. Ty’Son Williams has the most pop out of any of the backs, but the Ravens refuse to use him with any regularity. Maybe they’ll come to their senses over the bye, but I’m not holding my breath. 

 

• Rashod Bateman saw his 2nd straight game of 6 targets, in Sammy Watkins absence, and this time he made the most of it, adding 80 yards to the box score. The Ravens are throwing more this season, so there’s hope he retains value even when Watkins returns. Bateman needs to be owned in 12-team leagues. 

 

Washington – 10 @ Packers – 24

 

• WIth Jd Mckissic so active in the passing game, Antonio Gibson owners have to hope for TDs, as his shin isn’t allowing Gibson much explosiveness. It’s a tough situation to be as a Gibson owner, and I wouldn’t blame you for trying to move him while you can. 

 

• Allen Lazard continues to wiggle his way into fantasy relevance, putting up 5 catches for 60 yards and a TD against Washington. It’s his second score in as many weeks, and Lazard is looking like the no.2 on one of the NFL’s best teams. He should be owned. 

 

• Robert Tonyan had a nice 4 rec, 63 yard, 1 TD line, but that’s his first decent outing in 5 weeks. Chase it if you like, but I want to see some consistency before putting him into my lineup. 

 

• AJ Dillon had his worst game of the season, but the Packers dialed up 35 passes to 12 runs against a defense with a terrible secondary but a formidable front. He’ll have better days. 

 

Eagles – 22 @ Raiders – 33

 

• Well at least now you can comfortably remove Miles Sanders from your lineups, as he exited the game with an ankle injury, and will likely miss time. Kenneth Gainwell seems like the obvious pickup here, and he is after touching the ball 9 times for 61 yards and a score, but Boston Scott actually saw more carries(7) than Gainwell(5) in relief of Sanders so he’s worth adding as well. 

 

• Jalen Reagor found the end-zone for the 2nd time this season, but he only had 2 targets on the day. He’s not worth adding.

 

• Foster Moreau filled in admirably for an injured Darren Waller, catching all 6 of his targets for 60 yards and a score, but the Raiders have off this week and Waller was close to playing on Sunday, so he’s best left on waivers right now. 

 

• Josh Jacobs left before halftime with a chest injury. Kenyan Drake put up 69 yards and a score in his stead, but Jacobs has almost 2 weeks to get right again. Drake should be added anyway, as he has standalone value, but Peyton Barber would become active on game days again and split time with Drake if Jacobs can’t return in Week 9. 

 

Lions – 19 @ Rams – 28

 

• Jared Goff avoided Amon-Ra St. Brown altogether since Jalen Ramsey was covering him on Sunday and fixated on Kalif Raymond, who had the most yardage(115 yards) of his season, and probably his career. It’s unlikely to happen again, but Raymond offers some deep league flex value this week against the Eagles. 

 

• Sony Michel is only potentially useful when the Rams have a lead and they didn’t for much of the game on Sunday. The outlook seems promising against the Texans this week, but he’s not worth the gamble unless you’re extremely desperate at RB. 

 

• Van Jefferson saw the 3rd most targets(7) behind Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee, for 43 yards and a score. He’s up and down, but Jefferson makes for an intriguing flex play against Houston in deeper formats .

 

Bears – 3 @ Buccaneers – 38

 

• Khalil Herbert seems to have moved ahead of Damien Williams in the depth chart, touching the ball a whopping 23 times to Williams’ 4, for 133 yards against the Bucs. He’s still unowned in 41% of leagues, so go get him if you can. He’s the only startable Bears player right now. 

 

• Ron Jones touched the ball 10 times for 63 yards on Sunday, but the Bucs were toying with the Bears most of the day. He’s still not an option. 

 

Texans – 5 @ Cardinals – 31

 

• David Johnson led the Texans backfield with 12 touches and 52 yards, as they had a negative game script for most of the game. Houston plays the Rams this week, so Johnson will probably be the most active Texans back again this week. 

 

• Chase Edmonds had a season high in touches this week(16) for 90 yards, but he still takes a backseat to James Conner on the goal line, so his upside will always be limited. Conner scored again, and will continue to be the most consistent TD dependent RB in the game. 

 

• Rondale Moore continued to fade with Zach Ertz added to the fold, seeing only 3 targets for 2 catches and 17 yards. He’s droppable outside of dynasty leagues, as Ertz fits right into the Cardinals passing game. 

 

Colts – 30 @ 49ers – 18

 

• Zach Pascal led the Colts with 6 targets that didn’t amount to much(3 rec, 14 yards). He’s only worth adding in deep leagues if Ty Hilton can’t return this week. 

 

• Mo Alie-Cox scored his 4th TD in as many games on Sunday. He had just 3 targets, but the Colts threw less than 20 times on the day. He’s a low end streamer this week against a Titans team that covers TEs very well.

 

• Eli Mitchell carried most of the load versus the Colts on Sunday night, touching the ball 18 times to JaMycal Hasty‘s 6. Hasty could see some run in negative gamescripts until Jeff Wilson returns, but the 49ers shouldn’t need him much against the Bears this week. 

 

• Brandon Aiyuk had 1 catch for 6 yards on Sunday night on just 1 target. Own him if you want, but he’s not startable for the time being.