Lineup Prep: Week 8

Wed Oct 22 9:26am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Nix can have big Week 8

We had two good teams in a bye last week but this week is the first time seeing six teams on a bye. And there are some really good fantasy players that will be off this week, including Jahmyr Gibbs, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Davante Adams. It is going to be a tough week for many fantasy teams, seeing the Cardinals, Lions, Jaguars, Rams, Raiders and Seahawks on a bye. As we have noted before, plan ahead for these bye weeks so you aren’t caught off guard. A proactive owner is a winning owner.

Now for my random thoughts for the week. . . . .

So Keenan Allen is eighth overall in fantasy receiver scoring while Ladd McConkey is 27th in scoring. Everyone thought those guys would be reversed but it is clear that Justin Herbert still has a ton of trust in Allen. And the crazy thing is Allen isn’t even out there as much as the other receivers. He is third in receiver snaps for the Chargers, playing less than 65 percent of the snaps each of the last three games. That is a tad concerning for him to keep his current pace but as long as he keeps getting the looks while on the field, Allen is going to be a big help to fantasy teams. At this pace, Allen is going to be a steal for fantasy teams while McConkey will be a bust despite getting around 90 percent of the snaps for the Chargers.

There are rumors of Breece Hall possibly getting dealt before the trade deadline. That likely would be great for his fantasy value. He has less than eight fantasy points two straight and fewer than double-digit points four games. He is struggling at times in this anemic offense. A move would be a real positive for Hall’s value. And if Hall gets dealt, Isaiah Davis would take over as the lead back for the Jets. He might be worth a speculative add for fantasy teams, being owned on just 22.1 percent of leagues on our site.

I think the Chiefs might be better than they were last season. This offense is really humming right now. The upgraded options at receiver are making a big difference for the passing game. And Patrick Mahomes is playing as well as ever. Plus, the offensive line is doing a much better job, giving Mahomes more time to throw. The running game is having more success lately, which will just help things even more. The Chiefs defense remains stout. Don’t be surprised if this team makes another run to the Super Bowl, especially with some of the top teams in the AFC scuffling.

I don’t know how the Lions are doing it but their entire secondary is basically hurt and many of the backups were as well, but this unit just held the Bucs high-powered passing game to nine points. They had guys stepping up last week that have barely stepped on the field in the NFL. The coaching staff in Detroit does such a great job with the next man up mentality. The Lions lost a ton of coaches last offseason, but head coach Dan Campbell seems to have a knack for finding more than capable replacements. I could not be more impressed with the coaching going on in Detroit.

He didn’t do a ton with his work last week but it seems we are finally seeing a changing of the guard at running back in Houston. Woody Marks played 63 percent of the snaps last week while Nick Chubb played just 25 percent. Marks has 13 touches, giving him 13-plus touches two of three games. Marks had a tough matchup against a good Seahawks defense last week, so look for better things from him in the weeks ahead. Marks could be a fantasy factor down the stretch. He is a three-down back that can help as a runner and receiver.

The Dolphins are a complete disaster right now. I think Devon Ahcane is the only fantasy player I would want on that team. I’m not sure how they can keep Mike McDaniel employed as head coach with some of the stuff coming out from the players and even him during talking with the press. It is not a good situation in Miami and could just keep getting worse as long as McDaniel remains head coach. Not good.

News and Notes: The Titans released receiver Tyler Lockett on Monday. He asked for his release and it was granted. Lockett will try to catch on with another team. . . . .Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham has come out of retirement to join the team for the remainder of the 2025 season. . . . .Atlanta released wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III on Tuesday. He has been a healthy scratch the last two weeks. . . . .The New York Giants released kicker Jude McAtamney on Tuesday. McAtamney missed some crucial extra points last week, leading to his release. The Giants are likely to turn to either Younghoe Koo or Graham Gano for the Week 8 game.

HOT PLAYS

D’Andre Swift, RB, Bears. Swift is playing his best football right now. He is 10th overall in fantasy running back scoring and seventh his last three games. He has two straight 100-yard games and double-digit fantasy points five straight games. He can keep it going this week against the Ravens. Baltimore allows the second most fantasy points to running backs. The Ravens have allowed 165-plus rushing yards two of four games.

Bo Nix, QB, Broncos. Nix isn’t having quite the fantasy season most hoped but maybe last week gets him going. He had his best fantasy game of the season, scoring 42.75 fantasy points. He had four total touchdowns and threw for 279 yards. Nix played a great game late, making play after play. He has a shot to keep it going this week against the Cowboys, a team that is pretty awful defensively. Dallas allows the most fantasy points to quarterbacks and has struggled defensively all season long.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Packers. Doubs continues to be the most dependable Packers fantasy receiver. He is eighth overall in fantasy receiver scoring his last three games. He has double-digit fantasy points all three of those games and at least eight targets all three games. Expect more of the same for Doubs this week against the Steelers. Pittsburgh allows the fourth most fantasy points to receivers. The Steelers have allowed 300-plus passing yards two of three games.

Derrick Henry, RB, Ravens. Henry has really disappointed much of the season. He has just two 100-yard games and fewer than double-digit fantasy points three games. Injuries have derailed this offense, though, causing the entire unit to struggle at times. The positive is Henry was really good his last time out and Lamar Jackson is getting closer to a return. Either way, look for Henry to be leaned on heavily in Week 8 against the Bears. Chicago has allowed 120-plus rushing yards all but a game. The Bears allow the ninth most fantasy points to running backs.

A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles. Brown has been a frustrating fantasy player this season, posting numbers all over the map. He had his second 100-yard game of the season last week, though, and has 14-plus fantasy points two straight. He has at least eight targets five of six games. Brown gets his looks and is a must start no matter the matchup in this offense. We like his play to get more consistent going forward, especially this week against the Giants. He had six receptions for 80 yards on nine targets against the Giants in Week 6. This is a prime matchup for him to produce.

COLD PLAYS

Jaylen Waddle. WR, Dolphins. Waddle had just a catch for 15 yards on four targets last week, his worst showing of the season. He has been pretty consistent much of the year, especially after Tyreek Hill was injured. But the Dolphins offense is a mess, so Waddle is no sure weekly thing. And he follows a tough matchup with another tough one, getting the Falcons. Atlanta has been terrific against the pass, allowing the second fewest fantasy points to receivers. The Falcons have yet to allow a 200-yard passing game this year.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers. Warren had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season last week, running 16 times for 127 yards. He had fewer than 55-rushing yards, though, every game before Week 7. He has been pretty ho-hum. Warren took advantage of a great matchup against a bad Bengals run defense. Things will be much tougher for him this week against the Packers. Green Bay allows the fourth fewest fantasy points to running backs and has allowed more than 100-rushing yards just one game all season.

Mac Jones, QB, 49ers. We are guessing Jones gets another start this week but if it is Brock Purdy, we would avoid him as well. As for Jones. He is still playing fine but his numbers for fantasy teams have cooled. He has fewer than 18 fantasy points two straight and three of his last four games. It is the Christian McCaffrey show in San Francisco. He is carrying the offense. Look for more of the same this week against a very good Texans defense. Jones is likely to be held in check against a team that allows the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots. Stevenson had his best game of the season last week, rushing 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. He scored 16.8 fantasy points. Stevenson did this against an awful Titans rush defense, though. He had fewer than 40-rushing yards four straight games before last week. We wouldn’t get too high on him after one good game against a bad run defense. Stevenson will come back down to earth this week against the Browns, a team that allows the second fewest fantasy points to running backs. The Browns have allowed fewer than 100-rushing yards five of seven games.

Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers. Legette had his best game of the season last week, catching nine passes for 92 yards on 11 targets. He didn’t have a game with more than 35 yards before last week, though. Legette has been pretty quiet. And the return of Jalen Coker could cut into his those as well. We wouldn’t get too high on Legette after just one good performance. He can come back down to earth this week against the Bills, a team that has allowed fewer than 200-passing yards four of six games.

SLEEPERS

Michael Penix, QB, Falcons. Penix has fewer than 20 fantasy points two straight and has topped 20 points just two of six games. He has been more down than good most of the year for his fantasy owners. He is getting some yards, though, having at least 240-passing yards four games. He has the potential for the big game any given week and a game this week against the Dolphins is a good one for him. Miami is just a mess right now and allows the sixth most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Mason Taylor, TE, Jets. Taylor didn’t have a great game last week but had three receptions for 31 yards on five targets. He got some chances in an offense that really struggled to throw the ball. Taylor might be the top target in the offense once again this week with Garrett Wilson hurting. This is a good thing for Taylor against a bad Bengals defense. Cincinnati has been awful against the tight end, allowing the most fantasy points to tight ends. The Bengals have allowed at least 249-passing yards all but a game.

Tyrone Tracy, RB, Giants. Tracy played 36 percent of the snaps last week, his highest total since Week 2. He remains a big part of the Giants offense, getting some weekly touches to make some big plays. He looked great last week, rushing nine times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Game script could cause him to play more again this week against the Eagles. You could see the Giants getting down and giving Tracy more playing time against a defense that allows the eighth most fantasy points to running backs. Tracy might be worth a look as a flex play in this one.

Chimere Dike, WR, Titans. Dike played a season-high 57 percent of the snaps last week, getting a chance to play more because of injury. And Dike looked good, catching four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. With a new coaching staff in place, Dike could be carving out a bigger role in the offense, especially after his performance last week. If Dike can find the field a lot against the Colts this week, he could do some damage. Indy allows the most fantasy points to receivers and 300-plus passing yards three of four games.

Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos. Franklin scored his second touchdown of the season last week. He had just three receptions for 19 yards but was targeted a season-high 10 times. He is getting his weekly looks in this offense, having at least three receptions four straight games. Franklin might be setup for his best game of the season this week against the Cowboys. Dallas really struggles to stop the pass and allows the second most fantasy points to receivers. Franklin is a good spot play in Week 8.

High/Low Scoring Games

Each week we will take a look at some of the high and low scoring games for the coming week. In high scoring affairs, get your marginal players on those teams in your lineup to take advantage of the possible points barrage. And in the low scoring games, keep those marginal players on the bench and make sure to have your defenses involved in those contests.

High Scoring Games: Bears/Ravens, Giants/Eagles, Bucs/Saints, Cowboys/Broncos, Commanders/Chiefs.

Low Scoring Games: Browns/Patriots, 49ers/Texans.

Bye Weeks: Cardinals, Lions, Jaguars, Rams, Raiders, Seahawks.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at [email protected]. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

Lineup Prep: Week 8

The Paur Report