Yay or Nay Week 8
Yay or Nay Week 8:
Alright let’s get into the recap:
Quarterbacks:
I was right about Andy Dalton, I consider the Mariota pick a tie, he didn’t do terribly but he wasn’t spectacular. Hoyer was a wrong pick but I blame that to injury, I bet that if he would’ve played the whole game he gets 300 yards. Anyways, Russ, Wentz, and Ryan were all terrible. I benched Wilson and started Cousins so that thankfully paid off as Cousins went off (by his standards) for 21 points. The Philly-Minnesota game was just ugly, five turnovers in the first quarter, Wentz had no success in that game but still led Philadelphia to an important victory. My favorite pick of all was the Matt Ryan pick, there is something about the San Diego Chargers defense, I don’t know if it is that maybe it just isn’t that bad (doubt it) or it just plays well against good quarterbacks but they don’t give up big games when it is expected. Kaepernick absolutely didn’t break out so that was disappointing but other than that my quarterback picks were solid.
Running backs:
At running back James White didn’t too well but he bails owners out with a touchdown to salvage his day. This was more of a Blount game because they were up but they weren’t up enough to the point where the game wasn’t close. The game remained close all throughout so it forced the Patriots to try to chew up some clock with the running game, especially when there are playmakers like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell on the field who can change the game in an instant, in the future I believe that James White is still the running back to own. I happen to own both and I started them both today, I think that there is no problem with that week in and week out. David Johnson had a great game but he just could not get into the end zone, just like the rest of his team in the brutal 6-6 tie. (Sidebar: I think that the NFL should change to the college football overtime style, it’s much more exciting.) Melvin Gordon managed to reach pay dirt a total of three times, once through the air and twice through the ground, as the San Diego Chargers upset the Atlanta Falcons. It’s scary to think but the Chargers could be good if they were luckier/better with their fundamentals. LeGarrette Blount was good, better than James White so that’s a bad pick (but I started him on my team so at least it’s not all bad.) LeSean McCoy was surprisingly active against the Bills but as I said, soft tissue injuries are bad news waiting to happen. I thought that he tried to play way too soon and that just led him to reaggravate it and make it probably a lot worse than it should have been. I’m writing this on Sunday night so I have not seen how Lamar Miller is going to do. Jacquizz Rodgers had a great game but he just could not find the end zone against a vulnerable (to put it lightly) Niners’ defense.
Wide Receivers:
Isn’t it the worst when a receiver goes off but doesn’t get a touchdown? Now Julio Jones owners know how it feels to own Amari Cooper. Julio goes off for 174 yards but no touchdowns, still a good game. Crabtree absolutely demolished the Jacksonville secondary (too bad Cooper can’t say the same, Jalen Ramsey had him locked up.) Tyrell Williams got some of the same stuff Julio Jones did, 140 yards but a bagel in the touchdown category. It doesn’t matter he still did well, Brandon Marshall can’t say the same for himself. Even though Geno Smith exited with an early injury Marshall still was not a factor. Golden Tate got himself 94 yards so that’s disappointing for me, I had a nice little streak going there. As I said before, I am writing this portion on Sunday so I have not seen how DeAndre Hopkins has done.
Tight Ends:
Hunter Henry was terrible; I still think you roll him out next week against Denver (just don’t expect anything too spectacular) but Vernon Davis really did turn back the clock, 79 yards and about an inch away from a touchdown. Ertz and Eifert were both bad as I thought they would be.
Overall I think it was a good week, now let’s get into this week’s Yay or Nay: here’s to improving next week, Yay or Nay Week 8 use at your own discretion as this article is not reinforced by normal stats, mostly by the eye test and good/bad feelings.
QB’s I say Yay to Week 8:
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders: He’s had back to back poor games against defenses that haven’t been great. I think that this week going up against a feeble Tampa Bay secondary he can get it done. The Raiders are a force to be reckoned with when they can get all their pieces working. That said, last week Cooper was nonexistent and they still rolled over the Jacksonville defense. Now imagine when Cooper decides to show up to Sunday’s game. I think that Carr is the beneficiary of being surrounded by two great weapons and then a combination of red zone targets. He spreads the ball around in the red zone, Crabtree leads all receivers with 6 touchdowns but then there are guys like Seth Roberts and Andre Holmes who in the passing game have no value but as soon as they get into the red zone they become an option for Derek Carr. Carr will have a field day with the bad Tampa Bay secondary.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets: He’s playing the Browns. I don’t think we need any more explanation than that. I won’t give you stats on how Fitzpatrick has been good (because he hasn’t) but instead I’ll give you stats on how the Browns have given up at least 15 fantasy points to every quarterback they have faced this year. The Browns are 31st against quarterbacks in fantasy and frankly I think we’re at the point where if the Niners were playing the Browns, you might be starting Kaepernick. Start Fitz against the Browns.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: I just have a feeling with this one. Frankly because I don’t think there are many better fill ins this week. There are 6 teams on a Bye this week and I was scrolling through the list of QB’s and I just don’t think there is a guy that is being more overlooked than Andy Dalton. He’s going against a soft Washington defense who can’t stop anyone as of late. They get run on effectively they get passed on, they are likely going to be without Josh Norman this week so it will be up to the rest of the Washington secondary to keep A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and Brandon LaFell at bay. I just don’t think it happens, especially with Eifert getting healthier each week. I think Dalton has a nice week against the Skins.
QB’s I say Nay to Week 8:
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: Cam has struggled against good defenses this year and the Arizona defense is motivated. They held a powerful Seahawks team to six points and they never let Wilson get comfortable. Arizona guards the tight end very well and Patrick Peterson will most likely be shadowing Kelvin Benjamin so that pretty much removes Newton’s primary two options, and in my opinion his only options. Ted Ginn Jr. is only relevant when they throw the deep ball because of his speed and even then, he is still a huge liability to drop the ball. Devin Funchess has not been the guy that some people expected him to be and I don’t even know if Philly Brown still plays with the Panthers. I think that Cam will have to pull some magic to beat this confident Arizona team.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: See above, the Seahawks held the strong Arizona Cardinals to just 6 points. I think that the Seahawks will keep the Saints at bay even though Brees is better at home than on the road.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: This is a more theory based: he is a rookie, against the best defense against quarterbacks in the league, it’s a primetime game. I think that Dez getting back into the lineup will throw off Dak a little bit. I think he’s going to force the ball to Dez a lot more often than he should and that will force him to make mistakes.
RB’s I say Yay to Week 8:
Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs: Is this still Jamaal Charles team? I think that Spencer Ware has made it clear that he has no intention of giving this team back. He is a great runner and I think that he has improved as a pass catcher. Ware is going up against a soft Indianapolis front seven and I think he will be effective as both a runner and pass catcher.
Devontae Booker, Denver Broncos: Booker got a career high in touches this past week against an average Houston defense. I think that he is in line for a massive workload now that C.J. Anderson is out this week with a meniscus issue. He is going up against the San Diego Chargers who held Anderson to 6 points the last time they played the Broncos but that was due to poor penalties by the Broncos. I think that Booker will find some success this Sunday against the Chargers.
Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Noticing a trend? I love it when a starter gets injured and the backup tears it up when he gets his chance and that’s what Rodgers has done. Doug Martin went down with an injury that wasn’t supposed to take too long to recover. He suffered a setback but the Buccs feel no need to rush him back because Rodgers is doing a great job holding down the fort. The workload is there for Rodgers and the Raiders have been giving up five yards per carry this season. Give me the backup running backs this week!
RB’s I say Nay to Week 8:
Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears: So this backup running back didn’t pan out. His backup might, Ka’Deem Carey has been taking a lot of touches away from Howard but in truth it’s Minnesota, I don’t think either of them will get much room to do anything this week.
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints: He only has one rushing touchdown this year and he only has two games with above 60 yards. He has been one of the more disappointing running backs this year and I don’t think it will change, at least not this week going up against Seattle.
Matt Jones, Washington Redskins: Basic football: don’t drop the ball. That’s something I don’t think Matt Jones understands. The reason that the Redskins lost against the Lions wasn’t because the defense couldn’t make a crucial stop at the end of the game, it was because Matt Jones fumbled twice in crucial goal to go situations. I think that this will become a running back by committee with Chris Thompson and Rob Kelly. I don’t think they will return to Matt Jones this week unless something really drastic happens.
WR’s I say Yay to Week 8:
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans: This is the last week I’m going to start him, this is the week where I find whether I’m benching him or not. He is going up against the Lions. The Lions haven’t stopped anyone (I bet if they let Jim Bob Cooter run the defense they would be great like the offense) and if Hopkins can’t make a difference against a bad Lions defense I am looking to trade him for anything I can get. But I do think that he will have a good game this week.
Brandon LaFell, Cincinnati Bengals: He’s been good and I think he catches a touchdown pass. That’s about it for this one. He was a top 25 wide receiver a few years ago, I think he shows us some of that this week.
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints: He has been the best rookie not named Ezekiel Elliot. He leads rookies in targets, catches, and yardage. He is going up against a good Seattle team but I believe that he has gained Brees’s trust and he should have yours too. Michael Thomas is coming off of a game where he went 10 for 130 and I think that it’s only a matter of time for the touchdowns to start rolling in.
WR’s I say Nay to Week 8:
Jeremy Maclin, Kansas City Chiefs: Maclin’s appeal coming into the season was that they were going to be a passing team because their top running back was injured. Not only that, he supposedly had nobody going up against him to compete for targets. Now both statements are false, the Chiefs are a running team and Jeremy Maclin is not the only average receiver in Kansas City. Ware has taken control of this team and receivers like Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, and Albert Wilson have proven to be usable for Alex Smith.
Tyrell Williams, San Diego Chargers: Who are they playing? Oh, yeah… Need to hear more?
Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers: Peterson, Patrick.
TE I say Yay to Week 8:
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: He’s due, it’s as simple as that. He is a great tight end but he just hasn’t shown up this year. I think that he’s going to show up in a big way against a bad Indianapolis defense who is ranked 24th against tight ends.
Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns: I want to say this is the first time a Browns’ player has made this column. He’s been improving little by little and now all that’s missing is the touchdown. He’ll have a nice day against the Jets whose weakness is passing.
TE I say Nay to Week 8:
Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers: See Newton, Cam.
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts: He has back to back games with a touchdown but this streak doesn’t go more than two games. Mostly because the Chiefs play great defense against tight ends but also because streaks are meant to be broken (sure it’s only a two game touchdown streak but it’s still a streak)