The players that actually played last week that we suggested put up some impressive lines. The downfall, we had three players that did not play either as a healthy scratch (Rhamondre Stevenson) or injury (Donovan Peoples-Jones and T.Y. Hilton.) We hit some home runs with the likes of Tua Tagovailoa and D’Ernest Johnson. Well, we survived the bye-mageddon that was Week 7. Let’s get onto Week 8.
I typically like to keep my suggestions around, or below, the 40-percent owned mark in both Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. The format I’ll follow is one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers and one tight end. As always, the Streamable Defenses of the Week article will drop tomorrow (Tuesday) and Nate’s B-Team series will drop every Saturday. Be sure to follow We Know Fantasy (@WeKnowFantasy) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up-to-date with all of our fantasy football content.
Tua threw for 291 yards and had four touchdowns but did throw two interceptions. He could have had a 30-plus fantasy point week. J.D. McKissic still remains heavily involved in this Washington offense as he ran the ball four times for 22 yards and caught four-of-six targets for 34 yards. As previously mentioned, Stevenson was a healthy scratch. Johnson had himself a week in the depleted Browns’ offense. He ran the ball 22 times for 146 yards and a touchdown while catching both of his two targets. Both Peoples-Jones and Hilton missed their respective games with injury and Ricky Seals-Jones caught six-of-seven targets for 51 yards.
Week 7 Results
Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) - 28.54 fantasy points
J.D. McKissic (Washington Football Team) - 9.6 points
Rhamondre Stevenson (New England Patriots) - Healthy Scratch
D'Ernest Johnson (Cleveland Browns) - 24.8 points
Donovan Peoples-Jones (Cleveland Browns) - DNP
T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts) - DNP
Ricky Seals-Jones (Washington Football Team) - 11.1 points
Teams of Bye: Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders
Week 8 Suggestions
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - Owned in 18% of Yahoo and 16.1% of ESPN leagues
Week 8 Matchup: vs. LAR
The trade deadline is about a week away and if Deshaun Watson is to move, it’ll likely happen sometime this week. Recently, he’s stated that he’s open to a trade, with teams such as the Miami Dolphins and now, Carolina Panthers linked to the troubled quarterback. If Watson is to be traded, it can be assumed his new team will use him right away. He’s still one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league and will have an instant impact wherever he lands and will put up some good fantasy numbers. If you have the roster space to stash Watson during this waiver window, now’s the time to do so. If you’re one who’s been streaming quarterbacks thus far this season, this will be the end of that for you.
Runningback
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - Owned in 22% of Yahoo and 26.3% of ESPN leagues
Week 8 Matchup: @DET
Miles Sanders was carted off the field after the Eagles’ second possession against the Raiders on Sunday. He was unable to return and is believed to be dealing with a low-ankle sprain. Sanders could miss time with the ankle sprain, especially with how productive and how well Gainwell has played with his chances this season. Gainwell ran the ball five times for 20 yards and caught four-of-eight targets for 41 yards and a score filling in for Sanders. If Sanders is to miss any sort of time, Gainwell is easily a plug-and-play runningback.
Brandon Bolden (New England Patriots) - Owned in 6% of Yahoo and 5.5% of ESPN leagues
Week 8 Matchup: @LAC
The Patriots surprisingly made Rhamondre Stevenson a healthy scratch against the Jets, which allowed Brandon Bolden to have a major role in the Patriots’ passing game. Serving as the team’s pass catching back, Bolden caught six-of-seven targets for 79 yards and a touchdown. I always hate suggesting and playing New England Patriots’ runingbacks under Bill Bellichick because of what happened last week with Stevenson. We’ll see what next week brings out of the Patriots’ backfield.
Wide Receivers
Russell Gage (Atlanta Falcons) - Owned in 10% of Yahoo and 9.8% of ESPN leagues
Week 8 Matchup: vs. CAR
Russell Gage was an off-season darling, and I am guilty of believing in him as well. He had a slow start to the season and then dealt with an ankle injury. In his return to action after a three game absence, he caught four-of-six targets for 67 yards and a score. This Falcons’ team is a pass-first offense and although serving as the team’s third receiving option (behind Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts,) Gage should see enough volume moving forward to be fantasy relevant.
Kalif Raymond (Detroit Lions) - Owned in 3% of Yahoo and 5.9% of ESPN leagues
Week 8 Matchup: vs. PHI
Kalif Raymond may be the Lions’ top receiver, which is weird to say. The 27 year-old journeyman is finding some success with Jared Goff. He has 15 targets over the last two games. He caught six-of-eight targets for 115 yards against the Rams last week. He had a two touchdown game earlier this season as well as a ten target game. Being so minimally owned, he’s available in the majority of leagues.
Tight End
C.J. Uzomah (Cincinnati Bengals) - Owned in 19% of Yahoo and 10.1% of ESPN leagues
Week 8 Matchup: @NYJ
C.J. Uzomah is currently the TE11 on the season. He just had a two touchdown game in a beatdown of the Baltimore Ravens in an important AFC East game. He went for 24.1 fantasy points last week, his second 24-plus fantasy point performance of the season. The targets aren’t there to be a very trustworthy option, but he is catching a lot of touchdowns in this high powered Bengals’ offense.
Week 1 Results
Jameis Winston (New Orleans Saints) - 34.62 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 11.3 points
James White (New England Patriots) - 9.1 points
Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions) - 3.3 points
Bryan Edwards (Las Vegas Raiders) - 12.1 points
Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) - 4.4 points
Week 2 Results
Mac Jones (New England Patriots) - 7.44 points
Elijah Mitchell (San Francisco 49ers) - 7.3 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 7.2 points
Christian Kirk (Arizona Cardinals) - 9.5 points
Terrace Marshall Jr. (Carolina Panthers) - 4.7 points
Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) - 3.3 points
Week 3 Results
Daniel Jones (New York Giants) - 16.54 points
Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta Falcons) - 16.2 points
J.D. McKissic (Washington Football Team) - 5.8 points
Rondale Moore (Arizona Cardinals) - 2.4 points
Zach Pascal (Indianapolis Colts) - 5.1 points
Evan Engram (New York Giants) - 2.1 points
Week 4 Results
Sam Darnold (Carolina Panthers) - 33.54 points
Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers) - 9.1 points
Peyton Barber (Las Vegas Raiders) - 0 points
Emmanuel Sanders (Buffalo Bills) - 13.1 points
Hunter Renfrow (Las Vegas Raiders) - 16.5 points
Tyler Conklin (Minnesota Vikings) - 5.8 points
Week 5 Results
Sam Darnold (Carolina Panthers) - 9.08 points
Damien Williams (Chicago Bears) - 16.4 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 3.4 points
Jamison Crowder (New York Jets) - 8.4 points
Randall Cobb (Green Bay Packers) - 5 points
Dawson Knox (Buffalo Bills) - 20.7 points
Week 6 Results
Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) - 10.26 points
Devontae Booker (New York Giants) - 10.9 points
Darrel Williams (Kansas City Chiefs) - 23.9 points
Kadarius Toney (New York Giants) - 6.6 points
Van Jefferson (Los Angeles Rams) - 4.9 points
David Njoku (Cleveland Browns) - 1.6 points