QBs
1.Peyton Manning
2.Aaron Rodgers
3.Andrew Luck
4.Tony Romo
5.Drew Brees
6.Russell Wilson
7.Tom Brady
8.Philip Rivers
9.Nick Foles
10.Jay Cutler
11.Carson Palmer
12.Matthew Stafford
13.Cam Newton
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14.Ryan Tannehill
15.Matt Ryan
16.Ben Roethlisberger
17.Alex Smith
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18.Kyle Orton
19.Joe Flacco
20.Andy Dalton
21.Mike Glennon
22.Austin Davis
23.Teddy Bridgewater
24.Brian Hoyer
25.Geno Smith
So I was wrong about Carson Palmer last week, who finished right at #12 where ESPN ranked him (I had him down at #16). But you know who finished right above him at #11? That's right, Big Ben (ESPN #17, ME #13). I predicted 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Steeler QB, and he nearly got there (he had the 2 TDs but finished shy of the 300 mark). Either way, Roethlisberger proved he's usually startable when he plays in primetime. This week, Rodgers and Brees face off on Sunday night, and I think both should be top-5 QBs in that primetime matchup.
I'm high on: Tony Romo (ESPN #7, ME #4)
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| You didn't think I'd show a positive image of Romo here, did you? |
Another guy I like as a top-5 play in a primetime matchup is Romo against my Skins on Monday night. My QB rankings are very similar to ESPN's this week, so I'm splitting hairs with these picks. But none of the ESPN analysts have Romo higher than 5th, and the other three have him at 7th, 9th, and 10th. Well I say start Romo over guys like Drew Brees and Philip Rivers this week! Washington's secondary is terrible, and their run defense has actually been pretty stout this year. I still have DeMarco Murray ranked as my top RB because his track record this season won't allow me to move him from that spot right now, but I do think the Cowboys will score a lot of points and do most of their damage through the air in this one. Since the horrible Week 1 home loss to the 49ers, Romo's numbers have been much better in the Jerry Dome versus other venues. I won't be surprised to see well over 300 passing yards, and I think he'll likely have 3+ TDs as well.
I'm down on: Joe Flacco (ESPN #16, ME #19)
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Another guy who has been a top-10 fantasy QB over the last 4 weeks, Flacco comes in a little lower for me versus the ESPN experts this week. That 5-TD game in Tampa really inflated his numbers, but he also had a solid game when my wife and I saw him torch the Panthers in Baltimore. But aside from those two games, Joe has been his normal, mediocre self (at least when it comes to fantasy numbers). The Ravens lost to the Bengals at home in Week 1 by a score of 23-16, and Flacco was the #19 fantasy QB that week even though he had 62 pass attempts. This week's game is in Cincinnati, and while the Bengals are winless since Week 3, this is also only their second division game of the season. I think they'll be focused and both defenses will be pumped up and keep this as a relatively low scoring affair. I think Baltimore could win it to split the series, but I think it'll be something like 23-17 and I don't see Flacco with very good numbers in this one.
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RBs |
1.DeMarco Murray
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2.Matt Forte
3.Arian Foster
4.Jamaal Charles
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5.Le'Veon Bell
6.Marshawn Lynch
7.Lamar Miller
8.Andre Ellington
9.Ben Tate
10.Eddie Lacy
11.LeSean McCoy
12.Joique Bell
13.Giovani Bernard
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14.Jerick McKinnon
15.Mark Ingram
16.Ahmad Bradshaw
17.Ronnie Hillman
18.Justin Forsett
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19.Shane Vereen
20.Branden Oliver
21.Darren McFadden
22.Alfred Morris
23.Chris Ivory
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24.Doug Martin
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25.Tre Mason
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26.Reggie Bush
27.Jonathan Stewart
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28.Denard Robinson
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29.Trent Richardson
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30.Bishop Sankey
31.Anthony Dixon
32.James Starks
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33.Isaiah Crowell
34.Bernard Pierce
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35.Khiry Robinson
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36.Steven Jackson
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37.Darren Sproles
38.Chris Johnson
39.Bobby Rainey
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40.Matt Asiata
41.Bryce Brown
42.Knile Davis
43.Jeremy Hill
44.Benny Cuningham
45.Travaris Cadet
46.Stepfan Taylor
47.Jonas Gray
48.Storm Johnson
49.Roy Helu
50.Daniel Thomas
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| ESPN is a week behind me on hyping up Run DMC... |
I nailed it again with my RBs in Week 7. I was high on Darren McFadden (ESPN #34, ME #25), and he finished 18th overall. The Raiders continued their losing ways, but they also continued to feed McFadden the ball. He's moving up my rankings as Oakland faces a weak Cleveland run defense in Week 8, and I still have him higher than the ESPN experts. Also I was down on Brandon Bolden (ESPN #32, ME #41), saying you needed to wait and see how the Pats used their RBs after Ridley's season-ending injury...not to mention the fact they were playing the Jets, who are a top-10 run defense. ESPN ranked Bolden like a potential Flex play, but he only got one touch on the night. In fact, it was Jonas Gray who got the chance before Bolden (though he only had 2 touches himself). We all knew Vereen would be utilized a lot in that game, but I also tried to tell you not to trust Bolden. Now he'll likely be back to the waiver wire in most leagues. Just make sure if you pick up Gray, don't go crazy on him yet either!
I'm high on: Mark Ingram (ESPN #22, ME #15)
Pierre Thomas is expected to be sidelined a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury, but Khiry Robinson is also missing some practice this week with a forearm injury. While Robinson will likely play against Green Bay on Monday night, Thomas is not expected to suit up. Travaris Cadet should also be in the mix, but I fully expect Ingram to get the bulk of the work. And assuming the Saints get into the redzone quite a bit in this one, Ingram should get the first shot at those goal line carries. He seems like a sure thing to get 75 yards and a TD this week, which has me ranking him as a high end RB2.
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| Pierce is getting the TDs lately... |
I'm down on: Justin Forsett (ESPN #10, ME #18)
In each of their last two games, Bernard Pierce has vultured a goal line TD from Forsett, and as long as he's healthy I think he'll continue to do so. Meanwhile, Forsett has at least 95 total yards in each of his last 4 games and is the clear feature back in this Ravens offense. I think it's very possible he gets close to that number in yardage again this week against the Bengals, but I think Pierce will be the one who finds the endzone and not Forsett.
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WRs
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1.Demaryius Thomas
2.Jordy Nelson
3.Antonio Brown
4.Dez Bryant
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5.Randall Cobb
6.T.Y. Hilton
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7.Jeremy Maclin
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8.Julio Jones
9.Golden Tate
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10.Sammy Watkins
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11.Brandon Marshall
12.Mike Wallace
13.Vincent Jackson
14.Michael Floyd
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15.Alshon Jeffery
16.Emmanuel Sanders
17.Kelvin Benjamin
18.Steve Smith, Sr.
19.Julian Edelman
20.Terrance Williams
21.Mohamed Sanu
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22.Andre Johnson
23.Roddy White
24.Doug Baldwin
25.Pierre Garcon
26.Marques Colston
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27.DeSean Jackson
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28.Torrey Smith
29.DeAndre Hopkins
31.Eric Decker
34.Brandin Cooks
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36.Kendall Wright
37.James Jones
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38.Dwayne Bowe
39.Malcom Floyd
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40.Allen Robinson
41.Mike Evans
42.Cecil Shorts III
43.Brian Quick
44.Brandon LaFell
45.Cordarrelle Patterson
46.Davante Adams
47.Percy Harvin
48.Andrew Hawkins
49.Justin Hunter
50.Hakeem Nicks
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I feel like I haven't changed my top-3 WRs in my rankings in quite a while. Those guys have just been super consistent at putting up big numbers. Man, I love me some Jordy. Stay healthy, brother!
Just a quick note on guys I didn't rank...
AJ Green/Megatron/Reggie Wayne: I'm assuming they're all inactive due to various injuries.
Denard Robinson: Yeah, he should be eligible as a WR in your league, but I ranked him with the RBs. I don't do Flex rankings, and I don't care to take the time to figure out how to rank him on both lists.
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| Adams should have more leaps left this year and beyond. |
Looking back at my picks last week, I nailed it with my WRs too!
I told you about Davante Adams (ESPN #56, ME #42), saying this would likely be the last time you could pick him up off the waiver wire in your league. And while he didn't continue to get the targets he saw in Week 6, he did find the endzone and put up some decent fantasy numbers with his one catch. Maybe he's not the best bet for consistent WR3 numbers just yet, but he's someone to stash and maybe even play based on the matchup (like this week even...). He's also a Nelson or Cobb injury away from being a potential top-20 fantasy WR. You can't say that about too many people in the NFL. As for the guy I was down on, DeAndre Hopkins (ESPN #24, ME #30) actually had a decent game on Monday night, but he did finish exactly where I had him at 30th. I just don't see him as an every week WR2 with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing the ball to him, and he'll likely stay right around 30 for me for the rest of the season.
I'm high on: Sammy Watkins (ESPN #22, ME #10)
The rookie found himself on Revis island in Week 6, but other than that has been crushing it since the Bills switched from EJ Manuel to Kyle Orton. Last week he went for a 9-122-2 line, and he has that upside again this week as the Bills go on the road to face the Jets (who have given up more passing TDs than any other defense in the league).
I'm down on: Percy Harvin (ESPN #34, ME #47)
Speaking of the Jets, they had an interesting week in the wide receiver department. Not only did they sign Jeremy Kerley to a 4-year extension, but they also traded a conditional draft pick for Harvin. The trade actually happened after the Jets played New England on Thursday night but before the Seahawks played Sunday, so Harvin hasn't played a snap since Week 6 against Dallas. Of course in that game he had 3 catches for zero yards, so who cares right? Apparently the ESPN fantasy experts do, that's who. Percy's stat lines are worse than Cordarrelle Patterson's this year, but the ESPN guys still believe. In fact, Matthew Berry and Christopher Harris even ranked Harvin all the way up in the 20s. What?!? Not only does he not know the new offense, but he also is only expected to play on 30 snaps or so. There are way too many guys who I'd rather play ahead of this risky pick.
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TEs
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1.Rob Gronkowski
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2.Julius Thomas
3.Greg Olsen
4.Jimmy Graham
5.Antonio Gates
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6.Martellus Bennett
7.Jordan Reed
8.Travis Kelce
9.Dwayne Allen
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10.Zach Ertz
11.Jordan Cameron
12.Owen Daniels
13.Jason Witten
14.Delanie Walker
15.Charles Clay
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| You're going to trust this guy to get it to Delanie this week? |
I talked up Josh Hill last Thursday, but that was assuming Jimmy Graham was going to be out 2-3 weeks like the reports were suggesting. Well, Jimmy actually suited up against the Lions. And while he was mostly a decoy, it obviously hurt the potential of a guy like Hill as a fill-in for a couple of weeks. Anyway, I'm putting Graham back up near the top this week.
Speaking of this week, my tight end rankings are staying true to form and are pretty similar to ESPN's. However, one guy that sticks out to me on my list versus theirs is Delanie Walker (ESPN #8, ME #14). Walker hasn't had more than 4 catches or 5 fantasy points since Week 4, and now he'll have Zach Mettenberger throwing to him in his first NFL start. Maybe the rookie will check down to his tight end out of necessity, but I don't think he'll even stand a chance against that Texans defense. I think this one will be a blowout, and I don't expect Delanie to do much in it.
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DEF
1.Dolphins
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2.Bills
3.Lions
4.Cowboys
5.Texans
6.Chiefs
7.Browns
8.Patriots
9.Ravens
10.Colts
11.Vikings
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12.Seahawks
13.Bucs
14.Eagles
15.Cardinals
Green Bay was a top-10 defense as they destroyed the Panthers in Lambeau. In fact, it was 38-3 at the end of the 3rd quarter, but the Packers surrendered two 4th quarter TDs to take them from a top-5 defense to just a top-10 defense. Either way, it was a good call on my part versus the ESPN analysts and I'll take it. I was down on the 49ers, and I still don't understand why the ESPN experts rank defenses who play against Peyton Manning in Mile High Stadium. It blows my mind. San Fran's D actually gave up 42 points to the Broncos, got negative fantasy points, and finished dead last among all defenses in most formats. Again, no surprise here but I guess a bit of a surprise to the ESPN guys. At least they seem to have learned from their mistakes and aren't ranking the Chargers too highly this week.
I'm high on: Browns (ESPN #16, ME #6)
I'm also high on a couple of other squads with plus matchups like the Bucs and Jags (the latter was just outside of my top-15), but I'll talk about the Brownies this week. Like Jacksonville, Cleveland has been right near a top-10 fantasy defense over the last 4 weeks. And like Tampa Bay, Cleveland will also be at home facing a rookie quarterback. It's impossible to predict something like a pick-6, but why not? I think we'll see one from a guy like Joe Haden in this one, and the Browns will add 3 sacks and another turnover or two along the way.
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| I just have a feeling we'll be seeing this in Week 8. |
I'm down on: Broncos (ESPN #6, ME not ranked)
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Yes, Denver has been a top-10 fantasy defense this year, but their two best fantasy days actually came in both of their road games. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not. But it should also be noted that San Diego is giving up the 2nd fewest fantasy points to team defenses this year, and both squads could put up a lot of points in tonight's game. I'd look for another option this week if I had the Bronco D.
That's it for Week 8. Good luck everyone (except you, Brandon).
Cheers,
Bart
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