QBs
1.Tom Brady
2.Matt Ryan
3.Aaron Rodgers
4.Andrew Luck
5.Drew Brees
6.Cam Newton
7.Russell Wilson
8.Derek Carr
9.Marcus Mariota
10.Jameis Winston
11.Andy Dalton
12.Matthew Stafford
13.Kirk Cousins
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14.Tyrod Taylor
15.Alex Smith
16.Dak Prescott
17.Carson Palmer
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18.Ryan Fitzpatrick
19.Brock Osweiler
20.Blake Bortles
I was off with a lot of my picks versus the ESPN experts yet again last week. Starting with the QBs, I was high on Derek Carr ( ESPN #14, ME #5) and down on Alex Smith (ESPN #12, ME #18). Carr barely finished as a top-20 fantasy quarterback, and Alex Smith ended up with top-10 numbers. Let's see if I can do better with my signal callers in Week 8.
I'm high on: Marcus Mariota ( ESPN #14, ME #9)
 For the second week in a row, for some reason I really like the guy in ESPN's #14 spot, and I really dislike the guy in the #12 spot (more on that in a second). In Weeks 5-7, only a couple of QBs have outperformed Marcus Mariota. He has 9 total TDs and only 1 interception combined in those games, and he also has 138 rushing yards in that span. Jacksonville's defense is pretty soft, and I like Mariota as a top-10 play tomorrow night.
I'm down on: Carson Palmer (ESPN #12, ME #17)
I was wrong about Alex Smith in this same #12 spot for ESPN last week, but let's try it again with Palmer in Week 8. In his last 4 games, Carson has been outside of the top-25 fantasy QBs and I don't think he can be considered a QB1 in fantasy until he proves otherwise. He has a nice matchup against Carolina this week, but this has become the David Johnson show. I'm not so sure Palmer is going to be an elite fantasy QB this season.
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RBs |
1.David Johnson
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2.Ezekiel Elliott
3.DeMarco Murray
4.Spencer Ware
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5.Christine Michael
6.Lamar Miller
7.Devonta Freeman
8.Melvin Gordon
9.Matt Forte
10.Devontae Booker
11.Jacquizz Rodgers
12.LeGarrette Blount
13.Frank Gore
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14.Giovani Bernard
15.Latavius Murray
16.Mark Ingram
17.Jeremy Hill
18.Jonathan Stewart
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19.Isaiah Crowell
20.Matt Jones
21.James White
22.Ryan Mathews
23.Mike Gillislee
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24.Jerick McKinnon
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25.Chris Ivory
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26.Theo Riddick
27.Matt Asiata
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28.Jordan Howard
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29.Chris Thompson
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30.Duke Johnson
31.TJ Yeldon
32.Ka'Deem Carey
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33.Rob Kelley
34.Dwayne Washington
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35.Darren Sproles
36.Knile Davis
37.DeAndre Washington
38.C.J. Prosise
39.Peyton Barber
40.Alfred Blue
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I whiffed on both of my RB picks versus ESPN last week too. I was high on Knile Davis in his first game as a Packer (ESPN #42, ME #35), thinking he would get involved right away on Thursday night. He did not. In fact, he should not have been in my rankings or ESPN's. Maybe this week will be different, but Green Bay seems content with Ty Montgomery in the backfield. I was down on C.J. Anderson (ESPN #11, ME #20), saying that Devontae Booker had been getting more involved in the offense every week (and also pointing out C.J.'s lack of production of late). Booker actually outsnapped Anderson on Monday night, but both running backs produced against the Texans. C.J. Anderson was in the top-10 and Devontae in the top-15, so I was obviously wrong about Anderson. That being said, if you took what I wrote to heart and possibly picked up Devontae Booker, that could be reaping huge benefits now that Anderson is dealing with a knee issue...
:format(webp)/cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46683390/usa-today-8313536.0.jpg) I'm high on: Giovani Bernard (ESPN #20, ME #14)
Sure, Jeremy Hill had a big day against the Browns in Week 7. But did you notice that it was Bernard who was in on more snaps than Hill (33 to 21)? Hill had a big 40 yard run and then the 74 yard touchdown. And I'm not discounting those, but I am seeing them as outliers. I'd start Gio over Hill this week in London, though I could surely see both backs having value against my Redskins.
I'm down on: Mike Gillislee (ESPN #18, ME #23)
Everyone is assuming LeSean McCoy either doesn't play or is limited against the Patriots this week, and that's fine. I'm also assuming that. But Gillislee is limited in practice this week too with a foot injury, and he only had 5 rushes for 20 yards last week (Reggie Bush actually had the late 4th quarter touchdown AND 2 point conversion against Miami). New England is a top-10 defense against fantasy running backs, and I just don't trust Gillislee as much as the ESPN experts this week.
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WRs
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1.Julio Jones
2.A.J. Green
3.Mike Evans
4.TY Hilton
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5.Brandon Marshall
6.Amari Cooper
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7.Larry Fitzgerald
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8.DeAndre Hopkins
9.Michael Crabtree
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10.Doug Baldwin
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11.Randall Cobb
12.Marvin Jones Jr.
13.Jordy Nelson
14.Emmanuel Sanders
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15.Brandin Cooks
16.DeMaryius Thomas
17.Allen Robinson
18.Ty Montgomery
19.Terrelle Pryor, Sr.
20.Alshon Jeffery
21.Jordan Matthews
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22.Kelvin Benjamin
23.Dez Bryant
24.Julian Edelman
25.Jeremy Maclin
26.Davante Adams
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27.Golden Tate
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28.Will Fuller
29.Stefon Diggs
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30.Quincy Enunwa
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31.Michael Thomas
34.Donte Moncrief
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36.Tyrell Williams
37.Brandon LaFell
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38.Cameron Meredith
39.Michael Floyd
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40.Travis Benjamin
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At least I got one super right with Brandon LaFell (ESPN NOT RANKED, ME #39) who found the endzone for a third straight game on his way to a top-10 finish. I was down on Willie Snead (ESPN #29, ME #37), thinking that Cooks and the rookie Michael Thomas would continue to outperform him. Well I was right there because both of those guys were top-25 fantasy WRs in Week 7, but Snead wasn't too bad himself and finished as the #33 WR. I'll continue to rank Cooks and Thomas ahead of Snead, and this week all of them will be slightly down as they face Seattle's tough secondary.
I'm high on: Jordan Matthews (ESPN #28, ME #21)
 This is somewhat of a gut call, but up until last week, Matthews had been consistently putting up fantasy points. And let's be honest, no wide receivers are putting up numbers against the Vikings this season. This week, the Eagles get a much more favorable matchup as they travel to Dallas. In fact, Jordan put up big numbers and found the endzone in both games against the Cowboys last year. He also scored in Dallas in his rookie year. Though somewhat hard to trust, I actually think he could be in for a big game this week.
I'm down on: DeSean Jackson (ESPN #35, ME NOT RANKED)
At some point, you just have to stop ranking a guy if he's not producing. DeSean certainly has that big play ability, but he hasn't shown it since Week 3 against the Giants. In fact, Jackson only has 130 yards (and zero TDs) in his last 4 games COMBINED. If you're looking for a Redskins WR to start this week, I'd suggest Jamison Crowder.
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TEs
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1.Rob Gronkowski
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2.Jimmy Graham
3.Greg Olsen
4.Delanie Walker
5.Jordan Reed
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6.Kyle Rudolph
7.Travis Kelce
8.Jack Doyle
9.Martellus Bennett
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10.Gary Barnidge
11.C.J. Fiedorowicz
12.Julius Thomas
13.Hunter Henry
14.Tyler Eifert
15.Coby Fleener
16.Cameron Brate
17.Zach Miller
18.Charles Clay
19.Jason Witten
20.Eric Ebron
Last week I was high on Cameron Brate (ESPN #13, ME #9) and down on Antonio Gates (ESPN #14, ME #19). Wrong and wrong. Although I will say that while Gates finished as the #16 fantasy tight end, that still was only good for 5 catches for 38 yards. It was the first time he had more than 30 receiving yards in a game all season, but I'm still not trusting him (or ranking him highly) moving forward. IF Hunter Henry is out with a concussion this week, maybe. But if Henry is active, no way am I starting Gates right now. As for Brate, he only had 3 catches for 29 yards. He's a boom or bust type of player, but he still warrants a higher ranking than someone like Gates.
 I'm high on: C.J. Fiedorowicz (ESPN #21, ME #11)
The young tight end wasn't a factor in Houston's first 3 games of the season, but he has been a top-10 fantasy tight end in his last 4 games. He's averaging about 7 targets per game in those last 4 contests, and Detroit is giving up the 3rd most fantasy points to the position this season. I like for Brock to dump it off to his tight end a lot in this game, and C.J. easily has top-10 potential.
I'm down on: Zach Ertz (ESPN #15, ME NOT RANKED)
Ertz has just 3 targets in each of his last 3 games, which he has turned into a combined 5 catches for 73 yards. That's in 3 games, people! This is a nice matchup in Dallas, as I mentioned above with Jordan Matthews. But I'm not trusting Ertz until his rookie quarterback starts looking his way more often.
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DEF
1.Vikings
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2.Broncos
3.Cardinals
4.Patriots
5.Eagles
6.Chiefs
7.Titans
8.Jets
9.Bengals
10.Seahawks
11.Cowboys
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12.Lions
Last week I was high on the Tennessee Titans (ESPN #18, ME #13) and down on the New York Giants (ESPN #8, ME NOT RANKED). I almost couldn't have been more wrong here. The Titans missed a golden opportunity to put up fantasy points against the Colts, as they gave up 28 points and only sacked Luck twice. As for the Giants, they picked off Case Keenum 4 times and scored a defensive touchdown. They were second only to the Eagle D in Week 7.
I'm high on: Philadelphia Eagles (ESPN #11, ME #5)
I know Dallas isn't giving up a ton of fantasy points to opposing defenses this season, but Philly is the #2 fantasy D after Minnesota. They get to the quarterback, force a ton of turnovers, and give up less than 15 points per game. Dak Prescott went a long time without an interception, but so did Wentz. Both have started to get the rookie turnover bug, and I think that'll continue in this game for both teams. I hope somehow they both lose.
I'm down on: Carolina Panthers (ESPN #10, ME NOT RANKED)
The Panthers are coming off a bye, and Arizona is coming off a 6 point offensive performance. Otherwise, I've run out of positive things to say about Carolina this week. In fact, I don't really like them because they've only held an opponent to under 20 points once this season and have just 1 takeaway and 3 sacks in their last two games combined. I don't think they'll get much going against the Cardinals and will continue their disappointing post-Superbowl season.
Good luck to everyone in Week 8!
(Except you, Jimmy...)
Cheers,
Bart
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