Week 8 Must Starts
Week 7 Recap
Well, last week was eventful. Jay Ajayi ran for over 200 yards again, the Lions beat the Redskins on a last minute drive that led to a touchdown, another Browns quarterback got hurt, Matt Forte came back to life along with Jeremy Hill, THREE Green Bay Packers ended with over 10 receptions, and Geno Smith got hurt leading to the return of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Not to mention the crazy ending of the Seahawks and Cardinals matchup.
Furthermore, the great Arian Foster suddenly retired after it was revealed that he suffered another injury. Overall in terms of the Must Starts last week, the results were decent. Mike Wallace, Demarco Murray, and Jacquizz Rodgers were all successful while Allen Robinson was awful. Cameron Meredith was pretty bad even before Hoyer’s injury but once Hoyer went down, Meredith pretty much had no chance with Matt Barkley at quarterback. Anyways, with all that being said, here are the Week 8 Must Starts.
Week 8 Must Starts
Jameis Winston: DraftKings- $5,700, Fanduel- $7,400
Jameis Winston has been the epitome of inconsistency this year. Among the 6 games he has played this year, Winston has thrown for over 3 touchdowns three times and 1 touchdown or less in the other three games. Despite this, I fully expect Jameis to have a great game against the Oakland “Defense.” Oakland has the leagues worst pass defense and is giving up an average 302.1 passing yards per game. Furthermore, Winston is extremely cheap this week allowing you to maximize other positions. Winston is coming off a great performance, even though it was against the 49ers defense, and he should do well again this week against the Raiders.
Prediction: 27/40 330 yards 3 TD 0 INT
Jacquizz Rodgers: DraftKings- $5,800, Fanduel- $6,600
Ever since Jacquizz Rodgers took control of the Tampa Bay backfield, all he has done is amass 255 yards on the ground while averaging 4.65 yards per carry. Dirk Koetter obviously has no problem using Rodgers as the bell cow running back and Rodgers has another opportunity to thrive. The Oakland Raiders have a terrible pass offense as mentioned above, but they also have a horrible run defense. (Seriously after spending so much money on Bruce Irvin, Sean Smith, and drafting Karl Joseph, wasn’t this defense supposed to get better?) This Oakland defense has allowed 5 yards per carry on the ground and has given up an average 128.3 rushing yards per game. Rodgers has shown that he can succeed when given the carries and he should have no shortage of them this week against the Raiders.
Prediction: 24 carries 130 yards 1 TD
Devontae Booker: DraftKings- $3,700, Fanduel- $5,600
As of Thursday afternoon, CJ Anderson does not seem likely to play against the Chargers this week. This means Devontae Booker has the backfield to himself and can show what he can do. He showed some of it last week when he rushed 17 times for 83 yards and a TD. Booker has proven himself to be a capable running back when given the chance and has a decent matchup against a Chargers defense which has allowed 4 yards per carry. The Broncos have one of the most run heavy offenses in the league and Booker should be featured heavily. Furthermore, Booker is extremely cheap which will allow you to spend more on other positions.
Prediction: 21 carries 93 yards 2 TD
Brandon Marshall: DraftKings- $7,800, Fanduel- $7,400
Guess who’s back? Ryan Fitzpatrick. This is bad news to everyone but Brandon Marshall. It seems as though every time Fitzpatrick drops back, he is only looking for one player and that player is Brandon Marshall. Marshall has a dream matchup this week against THE BROWNS. The Browns have the 4th worst pass defense and have given up a league high 18 receiving touchdowns. Marshall has “his guy” back at quarterback and he should have a great week.
Prediction: 8 catches 110 yards 1 TD
Mike Evans: DraftKings- $8,100, Fanduel- $7,900
Another Tampa Bay player? Yes. This is how bad I view the Oakland Raider defense. Evans has been a top 5 fantasy wide receiver this year and he should have a great game against the Raiders. Jameis seems to have no problem throwing Evans’s way and without Vincent Jackson, Evans has only seen his targets increase. Mike Evans and the Bucs offense should have a field day against the raiders.
Prediction: 7 catches 98 yards 2 TD
Jack Doyle: DraftKings- $3,500, Fanduel- $4,900
As of now, Dwayne Allen is expected to be out for week 8 which means Doyle should have another solid day. Andrew Luck loves to look for his tight ends and it is hard to miss the 6’6 Jack Doyle. Even with the return of Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett, I still expect for Doyle to have a solid day. Last week, Doyle received 10 targets and converted 9 of those for 78 yards and a touchdown. While he may not put those kind of numbers up again this week, he should still do well and should be in your lineups considering how cheap he is.
Prediction: 5 catches 62 yards 1 TD
Sneaky Plays
Is he a wide receiver or is he a wide receiver? As of now we do not really know but what we do know is that ever since they have moved him to the backfield two weeks ago, he has received over 10 targets in both of the games since and has had over 100 yards total in both of those games. Atlanta’s defense is not great and Ty Montgomery should have an opportunity to do well.
Prediction: 7 catches 81 yards 0 TD, 6 Rushes 29 yards 0 TD
