The fantasy gods have taken many great players from us this year. Legends Andre Johnson and Arian Foster have retired, and Jamaal Charles is gone for the year with a lingering injury. This week sees six more teams take a bye week. The fantasy playing field is becoming more and more scarce, and owners need to be careful with their plays. Here are this week’s sits and starts:
Starts
Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City – With Spencer Ware likely out and Jamaal Charles done for the year, Charcandrick West has returned to fantasy relevance. He had a solid afternoon on Sunday filling in for Charles and has proven to be a more than capable backup in the past. With how well Ware has been playing behind that offensive line, starting West this week is a no-brainer.
Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit – Ebron returned from injury in Week 8 and hauled in seven of his 10 targets for 79 yards. He has monster potential in PPR leagues moving forward. He’s seen at least five targets in every game he’s played this year, and the Lions offense may be starting to consistently increase his usage. The up-and-coming tight end is a top tier bye week fill in and might actually be a TE1 moving forward.
Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville – Don’t let Bortles’s stats in Week 8 fool you; he was absolutely horrendous. His stats were as empty as his franchise’s trophy shelf. But in fantasy football, empty stats are still stats. Bortles was a monster in fantasy last year simply because of how horrible his team was on the field. He’s the man in garbage time. He’s like the high school football team that scores 28 unanswered points, because they’re down 50 and the opponent have already benched their starters. All hail Blake Bortles, the king of the rats. If your quarterback is on bye or in a tough matchup, let Bortles carry you with 200 yards in the fourth quarter down 30.
Derek Carr, QB, Oakland – Here lies the anti-Blake Bortles. Derek Carr is a legitimate MVP candidate this year. The only reason he’s in this column is because he faces an impenetrable Denver pass defense this week, and a lot of buzz around fantasy experts is that he may not even finish the year as a top 10 fantasy quarterback. I strongly disagree with all of this and am here to tell you that Derek Carr is matchup-proof, especially in a bye filled Week 9. Just don’t expect him to get you 40 points every week.
Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis – Doyle disappointed in Week 8, but I blame this on the Kansas City pass defense more than I blame it on Doyle himself. He had back to back games with over 50 yards and a touchdown before this week. I expect something more like that if Dwayne Allen misses another game. He’s a guy that may find himself on waivers this week and would make for a great bye week replacement.
Sits
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville – I doubt anyone that drafted Yeldon plans on starting him. Yet when other owners see a young starting running back on the waiver wire, they most likely get excited. No one should be getting excited about T.J. Yeldon. His usage is wildly inconsistent. It may change with a new offensive coordinator, but I wouldn’t play Yeldon until we’re certain of that.
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle – There’s something very clearly wrong with Russell Wilson at the moment. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown since Week 4 and hasn’t even ran for 20 yards in a single game this year. Wilson has been useless as a fantasy quarterback since Seattle’s Week 5 bye. If he can’t light up the Saints, why should we believe he’ll be able to put up quality numbers against anyone else? He’s borderline droppable in 10 team leagues.
Mark Ingram, RB, Seattle – If the writing was on the wall for Ingram before this week, the wall has been transcribed into a termination contract. Ingram had a costly fumble and the Saints decided to give Tim Hightower over 20 carries. Hightower took the ball and ran with it. With Hightower earning more touches and Ingram basically earning less touches, New Orleans is approaching full blown committee territory. I don’t love either this week, but I’d much rather have Hightower out of the two. Ingram has a make or break game in Week 9.
Golden Tate, WR, Detroit – Welcome back Golden Tate! Not for a lack of production, but Tate faces a tough Minnesota defense this week and it seems like he may be the one to draw coverage from Xavier Rhodes. The Bears just exposed the Vikings defense last week, so Tate isn’t a must sit. I just find it hard to believe that the Vikings’ secondary will get beat up two straight games. Ebron and Theo Riddick will be the more viable options for the Lions in fantasy this week.
Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas – Cole Beasley is actually a great desperation play, especially in PPR. He’s had at least four receptions for 50 yards in every single game this year. But for owners considering playing him over other guys, he doesn’t usually accomplish much more than that. His season high in yards is 75 and has only reached the end zone in two of his seven games this year. PPR owners with no other options in need of a safe play should strongly consider Beasley. The rest of us should not.
Steve Rebeiro is a staff writer and podcast host for Rams Talk. He graduated from Marquette University in 2016. For more of his opinions, follow him on Twitter here.
