With six teams on bye in Week 8, pressure is on fantasy owners to make the right call. It’s a crucial midseason week and a limited number of players are available. So if I list a guy in my sits that you literally need to play, don’t feel bad about it. Just take a look at one of my situations at the start of the week.
Starts
Golden Tate, WR, Detroit – Okay, I’m finally ready to give in here. Just take a look at the numbers for Tate:
- Weeks 2-6: 24 targets, 10 receptions, 93 yards, 0 touchdowns
- Weeks 7-8: 22 targets, 14 receptions, 258 yards, 1 touchdown
And he did this against the Rams and Redskins, who aren’t exactly the worst teams in football. Detroit loves to throw the football. If Theo Riddick is out again this week, they’ll continue to throw. Whether Tate keeps up this insane production is a real question. But with so many players out this week, you have to ride with Tate and see what happens.
Marcus Marriota, QB, Tennesse – You don’t have to be a good quarterback to be a good fantasy quarterback. Marriota is certainly a work in progress, but he’s having a solid year fantasy wise. He’s thrown for at least two touchdowns in five of his seven games and only had one game with two interceptions this year. For owners without stability at quarterback or have someone on a bye, Marriota is a guy worth plugging in your lineup with a matchup against Jacksonville.
Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland – Crowell had a very rough two week stretch before a decent bounce back game in Week 7. People we’re concerned about Duke Johnson taking away his touches, but the situation in Cleveland is to dire to take Crowell out of the equation. He’s their best runner in a team desperate for life on offense. Excluding Weeks 5 and 6, he’s had at least 60 yards every game and has a touchdown in for out of five games. I’m guessing we’ll see the high floor Crowell that we’ve seen for most of the season against the Jets this week.
DeVantae Booker, RB, Denver – I’m really not sold on Booker yet, but this weeks situation is too good to pass up. Booker finally got a shot to work last week, rushing 17 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. CJ Anderson has been ruled out indefinitely and Booker now has a chance to prove that those stats weren’t a fluke. He is a high end RB2 this week.
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas – Normally I advise against playing guys returning from an injury, but Bryant is a different case. He’s been questionable for a couple weeks and just had a full bye week to make a recovery. He’s expected to be all systems go this week against the Eagles. It should be a great feeling for owners to finally be able to put him back in the lineup.
Sits
Matt Jones, RB, Washington – Matt Jones went from a 135 yard performance to being out-touched by Chris Thompson in the span of two games. Jones hasn’t exactly been stellar this season, and the idea of a time share should scare anyone relying on Jones in fantasy. Until we get a better look at what the Redskins backfield will be moving forward, I’m staying away from both Jones and Thompson.
Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland – Barnidge has been decent this year. He’s tallied at least five targets in every game since Week 2 and has had over 50 yards in every game since Week 3. But the reason Barnidge was so valuable last season was his presence in the red zone. He snagged 9 touchdowns last year and hasn’t even scored once in 2016. He’s merely a desperation play for owners out of options looking for a decent floor. Having Kevin Hogan at quarterback won’t do him any favors.
Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City – It’s impossible to even remotely trust Jamaal Charles right now. He has a grand total of 12 carries since he returned from his injury. Truth be told, he still hasn’t really returned from his injury. Spencer Ware is the guy in the Chiefs backfield. It’s beginning to look more and more like Charles is a lost cause for fantasy owners this season.
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay – With so many players on bye this week, Adams really isn’t a bad option, but I’m just not ready to trust him full time yet. Before Week 7, Adams season high in targets was eight and receptions was five, although he did find the end zone in three of those five games. But Adams became a top waiver target after his 13 reception, 132 yard and two touchdown performance against the Bears in Week 7. The Packers offense is just loaded with options right now, and on top of that, Aaron Rodgers hasn’t looked like himself this season. He makes for a high upside bye week fill in, but owners with some stability in their lineups shouldn’t be throwing that away to take a chance on Adams.
Houston Defense – Houston takes on a Detroit team thats been on fire over the past three weeks. They’ve scored at least 20 points in each of the last three games and five of seven games overall. Houston is a team that’s been struggling and I don’t like them in this matchup at all. There’s better options out there this week.
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.
