Welcome to the Week 8 of Trust or Bust. Week 7 has come and gone (thank god!) and while the football was BAD for the most part, (looking at you Carolina) as far as fantasy goes, there was definitely some good. Kyle Pitts had another dominant performance. D’Andre Swift continued his pursuit for the number one fantasy running back, and A.J. ‘Burrito Bowl’ Brown ended his boycott with the end-zone after four games.
Now, all we need is for Kansas City to figure things out and all will be well in fantasy land.
OK, let’s get started, but first! Before we move forward, I’d like to remind the readers what exactly this article is intended for.
Every week I select players inside the FantasyPros Consensus Top 12 that I think will finish outside the top 12 and players outside the top 12 that I like more.
This is NOT a ‘start/sit’ article per se. This is more or less how I feel about a player, why I feel that way, suggesting what I would do, what to expect, and who I like more.
I know when offering advice and analysis, accuracy and accountability are important. Not just to you guys but to me as well. Every week I like to keep track and share my previous week’s picks that I got right and wrong.
Accountability Report
QB Joe Burrow (CIN)
Week 7 Ranking 9th
Prediction- Outside
Week 7 Finish 9th
Ok, The Bengals are the REAL DEAL! Their defense is solid and their offense is LEGIT! Ja’Marr Chase is a superstar in the making and Joe Mixon is having a good year too. I don’t think this was an anomaly, Cincinnati put the league on notice with this dominating performance, kudos to Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
RB Darrel Williams (KC)
Week 7 Ranking 8th
Prediction- Outside
Week 7 Finish 33
Wow, wow, wow! What in the world is going on in Kansas City, is it the BBQ? Did Andy Reid and Mahomes eat at the same Chipotle as A.J. Brown? Whatever is going on, it’s weird! Football and fantasy are better when Kansas City is playing well. On a brighter note, Tennessee has turned a corner and the Titans are looking like a serious contender in the AFC.
WR Terry McLaurin (WAS)
Week 7 Ranking 7th
Prediction- Outside
Week 7 Finish 5th
This is what I get for betting against McLaurin F1. A racecar expert I am not, my honda accord maxes out at about 80. Washington is so unpredictable, but Scary Terry is about as consistent as they come. Now, let’s hope, for our fantasy teams’ sake, Antonio Gibson can get his motor going soon.
TE T.J. Hockenson (DET)
Week 7 Ranking 5th
Prediction- Outside
Week 7 Finish 11th
Note to self: When a guy is averaging 8 targets per game, it’s probably best not to vote against him, especially on an offense like Detroit’s that is lacking wide receivers. There’s a reason Hockenson is ranked as high as he is, it’s because he’s really really good at football.
T’was a bad week for football, a bad week for fantasy, and a bad week for predictions. Alas, accountability must be had. This week wasn’t pretty, still, the numbers must be run.
Week 7 Results- 1 for 4 25%
Correct
14
Wrong
14
Week 6 Inside/ Outside Picks
QB Aaron Rodgers (GB)
@ARI
Current Ranking 20th
AVG Points per Game 20.2
Week 8 ranking 11th
t was announced that leading wide receiver Davante Adams will miss Thursday night’s game due to Covid-19. If that isn’t enough to make you consider another option in Week 8 the Cardinals defense hasn’t allowed a top 10 quarterback finish since Kirk Cousins in Week 2. For the season, quarterbacks average less than fourteen points per game versus the Cardinals.
Who I like More
QB Trevor Lawrence (JAX)
@SEA
Week 8 ranking 17th
Sure, the Jaguars’ bye week might’ve come at a bad time, after two weeks I think we know that the Geno Smith experiment is nothing more than the volcanoes we see third graders bring to the science fair. The Seahawks defense isn’t any better, they’re allowing two hundred and eighty pass yards per game and over eighteen fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
RB Jonathan Taylor (IND)
vTEN
Current Ranking 3rd
AVG Points per Game 18.7
Week 8 ranking 5th
Don’t look now but the Titans are on a three-game win streak and now A.J. Brown is returning to form. One thing about the Titans that’s going unnoticed until last week, is their defense, especially versus the run. Through seven games their run defense allows less than eighty yards rushing yards per game and has only given up five total touchdowns to running backs.
Who I like More
RB Kenny Gainwell (PHI)
@DET
Week 8 ranking 22nd
After a couple of disappointing weeks, Gainwell shined yet again, after a Miles Sanders injury. While the Philly offense isn’t anything to write home about, Sirrianni and company seem to like Gainwell enough to give him four targets per game and Gainwell has produced nonetheless. Now that Sanders is likely out for Week 8, we’ll get a chance to see what Gainwell can do against a lowly Lions’ defense with an increase in volume.
WR D.J. Moore (CAR)
@ATL
Current Ranking 12th
AVG Points per Game 11.0
Week 8 ranking 9th
This is the second week in a row I’ve had D.J. Moore on my list and until the Panthers and Sam Darnold prove me wrong, what is a guy supposed to do? Like the Titans, the Falcons have caught fire too and while their offense has come alive, their defense is doing just enough to keep them in games. Atlanta is a top-seven defense in receptions and receiving yards versus wide receivers.
Who I like More
WR Courtland Sutton (DEN)
v WAS
Week 8 ranking 22nd
The Washington defense has given up five WR1 performances in their first seven games this season. Add in the fact that Courtland Sutton and Teddy Bridgewater have shown good chemistry as of late and it’s showing on the fantasy box score too, Sutton is averaging over twenty points per game the last three weeks.
TE Ricky Seals-Jones (WAS)
@DEN
Current Ranking 20th
AVG Points per Game 9.8
Week 8 ranking 12th
defense though, is it’s pretty good against tight ends. Of the seven games played this season, only Darren Waller and Mark Andrews have scored over ten points. No disrespect to Ricky Seals-Jones, he ain’t Waller or Andrews.
Who I like More
TE Tyler Conklin (MIN)
v DAL
Week 8 ranking 19th
Conklin was a popular off-season target, after the injury to Irv Smith Jr, and rightfully so as Conklin has been an important piece of the Vikings offense. While his stats don’t always show up in the box score, Conklin is averaging five targets per game and when you’re facing a tight-end friendly Cowboys defense, don’t be surprised to see Conklin have his fourth double-digit scoring game of the year.
That’s gonna do it for this week’s piece. I hope you found the info useful and actionable.
Thank you for reading. Just a reminder, my fantasy podcast: The ATB Fantasy Show records a new episode every Thursday. You can find the podcast on most major platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. Here’s a link to the most recent episode.
If you use the hashtag #AskATB or send us a DM, we’ll be sure to answer any and all of your fantasy questions.
If you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, I host a Dallas Cowboys themed podcast and you can find that on most major streaming platforms as well. Here is a link to the most recent episode
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski – USA TODAY Sports
