Nick Popio | October 25th, 2018
Week 8 in the NFL is here, which means the season is halfway over already. That is something no football fan wants to hear, but that is the reality we live in today. Atlanta, Dallas, Tennessee, and the L.A. Chargers are all idle this week. Let’s see who can replace the big names of Julio Jones, Ezekiel Elliott, Melvin Gordon, and others.
Running Backs
1. Todd Gurley vs. Green Bay-Ho-hum, just another 3 touchdown performance for the top fantasy player at San Francisco last Sunday. Expect more of the same at home this week.
2. Kareem Hunt vs. Denver–Hunt didn’t have too much of a workload in the Cincinnati blowout, but he made the most of it with 3 scores himself.
3. James Conner vs. Cleveland-135 yards on the ground and 2 house trips in the first meeting at Cleveland in the 2018 opener that ended in a tie.
4. Saquon Barkley vs. Washington-The Redskins shutdown Zeke Elliott and will look to do the identical thing to Barkley. He’s a no-brainer to catch around 10 passes with the way the Giants have been using him in his rookie campaign.
5. Joe Mixon vs. Tampa Bay-Mixon was held in check at Kansas City, but he should bounce back effectively against Tampa Bay’s inconsistent defense.
6. David Johnson vs. San Francisco-Johnson achieved his best outing in the earlier matchup this year and may put it all together if Arizona’s offensive unit shows up.
7. James White @ Buffalo-White secured his most rushing attempts in the win over Chicago, while also finding the end zone twice through the air.
8. Alvin Kamara @ Minnesota-Kamara toughed out 64 rushing yards with a TD. This will be another stern test for the Saints play-making RB.
9. Christian McCaffrey vs. Baltimore- Should be a factor in the passing game again, but not much else versus the Ravens ruthless defense.
10. Marlon Mack @ Oakland-Mack came out of nowhere with 159 total yards and 2 house trips. The Raiders D is nearly as bad as Buffalo’s, so a man named Mack, not Khalil, could light up the Oakland Coliseum once again.
Wide Receivers
1. Antonio Brown vs. Cleveland-9 grabs for 93 and a touchdown in week 1 playing the Browns. The Steelers seem to be hitting their stride before the bye week where Brown garnered 2 straight 100+ outings with 3 more scores.
2. A.J. Green vs. Tampa Bay-The Bengals’ stud wideout has caught at least 6 passes the last 3 contests, but hasn’t found the end zone since week 4. That may change when he lines up at home opposite Tampa Bay.
3. Adam Thielen @ New Orleans-This game has shootout written all over it. That means even more targets and fantasy points for the man who has 7 consecutive 100 yard plus outstanding performances.
4. DeAndre Hopkins vs. Miami-With teammate Keke Coutee out, Deshaun Watson will go to his old reliable in a favorable tilt that potentially garners Hopkins some red zone targets.
5. Tyreek Hill vs. Denver-Hill is just about doing everything in this high-octane offense that has yet to be slowed down. He also recorded 9 for 54 on 13 looks in the week 4 victory at Denver.
6. Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Washington-Beckham lined up against Josh Norman is always a can’t miss sight when these two squads do battle. Though he does tend to get his numbers no matter who the outspoken pass catcher is guarding him.
7. JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Cleveland-Has gone over 100 receiving yards all but 2 games. Had 5 grabs for 119 in Cleveland.
8. Davante Adams @ L.A. Rams-In the two ballgames prior to the off week, Adams scored 3 times with 272 yards on 19 snags. This has the potential to be another high scoring affair with loads of fantasy points coming his way.
9. Michael Thomas @ Minnesota-He’s cooled off since his hot start. In the unforgettable 2017 Divisional playoff, Thomas caught 7 passes with 2 end zone trips but was targeted a whopping 13 times.
10. Mike Evans @ Cincinnati-The Bengals defense could not stop Pat Mahomes on Sunday night. Jameis Winston is on a back to back 350 yard plus passing performances, so this might just be an ideal showcase for the two young superstars.
Tight Ends
1. Rob Gronkowski @ Buffalo-If Gronk plays then this becomes a very enticing must-start option on Monday night.
2. Travis Kelce vs. Denver-Notched 7 balls for 78 yards and a touchdown in the previous mile high city week 4 outcome.
3. Eric Ebron @ Oakland-On paper Ebron should tear apart a weak secondary and continue his fresh start on his new team.
4. George Kittle @ Arizona-Kittle seems consistent enough for about 4 grabs a week from his college teammate C.J. Beathard. Had 5 for 83 just three weeks ago in the home loss to Arizona.
5. Jared Cook vs. Indianapolis-The Raiders may let Derek Carr rip it to prove something. With Amari Cooper gone, Cook may benefit the most because of it and become Carr’s security blanket.
6. Zach Ertz @ Jacksonville in London-The Jaguars defense has been very messy lately and Ertz has caught at least 7 passes thrown his way over the last 4.
7. Jimmy Graham @ L.A. Rams-The Rams continue to have troubles stopping tight ends. George Kittle went off for 98 yards and a score a week ago in a 39-10 rout. Aaron Rodgers will likely look Graham’s way a lot on Sunday.
8. Trey Burton vs. New York Jets–Burton burned the Patriots, but Kyle Rudolph only managed 1 reception in the win over New York last Sunday.
9. C.J. Uzomah vs. Tampa Bay-He’s emerged the last two outings. David Njoku grabbed a pass for six in Tampa’s overtime triumph against Cleveland.
10. Greg Olsen vs. Baltimore-Olsen earned a goal-line TD pass, but not much else in Philadelphia. Cam Newton will definitely look towards the future Hall of Famer’s way as long as Olsen remains healthy.
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