Starts of the Week + Week 8 Breakdown, Middle School Memories

this last week. It only turned into one for 10. The Jags have given up the fifth most passing plays of 20 or more yards. Jameson Crowder, nearly a 30% target share with Sam Darnold. Do you have interest in these guys? Yeah, yeah. This is a game where I'm not, you know, this is a 41 point over under. There are two decent defenses here and two middling offenses. So you could see it going either direction.

I would take the over in this matchup. I think a couple big plays by DJ Chark and Robbie Anderson get the ball moving, get the score going. And I think this turns into not a giant shootout, but I like the pieces. I would play Robbie Anderson. I would play DJ Chark. Obviously, you're playing the two running backs here. So, you know, I'm not scared by either one of these matchups. If you can grab Robbie Anderson off the waiver wire or if you can buy him very low, reminder, now is the time to do it.

because Robbie Anderson, I believe, is about to go off for the second half of the season. And I've also, I said this last week. I posted it on social media a lot as well. But like my, my number one stash, you know, that you can get because like Buffalo has been a great defensive stash, but they've been rostered. The Jets DST. I think you can play them in this matchup.

Yeah, they're okay. They're okay. And middle is fine. It's not one where you'd need to bench. But from here on out, that schedule, they're playing these teams where I think the Jets defense is going to look really, really good and powerful in about six weeks based on the opponents that they will trounce. Giants two and five, lions two, three, one.

49.5 point over under. The lines are favored by a touchdown. Matthew Stafford averaging 292 passing yards per game. The New York Giants are giving up the fifth most passing yards per game. Matthew Stafford is a sensational play this week. I'm sure he's not on the wire anymore. That's why we talked about him as a stream of the week on Tuesday so you could grab him and play him. Daniel Jones, since the week three explosion, averaging under 200 passing yards a game.

one touchdown and nearly two interceptions per game. No thank you. Saquan Barkley, he's in. I'm trying to make this. This matchup is easy so far. Yeah. I mean, so far, uh, bench Daniel Jones play Saquan. Yep. All right. More interesting. Ty Johnson newly crowned starting running back for the Detroit Lions. He will split time with Jady McKissick.

It remains to be seen will he split time with Paul Perkins or any of the other running backs on the team. I am projecting mostly Ty Johnson and Jady McKissick. It should be noted. When Carry on left, Ty Johnson got about half of the running back carries. More importantly, he was getting that goal line work, that really important high leverage type of touch situation.

Ty Johnson, Jason, where you got him ranked? Yeah, Ty Johnson is, I think, a running back two this week, a guy that you probably should be starting. I would say that in most of your leagues, when you picked up Ty Johnson and spent for him on waiver. You paid to play him. Yes, you paid to play him. You should play him. The Giants, it's funny because they've given up the fifth most passing yards. They've also given up the fifth most rushing yards. They're...

They're very kind. It's not going well. And, you know, as far as fantasy points given up to the position, both wide receivers and running backs is phenomenal. But the last three weeks, you've got three top 10 running back performances against the Giants as far as team totals go. Arizona obviously crushed with Chase Edmonds. This is, you bring up the goal line work. That is Ty Johnson's job.

So, you know, if they get around the goal line. And they should. In this matchup, they should. I mean, you've got a lot of touchdowns being scored on the ground in the goal, you know, goal to go situation for the Giants. I like Ty Johnson a lot. I think that if you picked him up, you should start him. I'm not afraid of, well, let's wait and see because the reality is he's taking over the carry-on role. But now there's no Ty Johnson behind him. Right. So he'll probably get even more work than Carry-on was getting.

just out of necessity. Jady McKissick, the other running back for the Detroit Lions, I think he is worth a desperation play in a PPR. Yes, in a PPR situation. Sterling Shepard, we talked about it for the Giants. He's expected to be out. Golden Tate, the last three games, six targets, nine targets, 11 targets, and came through the last two weeks, 102 yards and 80 yards.

Golden Tate against this defense, this Detroit Lions defense, ranked 19th against fantasy wide receivers. Jason, what's your confidence level in Golden Tate? My confidence level is in a PPR league, you can start him for a middling performance. I mean, he had that monster week a couple weeks ago for sure, but I don't expect him to have long bomb touchdowns. That's just never been...

Golden Tate's M.O. Well, he does a new bomb touchdowns. He does yak touchdowns, though. Right. But I'm saying two weeks ago, he was getting... Yack! Yack! Yack! Fantastic reference, Mike. Thank you. But two weeks ago, that's what you saw. You saw the deep sideline catch that was... I think that's going to go more towards Darius Slayton. Golden Tate will be a yak guy. But, you know, the defense against wide receivers for the Lions...

They've been okay. So I am, I'm just, okay, you can start them. But I'm, I don't see Golden Tate as a, as a must start guy. Last week's hero of the day, coming in with 13 targets, 10 receptions for 93 yards and 4. The Quatro in the touchdown department, Marvin Jones and Kenny Goliday. Let's start with Marvin Jones. Will he follow up last week's performance?

Jason with anything of note. Yeah, he definitely could. I mean, you know, the last few weeks, he has been disappointing in the results until last week, but not disappointing in the air yards and the targets. You know, he's had five targets of two games before, nine targets before that. He's involved. It's just a matter of whether it hits. This is a defense that it can hit on. All that being said, you know, you're not going to flip the script here. Kenny Galladay is there one.

He wasn't needed last week, and so you had this really disappointing week. You have to start Kenny Goliday. We're going to talk about him more. Oh, my. A smash play. Last week, two targets. Two targets. Yeah. I mean, listen to his targets up. And that's because you can't be targeted after Marvin Jones catches the deep touchdown.

I'm going to check the math, but I think... Yeah, check the computer. Yeah. Oh, you want me to check the computer? Yeah, it knows everything. All right. It checks out. But here's the targets on the season. 9, 10, 8, 9, 9, 2. I'm going to go ahead and say the 2 was the outlier. This is a phenomenal matchup. I mean, this is, you know, I think it's a great matchup for both guys, but the targets should go back to Kenny G.

All right, Evan Ingram, he's back in. T.J. Hawkinson, do we see an uptick in work for Hawkinson with the departure of Carryon Johnson? I know we're excited for Ty Johnson, but is there a world where you're more interested in the Hawksdraft, T.J. Hawkinson, is out. Yeah, I mean, he's running enough. Oh, man. He's running enough. It's him and Noah Phant both are.

They've got so many things going for them. They're running the routes. They're getting the targets. The matchups are okay. This isn't the best matchup if you're looking at what the Giants have given up this season. They have not been scored on by the tight end a lot. But if you dig a little deeper and look at their actual matchups, Arizona, okay, they don't really utilize their tight end much. New England. Two weeks ago, they didn't even.

Have a tight-in. Minnesota with Kyle, you know, the skeleton of Kyle Rudolph, Washington, you know, Tampa Bay, they don't even have a talented tight-in, right? Oh, apparently not because they don't target them. Which is unbelievable. But, yeah, so I think you can start Hawkinson. He's one of those guys where there's probably five or six players when you don't have one of those top eight guys that you could take a shot on. You could take a shot on him, but there's a guy, my start of the week.

who's available out there for you that I would rather play. Okay. Buccaneers, two and four, taking on the Titans who are three and four, 45 and a half point over under. New signal caller, Ryan Tannahill for the Tennessee Titans, came in and had himself a day boosting the fantasy value of Corey Davis and A.J. Brown, at least the perceived value of the wide receiver duo. James Winston on the other side.

Coming back off of the bye week. It's not been the best NFL performance recently for James Winston. He's been fine for fantasy purposes, but 10 interceptions. That's one behind Baker for the league lead. Jason, you've got to play one. James Winston or Ryan Tannahill, same matchup. Which side are you going on? Oh, man, that's so tough because you've obviously got a high producing fantasy option in James.

versus a difficult defense or a low, historically speaking, a low producing. Tana Hills had his time in the sun. It's been a long time. It's been multiple years since we have seen him. I, this is off the top of my head, but he was a top 12 quarterback at one point for fantasy purposes, mostly because he rained. Yeah, I don't know if he's running anymore. I think if I had to choose one of those guys in this matchup, even though they're coming off the by, I would choose Tana Hill. I'm a little bit.

worried about Derek Henry this week. Okay. The Tampa Bay defense against running back is really unbelievable. I mean, you're talking about a defense that has given up nothing. And they have not faced bumps. Right. I mean, they've faced Christian McCaffrey twice. So, you know, they're not going to be able to stop everyone always.

Listen to this. So this is, I was looking for this. Mike Clay tweeted this out. The Buccaneers have allowed a league low 315 rushing yards to running backs. Listen to who they face. McCaffrey, 38 carries because they face them twice, only 68 yards. Barkley, ever heard of them? Yes. Eight carries for 10 yards. Gurley, five carries for 16 yards. Camara, 16 carries for 62 yards.

Breedah, 15 for 37, and Coleman, 6 for 23. They've faced a gaunt of great running backs, and they're not giving up rushing yards. So, and rushing yardage is really, you know, that's the, that's the crux of Derek Henry. He's going to get going, get 26 carries and cross that, you know, 80, 90 yard mark. And so I worry in this matchup, but that does say that Tampa has been so beatable.

through the air. And by so beautiful, I mean, is easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. So I think to answer your question in a very long-winded fashion, I don't even remember the question anymore. Tana Hill versus Winston. I'm going to go Tana Hill. All right. I like it. I think I lean Tanna Hill as well. The running backs for the Buccaneers, Peyton Barber, Ronald Jones, Darya, Agublewale. We have a three-headed monster of sadness. I'm not starting any of them. I side with you, Jason. Derek Henry.

you're playing him, unfortunately, but I am tempering my expectations. Maybe I'm adjusting my lineup accordingly. Derek Henry has plenty of times fallen headlong in for a touchdown. You know what I mean? Like, yes. Derek Henry does not have to have the yards. He can, he could just get a goal line opportunity. He is the clear cut center of the offense. You're always going to take that opportunity, even in a bad matchup. So you have to start him, but you can be worried. Chris Godwin.

Yeah, you're going to play him. Mike Evans. Yeah, you're going to play him. It's been a roller coaster, but you're still going to play him. Corey Davis and AJ Brown, I am interested in both of these guys. If I have to pick one, I'm in a PPR situation. I lean going with Corey Davis. But AJ Brown is fascinating to me. We've already seen him have big games on the back of...

humongous plays. A.J. Brown is a very skilled wide receiver, a very tough to tackle wide receiver, and now he's actually going to get snaps and targets from Ryan Tanyhill like he did last week. One game, impossibly small sample size here, but we have to try and project from that moving forward. Are you as intrigued by the Tennessee duo, especially in this matchup? I'm not placing season-long love on these two guys yet.