Riding the Waive + Match-Ups to Exploit and Avoid in Week 8
We’ve all had a person in our lives whether its a boyfriend/girlfriend, a friend, or a family member who constantly played with our emotions. You know what I’m talking about. They mess up, then they cook you dinner, or buy you some sort of extravagant gift and you think to yourself “hey, maybe s/he does care about me.” Then all of a sudden, they pull the rug out from under you when you’re least expecting it, and you fall on your ass:
Jacksonville Jaguars’ wide receiver Allen Robinson stood me up on Sunday. Mr. Robinson (we are no longer on a first name basis) scored 0.90 Fantasy points (against the Raiders), and I lost by 0.24 points *cues up Mary J. Blige “Not Gon’ Cry”*. The worst part is, my opponent in Week 7 had two empty roster spots.
My tumultuous Fantasy relationship with Mr. Robinson has become so bad that no one in my league acknowledged my trade offer text message. We are stuck together with 8 weeks remaining on our lease, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to explore other wide receivers. Your girl has options.
Let’s look at some players to add for Week 8 as well as some match-ups to exploit and avoid.
Brandon LaFell
I added Bengals receiver Brandon LaFell at 9:50am PST to my starting roster, and in return he posted a stat line of 83 yards and a touchdown. Talk about clutch. LaFell now has three straight weeks with a touchdown. He’s quickly becoming a reliable target for Andy Dalton and Fantasy relevant. This week LaFell will head to London to play a Redskins defense that just gave up 187 combined yards to Detroit receivers Marvin Jones Jr. and Golden Tate. Start LaFell this week. He’s currently owned in 23% of Yahoo leagues and 13% of NFL leagues.
TY Montgomery
This is an interesting one. The Green Bay Packers do not have a healthy running back, and last week receiver Ty Montgomery took on the roll of a pass catching running back and killed it. Montgomery had a total of 126 yards. ESPN Fantasy has actually officially listed Montgomery as a running back although the Packers have not officially changed his position on their depth chart. Receiver, running back, or Uber driver I’m adding Montgomery for Week 8 and starting him against the Falcons who give up big plays to both receivers and running backs (not sure of their Uber receipts yet). Montgomery is currently owned in 80% of Yahoo leagues and 20% of NFL leagues.
Devontae Booker
If you’ve been paying attention, you noticed I’ve had Denver’s rookie running back Devontae Booker on my Waives to Watch all season. That’s because I drafted Booker in all four of my leagues. Why you ask? He is the future of the Broncos’ backfield, and I saw this switch coming at some point this season. Booker is former Denver RB Ronnie Hillman and current starting RB CJ Anderson combined. He’s a downhill runner, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He made it on to my list of must adds this week because Denver is now giving him goal-line opportunities, and CJ is injured and will miss a few weeks. You need Booker on your roster ASAP; he’s currently owned in 66% of Yahoo leagues and 31% of NFL leagues.
Match-Ups to Exploit
Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB), Brandon Marshall (WR), Matt Forte (RB) vs. Cleveland Browns
Looks like someone got their groove and their job back in Week 7. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will back up his post game comments and prove why he’s better than Geno Smith against the Browns defense (if we are still calling it a defense) that has yet to win a game on Sunday.
Stefon Diggs (WR), Adam Thielen (WR), Kyle Rudolph (TE) vs. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are giving up an average of 257 receiving yards per game. I’d say that’s a green light for Sam Bradford’s top 3 receiving options.
Brock Osweiler (QB), Will Fuller (WR), Deandre Hopkins (WR), Lamar Miller (RB) vs. Detroit Lions
These guys had a bad date in Week 7 with the Denver Broncos, but the Detroit Lions defense is where Fantasy points go to pickup a one-up mushroom. Last week I had Kirk Cousins and Jamison Crowder listed as starts against the Lions, and they scored 21 and 14 Fantasy points.
Match-Ups to Avoid
Devin Funchess (WR), Kelvin Benjamin (WR), Johnathan Stewart (RB) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Does a final score of 6–6 mean anything to you? That was the final score of the Cardinals vs. Seahawks game on Sunday Night Football. I doubt you have anyone better than Benjamin, and Stewart on your bench, but this is a match-up to try to avoid like New York weather in February.
Tyrell Williams (WR) and Dontrelle Inman (WR) vs. Denver Broncos
There’s six teams on a bye this week, and the Chargers’ receivers might as well be on a bye too because Denver’s secondary is where wide receivers disappear.
You’ve Been Warned
T.J. Yeldon (RB) and Chris Ivory (RB) vs. Tennessee Titans
I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with the Jacksonville backfield, but I do know that the Titans have only allowed three rushing touchdowns through seven weeks of football.
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