Week 8 Free Agent Focus
Matt Stafford, QB, Lions
Blind-bid recommendation: 5-10%
Stafford exploded for 364 yards and 4 scores in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. He’s now finished as a top 14 QB in 4 of 6 games this season.
Next up is a Giants defense that entered Week 7 ranked 26th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs. That's followed by another plus matchup in Oakland.
Stafford is still available in a little more than half of ESPN leagues.
Chase Edmonds, RB, Cardinals
Blind-bid recommendation: 80-90%
We’ll see about David Johnson’s ankle injury, but Edmonds clearly proved capable of handling feature-back duties on Sunday. He ripped the Giants for 126 yards and 3 scores on 27 carries, adding another 24 yards on 2 grabs.
Edmonds hit Sunday available in 79% of ESPN leagues.
Ty Johnson, RB, Lions
Blind-bid recommendation: 15-25%
Kerryon Johnson was seen with a brace on his right knee after departing in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's game vs. Minnesota. We’ll monitor his progress this week, but if he sits, look for Ty Johnson to handle most of the rushing against the Giants. After Kerryon departed on Sunday, Ty handled 8 carries and 4 targets vs. J.D. McKissic's 4 carries and 2 targets.
New York entered the week allowing the 10th most fantasy points to enemy RBs and just surrendered a monster game to Chase Edmonds (27-126-3).
Darrell Henderson, RB, Rams
Blind-bid recommendation: 15-20%
The Rams had no Malcolm Brown on Sunday but did get Todd Gurley back from his quad injury for 18 carries. Henderson still handled 11 rushes and 1 target (matching Gurley) in the lopsided win over Atlanta. The rookie did nothing special with his 12 touches, totaling just 39 yards.
We’ll see whether Henderson can remain involved when the whole group is healthy. But he’s at least worth rostering as a handcuff if you can afford the spot. Henderson hit Sunday available in about 75% of ESPN leagues.
Mark Walton, RB, Dolphins
Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%
Walton's role continues to grow. He was the clear leader in Miami’s backfield in Buffalo on Sunday, carrying 14 times for 66 yards and catching his lone target for a loss of 8. RBs Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage combined for 12 touches.
We’ll see if Drake is dealt before the trade deadline on October 29, but Walton looks set to play a significant role the rest of the way.
Corey Davis and A.J. Brown, WRs, Titans
Blind-bid recommendation: 20-30%
Both guys came to life in QB Ryan Tannehill’s 1st start of the season. Davis turned 7 targets into 6 catches for 80 yards and a score. Brown posted a 6-64 line on a team-high 8 targets. The rookie played 61% of the offensive snaps -- his 2nd highest mark of the season and his 3rd straight game at 58+%.
They’ll both be in the WR3 mix against a bad Bucs secondary in Week 8. Davis hit Week 7 available in 56% of ESPN leagues. Brown could be picked up in 89% of leagues.
Kenny Stills, WR, Texans
Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%
Stills posted a 4-105 line on 5 targets Sunday in his return from a hamstring injury. Stills benefited from WR Will Fuller exiting early with his own bum hamstring. But if Fuller misses more time, Stills should be the main beneficiary.
Week 8 brings a plus matchup against the Raiders.
Gerald Everett, TE, Rams
Blind-bid recommendation: 20-30%
Everett hit Week 7 still available in nearly 40% of ESPN leagues. That should change further after he drew a team-high 10 targets and caught 1 of Jared Goff’s 2 TD passes in the easy win over Atlanta.
Everett ranks 2nd among Rams with 26 targets (a 23% share) over the past 3 weeks. He looks like a weekly top-12 TE going forward.
Colts D/ST
Blind-bid recommendation: 3-10%
The past 2 games have found positive defensive performances for Indy’s defense against Patrick Mahomes (at his place) and then Deshaun Watson. The Colts went to Kansas City, held the Chiefs to 13 points and sacked Mahomes 4 times. After the bye, they sacked Watson 3 times and picked him twice. Next comes a far less formidable foe: Joe Flacco driving a weak Denver offense into town.
But the Colts are worth more than your typical 1-week streaming rental because of their friendly upcoming schedule. Indy looks potentially usable for Week 9 at Pittsburgh (with Mason Rudolph likely under center), Week 10 vs. Miami and Week 11 vs. Jacksonville. We’ll see how the Colts look before projecting Week 12 at Houston, Week 13 vs. Tennessee and Week 14 at Tampa Bay.
Deep-League Options:
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Titans
Blind-bid recommendation: 3-5%
Tannehill played well in Sunday's win over the Chargers, completing 23 of 29 passes for 312 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. He'll be a deep-league Week 8 spot-start option in a great matchup at home for the Bucs’ 32nd-ranked QB defense.
Matt Moore, QB, Chiefs
Blind-bid recommendation: 2-3%
Moore didn’t do anything special in relief of Patrick Mahomes on Thursday night, but he came away with 117 yards and a score on 10-of-19 passing. That’s the power of throwing to guys like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
Moore figures to be under center for Kansas City for at least the next few weeks. He has tough upcoming matchups against the Packers and Vikings but will at least be in play in 2-QB leagues.
J.D. McKissic, RB, Lions
Blind-bid recommendation: 8-12%
McKissic entered the weekend with 15 touches on the season. But with Kerryon Johnson departing in the 2nd quarter with a knee injury, the former Seahawk tallied 5 carries and 3 targets. He’ll be a bye week fill-in option in PPR leagues if Johnson sits. The Lions draw a juicy Week 8 matchup vs. the Giants.
Anthony Miller, WR, Bears
Blind-bid recommendation: 8-10%
Miller ranked 3rd on the team Sunday with 9 targets and posted a 5-64 line. That followed 4 catches on 7 targets for 52 yards in his previous outing.
Miller’s role seems to be growing, making him a potential spot-start option in deeper fantasy leagues.
Zach Pascal, WR, Colts
Blind-bid recommendation: 5-7%
We know that we can’t count on Pascal every week. But his team-best 6-106-2 receiving line marked the 2nd time in 3 games that he tallied 7 targets.
Indy’s matchups with Denver and at Pittsburgh over the next 2 weeks don’t look great, but Miami awaits in Week 10. We’ll see if Devin Funchess is ready to return by then.
Mike Gesicki, TE, Dolphins
Blind-bid recommendation: 4-5%
He followed up his 3-51 line on a career-high 7 targets last week by hauling in all 4 of his looks for 41 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo. It’s not week-winning production, but it could be useful if you’re struggling at TE like a lot of fantasy teams. Gesicki was the 42nd overall pick of last year’s draft.