Can New Orleans do something no other team has done this season?
The Saints will try to hold Adam Thielen to less than 100 yards receiving for the first time this season. If they don’t, Thielen will own a new NFL record. Not many people saw this coming, especially since Thielen isn’t your prototypical dominating wide receiver. Thielen isn’t going to take the top off of defenses, but he runs crisp routes and is in an offense that needs to throw the ball at the moment to move the ball.
New Orleans gives up the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, so there’s a good shot Thielen will be the top-ranked wide receiver once again in fantasy football. He’s a guaranteed start. For the rest of the questionable calls, here’s the week 8 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em guide for wide receivers.
Start
Michael Crabtree vs. Carolina Panthers
Crabtree keeps picking up the targets. That should lead to more production.
John Brown is out-catching Crabtree and out-gaining him, too. However, Crabtree is out-targeting Brown, so I like Crabtree’s value better, especially against Carolina. The Panthers allow 7.3 yards per pass attempt, ranking 25th in the NFL.
Crabtree has nine or more targets in five of the last six games. And the only time in that duration he didn’t net nine targets, he managed to attract eight targets.
The Ravens will once again teeter more toward the pass in week 8, so I expect Crabtree to increase his production.
Tyler Boyd vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Don’t sell the Bengals stock just yet.
Tampa Bay is atrocious against the pass. And now with defensive leader Kwon Alexander out for the remainder of the season, the Buccaneers are in major trouble.
Tampa Bay allows the second-most yards per pass attempt in the NFL at 8.5. It’s not much better in the fantasy football world, with the Buccaneers giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers in the last four weeks.
Boyd didn’t have much success in week 7 against Kansas City, but that shouldn’t hinder his WR2 ability in week 8. Before being targeted just four times in week 7, he had been targeted a combined 31 times. In the last five games, he’s had either two touchdowns or more than 100 yards receiving in three of the last five games.
He’s worth another start in week 8.
Jordy Nelson vs. Indianapolis Colts
Whoever is quarterbacking the Raiders, they’re going to have to throw to somebody with Amari Cooper not in Oakland anymore.
So that should induce more looks toward Nelson in week 8.
He has just seven combined targets in the last two weeks. And even though he hasn’t been targeted much, he has been productive, with one touchdown apiece from weeks three to five.
He’s now the No. 1 receiver for a pass-happy offense against a team that is giving up the 11th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers in the last four weeks.
Sit
Devin Funchess vs. Baltimore Ravens
Funchess had a nice resurgence in the second half against Philadelphia in week 7. He generated 11 targets for the game, with a nice touchdown in the second half to propel Carolina to a victory.
However, despite his ability to be the No. 1 option for the Panthers, this is not a good matchup. There are other wide receivers who should be valued higher than Funchess.
The Panthers are not a high-volume passing team, and with Greg Olsen back in the lineup, that cuts into Funchess’ ability to score touchdowns. The Ravens are the best pass defense in the NFL for a reason, and with the limited weapons, the Panthers will likely stick to the ground game in week 8.
Robby Anderson vs. Chicago Bears
Don’t pay too much attention to those 10 targets in week 7 that Anderson attracted.
He only caught three of them, and without Quincy Enunwa in the lineup, he’ll draw more attention. That’s a major problem for Anderson, who depends on limited targets, but high production with the ability to burn defenders.
Even if Anderson had more going for him, this would still be a tough matchup. The Bears give up just 6.6 yards per pass attempt at home, so don’t expect much out of the Jets passing game.
Taylor Gabriel vs. New York Jets
Unlike Anderson, Gabriel just doesn’t get enough targets to sustain starting for fantasy rosters.
Gabriel has just 16 targets in the last three games. In that time, he’s been productive in some spots, but not enough to trust him in week 8. The Bears offense is tough to trust anyway, with Mitchell Trubisky’s inconsistencies.
The Jets have been bad in recent weeks against the pass. But that’s occurred against good quarterbacks.
Trubisky’s inconsistencies, along with Gabriel’s lack of targets, makes this the wrong matchup.
