NFL Fantasy Football:Week 8 Rundown

Have no clue who to pick up in the waiver wire in your fantasy league? Wonder no more, The Flag Post has got you covered. We will give you the tools you need to master your league, straight to the ship! Here’s a preview for this weeks waiver wire:

Must Pick Up

Quarterback
  1. Mitchel Trubisky-CHI-Own % 50.7
  2. Jameis Winston-TB-Own % 71.8
  3. Philip Rivers-LAC-Own % 86.1

The Spin:Mitchell Trubisky is becoming a top fantasy QB, the young QB for the Bears has now averaged 44 points per game in his last three games. Trubisky needs to picked up as his next game against the Jets should yield some good fantasy points. Jameis Winston has come on after his suspension and continued to be a force in fantasy, in his last two games he is averaging 32 points a game, with a favorable matchup against the Bengals coming up, you can expect good things. Philip Rivers is having himself another steady season, if you are able to stash Rivers for a week I would suggest picking him up as after the bye he will have favorable matchups against the Seahawks and Raiders, oh and he is averaging 25 points a game in his last three games.

Running Back
  1. Nick Chubb-CLE-Own % 76.3
  2. Chris Ivory-BUF-Own % 8.4
  3. Marlon Mack-IND-Own % 53.4
The Spin:With the trade of Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars, Nick Chubb has emerged as the lead back in Cleveland, you can expect him to give you two way numbers as a plus receiver out of the backfield. In his first game as the lead back, Chubb was able to rack up 14 points in fantasy. Chris Ivory, who is banged up a bit but not nearly as much as his teammate Lesean McCoy is looking likely to be the lead back for the Bills this week if McCoy is not able to pass concussion protocol in time for this weeks matchup. In McCoy’s absense, Ivory was able to rack up 13 fantasy points this past week. Marlon Mack, what can you say about this guy but WOW. He is proving that he is the man in Indy and has averaged 20 points a game the last two games.
Wide Receiver
  1. John Brown -BAL-Own % 71.6
  2. Donte Moncrief-JAX-% 12.5
  3. Desean Jackson-TB-Own % 82.1
The Spin: John Brown is slowly showing that he is the reliable reciever in Baltimore, John Brown has been lighting it up this season and in his last three games he has averaged 13 points a game. Donte Moncrief, despite the throwing struggles of Blake Bortles is having a solid season. In Moncrief’s last three games, he is averaging 16 points a game. Desean Jackson has been showing for years that his is a top fantasy receiver and with the emergence of first Fitzmagic and now Jameis Winston, he is reaping the benefits. In his last three games is averaging nearly 13 points a game.
Tight End
  1. Chris Herndon-NYJ-Own % 0.5
  2. O.J. Howard-TB-Own % 67.1
  3. David Njoku-CLE-Own % 83.7

The Spin:Sam Darnold, even though he had a rough game last week against the Vikings was able to find Chris Herndon in the endzone, in his last two games, these two have hooked up for a score, in his last two games, Herndon is averaging nearly 14 points a game. O.J. Howard has been solid this season for Fitzmagic/Winston in Tampa, in his last two games, Howard has averaged just over 13 points a game. I defy you to find a player who has benefited more with Baker Mayfield taking over starting duties in Cleveland than David Njoku, in his last four games, Njoku has averaged nearly 14 points a game.

Defense

  1. New England Patriots-Own % 47.4
  2. San Francisco 49ers-Own % 1.5
  3. Houston Texans-Own % 90.6

The Spin: We all know that the Patriots have a stellar offense but there is something you should know this week, they are playing the Buffalo Bills! I will just let that sit there and i think I have made my point. The 49ers although missing Jimmy G have been pretty consistent on the defensive end, this week they have a very favorable matchup against the Cardinals, who at the moment are struggling mightily to score points. The Houston Texans, fueled by JJ Watt are having a solid defensive season, with a favorable matchup this Thursday Night against the Dolphins, you can expect the defense to step up and make some plays.

Kicker

  1. Ka’Imi Fairbarn-HOU-Own % 34.1
  2. Jason Myers-NYJ-Own % 45.0
  3. Greg Zuerlein-LAR-Own % 85.5

The Spin:I would like to sound intelligent football wise right now and impart some wonderful stats upon you but these are the guys that have the best matchups going into this week and should yield double digit points. Fairbarn is playing the Dolphins, which should be a tight contest and expect some kicks to occur. Jason Myers is playing the Bears defense this week and you can expect some decent chances for kicks. Greg Zuerlein is back and you know he is good for at least 6-7 extra points a game, so its safe to say a field goal thrown into the mix will equate to a good fantasy day.

Must Drops

Quarterback
  1. Ryan Tannehill-MIA-Own % 8.6
  2. Blake Bortles-JAX-Own % 32.3
  3. Sam Darnold-NYJ-Own % 6.9

The Spin:Tannehill was marked inactive this past week against the Lions and his status for the matchup on Thursday is very much in the air, either way he is not a good pick going forward, if he is on your team, drop now. Blake Bortles has struggled mightily in his last two games, averaging 7 points a game and seemingly losing his accuracy, all while being benched in the process. You can expect him to start against the Eagles this week, however with the Jekyll and Hyde showing for Bortles, he is just too risky to start, drop now as their are plenty more options out there. Sam Darnold, who was on my must pick up list has fell to the must drop list, his horrid showing against the Vikings showed that he is in fact a rookie and until his proves that he is more reliable, he is a must drop.

Running Back

  1. Wendell Smallwood-PHI-Own% 43.4
  2. Royce Freeman-DEN-Own % 75.6
  3. Ronald Jones-TB-Own % 15.1

The Spin:  Wendell Smallwood was thought to be a candidate for the starting spot with the injury to Jay Ajayi but has been less than stellar. In his last two games, he is averaging just under 6 points a game. Royce Freeman has clearly played second fiddle to Phillip Lindsay, while Lindsay has averaged just over 12 points a game, Freeman has only averaged just under 6 points a game in their last two games. Ronald Jones, who was though at one time to be the man in Tampa, has shown that he just cannot be counted to carry the rock, in his last two games he has averaged just under 7 points a game. 

Wide Receiver

  1. Kenny Stills-MIA-Own % 58.2
  2. Robby Anderson-NYJ-Own % 46.7
  3. Keelan Cole-JAX-Own % 41.4

The Spin: Kenny Stills, who had a good season last years campaign has failed to replicate that success this year and just over 5 points a game in his last three games. Robby Anderson just can’t get on the same page with rookie Sam Darnold, plenty of chances last week against the Vikings and he failed to rack up more than 7 points in his last two games. Keelan Cole, despite his hot start to the season has cooled considerably, a lot of that can be attributed to the inconsistent play of Blake Bortles but Cole is averaging just 7 points a game in his last three games. 

Tight End
  1. Cameron Brate-TB-Own % 26.2
  2. Charles Clay-BUF-Own % 18.7
  3. Antonio Gates-LAC-Own % 20.3

The Spin:  Cameron Brate has fallen behind the pecking order to O.J. Howard, Brate is averaging just over 7 points a game in his last three games. Charles Clay, who is throwing you the ball? That has the been the problem for the talented TE this season, inconsistent QB play for the Bills has led to Clay averaging just over 3 points a game in his last three games. Antonio Gates, once a fantasy behemoth has been very quiet in recent years and with him averaging just 2 points a game in his last two, coupled with the Chargers going on the bye, means bye bye to Gates. 

Defense

  1. Dallas Cowboys-Own % 22.4
  2. Philadelphia Eagles-Own % 89.5
  3. Tennessee Titans-Own % 40.3

The Spin: The Cowboys have gone from defensive stalwart a struggling team on the defensive side, with the bye coming up and the fact that they have averaged just over 4 points a game in their last three means you should drop them quick. The Eagles are another team who were feared last year on the defensive side of the ball but not this year, with a matchup against a very good Jaguars defense and only averaging just over 3 points a game in their last three, means they should be dropped as well. The Tennessee Titans started hot defensively but have cooled considerably, in their last three games, they have averaged just over 3 points a game. 

Kicker

  1. Jake Elliott-PHI-Own % 64.6
  2. Cody Parkey-CHI-Own % 18.0
  3. Wil Lutz-NO-Own % 82.4

The Spin:I am not going to sugar coat it for you, there is no rhyme or reason to picking up kickers in fantasy, you go for the projections and these three have been in the bottom half all year and will not project to give you that edge, in fact if you see these names pop up on your opponents team this week, you can rest assured that you at least locked up one position against them, that is of course unless you also picked a player from this list, Don’t pick a player from this list, dont do it!

Check back next week for an in depth look at the must pick/ drop list and good luck this week!
*Please note that all Own % totals are based on ESPN fantasy stats

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