| | | | Thursday, October 28, 2021 | | You guys have a bunch of questions, and my job is to answer them. That is, ultimately, the whole point of this relationship, whether we're on a podcast, video, writing, or just on Twitter. We're here to answer your questions! And that's just what I did Thursday morning, as I took a bunch of questions from you, the Fantasy Football Today Newsletter subscribers, and answered them in my Week 8 "Ask FFT" mailbag column here. | | Here are some of the questions I answered: | | Should we be worried about Calvin Ridley? Is it time to sell high on DeAndre Hopkins? How should I start gearing my roster up for the playoffs? | | Make sure you check that out this morning and make sure you send any other questions you have right to me at Chris.Towers@ViacomCBS.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" to be included in Sunday morning's mailbag. | | One question I didn't get asked: "Does Mark Ingram getting traded to the Saints matter?" Had I been asked, I would have replied, "Yes, maybe a little bit, for the Texans, at least!" Ingram is likely to take on a 6-10 carry role without much upside for the Saints, but his absence does turn Houston's backfield from a three-way split o just a two-way. Phillip Lindsay should see more work as a result of this, perhaps 10-plus carries most weeks, but David Johnson is the real winner for Fantasy. He'll likely have a similar role to Lindsay on the running game but will also continue to be the passing down's back. I could see Johnson being a borderline RB2 most weeks now. | | As for the rest of today's newsletter, well, it's about answering even more of your questions, albeit indirectly. Dave Richard took on the task in his Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Busts column as he goes through every game on the schedule trying to help you figure out who should be in your lineup. We'll take a look at some of his calls in today's newsletter before getting to all of the injury news you need to know about and a preview of tonight's big game. | | And, in case you missed it, Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column came out yesterday with all of his favorite picks to start and players to avoid. If you've still got questions after all that, make sure to subscribe to the Fantasy Football Today YouTube channel and join Adam Aizer, Dan Schneier and myself at 2 p.m. ET today for our start/sit live stream, where we'll be answering as many of your questions as we can for Week 8. Because, again, that's what the whole thing is about. | | Get ready for Week 8 with our other preview content here: | | Week 8 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WRStarts, sits and sleepers for every gameWeek 8 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE My Week 8 Rankings: Flex Top 150 | QB | RB | WR | TE | | Keep an eye out for tomorrow's newsletter, where I'll preview every game this week, including full injury report updates from around the league. Here's what else today's newsletter will cover: | | 8️⃣Dave Richard's Week 8 Preview🚑Week 8 Injury Watch🆚TNF Preview: Packers at Cardinals | | | | 8️⃣Dave Richard's Week 8 Preview | | | | There are the obvious calls, and then there are the ones you need help with. Dave Richard goes through each game to identify the most interesting matchups and biggest lineup dilemmas for Week 8. Here are some of his top picks for this week. You can find the rest of his advice for Week 8 here. | | Starts | | Khalil Herbert -- "It's basically a law that if you run for 100 yards against the Buccaneers, you're officially good. Herbert had five ugly runs last week but when his O-line gave him some space he took advantage with very quick acceleration. He even flashed some physicality on some carries, picking up 4.11 yards after contact and totaling nine rushes of five-plus yards. Luckily for him, he'll face a 49ers run defense that's allowed a rushing score to a back in 5 of 6 games. Each of the last three running backs with at least 15 carries against the 49ers has posted 10 non-PPR points or more. " Michael Pittman -- "Pittman has been too good to sit -- in his last five games without T.Y. Hilton, he's caught 30 of 43 targets for 444 yards and a pair of scores with at least 11 PPR points in each. If Hilton plays, Pittman's cozy floor would sag a little bit, but it's still a really good matchup. It's true that the Titans found a way to stymie the Chiefs last week but before that they allowed well over 200 yards to receivers in four of six games. One where they didn't: their first matchup with the Colts, when Carson Wentz was dealing with significant ankle issues and not throwing well at all. Wentz has clearly recovered -- he hasn't been below 20 Fantasy points in four games since -- and Pittman's been a beneficiary. Tennessee's outside cornerbacks have been scorched in coverage, putting some big targets out there for the Colts to attack off of play-action. Even if Hilton plays, Pittman warrants usage as at worst a No. 2 receiver in PPR and a good flex choice in non-PPR." | | Sits | | Michael Carter -- "Carter played 72% of the Jets' snaps in their first game after the bye, his most by a large margin. He also had career-highs in receiving stats: 8-67-0 on nine targets, all from backup quarterback Mike White, who will start against the Bengals. And don't forget that he scored in each of two games prior to the Jets' bye week. So what now? While the Bengals have been squeezed for at least one touchdown by a running back in four straight games (one receiving), their run defense has been otherwise good. I fear a fifth-straight encounter where Carter has a sub-optimal rushing average, and White was far from a passive quarterback last week -- even Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes had smaller average throw depths than White. There's no guarantee Carter will be as productive as a pass-catcher as he was last week, but he should be a little bit better than where he was before White came into his life. Still, it's probably for the best to take a conservative approach with Carter and keep him benched unless you're thin at running back. Chuba Hubbard, Myles Gaskin and Kenneth Gainwell are preferred plays."Myles Gaskin -- "Gaskin was the next man up for Miami last week and took some advantage of his offensive line pushing around the Falcons' suspect defensive line. The Bills' front is totally different and their defense as a whole is outstanding. Other than Derrick Henry, no running back has exceeded 50 rush yards or scored on the ground against them. That spells trouble for Gaskin, who should piece together a good amount of touches with Malcolm Brown sidelined. Look for Gaskin to keep busy in Miami's passing game -- he's had at least four targets in 6 of 7 games and four-plus receptions in his past three against Buffalo. That solidifies his appeal in full-PPR formats but doesn't do a whole lot in other types. He's more of a sit in non- and half-PPR." | | Sleepers | | Marquez Valdes-Scantling -- "First, make sure Valdes-Scantling is activated from IR before you put him in your lineup. If he's available for the Packers then he'll have the rare opportunity to be Aaron Rodgers ' No. 1 receiver. That means on top of being a deep-ball threat, he'll also get some targets in the short and intermediate ranges, raising the minimum expectation for Fantasy points to something like 9 or 10 PPR points. With that being the case, Fantasy managers should feel OK taking the risk to start him knowing he has some crazy-high upside thanks to his speed. Further helping his case is his established work as a slot receiver on nearly one-third of his snaps this season along with zero drops and three end-zone targets from Rodgers. Working against him is a Cardinals defense that hasn't been perfect against opposing receivers but has allowed the third-fewest receptions of 20-plus yards (15) and the second-fewest yards after catch per reception (4.22). Any receiver you have doubts about should be benched for Valdes-Scantling. I plan on starting him as a flex option in several leagues." | | Bust Candidate | | Chuba Hubbard -- "On top of his offensive line sabotaging more than half of his carries last week, Hubbard shed a sliver of his rushing work to Royce Freeman . It was more pronounced in the second half when the Panthers were getting blown out, but even in the first half Hubbard had 61% of the snaps compared to Week 6 when he handled 78%. The O-line is a bigger worry anyway -- they're starting their sixth different combination in eight games. Even Atlanta's underwhelming D-line should be able to hang with them. Hubbard's failed to average 4.0 yards in each of his last two games, has just nine missed tackles and only one carry of 15-plus yards this season, part of why PFF has him ranked 43rd out of 50 qualifying running backs in elusiveness. At best he's a low-end No. 2/high-end No. 3 Fantasy running back with modest potential because he figures to exceed 15 touches. I'd prefer both Cardinals running backs, but I'd take Hubbard over Myles Gaskin. " | | | | 🚑Week 8 Injury Watch | | | | I'll have a full breakdown of the injury report in Friday's newsletter along with my preview of each game, but here's a quick look at the notable injuries we'll be watching this week, starting with some potentially big news on Antonio Brown: | | Brown is dealing with a sprained ankle and Bruce Arians talked about it Wednesday as if this might be more than just a short-term thing, telling reporters he wasn't sure if Brown would be healthy after the Bucs come back from their bye in Week 10 and that it could be more long term than that. Plan on not having Brown available for at least a few more weeks. | | | | Injuries to watch for Week 8 | | It's not clear what these injuries mean quite yet. | | Dak Prescott (calf) -- Limited practice. Prescott injured the calf in the team's last game before the bye, so it's something to watch, but isn't exactly expected to keep him out of action this week. Jonathan Taylor (ribs) -- Limited practice. Nyheim Hines was also limited with a rib injury. As far as we know, neither injury is considered serious right now, but obviously, we'll want to keep an eye on Taylor's status over the next few days just to make sure he's going to play. If he doesn't Marlon Mack would enter the RB2 discussion. Deebo Samuel (calf) -- Did not practice. This is a new injury for Samuel, and the fact that he wasn't able to practice Wednesday is a bit of a concern, to be certain. We'll see how he looks over the next couple of days of practice before we start to panic. Terry McLaurin (ankle) -- Did not practice. This is also a new injury for McLaurin, which means it's also concerning that he wasn't able to practice. McLaurin has been nursing a hamstring issue for weeks that he has been able to play through, so we'll see if he can do the same with this injury. Odell Beckham (shoulder) -- Limited practice. Beckham is going to try to gut it out and play through injuries in both shoulders, and it has been reported he is not planning on having surgery on either during the season. Whether he'll be able to play this week and be effective remains to be seen, but I wouldn't plan on using Beckham at this point. Julio Jones (hamstring) -- Did not practice. I'd be surprised if we see much of Jones during practice moving forward, especially on Wednesdays, but hopefully this is just standard operating procedure and not a sign he is at risk of sitting out. Jarvis Landry (knee) -- Did not practice. Apparently, this injury is not related to the MCL sprain that landed Landry on IR, but it's not a good sign that he wasn't able to practice coming off extra time off. If Landry plays, it's reasonable to think he'll play a pretty big role, but he's still tough to trust in Fantasy at this point. Hopefully, he can get healthy soon. Devonta Smith (headache) -- Did not practice. This is one to watch throughout the week, though hopefully, it's not too serious. T.J. Hockenson (knee/ankle) -- Limited practice. Hockenson has been limited in practice for weeks, but the ankle is a new injury, so we'll just take note here. DeVante Parker (hamstring) -- Limited practice. Parker was limited in practice last week before being inactive, but hopefully he can get back to action this week. It's a tough matchup even if Parker does return, but he might be worth using in Week 9 against the Texans if he can knock the rust off. | | Trending up for Week 8 | | This doesn't mean they will play, but we got good news about them Wednesday. | | Baker Mayfield (shoulder) -- Limited practice. Mayfield is dealing with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, so for the most part, his status is going to come down to pain tolerance, it seems. He wanted to play last week, but with the short week, he was held out. We'll see if they keep him out again. Nick Chubb (calf) -- Limited practice. Chubb is expected to play this week against the Steelers barring any setbacks, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's limited all week before being activated. It will be interesting to see what kind of role D'Ernest Johnson has with Chubb healthy, but Chubb should be the lead back and a borderline RB1 for the matchup. Mike Williams (knee) -- Full practice. Williams played through the injury in Week 6, so it's not really a surprise to see him get a full practice in coming off the bye, but it was still good to see. He's a WR1 even in a tough matchup against the Patriots. Chase Claypool (hamstring) -- Limited practice. Claypool has been playing through this injury over the past few weeks, and while it isn't great that it's still an issue coming off the bye, the Steelers are historically pretty cautious with injuries during the week, so don't worry too much here. Claypool is in the WR2 discussion. Rob Gronkowski (ribs) -- Limited practice. Gronkowski finally made his return to practice and he is expected to play in Week 8, his first game since suffering the injury back in Week 3. He's a TE1. Trey Lance (knee) -- Limited practice. Lance is getting closer to returning, and it felt telling that Kyle Shanahan gave a very tepid endorsement of Jimmy Garoppolo as the team's starter following the Week 7 loss to the Colts -- "I would guess so," were his exact words when asked if Garoppolo was still the starter. Lance's time is coming. | | Trending down for Week 8 | | This doesn't mean they won't play, but they aren't moving in the right direction yet. | | Zach Wilson (knee) -- Did not practice. Wilson is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained PCL. Mike White will start ahead of the newly acquired Joe Flacco. Taysom Hill (concussion) -- Did not practice. Hill hasn't practiced since suffering the injury in Week 5. Miles Sanders (ankle/foot) -- Did not practice. Sanders is considered week to week with the injury and we don't expect him to play. Curtis Samuel (groin) -- Did not practice. Given how Samuel has already suffered multiple setbacks, you have to think they're going to wait until he is 100% past this injury before they test him out. Terrace Marshall (concussion) -- Did not practice. Marshall has a chance to usurp the struggled Robby Anderson if and when he gets healthy. Dawson Knox (hand) -- Did not practice. Knox is probably out at least another week after this one after undergoing surgery. Chris Evans (hamstring) -- Did not practice. That's not a great sign after Evans was limited last week. | 🆚TNF Preview: Packers at Cardinals
| | | | All lines from Caesars Sportsbook | | Line: Cardinals -6.5; 50.5 O/UImplied totals: Cardinals 28.5-Packers 22 | | What to expect: In theory, a pretty easy win for the Cardinals. They've been the better team this season, they're at home, and oh yeah, the Packers are missing their top two wide receivers. However, the Packers have won their last six games with Davante Adams inactive, and Aaron Rodgers has actually averaged more Fantasy points since the start of the 2018 season with Adams inactive than with him active. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but they've averaged 32.8 points per game in that sample as well. So, while I think the Cardinals should win, and fairly easily, I can certainly see a scenario where the Packers keep it close, and if they do, it's going to mean big things for Aaron Jones . Jones has averaged 22.7 PPR points per game with Adams inactive, with 60.6 rushing yards, 48.1 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns in seven games. | | Key injuries: Davante Adams/Allen Lazard (reserve/COVID-19) -- Lazard has already been ruled out, while Adams did not travel with the team to Arizona, a sign that he is almost certainly out ... Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) -- Valdes-Scantling is expected to be activated from injured reserve in time for this game, and figures to play a pretty big role. He and Randall Cobb are likely to be the top wide receivers for the Packers, and they are decent players as FLEX options if you are desperate ... DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) -- Hopkins didn't practice at all this week, but he is expected to play. Unless we get some bad news before game time, you're starting Hopkins. | | What to watch for: On the Packers side, it's simply a question of how they manage with Adams and Lazard out. Can Rodgers keep this offense going in their absence? Will Jones and AJ Dillon be asked to do more -- Dillon is a sneaky RB play if you need one. And, can Robert Tonyan get involved more? He's off to a miserable start coming off his breakout 2020, with just 155 yards in seven games, but he did have 63 yards and a touchdown in Week 7, and he is a viable streamer at tight end. On the Cardinals side, we know they're going to spread the ball around a ton between four wide receivers, two running backs, and a tight end. One thing worth keeping an eye on is Hopkins' usage, if he's healthy; he has a target share of over 30% in two of his last three games. It'll also be interesting to see how Chase Edmonds is used, after he had five more carries (15) in Week 7 than his previous two games combined. Plus, do they target Zach Ertz much? He had five in his first game, and that kind of usage creates kind of a worst-case scenario for this offense; it's not enough to make Ertz much more than a touchdown-or-bust TE, but it's enough to make it hard for A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and Rondale Moore to consistently produce. | | | | | | | | Serie A on Paramount+ | | CFB on CBSSN | Don’t miss Match Day 11 as Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio visit Atalanta in Bergamo on Saturday, and Jose Mourinho’s Roma host Zlatan Ibrahimović and AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday!
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