NFL Week 8: Daily Fantasy Preview

The biggest issue going into Week 8 of the NFL season is the weather. Games that were expected to have high scores may take a down turn with gusty winds and heavy rain expected.  Fantasy players can still rely on elite plays in these situations but it may make more sense to pivot to players in dryer conditions. Overall, the schedule has some nice fantasy match ups but contrarian plays look to be the way to go this week. A majority of the field is expected to be in on the same players so if a lower cost option is available that will produce the same output it makes sense to swing that way.

Quarterback

Russell Wilson

The Seattle offense depends fully on Russ. They do not have a ground game at all at this point in the season. Pairing him with one of his wide receivers (Baldwin or Richardson) is going to be a popular play. The Texans will give up points and this game could turn into a shootout. Russ can get you points through the air or on the ground. There is going to be a highlight reel between him and Deshaun Watson in this game.

Carson Wentz

Wentz will be extremely popular this week after is performance on Monday night but with heavy rains expected in Philadelphia his impact will be made on short routes rather than how he did earlier this week. Expect Wentz and Ertz to hook up early and often and Carson to get 30+ yards rushing in the nasty environment.

Deep Sleeper: Philip Rivers

Rivers is going up against the Pats defense that looked horrendous earlier this season against the pass. Did that change? It is hard to tell at this point but it is very clear that in order for the Chargers to stay in this game they need to score and their most likely way of scoring is to leverage Rivers (just as they have for a decade).

Running Back

Le’Veon Bell

He is the best running back in the game but he needed time to get physically ready after missing the preseason. It looks like he is back to the player that we come to expect. He is one of the most expensive plays in fantasy but whenever possible try to fit him in lineups. He will be the key to the Steelers offense and he is the closest thing to guaranteed points in fantasy football.

Carlos Hyde

The weather is going to play into run first play calling for both the 49ers and the Eagles. This directly will impact Hyde, who is built for this type of game. The Eagles have had success against the run this year but have injuries to their line-backing core. If Hyde can get passed the strong Philly defensive line he should have a big game.

Deep Sleeper: Joe Mixon

Mixon is facing the last ranked defense against the run. If he is ever going to have a welcome to the NFL game it is this week. He is s a low cost option so again he may be highly used but the payback could be huge.

Wide Receiver

Mike Evans

Evans is the man for Tampa Bay. They are forecasting heavy wind gust for the game but that shouldn’t keep him from accumulating a large amount of fantasy points. The best thing about Evans is that he isn’t deep ball reliant like his counterpart, D-Jax. If winds get extremely heavy Tampa may use him on slant patterns more which will cause him to catch a larger number of passes resulting in him scoring more fantasy points.

TY Hilton

The Colts will be playing from behind most of the game, which means that they will be passing the ball a lot. When they go to the air they are looking at one man and that is TY Hilton. Hilton is usually good for at least one deep ball a game. If he takes it to the house a fantasy team with him on it is set up nicely.

Deep Sleeper: Jordan Matthews

The Bills face an Oakland secondary that has been riddled with injury and wasn’t that good to start with. Matthews seems to finally be getting into a groove with the Bills and a big game is going to come sooner or later. This week lines up to be a nice opportunity for that to happen. He was consistent in Phily for years and it is easy to see him being Tyrod’s top option once they gain chemistry.

Tight End

Gronk

The key to the game in fantasy sports is scoring touchdowns and nobody does that better than Gronk. He is Brady’s number one target in the redzone and with this game expected to be a shootout a two touchdown game is not inconceivable for the big man.

George Kittle

Again, with the weather being what it is Kittle looks to be a great option against Philly. The Eagles lost their top cover linebacker to injury and after he went down on Monday night Jordan Reed was able to light them up. The 49ers are going to exploit this weakness in the Philly D.

Deep Sleeper:  Hunter Henry

With Rivers expected to have a big game it is conceivable for him to look to his athletic tight end often. The jury is still out on Henry, who was expected to have a breakout season this year. A multi-touchdown game will happen. Is this the week?

Defense

Cincinnati Bengals

Cinci has been underrated all season and they face a Colts offense that cannot run the football. The Bengals may give up points this week but they will also get turnovers. They may even score on a turnover. Jacoby Brissett is not a good quarterback and the more film that teams get on him the more he will be exposed to who he is.

Atlanta Falcons

Most fantasy players will be on Cincinnati or the Eagles defense. The Falcons are also playing bad weather against a team that does not have an offensive star. The Jets have impressed so far this season but they haven’t dominated. They seem to get by each game because they do not turn the ball over. Games like this will show if the Jets are a real contender in the AFC or n