| | | | Tuesday, October 27, 2020 | | Welcome to Week 8! We made it to the halfway point of the Fantasy Football regular season, and while I want to take some time this week to reflect on the season so far, I'm not sure we're going to have much time for that. Because, once again, we're dealing with what in the past might have seemed like an unusual number of high-profile injuries. | | So, before we get to the meat of today's FFT Newsletter — Jamey Eisenberg's top waiver-wire targets for Week 8, your biggest questions, and a recap of Monday Night Football — here's the injury news from Monday you need to know about: | | Chris Godwin (finger) is out for Week 8 — Godwin suffered the injury Sunday, but will probably only miss one game. Scotty Miller becomes a viable fill-in option, and you can have higher hopes for Mike Evans — Evans has 19 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns in the three games Godwin has missed this season. Odell Beckham (knee) is out for the season — Beckham suffered a torn ACL in his left knee Sunday, and hopes to be ready for the start of training camp next season. Rashard Higgins figures to see a bigger role in Beckham's absence, but he's not a must-add player. Kenyan Drake (ankle) is expected to miss a few weeks — Chase Edmonds, on the other hand, definitely is a must-add player in the few leagues where he's still available. The biggest question here is whether Edmonds does enough with his opportunity to earn a bigger role even when Drake is healthy. Given how he has played this season, it's not out of the question. Chris Carson (foot) is "week to week" — It looks like Carson is unlikely to play in Week 8, but that's not a guarantee yet. With Carlos Hyde dealing with some hamstring soreness late in Sunday's game and Travis Homer leaving with a knee injury, this could be DeeJay Dallas' backfield in Week 8. We'll need to keep a close eye on practice reports all week to see who is available. Christian McCaffrey (ankle) is a long shot for Week 8 — There was a stir on Twitter when reports came out that McCaffrey was back at practice Monday, but he was donning a red non-contact jersey, so it was a bit of a false alarm. McCaffrey is making progress, but the short week with Thursday's game against the Falcons makes it unlikely he'll be able to make his return. That means one more start for Mike Davis against a great matchup. Jeff Wilson (ankle) placed on IR —Wilson went down with a high-ankle sprain in Week 7, the same injury that landed Raheem Mostert on IR the previous week. JaMycal Hasty figures to see an increased role, though that could depend on whether Tevin Coleman is ready to come off the IR from his knee injury. The wild card might be Jerick McKinnon, who played a huge role the first time Mostert was out, has been a non-factor the last two games. Kyle Shanahan told reporters they were already planning on resting McKinnon in Week 7, but what does that mean for his availability this week? Impossible to say right now. Deebo Samuel (hamstring) will miss Week 8 against Seattle, at least — The 49ers training room just keeps getting more crowded. Samuel will miss at least one game, and possibly more, with his injury. Brandon Aiyuk has shown star potential and can replace a lot of what Samuel does for this offense. He'll be one of the top waiver-wire priorities for Week 8 — more on that below. | | Rinse, wash, repeat, every week. At least the byes in Week 8 aren't too tough to navigate — the Cardinals and Texans are tough, but Jaguars and Washington don't have too many guys you'll miss — but chances are, you've got a hole in your lineup that needs filling this week. Your first chance to remedy that is with Tuesday night's waiver run, so make sure you check out Jamey's top waiver priorities to see who you need to try to add. Plus, I've got the answers to some of your biggest questions heading into Week 8 later on, plus a recap of a game between the Rams and Bears that you were probably better off not watching. And, if you're looking to make a trade, Dave Richard's Trade Values Chart can help you find the right deal. | | And, as always, if you want your questions answered, send them directly to me at [email protected] with the subject line "#AskFFT" for inclusion in our next mailbag. Here's what you need to know to kick off Week 7. | | | | Week 8 Waiver Wire Priority List | | | | Before waivers run tonight, check out Jamey Eisenberg's Waiver Wire priorities column, with the best targets for every position. Here are Jamey's top-five targets for Week 8: | | JaMycal Hasty — If you get the chance to be the lead rusher in San Francisco's offense, you're going to be a priority target on waivers. Hasty has 18 carries for 94 yards over the past two weeks, and that's not a bad expectation for what he might do as the lead. Watch Tevin Coleman's status, while Jerick McKinnon's strange disappearance from the offense the last two week looms large over everything. Gus Edwards — Coming off the bye week, the Ravens are going to let Mark Ingram (ankle) practice before determining his Week 8 role. Edwards isn't guaranteed an opportunity to start, but if he gets one he would be a must-start Fantasy option even against Pittsburgh. Brandon Aiyuk — I may be too excited about Aiyuk, but I absolutely love what we've seen from him so far. Early on, he showed his playmaking skills in the short game, scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns in the Deebo Samuel role. Since Samuel's return, Aiyuk has been used more like a more traditional wide receiver, and he has 171 yards over the past three games, including a touchdown. Now, with Samuel out, Aiyuk figures to work in both roles, and I could see him being a No. 2 Fantasy WR rest of season. Sterling Shepard — Shepard should also see a healthy role moving forward as the Giants most well-rounded receiver. He may just lead the team in targets, and should see plenty of work in the intermediate range. He doesn't have Aiyuk's upside, but Shepard should be worth starting all the same. Richard Rodgers — With Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert both on IR, Rodgers stepped up with six catches for 85 yards on eight targets in Week 7, and now he gets to face the Cowboys defense in Week 8. The bye looms in Week 9, and Goedert could be back by Week 10, but if you need a tight end, Rodgers is the guy for Week 8. | | Head here to see who else Jamey is targeting for Week 8, and check out Tuesday's episode of theFantasy Football Today podcast for more on the top targets. | | | Week 8's Biggest Questions
| | | | I went to Twitter to find your biggest questions for Week 8, and there was no shortage of options. Here are my answers to just some of these questions: | | Austin: Who do I pick up off waivers to make up for my Kyler Murray/DeAndre Hopkins stack being on a bye? | | Aiyuk is the top wide receiver option on the board, and I'd be willing to drop a quarter of my remaining FAB budget on him. If you can pair him with Teddy Bridgewater, who gets to face the Falcons in Week 8, you should be set. They won't exactly replace Murray and Hopkins, but it's as good as you can hope for. If Bridgewater isn't available, Jimmy Garoppolo against the Seahawks is worth considering. | | Chad: Look into your crystal ball and let us know who will be the RB for Seattle and San Francisco. Need a replacement for Drake. | | Neither is particularly easy to answer, but I'll say Carlos Hyde for the Seahawks. We haven't heard many details about his hamstring injury, but it didn't seem like a big deal Sunday night, so hopefully he's out there. And for the 49ers, I assume Hasty will get the majority of the rush attempts, given how much San Fran has gone away from McKinnon since his two starts. It sure seems like they overestimated how much he could handle after missing two seasons with knee trouble. | | Jippy: Are you selling Ezekiel Elliott? | | It comes down to whether you think this is likely to be the low point in his perceived value, and I kind of think it is. Elliott hasn't been great this season, and the Cowboys offense is a mess around him, but he had been producing consistently before Week 7. Volume alone will lead to better days than that one, and any offer you're going to get for Elliott coming off his two worst games is going to be a lowball one. Just hang on to him. | | Juan: Should I continue to trust Josh Allen after three bad games and not converting in red zone against the Jets? | | Depends on how you define the word "trust." Do I think Allen is an elite Fantasy QB? No, but I was always skeptical that he had taken some permanent leap into the upper echelon. However, I do think he's squarely in the second tier at the position, with a high weekly floor and huge upside thanks to his rushing abilities. I wouldn't be looking to make a move to replace him, and I wouldn't make targeting a backup on waivers a huge priority, especially since his bye isn't until Week 11. | | Jason: What immediate value does Antonio Brown have when he returns from suspension? I've picked him in both of my leagues. | | Opinions vary widely, but I'm definitely on the low end. Brown's 2018 season was his worst since 2012 by nearly every measure possible, and since then, three different teams have decided he just wasn't worth the trouble. He is 32 now, and is joining an offense that has already seen disappointing results from Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. There's too many mouths to feed, and I'm not sure Brown is better than either Evans or Godwin at this point. If someone in your league thinks Brown can be a potential league-winner, I'd be looking to trade right now. | | Andrew: What rookie WR do you see having the best chance at being drafted in the top three rounds next year? | | I would be disappointed at this point if Justin Jefferson isn't, honestly. He was super productive in college and has a great athletic profile, and he's been arguably the most productive wide receiver in the league on a per-target basis as a rookie. Jefferson has tied Randy Moss for the second-most receiver yards ever through six games, and he's done it on seven fewer targets. He's a special talent, and Adam Thielen is already 30. I also wouldn't be surprised if CeeDee Lamb is a top-36 pick, though that will depend on whether Dak Prescott returns to Dallas, and I could see Aiyuk and Chase Claypool getting there with strong finishes. | | | | MNF Recap: Rams 24, Bears 10 | | | | There wasn't much going on for Fantasy in this game, but at least in the Rams' case, it seemed to be by choice. The Bears are just bad. | | Injuries: Allen Robinson (concussion) Winner: Honestly? Nobody, at least not for Fantasy. The Rams offense continues to be a pretty disappointing one for Fantasy. They're running the ball well, but with so many different players getting opportunities — Darrell Henderson had 15 carries Monday, while Malcolm Brown had 10, Robert Woods had four and Cooper Kupp had one. And the passing game remains frustratingly passive, all short passes and safe throws. It's not bad for the Rams, but it hasn't meant great things for Woods or Kupp, especially if they're spreading the ball around like this. I still like Kupp and Woods as No. 2 wide receivers, but you don't feel great about them at this point. Loser: As bad as things were for the Rams, they were even worse for the Bears, who managed a single field goal and a defensive touchdown. Even in a good week, it's mostly just the Allen Robinson/David Montgomery show, and Robinson is the only guy you view as a Fantasy star. Monday night? Even before he left after a shot to the head late, Robinson wasn't a big part of the passing game, and Montgomery suffered for the lack of goal-line work. Robinson and Montgomery will have better days, but any hope of Nick Foles providing a boost to this offense is, I think, gone. What you might have missed: This was a disappointing game for Henderson, who watched as Brown got a touchdown on a goal-line carry. Of course, Henderson had his chance, including three straight touches on one second-quarter drive from inside the 15. Henderson picked up 7 from the 12-yard line, then lost a yard and picked up just 2 on a reception before the Rams settled for a field goal. That probably didn't impact the decision to go with Brown later in the game, but it sure was disappointing if you started Henderson. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | Parlay Pick'em | Want your sports news and highlights straight without the noise? Stream CBS Sports HQ on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and more!
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