Boy did I whiff on my ‘sit’ call for Tank Bigsby. With Travis Etienne Jr. a last-minute scratch in London, Bigsby took control of the backfield, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Other than this, I feel my designations were a mixed bag last week.
A reminder that I judge my ‘hit or miss’ against a full-PPR format.
Week 7 Start ‘Em and Sit ‘Em Recap
| Player/Designation | Hit/Miss |
|---|---|
| Nick Chubb/Start ‘Em | In the middle, 10.2 pts |
| Demario Douglas/Start ‘Em | Miss, 3.4 pts |
| Chuba Hubbard/Start ‘Em | Hit, 11.2 pts |
| Sean Tucker/Sit ‘Em | Hit, 4.8 pts |
| Jaylen Waddle/Sit ‘Em | Hit, 2.1 pts |
| Tank Bigsby/Sit ‘Em | Miss, 26.80 pts |
On to Week 8!
Start ‘Em
Caleb Williams, QB – Chicago Bears
Week 8 Matchup: @ Washington Commanders
This game was recently flexed into the 4 PM window, but it’s still up in the air if Jayden Daniels is going to suit up against Caleb Williams, the quarterback selected one spot ahead of him in this year’s NFL draft. At the time of writing, the hope is Daniels will be able to play, but this blurb isn’t about him. Williams is well-rested off a BYE, and the last time we saw him was Week 6, where he had himself a day in the beatdown of the Jaguars. Williams had completed 23 of 29 pass attempts for 226 yards, four touchdowns, and 56 yards on four carries. The Commanders’ defense is allowing the 13th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks on the year and did just hold Andy Dalton to 93 scoreless yards, with two interceptions to boot. Even so, still feel comfortable rolling with Williams as he looks to bring the Bears to 5-2 on the season.
Tony Pollard, RB – Tennessee Titans
Week 8 Matchup: @ Detroit Lions
Consider this recommendation to be more of an expected volume-based. Tony Pollard and the 1-5 Titans travel to Detroit to face the high-flying 5-1 Lions, and the matchup won’t be easy whatsoever. Detroit is among the league-best in fantasy points allowed to running backs this year – ranked 31st – but the work will be there for Pollard because of the inevitable game script. Since Week 4 (with a Week 5 BYE to consider), Pollard has averaged 18.3 carries and 80.6 rushing yards per game. In that span, he has two rushing scores as well.
Cade Otton, TE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 8 Matchup: vs Atlanta Falcons
The Tampa Bay receiving core took a massive hit on Monday night in the loss to the Ravens. Mike Evans exited early having reaggravated his hamstring injury, which will now sideline him for a few weeks. Worse, Chris Godwin was lost for the season having fractured his ankle in the final seconds of the game. What was a high-profile offense this season, is now in search of bodies to step up. Enter Cade Otton into the mix. The tight end is coming off eight catches for 100 yards (on 10 targets) in his game against Baltimore, and there is no doubt he’ll be relied on more the rest of the way as the Bucs wide receiver room reshapes itself with the likes of rookie Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard, and Trey Palmer.
Atlanta is allowing the 18th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends on the year and just allowed 65 yards on four receptions to Seattle’s Noah Fant last week.
Sit ‘Em
Brock Purdy, QB – San Francisco 49ers
Week 8 Matchup: vs Dallas Cowboys
It’s been a tough go for Brock Purdy this season. He’s seen massive injuries hit his running back, wide receiver, and even tight end room through the first seven games. Most notably, he’ll be without Brandon Aiyuk for the rest of the year due to a torn ACL. Purdy may have saved his fantasy day last week in the loss to the Chiefs with his two rushing scores, but through the air, he had 212 scoreless yards, with three interceptions.
Owning an 11:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a date at home with the Cowboys (coming off their BYE), paired with such uncertainty for how the offense will look with no Aiyuk, and a hobbled Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, this is simply a week to avoid streaming Purdy if you have been.
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR – Arizona Cardinals
Week 8 Matchup: @ Miami Dolphins
This may come as a surprise, but the reality is, Marvin Harrison Jr., is not offering you much of anything since Week 4. He had a great three-game stretch from Weeks 2-4, but since then, he has totaled five receptions on 15 targets for 57 scoreless yards; and yes I know, that does include Week 6 when he exited early due to a concussion. Both he and Kyler Murray just aren’t clicking right now, and a Miami defense allowing the least amount of fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on the year are on tap. Of course, depending on your roster construction, if you can afford to sit him this week, go for it and take one on the chin if he is productive on your bench.
Diontae Johnson, WR – Carolina Panthers
Week 8 Matchup: @ Denver Broncos
Diontae Johnson, a name thrown around as a potential trade candidate out of Carolina by the deadline, has seen better days this season with Andy Dalton under center in comparison to Bryce Young. However, a thumb injury suffered in a car accident earlier this week is going to keep Dalton from playing, which will re-enter Young as QB1 for the 1-6 Panthers. Between the change in quarterback, and the fact that the Broncos are an elite defense that is allowing the second-fewest amount of fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on the season, this is not a week worth taking the risk on Johnson to go out and produce. With no teams on BYE, your roster should hopefully offer much better options. FantasyData projects him to finish as the WR33 this week in full-PPR formats.
-Matthew Cava (@cavam_ Twitter & Reddit)