Welcome to Week 8 and the arrival of “bye-mageddon”! Last week, the injury train continued on by picking up a few more WRs, unfortunately. In some good news, however, all of our picks last week came through with double-digit points, including the Chiefs and the Bears, capped off by the Browns putting up the most fantasy points for a DST last week, scoring into the mid-20s! As we alluded to at the start, this week has six teams on the bye, which includes three DSTs that are rostered in a majority of leagues. As such, I’ve picked out a few low-rostered choices for this week, and as a bonus, doubled the number of teams for consideration at the end of the article for our deeper leagues out there that will be facing competition on the waiver wire. This week, we are looking at teams that have a more ideal opponent to matchup against for fantasy considerations as we look for teams that are rostered in around 50 percent of leagues or fewer.
Please note that there’s a decent chance that better teams above this 50 percent threshold are available in your league, but we can’t assume they’re available to everyone. We have to draw the proverbial line somewhere, so stay active and monitor the league home page; someone might drop a desirable defense after waivers clear.
Cincinnati Bengals
Opponent: vs. New York Jets
ESPN % Rostered: 2%
Yahoo % Rostered: 2%
The lowest rostered team in fantasy this season is hosting a team that has an offense in turmoil. While the Cincinnati defensive strategy of “bend, don’t break” doesn’t leave a lot to get hyped up about, going up against the Jets does leave room for optimism. The Bengals are on a four-game streak of turnovers generated after getting two interceptions last week. New York is in a bit of a quarterback crisis as they benched Justin Fields last week and inserted Tyrod Taylor, who proceeded to throw two interceptions himself. Cincinnati also seems to follow a feast or famine pattern for sacks, and, as luck would have it, the Jets come into town having given up a staggering twenty sacks over their last three games. The Jets’ passing game is ranked dead last in the league, and having Garrett Wilson start the week out questionable after missing last week’s game should leave Cincinnati as a solid pick. But, after all, it is the Bengals, and it’s about that time of year for a trick or treat…
Atlanta Falcons
Opponent: vs. Miami Dolphins
ESPN % Rostered: 19%
Yahoo % Rostered: 10%
Since their bye week, the Falcons are averaging 2.5 sacks and allowing 17 points per game heading into this home game against the floundering Dolphins. Atlanta has brought in four interceptions over their last three games; meanwhile, Miami is averaging three interceptions per game over the past two weeks, with Tua Tagovailoa continuing to turn the ball over with alarming consistency. Over their last three games, they have surrendered 9 sacks and are averaging 12 fantasy points to opposing defenses after last week’s drubbing by the Browns. The Falcons lead the league in blitz rate and maintain the fewest passing yards allowed on the season, while also leading the league in fewest yards after the catch.
Los Angeles Chargers
Opponent: vs. Minnesota Vikings
ESPN % Rostered: 18%
Yahoo % Rostered: 52%
Los Angeles will look to rebound after last week’s deflating loss to the team with the best record in the NFL when they host the Vikings on Thursday night. Given that it’s the early game this week, practice reports are already out, and it’s not looking promising for JJ McCarthy‘s return. This means another week of Carson Wentz and a Vikings offense that is averaging two turnovers per game while bleeding out 11 sacks over their last three games. Minnesota is averaging 9 fantasy points per game against opposing defenses, and their rushing game has yet to run for 100 total team yards in their past three games.
After the Cut
Indianapolis Colts (E:66% Y!:50%) – Next up in “Who gets to play Tennessee this week?”. I anticipate the Colts to be the most popular DST pick up for week 8.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (E:17% Y!:11%) – The Bucs travel down to New Orleans to face off against their division rival. The Saints have been generous to opposing DSTs in four of their last five games.
Houston Texans (E:63% Y!:48%) – This top 5 DST will host a 49ers team struggling to stay healthy, in addition to turnover issues of late.
Buffalo Bills (E:38% Y!:39%) – With an extra week to prepare off the bye, Buffalo takes on a Carolina team starting Andy Dalton this week.
San Francisco 49ers (E:10% Y!:15%) – For the deeper leagues, consider the 49ers, who take on a battered Houston offense that is struggling this season against teams not from Baltimore.
If you see something I don’t, leave a comment or hit me up with feedback @MikeoftheFF on Twitter or find me on Reddit!
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by John Byrum / Icon Sportswire