Fantasy Football Picks: Week 8 

Football season is here! And that means fantasy football is here too! For expertly picked quality starters and bench warmers, continue reading below and WIN your fantasy football league! 

Previous Weeks:  

Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five, Week Six, Week Seven 

Starts of the Week  

Quarterback:  

Teddy Bridgewater: Teddy Bridgewater this week will be facing a favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have allowed quarterbacks to pass for an average of 344.42 yards a game. In addition to that, the Falcons have allowed quarterbacks to have a touchdown per completion percentage of 10.36%. Lastly, the Falcons have allowed a quarterback to throw a touchdown once per every ten completions.  

Running Back:  

Todd Gurley: Todd Gurley this year has seen a resurgence with the Rams. He has had 485 yards rushing and 7 rushing touchdowns in seven games. He has averaged 80 scrimmage yards on 19.2 touches per game. He will be facing against a Carolina Panther team who has not defended running backs well. The Panthers have allowed running back to have an average of 164.57 scrimmage yards per game. They have also allowed ten total touchdowns to running backs in seven games.  

Wide Receiver:  

Brandon Aiyuk: Brandon Aiyuk has had a successful first few games in the Kyle Shanahan offense of the San Francisco 49ers. He has had a stat line of 20 catches for 220 yards, including an impressive 6 catch, 116-yard performance against the Patriots. This week, he should have another productive game against the Seahawks. First, leading receiver Deebo Samuel will be out due to injury on Sunday. With Samuel out, Aiyuk should see more targets. Second, the Seahawks pass defense this year has been poor. The Seahawks have given up an average of 280.16 yards and 1.6 touchdowns per game.  

Tight End:  

Jonnu Smith: Jonnu Smith of the Titans has emerged and seems as if he is a top 5 tight end this year. He has 243 receiving yards on 20 catches and 5 touchdowns. He has a very favorable matchup this week against a team that has not guarded tight ends well this year. The Bengals have allowed tight ends to receive for 480 yards on 42 catches and 6 touchdowns. That is an average of 68.5 yards on 6 catches a game.  

Defense:  

Buccaneers Defense: The Bucs defense has preformed well above expectations anybody had for them during the offseason. They have held opponents to an average of 20 points per game and have 12 takeaways through seven games, tied for 3rd most in the NFL (Seahawks, Patriots, Titans). They are facing against an anemic Giants offense that has scored an average of only 17.28 points per game.  

Bench Warmers of the Week   

Quarterback:  

Josh Allen: Through the first four games of the NFL season, Josh Allen seemed to be an MVP favorite. For the first four games, Allen had a completion percentage of 70.9%, averaged 333.1 passing yards a game, and had a touchdown-interception ratio of 12-1. For the last three games, Josh Allen has played like a completely different player. For the last three games, Allen has had a completion percentage of 63%, averaged 230 passing yards per game, and has a touchdown-interception ratio of 4-3. Allen’s struggles will continue Sunday against a tough Patriots secondary. The Patriots have held quarterbacks to 240.3 passing yards a game and have allowed only 1.5 passing touchdowns a game.  

Running Back:  

James Conner: James Connor, despite his consistency struggles, has been a great player for the Steelers this year. He has 451 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns this season, averaging 75.1 yards this season. However, he will be facing against a Ravens run defense that is extremely strong this year. They have held opponents to only one rushing touchdown through 6 games. 

Wide Receiver:  

Adam Thielen: Adam Thielen has been great for the Vikings so far this season. He has 415 receiving yards on 32 catches. He will playing against a Packers secondary that has defended wide receivers well. They have held wide receivers to 149 receiving yards per game and only 12 wide receiver receptions per game.  

Tight End:  

T.J. Hockenson: T.J. Hockenson has shown the improvement that Lions fans would hope last years’ eighth overall pick would show. He has 22 catches for 256 yards and 4 touchdowns so far this season. However, he will be defended by a Colts defense that has defended tight ends well this season. They have allowed an average of 22 receiving yards and 2.83 receptions to tight ends through six games this season.  

Defense:  

Steelers Defense: The Steelers defense has been playing lights out so far this season. They have held teams to an average of 19.6 points a game and have the 4th ranked defense in the NFL per Pro Football Reference. However, they will be playing against a Baltimore Ravens team that has proven to score lots of points. The Ravens have averaged 29.83 points per game. This game is likely to become a high scoring affair and it would be wise to sit the Steelers defense.  

Sources: 

Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://fantasy.espn.com/football/leaders?leagueId=0 

Pro Football Statistics and History. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/