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Scott L.

StatLogic Sports NFL Week 8 Fantasy Focus: More Players Doesn't Make it Easier



It's Week 8 of the National Football League season, and everyone is available.


Everyone except the injured players that is, but with no byes, all of the healthy players on your full-season fantasy rosters are available. And everyone who suits up for an NFL team Sunday is eligible for your DFS contests.


Unfortunately, while we lament bye weeks from Hell such as weeks 5, 6, 9 and 14, having so many options available doesn't always make it easier. For example, on one of our full-season teams we have to choose two running backs out of De'Von Achane, Brian Robinson, Breece Hall and Jordan Mason.


In DFS, with so many injuries to key players, the public and the "experts" all are high ion unproven plug-and-play guys such as Cedric Tillman of the Browns, Ricky Pearsall of the 49ers, Denver's Troy Franklin and Tampa Bay's Jalen McMillan. We all know how it usually goes when EVERYONE is touting relatively unknown players as lineup "locks," and hopefully you heeded our warning a few weeks back about just inserting plug-and-play options. While often talented and sometimes successful, they usually are backups for reasons.


Add in traditional support players such as Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy and Tyler Boyd stepping into larger roles, players with new teams such as Davante Adams, Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins and every healthy Superstar Tier 1 stud player, and all the choices can be overwhelming. Game-time decisions for key players such as Jayden Daniels, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Zay Flowers, Tee Higgins, Travis Etienne and Tyreek Hill don't make it easier.


Of course, we also have the return of Tua Tagovailoa from a concussion-related stint on the injured list. We all know that Tua makes the Dolphins' offense go, which means that players such as Achane, Hill, Jaylen Waddle and even Raheem Mostert are way undervalued on many DFS platforms. It doesn't necessarily help that the Dolphins have a great matchup against the Cardinals, so EVERYONE is touting Tua's return as a fantasy boon for all of those players.


When EVERYONE says something in fantasy football or sports gambling is when at least some skepticism should surface, and if EVERYONE is right, which of those guys should be play? All of them? Or should we go contrarian and play none of them? Or maybe we should just try one or spread them all out among many lineups? (We like the latter strategy most weeks when it's too hard to decide).


As you can see, options are great, but they don't necessarily make our lives any easier. So with that in mind, here are some things to remember that may help.


Beware the Plug and Play

We've addressed this before here, but because one player goes out and a new, talented players steps in doesn't mean that he will produce like the injured veteran or see the same type of volume. Do your homework. Do they even play the same position? Maybe one receiver will move to the outside or to the slot to make room for the new guy. What type of player his he? Fast? Great hands? Good size? Possession receiver? Scatback? Bruiser? Sometimes injuries force teams to play guys in roles they aren't used to out of necessity, so it's important to understand the full dynamic of the situation. And maybe those moves actually benefit another player who usually plays a lot in more of a supporting role.


The bottom line is that we can't expect Jalen McMillan to step in and be Chris Godwin, but at his low price he still may be worth using in a DFS lineup or two so we. can pay up elsewhere. Maybe a savvy veteran like Tim Patrick moving up in the pecking order for Detroit will benefit him a little more, but he's not a deep-threat burner like suspended Jameson Williams. Does Amon-Ra St. Brown step into that role while Williams assumes ARSB's high-volume slot? Instead of just putting in the new guys, look around and see which other players in the lineup who are more proven might benefit and are a good value.


Stars Will be Stars

We only need to look as far as Thursday night for proof of this. NFL teams rarely let their injured superstar players back into the lineup this early in the season if they aren't able to perform at or near 100 percent. Only desperate teams will do this. Despite all of Sean McVay's smoke and mirrors, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp clearly were ready to be impact players Thursday, and the Rams were a different team with them in the lineup. Nacua was targeted multiple times on the first drive. was thrown contested balls down the field and even carried the ball as a runner. Kupp caught a key touchdown pass among his five receptions.


Tua has been ready for a few weeks, but the Dolphins for many reasons had to be overly cautious in bringing him back. He's a smart guy playing in a system that seems to have been designed perfectly for hjis skillset. He is surrounded by elite talent. Play the Dolphins this week with confidence; the hard part is figuring out how to utilize them all. Those highly skilled athletes didn't forget how to play football in a month.


Daniels also seems to be trending toward playing, which means he will be physically ready to do what he always does. However, keep in mind that he faces a Chicago team that is difficult to pass against and not so challenging to run against. We might see a heavy dose of Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler today, while Daniels is likely to be getting the ball out quickly and maybe not taking on as many designed runs as usual. His numbers may be muted a bit, but competitors compete, and he still should be played in most full-season situations. His situation and the resulting game plan is likely to affect players like Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz more than Daniels, who probably won't put up the 25-30 points we are used to but still should be able to get close to or above 20. One of our most difficult decisions is whether to play Tua or Daniels.


Likewise, we can expect that if Samuel and Kittle are on the field for San Francisco they are ready to contribute at close to full strength. San Francisco's situation may be a little more dire, however, as the Niners need to start stacking some wins and may be a little more apt to bring guys back who may not be as close to 100 percent as other top players returning from injuries. Still, it is well-documented how much better the 49ers offense performs with Samuel in the lineup, and Kittle has been their go-to guy - and the NFL's top tight end - this year. San Francisco also will be without super-sub Jauan Jennings, so that might make a super-cheap Pearsall attractive as a super-value or punt play, but don't expect him to step in and be Brandon Aiyuk.


Narrow the Field

Sometimes for weeks when there are so many options it can make our lives easier if we just completely eliminate some teams from our thought process for DFS and only use their players if absolutely necessary in full-season lineups. This week we would eliminate Carolina, New England, Indianapolis and potentially Tennessee. Jonathan Taylor is intriguing in a tough running matchup against Houston because he is likely to be owned by only a very small percentage of DFS players. He tends to run better with Anthony Richardson at QB, too.


Here is our breakdown of DFS lineup options for Week 8 of the NFL season. Keep in mind that all salaries are based on the FanDuel Sunday Main Slate, which now includes the Sunday night game:


Pay-up Tier 1 Quarterback

Lamar Jackson - $8,800

Joran Love - $8,900


Pay-up Core Dual Threat QB

Jalen Hurts - $8.600


Top Value Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins - $7,100

Joe Burrow - $7,700

Caleb Williams - $7,400

Brock Purdy - $7,700


Super Value Quarterbacks

Tua Tagovailoa - $7,000

Jameis Winston - $6,500

Bo Nix - $6,900



Pay-Up Core Running Backs

Derrick Henry - $9,200

Saquon Barkly - $9,100

Joe Mixon - $9,000


Value Volume Running Backs

JK Dobbins - $7,300

Kareem Hunt - $8,100

Brian Robinson - $7,600

James Conner - $8,300

Breece Hall - $7,900

Kenneth Walker - $7,800

James Cook - $7,700


Value Core Running Back

De'Von Achane - $6,800

Javonte Williams - $6,000


Value RB2/Flex

D'Andre Swift - $6,500

Rachaad White -$6,200

Raheem Mostert - $5,900

Austin Ekeler - $5,900

Tyler Allgeier - $5,700



Pay-Up Tier 1 Wide Receivers

AJ Brown - $9,000

Ja'Marr Chase - $9,200

Amon-Ra St. Brown - $8,900


Core Top Value Wide Receivers

Tyreek Hill - $7,600


Best Value Wide Receivers

DJ Moore - $6,600

Tank Dell - $6,900

Darnell Mooney. - $6,300

Chris Olave - $6,700

Brian Thomas Jr. - $6,600


Value Volume Wide Receivers

Davante Adams - $7,800

Drake London - $7,900

Jayden Reed - $8,100

Garrett Wilson - $7,500

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - $6,400

Keenan Allen - $6,400


Super Value WR/Flex

Jaylen Waddle - $5,900

Romeo Doubs - $6,100

Jerry Jeudy - $6,000

Rashod Bateman - $5,700

Rome Odunze - $5,500

Jakobi Meyers - $5,800

Christian Watson - $5,800


Punt to Pay Up WR

Trey Palmer. -$4,000

Jalen McMillan - $4,900

Tyler Boyd - $4,900

Cedric Tillman - $5,100

Tim Franklin - $5,300

Ricky Pearsall - $5,200


Pay-Up Tight End

Brock Bowers - $7,400


Core Top Value Tight End

Dalton Kincaid - $4,000 (mispriced)


Top Value Core Volume Tight Ends

Cade Otton - $5,200

David Njoku - $5,500


Value Tight Ends

Dalton Schultz - $5,100

Noah Fant - $5,000

Luke Krull - $4,600

Kyle Pitts - $5,700

Tucker Kraft $5,900















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