Last week, I talked about the importance of playing top players with little to no multiplier. That didn’t work out too well for me, especially in the cases of Evan Engram and David Johnson , but I still think playing the top guys can be a good strategy. That being said, I am a firm believer in taking what the slate gives you. The Week 8 SuperDraft slate is full of interesting mid-range plays, especially for GPP contests. I will never tell you not to play Michael Thomas or Darren Waller or Saquon Barkley , but I love the value of some guys who maybe have been inconsistent or have dealt with injuries and have a high multiplier as a result.
Quarterbacks
Jared Goff X1.3
Goff basically tied his best fantasy game of the season in Week 7, and his multiplier is even higher in Week 8. I know he’s a rich man’s Mitchell Trubisky , which isn’t much of a compliment, but he did score 25 fantasy points against the Bucs and Falcons this season. The Bengals are just as bad as those other teams, and I’ll be content if Goff scores 25 fantasy points again.
Matthew Stafford X1.4
Stafford had 33.56 fantasy points against a stout Vikings defense last week, and I am eager to see what he will do at home against the Giants.
Ryan Tannehill X1.6
We have ample evidence that Ryan Tannehill isn’t a good quarterback, but we also have ample evidence that you do not need to be a good quarterback to occasionally score a lot of fantasy points. Tannehill had 22.18 fantasy points against the Chargers last week, and he has an even better matchup this week against Tampa Bay.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara X1.35
Kamara is risky, and I should probably stay away after David Johnson ruined my SuperDraft lineup last week. Even if Kamara is completely healthy, the Saints could decide to limit his workload in a game they should win easily. With Latavius Murray looking so good last week, the Saints have no reason to push Kamara. And yet, you have one of the five best running backs in the league against one of the worst defenses in the league, and you’re getting a strong multiplier on top of that. He’ll probably be in at least one of my lineups. If David Johnson is active, I may wind up playing him for most of the same reasons.
Le’Veon Bell X1.5
Bell should finally have some room to operate with Sam Darnold back against a defense that isn’t historically great. It’s easy to forget Bell had 20 fantasy points in each of the first two games of the season, and I like his chances of getting back to that level Sunday.
Sony Michel X1.6
I don’t typically like to use players who I don’t think are very good, but I’ll make an exception for the between the tackles runner for New England. He had three touchdowns last week, and that’s on the table this week as well.
Ty Johnson X1.85 and J.D. McKissic X1.9
There isn’t any earth-shattering analysis here. Both backs should have ample opportunity against a poor Giants’ defense. My guess is Johnson is the better runner and will get more work, but McKissic should be involved, especially in the passing game.
David Montgomery X1.8 and Tarik Cohen X1.85
After Sunday’s game, Bears head coach Matt Nagy said “I’m not an idiot, I know we have to run more.” A cynical person would argue that only an idiot would have Mitchell Trubisky throw 54 times in a game in which you only trailed by two at halftime. A less cynical person would say Nagy absolutely has to get his running backs more involved, and the Chargers’ probably aren’t good enough to take a commanding lead and force the Bears to throw. I prefer Montgomery of the two, but I don’t feel very strongly about it.
Wide Receivers
Kenny Stills X1.75
Will Fuller and Kenny Stills have awfully similar skill sets. I don’t think it’s a coincidence Fuller’s two best games this season came with Stills out, or that Stills had 105 receiving yards in Week 7 with Fuller getting hurt. I don’t know that I’ll ever feel comfortable playing Fuller or Stills for cash, but Stills’s ceiling is crazy high until Fuller returns.
Julio Jones X1.2
Jones is riskier if Matt Ryan is out, but it is worth noting Matt Schaub threw a touchdown to Jones in relief of Ryan on Sunday. I think Jones is at worst the number two receiver on Sunday’s slate, and he comes with a pretty solid multiplier.
Julian Edelman X1.45
Edelman was pretty disappointing last week, but he had 17.80 and 23.00 fantasy points in the two games before that. Cleveland’s defense is not scary, and Tom Brady figures to lean heavily on Edelman at least until Mohammad Sanu is up to speed.
Courtland Sutton X1.55
Sutton has at least 7.6 fantasy points in five straight games and six of seven. I doubt the Emmanuel Sanders trade will hurt him much, and it might even help. I think he’s a strong cash play with GPP upside.
John Brown X1.65
Philadelphia’s secondary has been bad all season, even if Dallas did most of its damage on the ground last week. Brown is averaging more fantasy points than a lot of players with lower multipliers, including D.K. Metcalf, Brandin Cooks , Robert Woods , Marvin Jones and Odell Beckham . Brown has a better matchup than most of those receivers as well.
Tight Ends
T.J. Hockenson X1.65
There isn’t a ton of value at tight end, and a couple of the guys I would like to play, like Zach Ertz and Hunter Henry , are facing very good defenses. I think Hockenson is a bit of a value play at his multiplier, and I love the matchup. Is it too simplistic to say Hockenson will be a good play if he scores a touchdown and a bad one if he doesn’t? Perhaps, but in a GPP, I could see a Stafford/Hockenson stack working out.
Josh Hill X1.85
To be honest, I’m a little disappointed we’re not getting 2X for Hill, but beggars can’t be choosers. If Jared Cook is active I’d rather play him, especially since his multiplier is nearly as good as Hill’s. I’ve always had a soft spot for Hill, and not just because I covered him when he was in high school. Really, though, this call is about the Cardinals, who have allowed a touchdown to an opposing tight end in six out of seven games this season, though last week the touchdown inexplicably went to Rhett Ellison , and not Evan Engram .
Zach Ertz X1.3 and Dallas Goedert X1.9
Again, I don’t like this matchup, but I’m not quite as scared of the Bills’ defense as I am of the Patriots’ or 49ers’. After all, the only good team Buffalo has faced this season is New England. I’m not convinced Philadelphia is a good team either, but I digress. Zach Ertz ranks sixth among tight ends in fantasy points, first in targets, fifth in receptions and fifth in yards. Goedert has had more receptions and yards than Ertz each of the last two weeks. Ertz is going to start scoring touchdowns soon, and Goedert is a strong fantasy play for as long as DeSean Jackson is out.
Steve’s Week 8 GPP Lineup: