Fantasy Football Weekly: How About That New England Defense?
Fantasy Football Weekly: How About That New England Defense?
(Bloomberg) -- So how good is the Patriots defense? In fantasy world, it’s historic. Not only does New England have the top scoring defense, the squad is in the top 10 in overall scoring depending on which fantasy site you use.
That’s right: The Pats defense has more points than Ezekiel Elliott, Matt Ryan and Chris Godwin. Will it continue? It’s doubtful. They’ve played the Giants, Redskins, Dolphins and Jets twice. They still have to face the Chiefs, Cowboys, Texans and Eagles. So if you can get a top starting running back or wide receiver, now may be the time to deal.
Before we get to our Week 8 selections, lets recap last week’s plays. A reminder: We look for value picks, not the obvious FAANG Stocks of Fantasy, like Saquon Barkley. The picks are based on a points per reception league.
Bulls
Derrick Henry: 108 total yards, 1 TD
Tyler Lockett: 5 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD
Gerald Everett: 4 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD
Bears
Phillip Lindsay: 32 total yards
Frank Gore: 66 total yards
Jamison Crowder: 4 catches, 26 yards
Michael Gallup: 3 catches, 34 yards
Larry Fitzgerald: 1 catch, 12 yards
Mark Andrews: 2 catches, 39 yards
Low Volatility
Daniel Jones: 258 total yards, 1 TD
Week 8 Value Picks
QB: Ryan Tannehill: He’s sparked his Titans offense, and now faces the team with the worst passing defense in the league: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
QB: Jared Goff: Bounced back with 3 touchdowns last week. Gets the Bengals defense this week.
RB Aaron Jones: The Packers running back goes against the Chiefs, who until last week, have been horrible against the run.
RB Ty Johnson. He’s now the main running back in Detroit with the injury to Kerryon Johnson. He gets the Giants, who gave up 3 rushing touchdowns last week to Chase Edmonds.
RB Carlos Hyde: The Texans are home following the loss to the Colts last week. Look for them to keep the ball on the ground after building up a lead against the Raiders.
RB Benny Snell: Top running back James Conner is questionable to play. If he can’t go, Snell is a must start against the Dolphins.
RB Alexander Mattison: Who? This is a deep sleeper pick. Expect the Vikings to have their way with the Redskins on Thursday Night Football. The Vikings backup running back might see a lot of carries in garbage time.
WR: Brandin Cooks: The Rams receiver has been a major fantasy disappointment, but could bounce back against the Bengals.
WR Tyler Lockett: Let’s ride the Seahawks receiver once again. He has a juicy matchup against the porous Falcons secondary.
WR: Tyler Boyd: The Bengals will be playing from behind against the Rams. Boyd should get a lot of targets.
TE: T.J. Hockenson: The Lions rookie tight end gets the Giants defense at home.
TE: Jonnu Smith: If starter Delanie Walker is out, Smith should pick up the tight end targets.
To contact the reporter on this story: Richard Trueman in New York at rtrueman@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, Brandon Kochkodin
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