Fantasy matchups: Everything you need to know for Week 8 Published: Oct 25, 2019 at 09:51 AM Graham Barfield Fantasy Managing Editor Seahawks at Falcons (at 1 ET) Must Play: QB Ru sell Wilson; RB Chris Carson; WR Start: WR Julio Jones; TE Austin Hooper; WR D.K. Metcalf Beware: RB Devonta Freeman; WR Calvin Ridley; Injuries to monitor: QB (ankle) Key Game Facts -- Atlanta has allowed a QB1 (top-12) performance in six-straight games -- Over the last month , , , and have each finished as a top-5 fantasy QB against Atlanta -- Atlanta has also allowed a WR2 or better performance (top-24) in six-straight games When the have the ball: Coming off of his worst fantasy performance of the season, this is an obvious blow-up spot for against Atlanta. is also a lock play in Week 8. Seattle has fully committed to their workhorse back over the last month, loading Carson up with 26, 28, 28, and 24 touches. Carson has played over 75 percent of snaps in four-straight games while took a backseat to last week. is arguably a top-5 player this week and is worth a home-run swing as a WR3/FLEX play against the . Atlanta's only good cornerback, , hasn't played since Week 5 -- leaving Metcalf free to run circles around Atlanta's secondary. Metcalf hasn't had many big games yet, but the rookie leads the NFL in end-zone targets (9) and figures to continue to be heavily involved in the red-zone without (Achilles; IR). Metcalf also has 9 red-zone targets this year, tied for seventh-most. When the have the ball: Atlanta's outlook on offense this week is obviously dependent upon 's status. HC Dan Quinn mentioned earlier this week that he expects Ryan to play and, on a positive note, Ryan did practice for the first time on Friday. Matty Ice be a game-time call, but the offense will take a ma sive hit if is forced to start. Ryan is a borderline QB1 if he plays, though, and his status most directly impacts and since is a WR1 every week and is impo sible to bench. (concu sion) will mi s this week so Freeman's volume appears to be safe, at the very least. Ridley is a strong WR2 if Ryan plays but becomes a shaky WR3/4 bet if Schaub is under center. 's departure opens up 14 percent of the targets, paving the way for Ridley to see more consistent targets as the season moves forward. Broncos at Colts (at 1 ET) Start: RB Marlon Mack; WR T.Y. Hilton; WR Courtland Sutton; RBs Sit: QB Sleeper: WR Daesean Hamilton; TE Key Game Facts -- Denver is allowing the fifth-fewest PPR points per game to wide receivers aligned out wide (17.1) and in the slot (14.3) -- quietly ranks top-15 in targets, air yards, receiving yards, and red-zone targets among WRs -- ' departure opens up 19 percent of targets, 27 percent of their air yards, and 30 percent of their red-zone targets When the have the ball: has out-snapped in back-to-back games, earning 61 percent of snaps in Weeks 6-7. Lindsay's snap count has been down at 43 percent. I'm not sure what has caused Lindsay's usage to slip -- but he's still seen 12 or more touches in every game and with running back looking fairly thin in fantasy this week, both he and Freeman fit in as low-end RB2's. is the defacto No. 1 receiver without in town and Sanders' departure should open up more looks for both Daesean Hamilton and . Both Hamilton and Fant are PPR-specific sleepers in 12-team leagues this week. Fant is a particularly interesting streamer this week since the have gotten touched up for the third-most PPR points per game to enemy tight ends. When the have the ball: The defense may not be as dominant as it once was, but they have yet to allow a top-12 fantasy pa ser all season long and are limiting opposing QBs to the fifth-fewest points per attempt. Bri sett has been living off of short scores this year -- his 9 TDs inside of the 10-yard line leads the league -- so I'm inclined to look elsewhere for a Week 8 QB streamer. You likely can't bench in season-long, but you have to hope Hilton lives off of volume this week with a tough matchup with on deck. Harris will shadow Hilton and the star CB has allowed over 40 yards in his coverage just once all year. has 18 or more touches in 5-of-6 games this year and needs to be in all lineups as a home-favorite this week. Ideally, you're continuing to avoid and in fantasy. Doyle has 20 targets while Ebron has 18 over the last month worth of games. Buccaneers at Titans (at 1 ET) Must Play: WR Chris Godwin Start: WR Mike Evans Sleeper: WR Corey Davis; WR A.J. Brown; QB Beware: RB Streamer: TE Sit: QB Jameis Winston; RBs Injuries to monitor: TE (ankle); TE (hamstring) Key Game Facts -- and combined to see 50 percent of 's targets last week -- Davis and Brown saw just 28 percent of 's targets in Weeks 1-6 -- is averaging 2.59 yards gained per route run, fourth-best among WRs behind (3.04), (3.0), and (2.74) When the have the ball: The have allowed just one top-12 (WR1) performance in fantasy all season long, but this secondary will have its hands full with Godwin and Evans this week. Godwin has been un-coverable out of the slot and even though Evans goose-egged in Week 5, he's cleared 60 yards in four of his last 5 games and is averaging 10 targets per game in this span. With Godwin running two-thirds of his routes from the interior, Evans has a slightly better matchup on the boundary against and Adoree Jackson. Outside of Evans and Godwin, you'd ideally like to avoid the rest of the Bucs' in fantasy. is always unpredictable, but this road matchup against the looks like a cla sic "Bad Jameis" spot. Winston has been lights out against the blitz this year but has struggled when teams sit back and force him into tight window throws. Tenne see blitzes just 17 percent of the time (second-lowest rate). Both and are unplayable in this Bucs' 3-man backfield committee. Jones scored in London in Week 6, but played just 16 percent of the team's snaps while continues to play on pa sing downs. Through six weeks, has compiled 13/176/0 (18 targets) on 174 routes run while has 12/119/2 (14 targets) on 105 routes run. Gro s. Howard popped up on the injury report with Ryan Kerrigan Jersey a hamstring injury on Thursday and will not play this week, immediately making Brate this week's top streaming option. I'd consider streaming Brate over , , and to name a few options. When the have the ball: (6/80/1) and (6/64) both came to life with under center last week, as Tannehill heavily targeted this talented duo. While Mariota holds the ball forever and doesn't pull the trigger on tight window throws, Tannehill actually gives his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball. Meanwhile, Tampa's secondary is allowing the fifth-most PPR points (27.8) to receivers aligned out wide and the third-most points (25.6) to slot wideouts. It's far easier to throw on the Bucs than run on them as their front-seven is allowing an NFL-best 2.72 YPC and stuffing 29 percent of runs at or behind the line of scrimmage (most). has seen consistent volume, but this is a brutal matchup. If Walker mi ses this week, is in play as a deep league streamer against this Bucs' side that is allowing the second-most YPG to TEs (82.8). Cardinals at Saints (at 1 ET) Must Play: WR Michael Thomas; RB (if Kamara DNP); RB (if Johnson DNP) Start: QB Kyler Murray; WR Injuries to monitor: QB (thumb); RB (ankle, knee); TE (ankle); RB (ankle); WR (ankle) Key Game Facts -- did not face an 8 or more defenders in the box on any of his 27 carries in Week 7 -- The are allowing the second-most PPR points per game to opposing slot receivers (25.8) -- has aligned in the slot on 85 percent of his snaps this season When the have the ball: 's poor fantasy performance against the last week was due in large part because he only had to throw the ball 21 times, a number he should far exceed here against the . New Orleans' defense has really started to tighten recently, but Murray can still be safely trusted in fantasy lineups because of his scrambling ability. only saw 2 targets last week and that figures to rebound in a game where the should be trailing. It also helps that plays exclusively outside and won't cover Fitz in the slot. If (game-time decision) can't suit up, will play nearly every snap for Arizona and is a borderline RB1 on volume alone. Even if D.J. is active after not practicing all week, we will have no idea how many touches to expect. Arizona likely tipped their hand on D.J.'s status earlier this week after signing veterans and . When the have the ball: Even though New Orleans' bye is next week, is apparently pushing to play against Arizona. If Brees plays, you're starting him in fantasy against a Cards' secondary that has allowed a top-10 fantasy QB in 5-of-7 games. It also sounds like will return after a one-week absence, but with an off-date upcoming, it's fair to expect a committee here between him and . Murray was explosive and decisive behind the offensive line last week and even if Kamara plays, I'd expect Murray to see somewhere between 10-15 touches. That's enough to warrant RB2/FLEX consideration against a defense that has given up 188 (McCaffrey), 145 (Carson), 119 (Mixon), 118 (Freeman), and 80 (Barkley) yards from scrimmage over the last five weeks. will see shadow coverage from this week, but that likely won't matter much with Brees returning and how the find creative ways to get him the ball. Thomas aligns out of the slot on nearly one-quarter of his snaps and Peterson does not cover the interior when Arizona goes into their Nickel package. Bengals at Rams (at 1 ET; in London) Must Play: QB Jared Goff; WR Cooper Kupp Start: RB Todd Gurley; WR Robert Woods; TE Gerald Everett Beware: WR Brandin Cooks; WR Tyler Boyd Sit: RB Joe Mixon Key Game Facts -- has been held below 3.5 yards per carry in four-straight games -- Gurley had previously been held under 3.5 YPC just five times during the 2017-18 seasons -- The are allowing the fourth-most YPC (4.88) and the most explosive runs (10 or more yards) to RBs When the have the ball: In a perfect world, you're avoiding this offense at all costs in Week 8. The volume has been there for -- he has double-digit targets in 5-of-7 games -- but the will use in shadow coverage against Boyd on Sunday. and have plus individual matchups against LA's inferior defenders with Ramsey on Boyd, but both are desperation-only plays. Speaking of desperation, the night is cold and dark for at this point of the season. There just aren't many positives to hang your hat on here. The offensive line is going to get man-handled against the front-seven, Cincinnati is rarely getting into scoring range, and Gio Bernard remains involved on pa sing downs. After playing over 65 percent of snaps in 10-of-14 games last year, has yet to meet that mark once this year. When the have the ball: and the rushing offense has lacked their usual explosive pop this season, but a matchup against the swi s cheese front-seven should allow Gurley to get loose. predictably went off for a QB5 weekly finish against the last week and he is arguably in a better spot here. The have allowed four-straight QB1 (top-12) performances to the position and are barely generating heat on quarterbacks, forcing pre sure at the league's fourth-lowest rate (21 percent). You don't anyone to tell you to start this week, so let's focus on the rest of this pa s-catcher corps. A.J. Brown Jersey is still a buy-low candidate who has just gotten unlucky in the touchdown department so far. 16 receivers have seen 50 or more targets this season and Woods (58 targets) is the only one without a score. While Woods has remained highly involved in the pa sing attack, has seen his targets slip significantly with the emergence of . In fact, Everett has 40 targets to Cooks' 38 over the last six weeks despite Everett playing significantly fewer snaps than Cooks in this span. Cooks could certainly get loose against these slow boundary corners, but his target share has been precariously low all season long. Cooks saw at least 20 percent of targets in 11-of-16 games last season and he has met that mark just once this year. Eagles at Bills (at 1 ET) Start: QB Josh Allen; WR Beware: and backfields; TE Zach Ertz; WR Sit: QB Carson Wentz Injuries to monitor: WR (abdomen) Key Game Facts -- The are allowing the most PPR points per game to wide receivers aligned out wide (34.5) -- aligns out wide on 82 percent of his snaps, per Next Gen Stats -- Brown has 50 or more yards receiving in every game this season after meeting that mark just five times in 2018 When the have the ball: After getting thumped on the road in Dallas on Sunday Night, Philadelphia now has the brutal task of turning around and playing in Buffalo. Over their last 10 home games, the have held opposing pa sers to a fantastic 6:11 TD-to-INT ratio. This year, only the are allowing fewer fantasy points per pa s attempt than the secondary. It's tough to sit on a week where both and are out on bye, but this is likely not the week for Wentz to go off. Speaking of which, you also can't bench , but the have been tough against tight ends for two years running -- ranking dead last in YPG allowed to TEs in 2018 and they are allowing the second-fewest YPG to the position this year. It doesn't help that has quietly siphoned 18 targets away from Ertz over the last month now that he's healthy. has seen a strong 27 percent of targets with out of the lineup over the last month, so you're hoping that volume carries him in this tough matchup. played on a season-high 52 percent last week with the falling behind early, but turned his 9 touches into just 33 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, saw 13 touches and played on 38 percent of snaps. Neither back is a particularly inspiring Week 8 play. When the have the ball: has scored 18 or more fantasy points in 10 of his last 12 games dating back to last year with his two failures coming against... the . The front-seven has the talent to frustrate and slow Allen down, but this is another blow-up spot for Allen against an secondary allowing the second-most pa sing yards per game. has newfound consistency as the No. 1 wideout and is a fantastic WR2 start this week. Outside of Allen and Brown, there really isn't a whole lot to like on the side. In their first game without , the went with a receiver by committee behind as (21 routes), (20), and (11) all split snaps. Buffalo also ran out a running back committee with back from injury last week. This may be Singletary's backfield in the future, but Iron Born led the in both snaps (30 to 22) and touches (12 to 7) over Singletary. Neither back is playable with Philly allowing just 3.32 yards per carry (third-fewest). Chargers at Bears (at 1 ET) Start: TE Hunter Henry; RB Austin Ekeler; WR FLEX: RB David Montgomery; WR Sit: QB Philip Rivers; RB Melvin Gordon; RB Injuries to monitor: WR (hamstring) Key Game Facts -- Mitch Trubisky and are tied for last in yards per pa s attempt (5.2) -- The have pa sed on 68.6 percent of their plays when the game is within a score this season (8 points), which is the highest rate in the league -- 's 12.3 air yards per target leads all tight ends this season When the have the ball: did not practice on Thursday and Friday with a hamstring injury and is a game-time call to play on Sunday. Late additions to the injury report are never good, so hopefully, the are just playing it safe with their star wideout. Obviously, if Allen were to mi s, both , , and even are all liable to see a significant uptick in targets. The have not allowed a QB1 (top-12) performance all year long and have limited 5-of-6 pa sers to a weekly finish of QB16 or worse. This is not the week to start in 10- and 12-team fantasy leagues, especially if Allen does not suit up. 's longest gain on his 36 carries this season is 7 yards. Even though the run defense has struggled a bit as of late, I have no confidence rolling Gordon out in lineups. With Ekeler heavily involved in the pa sing game, Gordon's fantasy floor is brutally low. When the have the ball: The only viable fantasy starts on the side of the ball are and . Even though Trubisky has regre sed in his third season, volume is fueling 's ascension back into low-end WR1 status in fantasy. Robinson's 9.8 targets per game is fifth-most among all wideouts while , , , and Robinson are the only four receivers to earn 20 percent of their team's targets in every game. The defensive line has been ravaged by injuries as DE , DT , and NT are all questionable for Week 8. The have allowed three-straight top-10 fantasy scoring weeks to opposing RBs, allowing a monster 532 scrimmage yards to , , and backfields in this span. After last week's disaster of a game-plan, Matt Nagy should hopefully commit to in Week 8. I'm starting Montgomery for one more week and hoping he comes through in this matchup. Giants at Lions (at 1 ET) Must Play: QB Matthew Stafford; RB Saquon Barkley; TE Start: WR Kenny Golladay; WR Marvin Jones; WR Golden Tate; RB Ty Johnson Beware: TE T.J. Hockenson Sit: QB Daniel Jones Injuries to monitor: WR (concu sion; out) Key Game Facts -- was on the field for 86 percent of snaps in his return from ankle injury last week -- The have allowed the seventh-most yards per carry, fourth-most yards per game, and second-most fantasy points per attempt to opposing RBs -- Detroit is also allowing the fifth-most receiving yards per game to opposing RBs When the have the ball: New York's side is extremely straight-forward this week. and are must-starts and Engram in particular is in line to bounce back in a big way. After catching one pa s for six yards last week largely due to ineffectivene s, Engram is in another amazing matchup against a defense permitting the third-most yards per game to opposing TEs. is out again this week, locking in for another big role yet again. Tate has seen 30 percent of the targets with Shepard off the field these last two weeks and has 6/102/1 and 6/80 receiving stat lines to show for it. ' last four fantasy finishes are QB19, QB21, QB24, and QB20 since he diced up the Bucs' in his debut. The G-Men should move the ball effectively this week, but I'd sit Jones and look for a little more upside if you're streaming the position this week. When the have the ball: Arguably only and are better quarterback plays in fantasy than this weekend. New York has already allowed five top-10 fantasy performances to QBs this year, with only signal-callers and failing against them. maddeningly flopped last week (1/21) as went nuclear (10/93/4), but Golladay had seen at least eight targets in the previous five games before seeing just two pa sing looks last week. Golladay is a bounce-back WR1 candidate this week while Jones is a high-upside WR2 against a secondary that is Avonte Maddox Jersey allowing the fourth-most yards per game to opposing wideouts. It took the over a year and getting cut to make their bell-cow back, so I'm not exactly sold that the will immediately entrust with Kerryon's role. However, the matchup and game-script are firmly in 's favor this week -- leaving him on the RB2 radar. I'd start over , , and but would roll with and over Johnson, for example. Jets at Jaguars (at 1 ET) Must Play: RB Leonard Fournette Start: WR D.J. Chark; RB Le'Veon Bell PPR-only FLEX: WR Upside FLEX: WR Stream: QB Gardner Minshew Sit: QB Sam Darnold Injuries to monitor: TE (hamstring); WR (shoulder) Key Game Facts -- has faced 8 or more men in the box on 35 percent of his carries (second-most) -- Fournette is averaging 6.0 yards per carry when he faces seven or fewer defenders in the box (best in NFL) -- The have played with 7 or fewer defenders Donovan McNabb Jersey in the box on 49 percent of their rush attempts faced (seventh-highest rate) When the have the ball: You can't trust anywhere near lineups after last week's debacle, but Darnold can be somewhat usele s for fantasy and still provide and enough volume to get loose. This Jags' secondary has been extremely giving without over the last month, allowing (6/62/2), (5/104), (6/91), (8/89), and WRs (16/257 combined) all finding plenty of succe s against them. I'm rolling Crowder out as a high-end WR3 in PPR leagues and playing Anderson if I need upside in the FLEX spot. Meanwhile, remains a bet-on-volume RB1. Only 's snap rate (96 percent) is higher than Bell's (92 percent) among RBs. When the have the ball: The run defense is tough, but 's volume is impo sible to bet against. Fournette is on pace to handle nearly 400 touches this season and is a no-brainer RB1 play this week as a home-favorite. This is a potential blow-up spot for after disappointing last week, with the allowing the 11th-most PPR points to receivers aligned out and the 7th-most points to slot wideouts. got in a limited practice on Friday and is expected to play in Week 8 after battling through his shoulder injury and posting 6/103 last week. He's a PPR-only WR4. has now posted top-16 or better fantasy results in 6-of-7 games and is, once again, one of this week's top streaming candidates. Panthers at 49ers (at 4:05 ET) Must Play: RB Christian McCaffrey; TE Start: RB Beware: RB Matt Breida; WR Sit: QB Jimmy Garoppolo; TE Greg Olsen; WR D.J. Moore; WR Key Game Facts -- The are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per pa s and the second-fewest fantasy points per carry this season -- San Francisco is allowing just 2.0 red-zone drives per game, second-fewest behind only New England (1.4 red-zone drives allowed) When the have the ball: Besides , you would ideally like to avoid Carolina entirely in fantasy this week. Outside of the one random game where and the fell behind and had to throw over 40 times in garbage-time, San Francisco has completely stymied opposing pa sing attacks. has kept the ship afloat for Carolina's weapons, but I'd leave and on the bench this week and would even consider streaming over . When the have the ball: You're obviously starting , is a top-20 Week 8 option with touch counts of 16, 20, and 22 since returning in Week 5, and is always in the FLEX conversation -- but there isn't a whole lot to like on the Niners for fantasy in this game, either. Kyle Shanahan will scheme a few plays for in his debut, but I'm still expecting Sanders to play around 50 to 60 percent of snaps as he tries to get acclimated to the offense. Meanwhile, , , and -- who is expected to return from a groin injury -- are all droppable if you've been holding on hope. Raiders at Texans (at 4:25 ET) Must Play: QB Deshaun Watson; WR Start: TE Sleeper: WR Beware: RBs Injuries to monitor: RB (shoulder); WR (foot) Key Game Facts -- (hamstring; out) has seen 46 percent of deep targets (20 or more yards) this season -- has seven deep targets this season while has 6, despite the fact that Stills has played in two fewer games -- Oakland is allowing a league-high 58.6 percent of deep pa ses to be completed against them -- The have allowed a league-high 8 TDs on deep pa ses When the have the ball: Unfortunately, Oakland's outlook is muddied by injuries this week. hurt his shoulder last week against Green Bay and did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday. HC Jon Gruden expects Jacobs to suit up, but this game's late start complicates things a bit. Jacobs has handled 19, 29, and 24 touches over the last three weeks since the inexplicably played him on just 44 percent of snaps in Weeks 2-3. I'd stick with Jacobs as an RB2 play for now, but make sure you check-in on Jacobs' status before Sunday's games starts. might return this week after getting over 3 weeks to rest his foot injury. Williams scored in every game prior to going down with his injury, but had just 111 yards combined in Weeks 2-4 after going for 6/105/1 in Week 1 against Denver. Williams' floor may be low, but this secondary continues to be extremely burnable. Houston is coughing up 30.4 PPR points per game to boundary receivers (third-most) and Williams is almost exclusively a boundary receiver, aligning out wide on 82 percent of his snaps per Next Gen Stats. When the have the ball: Watson and Hopkins have nuclear upside against this secondary that is getting absolutely ripped on deep pa ses. They are your no-brainer top Week 8 plays at their position. was the top waiver wire receiver target this past week, and I'd be willing to fire him up as a WR3 or FLEX play if you're down or . Stills dropped 4/105 on five targets last week after Fuller left the game after just 3 snaps, and this matchup can't get any better. will get more snaps with Fuller out and even though he is too thin for season-long lineups, Coutee is a great value in daily formats. has been an entirely game-script dependent option this season, earning just 10, 12, and 12 carries in the ' three lo ses this season. The are favored to win by 7 points on Sunday, putting Hyde back on the high-end RB3/FLEX radar. Browns at Patriots (at 4:25 ET) Start: QB Tom Brady; WR Julian Edelman; RB Sony Michel; RB (if Burkhead DNP); RB Start and pray: WR Beware: WR Phillip Dorsett; WR Desperation TE Streamer: TE Ben Watson; TE Ricky Seals-Jones Sit: QB Baker Mayfield; WR Injuries to monitor: RB (foot) Key Game Facts -- Stephon Gillmore has allowed a 36.0 pa ser rating in coverage this season while is allowing a 31.0 rating -- No team is allowing fewer PPR points per game to opposing receivers aligned out wide than the (12.7) When the have the ball: It's highly unlikely that you have significantly better options at receiver than this week, but this has the makings of a one-sided affair. The Pats are going to put white-hot Stephon Gillmore on OBJ on every play and likely force to beat them with , , and . Good luck with that. I'm confident in 's volume and talent for the ... and that's about it. Vegas' implied point total (based on the over/under and spread) for the is 16.3 points. Only the (15.0) have a lower Week 8 implied total. When the have the ball: New England's side is extremely straight-forward this week, with and being auto-starts. The will get both of starting CBs and back for the first time since Week 3, but Edelman will avoid those two out the slot this week. Edelman saw 15 targets in Week 6 after left early and 12 targets last week with Gordon out of the lineup entirely. 's addition might hurt Edelman's target volume as the season rolls along, but Edelman is a WR1 in PPR leagues this weekend. Gordon getting put on I.R. cements as the field-stretcher, but I'd beware of him this week with both corners returning and Sanu's addition. Ben Watson made his 2019 debut last week, drawing 5 targets and playing on 76 percent of snaps. If or aren't available, Watson makes sense as a desperation streamer. has mi sed three-straight games, which has made it much easier to project the backfield. has 19, 24, and 20 touches and has compiled an absurd 12 red-zone carries without Burkhead in this span. Michel has forced just nine mi sed tackles and has averaged 3.3 YPC on his 119 attempts, but he has multiple TD upside as the Pats are double-digit home-favorites. Meanwhile, has finished as a top-24 PPR fantasy option in every game he has started this season and has 22 catches on 26 targets without Burkhead in Weeks 5-7. Packers at Chiefs (at 8:20 ET) Start: QB Aaron Rodgers; RB Aaron Jones; WR Tyreek Hill; TE Beware: RBs; WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling; TE Jimmy Graham; RB Jamaal Williams Sit: RB Damien Williams Injuries to monitor: WR (toe); QB (knee); WR (hamstring) Key Game Facts -- Kansas City is allowing the most yards per carry (4.99) and the highest rush succe s rate (61.2 percent) in the league -- Only the (41.4) have allowed more yards per drive on defense than the (40.6) When the have the ball: will continue to lose pa sing-down work and will have TDs frustratingly vultured by from time to time, but the fact remains that he's still seen a robust 16.5 touches per day in Williams' full starts this season. Jones has explosive upside in a game the should control against the league's worst run defense. had a day for himself last week, absurdly hitting 6 different for a gain of 20 or more yards against the . Even though Rodgers remains an obvious QB1 this week, his pa s catchers are all relatively thin plays. Here is how Rodgers has distributed his targets without (toe) over the last three weeks: (19), (18), (12), (10), (9), and (9). MVS only played 20 snaps in Week 7 and should get close to a full-time allotment of Gardner Minshew II Jersey plays this week, but with Rodgers spreading out his targets and the quietly playing well on the boundary, I'd tread lightly. Per Next Gen Stats, Kansas City is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to receivers aligned out wide. MVS runs 75 percent of his routes split out on the boundary. When the have the ball: will start under center for the injured this week. While the QB change severely ticks and 's ceiling downwards, I'm confident HC Andy Reid will have more than a few plays schemed up for his star players. Reid has had nearly 10 days to prepare for this game, too. Ultimately, Moore's presence harms the backfield outlook more than anything. (39 percent) has led (35 percent) and (21 percent) in snap rate over the last two weeks after McCoy got zero carries in Week 5. We can chase this committee when Mahomes is on the field because of all the red-zone scoring chances, but a 3-man committee with the backup QB doesn't sound particularly appealing. This is just a housekeeping note because you can't play or without Mahomes, but is tentatively expected to return this week. Dolphins at Steelers (at 8:15 ET on Monday Night) Must Play: RB Start: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster; TE Sleeper: WR DeVante Parker; WR Preston Williams; QB Mason Rudolph; WR Sit: RB Mark Walton; RB Injuries to monitor: WR (shoulder) Key Game Facts -- The defense has allowed a touchdown on 75 percent of their red-zone drives, the highest rate in the league -- The have scored a TD on just 38 percent of their red-zone drives, the third-lowest rate in the league When the have the ball: I want to continue to believe that has a chance to become a solid NFL starter, but it doesn't bode well for him that at least makes the offense competent when he has been on the field. You'd have to be really desperate to start either or , but Parker turned his 10 targets into a solid 5/55/1 last week while Williams went for 6/82 on 8 targets against Buffalo. led the backfield in snaps (52 percent) and touches (15) over (41 percent snaps; 9 touches) in Week 7, continuing the trend of Miami elevating Walton into a bigger role. Walton's snaps have now increased in three-straight games and even though he's a thin play this week, Walton needs to be stashed in 12-team leagues with trade rumors swirling around Drake. When the have the ball: and are ranked higher on most lists this week, but is an equally appealing streaming option for Week 8 as he returns from his concu sion. Miami has allowed every single quarterback they have faced to post a top-15 scoring week against them, with five signal-callers tallying top-10 results. 's season has not gone to plan, but this matchup obviously elevates his ceiling back into WR1 territory... even if it's only for a week. No team is allowing explosive gains through the air (20 or more yards) more often than Miami. Meanwhile, the bye came at a perfect time for after he battled through knee, ankle, and quad injuries in Weeks 1-6. Surprisingly, it also looks like will return for the after getting his knee scoped two weeks ago. Initial reports had Samuels slated to mi s at least a month. Even with Samuels returning, Conner should be the focal point of Pittsburgh's attack in this smash spot. -- Graham Barfield is a fantasy editor and analyst for NFL.com. Catch him on the NFL Football podcast with Marcas Grant and Michael Fabiano, LIVE on NFL Network, watch him on League One, and follow him on Twitter . * This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.