Is Russell Wilson getting ready for another second half surge?
It’s hard to believe it’s Week 8 already. While some situations become clearer around the league, others become more murky by the day. This is a turning point in the fantasy season, so it’s important to focus on the most important issues every week. Here’s what I will be watching in Week 8.
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What will Matt Forte’s workload look like?
Everything was great for Matt Forte through two weeks but his efficiency and volume fell seemingly every week from there. Just when Bilal Powell truthers were getting comfortable, Forte blew up for two total touchdowns and over 150 yards from scrimmage in last week’s action. That makes three weeks of Forte being an elite starter and four where he bordered on unusable. So which will it be for Forte moving forward?
The good news is that the pattern has been pretty discernable for Forte, as when the Jets either win or lose close games he’s been productive. Even better is the fact that those games have been fairly predictable as the Jets have lost to some of the better teams in the league and beat up on lesser teams. The best news yet is that the Jets should be competitive in every one of their games until the end of the season (beside their game at New England on Christmas eve), so Forte should be a solid hold right now.
Is Devontae Booker immediately an RB1?
C.J. Anderson is out for the season and Devontae Booker is ready to take over as the workhorse back in Denver. Booker has been impressive, he’s averaged 4.8 yards per carry, but that isn’t predictive because Anderson had handled much of the hard running to this point and Booker has taken on the defense in softer situations.
Booker is almost certainly the workhorse back now and that alone is enough for a running back to carry a lot of value given the landscape of the position this season. With kind matchups three of the next four weeks, he could be much more. He won’t be available in many, if any, leagues but he will be one the most exciting players to watch in the next few weeks.
Will Russell Wilson have another second half surge?
Wilson has thrown for zero or one touchdowns in five of six games this season. He’s topped 300 passing yards once. Both of those stats are concerning, yet somehow they pale in comparison to the fact that he has just 33 yards rushing on the season. To put that in perspective, Wilson recorded more than 33 rushing yards in seven games last year.
This could be the beginning of a new narrative for Wilson as he will be a part of one of the highest scoring games of the week. Now is the time to buy low and take advantage of a disgruntled owner if you need help at quarterback. With another injury emerging this week, his health is a concern, but I’ll be watching to see if he can get on track this week.
Who are the viable receivers in the Cardinals’ passing attack?
The Cardinals three-headed wide receiver core hasn’t worked out as planned. Larry Fitzgerald has been far and away the best receiver on the team and David Johnson has been the second option in the passing game. With John Brown battling injury and potentially missing this week’s game, it’s time to see who emerges as option No. 3 in the offense.
J.J. Nelson had a nice week in Brown’s absence against the Seahawks and could be a nice deep option this week. Michael Floyd also looked better with Brown out, so it remains to be seen if he can finally produce the way many predicted. However, as of Thursday, he still wasn’t practicing. If he’s unable to go, Nelson is a nice pickup. Either way, this is a fluid situation and an important one to keep tabs on.
Will last week’s offense be the norm for Green Bay?
Ty Montgomery and Randall Cobb got the majority of the rushing workload for the Packers last week against the Bears. Not only did this help their fantasy value but it also seemed to energize the entire offense, as Aaron Rodgers had a vintage performance and Davante Adams had a monstrous game. It would certainly seem smart for the Packers to stick with that approach, but whether they will or not is a different question. According to reports, Knile Davis is getting healthy, and if the coaching staff has confidence in him the offense may be more traditional once again. Based on what we saw last week, that won’t be a good thing for them or for fantasy purposes.
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Daniel Marcus is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Daniel, check out his archive, visit fantasy-phenoms.com, or follow him @danmarcus3.
