As always, in this space, we journey through some Interesting Tidbits to highlight important fantasy football related changes and trends entering the week. This can include notable recent performances, changes in playing time, intriguing matchups, and so on. Let’s see what’s on tap for Week 8 and beyond!
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And just like that, Amari Cooper is the WR19 in standard leagues
What a difference a week makes. Amari Cooper’s buy-low status evaporated in just one game, with his 210 yards and two touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs outdoing his production from the previous six weeks combined (146 yards and 1 touchdown). His 19 targets and 11 receptions were also far and away season-highs, and in fact, the target total was the highest of his career. So what does this mean moving forward? Obviously we’re not expecting him to suddenly see close to 20 targets every week, and despite the monster game, he still suffered from a case of the dropsies. Plus, it’s not like the previous horrendous slump can be erased from our memories. Still, the talent we’ve been waiting to see again finally showed up, and just as importantly, the bump in volume is a good sign that they’ll be making a stronger effort to get him the ball. Expect some inconsistency, but at least now we’ve seen the upside again. Cooper gets a mediocre matchup this week against the Buffalo Bills, but after that the schedule opens up nicely in Weeks 9 and 10 (at Miami, vs. New England). He also has a potentially fruitful fantasy playoff schedule in Weeks 14 -16 (at Kansas City, vs. Dallas, at Philadelphia). If you’ve held on all year or bought low recently, rest easy, Amari Cooper truther — your patience is being rewarded.
Terrelle Pryor isn’t the next Amari Cooper
Entering Week 7, Terrelle Pryor was in a similar spot as Amari Cooper, averaging an underwhelming 41.8 yards through five games with one touchdown. But now the two find themselves trending in completely opposite directions. Monday night’s game proved to be a changing of the guard at wide receiver for Washington, with rookie Josh Doctson getting the start over Pryor, playing a season-high 84% of the snaps compared to Pryor’s season-low 47%. Doctson didn’t have a particularly noteworthy game (3 receptions, 39 yards), but it’s not like Pyror did anything to suggest they should re-switch roles (2 receptions, 14 yards). Pryor is averaging just 5.5 targets per game, and as a converted quarterback, despite last year’s 1,007 yard season, it’s not like we have a lengthy track record to fall back on in his age-28 season. He’s worth hanging on to in case his playing time returns, but a bounce back isn’t looking great right now.
Demaryius Thomas still has zero touchdowns this season
Formerly Mr. Reliable in fantasy football, dating back to last season, Demaryius Thomas has failed to reach the end zone in 12 straight games. With Emmanuel Sanders out last week, there was a chance Thomas would be a target-hog against the San Diego Chargers, but due to a tough matchup with cornerback Casey Hayward, a struggling Trevor Siemian, and perhaps Thomas himself still hobbled by a calf injury, he instead turned in his worst performance of the year, catching 2-of-6 targets for a mere nine yards. In spite of his underwhelming season, Thomas is still seeing 8.3 targets per game, and it hasn’t been all bad, like his strong Week 6 performance (10 catches, 133 yards). He’s in the mix for red zone targets, and based on volume alone, the touchdowns should come. A shaky offense and Sanders eventual return caps his overall upside, but he should provide better bang for your buck the rest of the way. A matchup against a Kansas City defense that just got lit up by Amari Cooper may be the place that begins, particularly if Sanders remains out.
Marshawn Lynch’s Week 8 suspension could lead to a further decline in usage
Marshawn Lynch let his emotions get the better of him last Thursday against the Chiefs, resulting in an ejection and a one-game suspension that he will serve in Week 8. While losing Lynch for a week is relatively minor, of greater concern is whether this could have any long term ramifications. Following Lynch’s ejection, the Raiders didn’t really miss a beat using Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, who combined for 64 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, along with 7 receptions on 8 targets for 52 yards. While the numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, Washington had no problem punching it in on a 4-yard touchdown run, and both backs are better pass-catchers than Lynch. This isn’t to say that Lynch will suddenly get phased out of the offense upon his return — he’s still their most natural goal line back — but with another solid game out of Richard and Washington against Buffalo this week, we could find the snap distribution get even murkier than it already is. Lynch has played over 50% of the snaps just once this season (Week 6), and he hasn’t surpassed 13 carries since Week 1. He’s averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, and frankly we’re not far off from a fantasy-deflating New England Patriots style committee.
We can welcome Andy Dalton back into our lives against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8
The Indianapolis Colts defense has been incredibly generous to opposing passing offenses this season, and if you need any proof, just consider the fact that they let Blake Bortles throw for 330 passing yards last week. They’ve allowed the most points per game (31.7), and the second-most passing yards per game (300.7). They rank 30th in passing DVOA. It’s been a rocky season for Andy Dalton, but he’s been decidedly better since Bill Lazor took over as offensive coordinator, and he’s a great streaming option this week.
With Martavis Bryant self-imploding in Pittsburgh, this is JuJu Smith-Schuster’s chance to capitalize
Martavis Bryant wants to either see the ball more, or he wants out of Pittsburgh. Well, all his complaining will get him neither in Week 8, as the Steelers have had enough, and he will not play on Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster is technically still in the concussion protocol, but he’s practicing in full this week, and should be able to play. He’s been knocking on the door, playing more snaps than Bryant in four of the last five weeks, and while his 4.4 targets per game over that span may not seem like much, Bryant’s absence will free up another 5-plus targets to go around. It’s possible this one-week punishment is what gets Bryant’s head back on straight, but this is also Smith-Schuster’s best opportunity to run away with the No. 2 wide receiver job. He’s widely available in most leagues, and is well worth a flyer in deep formats.
Aaron Jones is pulling away from Ty Montgomery
I suggested a couple weeks back that Aaron Jones could be poised to take over as the Green Bay Packers’ starting running back. Well, it took a little longer than expected, but last week’s results certainly suggest that Jones is the guy, rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown, while out-snapping Ty Montgomery 44 to 7 and out-touching him 20-5. With Brett Hundley not exactly looking like the second coming of Aaron Rodgers, the Packers will likely need to take a run-heavy approach, further helping Jones’ volume moving forward. That being said, don’t give up on Montgomery just yet. The Packers are on bye this week, which should help him continue to recover from his rib injuries, and also give the Packers time to devise a workable game plan with Hundley. Even if Jones continues to be the lead back, Montgomery could still find a fruitful fantasy role in the passing game as he did at times last season.
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Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin.
