Cincinnati Bengals vs New York Jets
Date/Time: Sunday October 31, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Bengals -9.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 43.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Bengals 26.5, Jets 17
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: Burrow heard all of the criticism and skepticism that people put on him as he worked his way back from a gruesome injury and chose to shove it right back in people’s faces to remind them why he was lauded as one of the greatest QB prospects to come out of college in recent history. Burrow is currently on pace now for 4,750 yards and 41 touchdowns to 19 interceptions and he seems like he’s just getting warmed up too. The Bengals are not just pretenders in the AFC North and Burrow’s a big reason why they’re performing as well as they are right now. And with all that being said, they now get to take on the Jets defense that just gave up over 300 passing yards to Mac Jones and the Patriots. Burrow needs to be a locked-in start for your lineup this week if you’ve got him.
Mike White: White stepped in last week and immediately threw a touchdown pass to Corey Davis on his first NFL throw, but that’s not exactly a good omen for what’s to come here in week eight. White is merely just a fill-in option in Superflex leagues at the very best.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon: Despite being hobbled a bit in week five against the Packers, Mixon is currently the RB11 on the year up to this point. For as much hate as he took from fantasy football managers in the off-season, he’s proved the doubters wrong and has been one of the more consistent options at the RB position this season. He’s now scored in four straight games and there’s the potential that we see multiple touchdowns from him this week against the Jets defense that is bleeding fantasy points to opposing RBs. The Jets are currently allowing 28.2 fantasy points per game on average to the position, which is six points higher than the second-worst team in the NFL. Mixon belongs in your starting lineup this week as a borderline top-5 option.
Samaje Perine: Perine is purely a backup RB, but he’s getting in plenty of work this season due to the positive game scripts that Cincinnati has been playing with the majority of the season and this week should be no exception. The Jets are abysmal at stopping opposing RBs and the Bengals should go up big in this one pretty early on. Rather than run Mixon into the ground, we should see plenty of involvement in this one from Perine. If you’re in a pinch and you need an upside play, Perine should be in consideration for your lineup. He can be viewed as a mid-range RB3 this week.
Michael Carter: Carter should probably be wishing White will remain the starter for just a little bit longer after the workload that he received in week seven. Carter saw as many targets in week seven (9) as he had the three previous games combined and it resulted in over 100 total yards for the rookie RB. With White’s tendency to check the ball down, Carter should continue to see a significant workload this week through the air and he’s going to have value for fantasy as the main option in this backfield, despite the tough matchup against the Bengals DST. He can be viewed as a high-end/mid-range RB3 for week eight.
Wide Receivers
Ja’Marr Chase: By now, you probably know that Chase’s 754 receiving yards through his first seven NFL games is the most in NFL history for a rookie WR. However, did you know that Chase’s receiving yard total is enough to put him at 31st all-time at the WR position through the first seven games of the season? Players above him on this list include Julio Jones, Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Irvin, and so many others and Chase is doing it as a rookie. It’s absolutely unreal what he’s doing on the football field and we should be viewing him as a weekly top-5 play. Against the Jets secondary that doesn’t have anyone who can stand toe-to-toe with Chase, he’s in line for another monstrous performance.
Tee Higgins: Higgins hasn’t exactly been dominant over the past few games, but many fantasy managers simply focus on the Fantasy Points column on their fantasy football platform. If you do just that, you’ll completely miss the fact that Higgins had a whopping 15 targets last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Many people chase touchdown production or unsustainable Yards Per Reception efficiency, but we need to chase volume as fantasy managers and that’s exactly what Higgins is seeing in this offense. Against the Jets this week, Higgins has an excellent chance of finding the end zone and he should be viewed as a mid-range/low-end WR2 with upside.
Tyler Boyd: With Chase’s emergence, Boyd has simply faded to the background in this Bengals offense. When both Chase and Higgins are on the field, the talented slot receiver just isn’t needed to help keep the chains moving. He’ll be used to pick up key third-downs here or there throughout the course of the game, but he’s now barreling towards the same type of conversation as someone like Cole Beasley from a fantasy perspective. We can’t view Boyd as anything more than a FLEX play this week against the Jets.
Corey Davis: Davis is listed as doubtful with a hip injury. Maybe it’s best for his fantasy managers that they’re spared from having to make a lineup decision involving Davis when he’s saddled with backup QB Mike White.
Jamison Crowder: Crowder had a solid performance in his first game back in action this season, but has done very little since then. Now with White at QB this week for the Jets, there’s no reason we should be looking Crowder’s way in our fantasy lineups, even with Corey Davis doubtful with a hip injury. He’s outside of FLEX consideration.
Elijah Moore: Moore was able to find the end zone as a runner last week, but he otherwise had just two total touches in that game. Moore can remain on your league’s waiver wire.
Tight Ends
C.J. Uzomah: Uzomah has had a couple of big performances this season sprinkled in-between several mediocre outings, so it’s hard to completely judge how to view him from a fantasy perspective moving forward. He comes with tremendous upside, but his target volume isn’t high enough for us to believe that he’s moved into weekly starter consideration. In this matchup against the Jets, it’s worth plugging him into your lineup due to the potential that he finds the end zone again, but there’s the possibility he falls flat. He can be viewed as a mid-range TE2 this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns
Date/Time: Sunday October 31, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Browns -3.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 42.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Browns 23, Steelers 19.5
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger: So far this season, Big Ben has yet to finish higher than the QB18 any week that he’s played. This offense doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon and there’s not much upside to playing Roethlisberger in this divisional matchup that’s most likely going to be a low-scoring affair. The Browns are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season, so it’s at least worth considering Ben as a QB2 option in Superflex leagues, but that’s about it.
Baker Mayfield: Mayfield is going to attempt to give it a go on Sunday when he suits up against the Steelers with a shoulder injury to his non-throwing arm. While it’s admirable that he’s going to tough it out, we should be extremely concerned from a fantasy football perspective. We have no idea what Mayfield’s going to look like on the field as he tries to fight through this injury and there’s no telling if he’s going to be able to make it through the entire game. If he takes one big hit to that part of his body, he could be knocked out halfway through the contest and leave fantasy managers with very little production in their QB spot. Mayfield is a mid-range QB2 at best this week against the Steelers.
Running Backs
Najee Harris: Harris has played one less game due to an early bye week, but he still is second in the entire NFL in targets at the RB position and sixth in total rush attempts. The workload that this rookie RB is seeing in this Pittsburgh offense is truly impressive and it shows no signs of ceasing any time soon. The Browns defense is only allowing 65.4 rushing yards per game on average this season, but they have been susceptible to receiving backs out of the backfield as they’re allowing .6 receiving touchdowns to the position per contest. Harris should see plenty of work yet again and the matchup is favorable for him to find the end zone as a receiver in this one. He can be viewed as a mid-range/low-end RB1.
Nick Chubb: Fantasy managers certainly missed having Chubb in their lineups last week during the bye week catastrophe, but it sounds like he’s going to be all systems go for this week against Pittsburgh. While it’s not the most fantastic matchup on paper going up against the Steelers run defense, this is the type of matchup that Chubb is made for, right? A divisional matchup where both teams are going to want to run the ball and establish themselves with physicality, Chubb should see plenty of work in this game. He can be viewed as a mid-range RB1.
D’Ernest Johnson: Johnson was one of the main bright spots in an otherwise terrible fantasy football week in week seven. He was a waiver wire darling with the incredible performance he put up against the Broncos and he’s certainly done enough to carve out a role for himself while Kareem Hunt remains sidelined. With that being said, we simply don’t know what that role is going to look like just yet or what the volume is going to be. Will he see Hunt’s usual workload behind Chubb? Or will Chubb see an uptick in work and Johnson will just sprinkle in as a complementary piece? Unless we get clarity from the coaching staff on exactly what the workload split is going to be – which is highly unlikely – Johnson should remain on your bench for this one. Otherwise, he’s just a mid-range/low-end RB3.
Wide Receivers
Diontae Johnson: This Steelers offense isn’t exactly one that we would all call “high-powered”, but that doesn’t matter much for Johnson’s fantasy outlook. He’s finished as a top-20 option each of his past four games that he’s played and the target volume is among the best in the NFL at the WR position. The Browns have struggled to contain opposing WRs so far this season and Johnson should see plenty of work yet again in this one. He can be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside.
Chase Claypool: Claypool was set to see a high target increase when JuJu Smith-Schuster was ruled out for the season, but that didn’t lead to top-tier production in their week six matchup against Seattle. Claypool finished with just two receptions for 17 yards in that contest, but the seven targets were encouraging to see moving forward. Claypool should continue to be a key piece of this Pittsburgh offense moving forward and there’s the potential that we see his efficiency tick back up in this favorable matchup. Claypool can be viewed as a low-end WR2 in this game.
Odell Beckham Jr.: While it’s important to remember that OBJ is dealing with injuries to both his shoulders and is fighting through them, it’s difficult to not get frustrated with the situation here in Cleveland. Beckham Jr. still has the talent to be a factor for fantasy football, but it is just not happening in this offense for whatever reason. There are dropped passes, miscommunications, fluke plays, and so much more that are preventing OBJ from being a relevant fantasy asset. The matchup is a good one on paper for opposing WRs, but we simply cannot trust him in our starting lineups as anything more than a FLEX play at this point. Add in Mayfield’s injury on top of it all and this screams a situation that should be avoided if you have the luxury.
Jarvis Landry: Landry came back into the lineup last week and provided a decent floor with his eight targets in his first game back off of IR. Looking ahead to week eight, there’s an opportunity for Landry to make an impact for fantasy football against the defense that’s allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs, but the risks might outweigh the benefits. Mayfield’s shoulder could be a negative factor for Landry’s outlook and this game could easily be a very low-scoring affair due to the divisional aspect. Landry is a FLEX play at best this week with very little upside.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth: One of the main beneficiaries of Juju exiting with an injury in this offense was Freiermuth as he stepped in to command those targets over the middle of the field. In week six, Freiermuth had a career-high seven targets that he turned into seven receptions for 58 yards. The talent is there with Freiermuth, but it was just going to come down to when he was going to be given the opportunity to shine in this Steelers offense. We may have our answer moving forward. He can be viewed as a mid-range TE2 this week against Cleveland.
Austin Hooper: Hooper led the Browns in receiving last week, but that’s not saying much as he just had 42 total yards on three targets. The usage of the Browns TEs continues to be a muddy situation to parse through for fantasy football and there’s no predicting when Hooper’s going to have a good game or David Njoku is going to get the majority of the volume at the position. It’s probably best to avoid this situation for fantasy if you can.
Philadelphia Eagles vs Detroit Lions
Date/Time: Sunday October 31, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Eagles -3.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 48 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Eagles 25.75, Lions 22.25
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: On the surface level, Hurts’ numbers as a passer don’t actually appear to be all that bad this year. He’s completing north of 60% of his passes, he has greater than 7.0 Yards Per Pass Attempt on the year, and he has 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions. However, it’s important to note that these numbers don’t tell the whole story. The majority of Hurts’ production is coming in garbage time when defenses have taken their foot off the gas, so the stats are skewed. We are very close to Hurts playing his way out of the starting job here in Philadelphia, but he continues to be a force for fantasy football due to this late-game opportunity. Against the Lions, you’re of course starting Hurts as a mid-range QB1 for fantasy. However, if Hurts can’t even move the ball on this defense, it’s worth noting that Gardner Minshew is now the QB2 in Philadelphia. We could see him get some playing time if Hurts can’t get the job done in this plus matchup.
Jared Goff: The Lions came out last week like they were playing the latest version of Madden and it was certainly a sight to behold. However, it still didn’t translate to a win, despite them keeping the game close for the majority of the contest. Goff just isn’t doing enough with this cast of receiving options to push this Lions team over the top and the stats aren’t exactly outstanding. Goff has just eight passing touchdowns on the year through seven games to six interceptions, he’s averaging a mere 6.5 Yards Per Attempt, and he’s averaging only just over 250 passing yards. The Eagles are a defense that can be a good matchup for opposing fantasy QBs, but Goff has done next to nothing to warrant fantasy consideration as anything more than a low-end QB2 with very little upside.
Running Backs
Kenneth Gainwell: With the news that Miles Sanders is week-to-week and is all but ruled out for this matchup against Detroit, we should see Gainwell step into the lead role here in this Lions offense. It’s worth noting that we’re likely to see Howard called up from the practice squad for this game, which will keep Gainwell in his typical role as the pass-catching option out of the backfield. He should see an uptick in work over his usual volume – and the matchup is supreme – but we shouldn’t be expecting him to walk into 15+ touches here. Gainwell is a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 for this matchup against Detroit.
Boston Scott: Scott stepped into Sanders’ vacated role last week against Detroit, but this was most likely out of necessity and being the only other active RB on the roster. With Howard likely being called up from the practice squad, we should expect to see Scott move back into his Special Teams only role in this offense. He’s a risky play this week.
Jordan Howard: Howard should be called up from the practice squad this week to step in as the predominant ball-carrier on the ground for this Eagles offense in Sanders’ absence, so we can look his way if we’re in an absolute pinch. However, we know that Howard’s on the practice squad for the Eagles for a reason and he’s unlikely to do much with his opportunity. He’s a desperation play at best.
D’Andre Swift: Despite playing in one of the worst offenses in the league, Swift is now the RB3 on the year and is averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game. He’s making the most of his garbage time production and he leads the league in targets at the RB position. We all know that the talent is there, but the conversations leading into the year were all centered around whether or not he would be able to thrive in this poor Lions offense. We know now that the situation around him doesn’t matter, he’s going to produce regardless. The Eagles defense is allowing the 5th-most fantasy points to opposing RBs this season and Swift belongs in your lineup as a locked-in RB1.
Jamaal Williams: If the Lions are going to be able to keep a game close all the way throughout, Williams is going to see enough work on the ground to be fantasy relevant. Unfortunately, there’s simply no way of predicting or projecting what the game script is going to be any given week for the Lions. They weren’t supposed to be competitive with the Rams all last week, but Williams ended up seeing 12 carries due to the game being closer than many predicted. The Lions could legitimately beat the Eagles this week, so there’s the possibility that we see Williams involved all the way through this one. But, what’s the upside? Williams is just a mid-range RB3 again this week.
Wide Receivers
DeVonta Smith: Smith continues to ride the rollercoaster that is playing receiver for Hurts in this Eagles offense. Smith now has just one game this season where he finished as a top-20 option on the week, but has three performances where he’s finished as the WR70 or worse. The upside just simply isn’t there for Smith the way that we hoped it would be coming into the season and it’s a valid question now to wonder if Minshew would be better for Smith from a fantasy perspective. Regardless, this is a plus matchup for the Eagles’ receiving options and Smith should still be in consideration as a mid-range WR3.
Quez Watkins: Watkins has shown flashes of his potential here or there throughout the season so far, but it has yet to lead to consistent fantasy production due to Hurts’ deficiencies as a passer. Watkins is outside the top-48 WRs this week.
Jalen Reagor: Reagor was able to find the end zone this past week for Philadelphia, but he still only saw two targets for this team. If you do play him, you’re hoping that he’s the recipient of a garbage-time touchdown and that’s pretty much it.
Amon-Ra St. Brown: St. Brown had been one of fantasy football’s most consistent receiving options the few weeks prior, but he didn’t register a single target in week seven, despite playing 43 total snaps. He had been a trustworthy option leading up to that game, but he’s now back in the territory where we can’t trust him in our lineups. He should remain on your bench this week.
Kalif Raymond: Trying to predict what Raymond’s going to do any week for fantasy purposes has been truly difficult. He’s had weeks where he would have been a fantastic FLEX play, but then he’s followed it up with performances where he finishes outside the top-140 WRs on the week. At this point, there’s no consistency with the Lions receiving corps and it’s probably best to leave Raymond on your bench or your league’s waiver wire.
Tight Ends
Dallas Goedert: Goedert was certainly efficient with his opportunity in his first game without Zach Ertz on the roster and he turned five targets into three receptions for 70 yards. The talent has always been there for Goedert, but it’s just a matter of whether or not he’s going to be consistent enough to be a weekly TE1. The upside is still there, and especially in this matchup, so he deserves to be in our starting lineups this week as a mid-range/low-end TE1.
T.J. Hockenson: Hockenson had a few down weeks recently as he was dealing with an injury, but he’s rebounded in a solid way over the past two games. While there still isn’t a ton of upside to Hockenson due to the offense that he’s a part of, it’s enough to provide weekly value as a mid-range TE1. Hockenson has finished as the TE7 and the TE13 over the past two weeks and he now gets to take on the Eagles defense that’s allowing the 7th-most fantasy points to opposing TEs. He can be viewed as a top-5 option in week eight.
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Los Angeles Rams vs Houston Texans
Date/Time: Sunday October 31, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Rams -14.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 48 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Rams 31.25, Texans 16.75
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: The natural inclination is to see the Rams’ Week 8 game against the Texans as a smash spot for Stafford because … well, because the Texans are terrible. But Kyler Murray finished as the QB8 on the week when he faced the Texans in Week 7, and Josh Allen finished as the QB13 when he faced the Texans in Week 4. Stafford has been terrific this season, with 19 TD passes and an average of 9.0 yards per pass attempt. He’s currently the QB6 in fantasy scoring. I have him ranked QB4 this week but realize that Stafford could underperform expectations if the Texans can’t keep this game competitive.
Davis Mills: Taylor has been designated to return from injured reserve, but the Texans are sticking with Mills for another week to make sure Taylor’s hamstring is fully healed. There’s zero fantasy appeal with Mills, who unexpectedly produced a 312-yard, three-TD game against the Patriots in Week 5 but has thrown just one TD pass over his four other starts. Plus, the Rams aren’t exactly a great matchup for opposing quarterbacks. Mills ranks QB29 this week.
Running Backs
Darrell Henderson: Henderson wasn’t able to cash in on a juicy matchup against the Lions in Week 7, producing 64 yards from scrimmage and failing to find the end zone, but there’s no cause for concern here. He’s averaging 16.0 carries and 3.7 targets per game, and this past weekend was the first time all season that Henderson played a game and didn’t finish as a top-20 RB in fantasy scoring. He gets another great matchup this week against the Texans, who have given up 1,020 rushing yards and 12 TD runs, both league highs. Henderson ranks RB10 but has high-end RB1 upside this week. He’s an appealing DraftKings play at a reasonable cost of $6,500.
David Johnson and Phillip Lindsay: The Texans traded Mark Ingram to the Saints on Wednesday, leaving the backfield to Johnson and Lindsay. Houston hasn’t had a running back finish in RB1 or RB2 range since Week 1 when Ingram was the RB17 and Johnson was the RB24, so there’s very little value here. Presumably, Lindsay will play an increased role and split work with Johnson fairly evenly. It seems unrealistic to expect a workhorse role for the oft-injured Johnson at age 29. Johnson checks in at RB41 this week, Lindsay at WR42.
Wide Receivers
Cooper Kupp: What an amazing season this guy is having. Kupp is on track for the WR Triple Crown, leading the league in catches (56), receiving yardage (809), and TD catches (9). He’s on pace for 136 catches, 1,965 yards, and 22 TDs. Kupp had 10-156-2 against the Lions last week. It was his second straight two-TD game and his fourth of the season. Kupp is the WR1 this week and is destined to make life miserable for Texans slot corner Tavierre Thomas on Sunday.
Robert Woods: After disappointing his fantasy stakeholders in Weeks 1-4, Woods erupted for 12-150-0 in Week 5. Since then he’s been fairly quiet again, with 2-31-1 in Week 6 and 6-70-0 in Week 7. Those aren’t horrible stat lines, but they aren’t the sort of numbers Woods investors were hoping for, and there seems to be little hope for any sort of dramatic change in the dynamics of the Rams’ passing game with Kupp out-targeting Woods 56-35 so far this season. Woods profiles as a low-end WR2 this week against the Texans.
Van Jefferson: Playing a season-high 61 snaps in Week 7, Jefferson had 4-43-1 against the Lions on seven targets, highlighted by a pretty TD catch where he leaped high in the air to snatch the ball from over the helmet of Detroit CB Jerry Jacobs in the end zone. I’m not sure if Jefferson’s bump in snaps – he had a season-high 94% snap share in Week 7 – will stick, but Jefferson is at least on the periphery of flex consideration. He’s my WR56 this week.
Brandin Cooks: Cooks had his lowest yardage output of the season in Week 7 with just 21 yards on five catches. Cooks’ 45 catches have him tied for fifth in the league in that category, and he’s had at least five receptions in 6 of 7 games. If QB Tyrod Taylor comes back from a hamstring injury this week, it could give Cooks a boost. Cooks had 5-132-0 in Week 1 with Taylor at quarterback, and he had 5-50-0 in the first half of Houston’s Week 2 game before Taylor got hurt. Cooks may see some of Rams CB Jalen Ramsey this week, but the Rams typically don’t have Ramsey shadow opponents’ top receivers. Cooks is a midrange WR3 this week, and his affordable $5,700 DraftKings price tag makes him tempting.
Tight Ends
Tyler Higbee: This is a nice spot for Higbee, with a plus matchup and some positive TD regression overdue. The Texans are allowing 11.9 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, tied with the Raiders for the highest figure in the league. Higbee has been targeted 11 times in the red zone and five times inside the 10-yard line this season but has only one touchdown. Over the last four weeks, Dawson Knox, Hunter Henry, Mo Alie-Cox, and Zach Ertz have combined for five touchdowns against the Texans. Higbee checks in as the TE10 this week, but there’s some sneaky upside here, and I like him as a DraftKings GPP play at $4,500.
Jordan Akins and Pharaoh Brown: Both of these guys are averaging 2.5 fantasy points per game in 0.5 PPR scoring. I think our business is finished here.