Washington Football Team vs Denver Broncos
Date/Time: Sunday October 31, 4:25pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Broncos -3
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 43.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Broncos 23.25, Washington 20.25
Quarterback
Taylor Heinicke: We may have gotten carried away with Heinicke-mania after his first three starts in place of the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick went so swimmingly. In his last three starts, however, Heinicke has completed 59.0% of his throws and averaged 5.97 yards per attempt, with two TDs and four interceptions. And it’s not like that stretch came entirely against good pass defenses. His opponents in those three games: the Saints, Chiefs, and Packers. The Broncos’ defense has been slumping, but Denver still isn’t a pushover matchup for an opposing quarterback. Heinicke is the QB20 this week and holds no interest for DFS.
Teddy Bridgewater: Washington has been a dream matchup for quarterbacks this season. The Football Team is giving up 30 points per game to opposing QBs and has allowed a league-high 19 TD passes. Bridgewater hasn’t exactly been hyper-efficient lately, averaging 6.4 yards per attempt over his last four games, but he’s thrown seven TD passes over his last three starts. The attractive matchup makes him a midrange QB2 for Week 8.
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic: Gibson has been playing with a stress fracture in his shin and appeared to be ailing while playing only 23 snaps in Washington’s Week 6 loss to the Chiefs. Gibson played 30 snaps in a Week 7 loss to the Packers and didn’t look like he was playing hurt, but he had only 14-51-0 rushing and 2-5-0 receiving, and he lost a critical fumble at the goal line. Gibson hasn’t topped 70 rushing yards in a game since Week 1 and currently sits RB17 in fantasy scoring. Perhaps he’ll improve his fortunes against a slumping Denver run defense that gave up 23-122-1 to Najee Harris in Week 5, a combined 20-87-2 to Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake in Week 6, and 22-146-1 to D’Ernest Johnson in Week 7. McKissic has played more snaps than Gibson in each of the last two games, totaling 110 yards from scrimmage against the Chiefs in Week 6 and 56 scrimmage yards against the Packers in Week 7. Gibson is a low-end RB2 this week, McKissic a midrange RB3.
Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon: Gordon has narrowly out-snapped Williams in three consecutive games and has been the slightly more valuable fantasy asset this season, ranking RB19 in fantasy scoring (0.5 PPR) while Williams ranks RB23. Both Denver running backs ended three-game touchdown droughts with short TD receptions against the Browns last Thursday night. In Week 8, Williams and Gordon face a Washington defense that’s been much better against the run than it has been against the pass, but it’s hard to see the Broncos getting away from the running game they lean on so heavily. Williams and Gordon are both high-end RB3s this week, and neither is particularly appealing in DraftKings contests at $5,300 and $5,200, respectively.
Wide Receivers
Terry McLaurin: There’s only one Washington receiver worth the attention of fantasy managers. McLaurin has a team-high 69 targets; no other Washington receiver has more than 26. After a 4-46-0 game against the Saints in Week 5 and a 4-28-0 game against the Chiefs in Week 6, McLaurin got untracked with a 7-122-1 performance against the Packers in Week 7. He’s likely to see a lot of Broncos CB Ronald Darby on Sunday. Normally a sound cover man, Darby has lapsed this season, grading out 88th among the 112 cornerbacks has graded in 2021. McLaurin profiles as a top-end WR2 for Week 8.
Courtland Sutton: Jerry Jeudy sustained a high-ankle sprain in Week 1 and has been sidelined ever since. Since Week 2, with Jeudy out of the picture, Sutton has been the WR12 in fantasy scoring, averaging 6.2 catches and 87.5 yards a game over that span. It will be interesting to see how Jeudy’s return to the lineup this week affects Sutton’s value. Sutton has looked like a true alpha receiver while Jeudy has been away, but Jeudy is a terrific receiver, too. Even in a smash matchup against a Washington defense that hasn’t been able to cover anyone all season, Sutton is only a high-end WR3, checking in at WR25.
Jerry Jeudy: Jeudy has missed six games with a high-ankle sprain that he sustained in Week 1, but he’s finally ready to make his return. He gets a terrific matchup against a Washington defense that’s giving up a league-high 32.3 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. The question is how targets will be divided. Courtland Sutton has been terrific in Jeudy’s absence, and WR Tim Patrick and TE Noah Fant are still around, too. Jeudy is the WR32 this week.
Tim Patrick: Will Patrick get lost in the shuffle with Jerry Jeudy back from a high-ankle sprain? Patrick currently sits WR33 in fantasy scoring on a diet of 5.6 targets per game. With Sutton missing nearly all of 2020 and Jeudy out for most of 2021, Patrick has been a steady contributor. But is there room for Patrick to produce with both Sutton and Jeudy healthy? He ranks WR57 this week, so the guess here is that he’s in for a target haircut.
Tight Ends
Ricky Seals-Jones: Over the last three weeks, Seals-Jones has caught 15-150-1 on 22 targets, ranking TE8 in fantasy scoring over that span. With Logan Thomas still out with a hamstring injury, RSJ ranks TE13 even though he faces a Denver defense that’s been fairly stingy to opposing tight ends.
Noah Fant: Fant has been enjoying a solid season, with 35-312-3 through seven games, but WR Jerry Jeudy returns from a high-ankle sprain this week, and No. 2 TE Albert Okwuegbunam might also be back after missing three games with a hamstring injury. Fant has averaged 7.0 targets per game. Is that number destined to drop with more in-house target competition? Fant is the TE8 this week. I’m fading him in DraftKings contests at $4,900.
Dallas Cowboys vs Minnesota Vikings
Date/Time: Sunday October 31, 8:20pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Vikings -3
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 52 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Vikings 27.5, Cowboys 24.5.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott or Cooper Rush: Prescott is dealing with a calf injury, leaving his status for Sunday night’s game uncertain. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has been noncommittal about the likelihood of Prescott playing, but a five-point swing in the pointspread for this game and a two-point drop in the over/under number suggest that someone has solid information Dak won’t play. Rush has never started an NFL regular-season game and has attempted just three passes, completing one of them for three yards. In the preseason, Rush completed 29 of 46 passes for 272 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Rush was an undrafted free agent who entered the league in 2017 after an uninspiring college career at Central Michigan. If Prescott plays, he’ll rank as the QB6. If it’s Rush, he’ll be the QB30.
Kirk Cousins: Cousins enters a Week 8 matchup with the Cowboys as the QB10 in fantasy points per game. In his last start before the Vikings’ Week 7 bye, Cousins threw for 373 yards and three TDs in a 34-28 win in Carolina. The Cowboys lead the NFL with 11 interceptions, seven of them by CB Trevon Diggs, but Dallas is also giving up 21.2 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, the sixth-highest number in the league. Dallas also has a pass-funnel defense, with opponents throwing on the Cowboys 66% of the time. That could mean enhanced passing volume for a Cousins in a game the oddsmakers already see as a shootout, with an over/under of 54.5 points. Consider Cousins a low-end QB1 for this one.
Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard: Obviously, the entire Dallas offense would be downgraded for fantasy if Dak Prescott misses Week 8 with a calf injury, though the running backs would be affected less than the pass catchers. Elliott has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in four consecutive games. In the Cowboys’ last game, a 35-29 win over the Patriots in Week 6, Elliott ran for only 69 yards, his lowest rushing total since Week 1. The good news was that he had seven catches for 50 yards, season highs in both categories. Elliott will be facing a Minnesota defense that’s better against the pass than the run. The Vikings’ run defense ranks 24th in DVOA and is giving up 4.8 yards per carry. Pollard currently ranks RB26 in fantasy scoring (0.5 PPR), which is remarkable for a backup who’s scored only one TD. Despite being the clear No. 2 man behind Elliott, Pollard has had double-digit carries in five straight games and has caught three or more passes in 4 of 6 games.
Dalvin Cook: Cook missed Week 3 and Week 5 with an ankle injury and clearly wasn’t healthy in Week 4 when he had nine carries for 34 yards, but he was back with a vengeance in Week 6, rushing for 29-140-1. Cook played 74% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps in Week 6. Now fully healthy, he’s the RB2 this week behind only Derrick Henry.
Wide Receivers
CeeDee Lamb: Lamb went into the Cowboys’ Week 7 bye on a heater. He had 4-84-1 against the Giants in Week 5, then torched the Patriots for 9-149-2 in Week 6. Lamb leads the Cowboys with 49 targets. If the Cowboys have to start Cooper Rush in place of Dak Prescott, who’s dealing with a calf injury, Lamb’s ceiling is lowered substantially. He’s tentatively slotted as the WR 15 and too pricey at $7,800 on DraftKings given the QB situation.
Amari Cooper: Cooper opened the season with 13 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns against the Buccaneers. In the five games since, he’s averaged 5.2 targets, 3.4 catches, 46.8 receiving yards, and 0.4 touchdowns. Cooper hasn’t hit 70 yards in a game since Week 1. Not only that, but there’s a chance he’ll be catching passes from Cowboys backup Cooper Rush this week, since Dak Prescott is dealing with a calf injury. Cooper is a high-end WR3 at best this week.
Justin Jefferson: Over his last four games, Jefferson has 30 catches for 406 yards and two touchdowns. He’s the WR15 in fantasy scoring and the WR12 in fantasy points per game. The Cowboys are giving up 26.0 points per game to opposing wide receivers, making this an appealing spot for the Vikings’ young star. Jefferson is the WR6 this week.
Adam Thielen: After being held to 50 yards or less in four consecutive games, Thielen blew up in Week 6, catching 11 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Justin Jefferson is the alpha receiver in Minnesota now, but Thielen is nevertheless averaging a healthy 8.3 targets per game. He’s a low-end WR2 in a potential Sunday-night shootout with the Cowboys.
K.J. Osborn: Osborn had 6-78-1 in his last game, a Week 6 win over the Panthers, and he’s the WR42 on the season. He’s probably not startable in most 12-team leagues, but Osborn gets enough targets (35 in six games) to be a viable WR3 or flex option in 14- or 16-team leagues. He’s the WR64 this week.
Tight Ends
Dalton Schultz: Over his last four games, Schultz has 23-296-3, making him the TE2 over that span. Will the targets keep coming at the same rate once WR Michael Gallup returns from a calf injury next week? It’s hard to tell, but Schultz has played 180 of the Cowboys’ 228 offensive snaps this year, so he’s not going to disappear from this offense barring injury. The more immediate concern is the availability of starting QB Dak Prescott, who’s dealing with a calf injury. Schult’s Week 8 fantasy value takes a hit if backup QB Cooper Rush has to start. Schultz is the TE11 this week.
Tyler Conklin: Before the Vikings hit their Week 7 bye, Conklin had a season-high 71 receiving yards in a Week 6 win over the Panthers. With 22-240-1, Conklin is the TE19 in fantasy scoring, and he lands at TE18 in the rankings this week.
New York Giants vs Kansas City Chiefs
Date/Time: Monday November 1, 8:15pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Chiefs -10
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 52 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Chiefs 31, Giants 21
Quarterback
Daniel Jones: A Monday-night matchup against the Chiefs could be a good spot for Jones, although his propensity for turnovers certainly has the potential to unravel things. Jones faces a Chiefs pass defense that ranks 31st in DVOA. Kansas City is giving up 8.6 yards per pass and 275.7 passing yards per game. The Giants and Chiefs are both among the five fastest teams as far as offensive pace, which could help boost Jones’ passing volume. Jones has thrown only one TD pass in his last three games and just five TD passes all season, but he still ranks a respectable QB16 in fantasy scoring thanks largely to his rushing numbers. There’s a wide range of outcomes here, but Jones sits at QB13 in this week’s rankings.
Patrick Mahomes: Mahomes is coming off one of the worst games of his career – a 27-3 loss to the Titans in which he completed 20 of 35 passes for 206 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Mahomes also appeared woozy after taking a big hit late in the game. The Chiefs ran only 17 plays in the first half of the loss to Tennessee, which was one of their problems. But it also seems as if Mahomes is trying to do too much because the ragged Kansas City defense keeps giving up points and forcing the Chiefs’ offense to keep pace. Mahomes faces a statistically average Giants defense this week, but one reason to get excited about the matchup if you’re a Mahomes investor is that the Giants and Chiefs have two of the five fastest-paced offenses in the league. Mahomes ranks QB3 this week.
Running Backs
Devontae Booker: Saquon Barkley is expected to miss at least one more game with a sprained ankle, leaving Booker as the Giants’ starting RB for a third straight game. Over the last two weeks, Booker has cranked out 135 yards from scrimmage against the Rams and Panthers, two solid defenses. Booker also had 58 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against the Cowboys in Week 5, the week that Barkley went down. Booker ranks RB23 this week against a Chiefs run defense that has allowed 10 TD runs and is giving up 4.7 yards per carry.
Darrel Williams: Williams remains the Chiefs’ starting RB for at least two more weeks while Clyde Edwards-Helaire recovers from a sprained MCL. Williams played 64% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps in Week 7 and was the only running back to carry the ball for Kansas City, but a negative game script limited Williams to 5-20-0 rushing. He also had 3-30-0 receiving on four targets. The previous week, game script went much better for the Chiefs, and Williams had 21-62-2 rushing and 3-27-0 receiving. Williams ranks RB16 this week and is close to a must-start in all but very shallow leagues.
Wide Receivers
Kadarius Toney: We’re anxious to see more of Toney after he electrified us in Weeks 4-6 before sustaining an ankle injury. The problem for Toney investors is that the rookie appears to be truly questionable for Week 8, and the Giants don’t play until Monday night. In Weeks 4-5, Toney had 16-267-0 receiving. He was off to a fast start in Week 6, with three catches for 36 yards in just a couple of series, but then he left with the ankle injury. It would be fun to watch Toney face a bad Kansas City defense, but for now, we’re conservatively ranking Toney WR33 due to his iffy status.
Sterling Shepard: Like Kadarius Toney, Shepard looks like a game-time decision on Monday, putting his fantasy investors in a bind. Shepard had 10-76-0 for the shorthanded Giants in Week 6 before tweaking his hamstring. Whenever Shepard has played this season, Daniel Jones has peppered him with targets, although Shepard might not see quite as many targets when he has to share the field with Toney, a rookie sensation. For now, Shepard is ranked WR38, but we’ll need to monitor his status throughout the week and the weekend.
Darius Slayton: With Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard both out in Week 7, Slayton had a team-high nine targets and finished with 5-63-0. He figures to be the lead receiver again if Toney and Shepard remain sidelined, but if those two both play, Slayton won’t be playable in Week 8. The tricky thing is, we may not know the status of Toney and Shepard (and hence the status of Slayton) until after Sunday’s games since the Giants play on Monday night. Monitor this situation carefully if you have any investments in Giants receivers.
Dante Pettis: If Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard are both healthy enough to play this week, the snap count for Pettis is going to shrivel. But Pettis, a former occupant of Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse in San Francisco, looked good in Week 7 with 5-39-1 against the Panthers. Perhaps Pettis, the son of former MLB center fielder Gary Pettis, will be fantasy-relevant somewhere in 2022.
Tyreek Hill: A quad issue has plagued Hill in recent weeks, which might be why he hasn’t had a 100-yard receiving day since Week 4. It’s not as if Hill has disappeared – he’s had 22-188-1 over the last three weeks – but we haven’t seen an eruption for a while, and perhaps we’ll see Hill go off against a Giants defense that gave up a 9-130-2 game to Cooper Kupp in Week 6. Hill is the WR3 this week.
Mecole Hardman: Maybe Hardman will never produce consistently for the Chiefs as long as Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are around to hog targets. After emitting some encouraging sparks in recent weeks, Hardman couldn’t get the fire started in Week 7, with 4-28-0 on five targets. He’s had five or fewer targets in 5 of 7 games this year. Hardman is the WR49 this week.
Tight Ends
Evan Engram: Even with the Giants missing their top two receivers (Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard) in Week 7, Engram could muster only 6-44-0 on eight targets. In five games this season, Engram hasn’t scored a touchdown and has averaged 34.2 receiving yards. But Engram is still a terrific athlete, and in Week 8 he’ll be facing a Kansas City defense that’s giving up 11.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends, so we’re keeping a candle lit for Engram with a ranking of TE14.
Travis Kelce: Over his last four games, Kelce has been the TE9 in fantasy scoring, with just one touchdown and no 100-yard receiving days. Kelce has been battling some minor injuries. He’s been dealing with a stinger, and he’s also been seen limping during recent games. But there are no serious concerns here. Kelce is on pace for a 109-1,294-10 season – a typical Kelce output – but obviously his investors are ready for some fireworks. As usual, Kelce enters the week ranked TE1.
Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers
Date/Time: Thursday October 28, 8:20pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Cardinals -6
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 51 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Cardinals 28.5, Packers 22.5
Quarterback
Kyler Murray: Last year, Murray was averaging 28.94 fantasy points per game through the first seven weeks of the season. This year, he’s averaging a respectable 24.81 FPPG, but the ways in which Murray got to these high totals is completely different. Through seven games last season, Murray had 437 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to just 1,847 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. In 2021, Murray has just 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns through the first seven weeks, but he’s thrown for just over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. We’ve seen Murray progress significantly as a passer this season and he no longer needs to do a ton with his legs to be a top-tier fantasy asset. The Cardinals are rolling and we shouldn’t expect any sort of significant drop-off from Murray any time soon. If anything, this signals that there’s an even higher ceiling for Murray from a fantasy perspective if we start to see him get out on the move again. He can be viewed as a top-5 option yet again this week.
Aaron Rodgers: Rodgers was expected to come through with a dominant performance last week against the porous Washington defense and he did just that. Rodgers threw for 274 yards, had a 77% completion rate, averaged 7.8 Yards Per Attempt, and had three passing touchdowns. Looking ahead to week eight, however, things getting a little bit more difficult for the Green Bay passing attack. Arizona is allowing just 217 passing yards per game and only 1.1 passing touchdowns on average. Additionally, they’re allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the position with just 16.3, and Rodgers isn’t going to have his main receiving weapon – most likely – for this matchup. Rodgers is merely just a high-end QB2 this week.
Running Backs
James Conner: We’re now through seven weeks of the 2021 NFL season and Conner only trails Derrick Henry in terms of rushing touchdowns. While Conner hasn’t gotten a ton done on the ground from a yardage perspective – only 335 rushing yards through seven games – he’s bringing weekly fantasy value due to his propensity for finding the end zone. As the Cardinals offense continues to simply move the ball at will against any defense they want, Conner’s going to continue to be utilized heavily in the red zone, which translates to plenty of scoring opportunities. At this point of the season, Conner is eighth in the NFL in red zone rushing attempts with 18 and we need to move him up the rest-of-season rankings because of this type of usage. The Packers are only allowing .6 rushing touchdowns per game so far this season, but they’re going to have a hard time slowing down this Cardinals offense here on a short week. Conner can be viewed as a low-end RB2.
Chase Edmonds: Edmonds has now gone 95 touches so far this season without finding the end zone. He has nine rush attempts inside the 20, but it has translated to just 23 yards and no touchdowns. From a talent perspective, Edmonds is among the best in the NFL with the ball in his hands. He’s coming off of a game where he posted a 140 Elusiveness Rating from Pro Football Focus, which was top-4 on the week, but it’s not meaning much from a fantasy perspective if he’s not delivering touchdowns. Edmonds will remain a valuable low-end RB2 moving forward for fantasy rosters, but we know at this point that the upside just isn’t there with him.
Aaron Jones: Last week was an interesting strategy by the Green Bay Packers as they essentially completely abandoned their run game. Jones had just six rush attempts, which was his second-lowest output of the year only behind New Orleans in week one, but he did save his fantasy day by reeling in all five of his targets. We should see the usage bounce back for Jones this week, especially with Davante Adams all but ruled out for this game, but the matchup is a tough one in front of him. The Cardinals are allowing the fewest fantasy points to the RB position with just 11 per game and they’re allowing just .1 rushing touchdowns on average. They have been susceptible to receiving backs out of the backfield though, as evidenced by the fact that they’re allowing 41 receiving yards per game, so we could see Jones make up for it in that aspect. The upside just simply isn’t there for Jones in this matchup, but you’re obviously still starting him as a top-10 option.
AJ Dillon: Dillon was slowly starting to creep up rest-of-season rankings due to his involvement in this Packers offense. Unfortunately, Green Bay went away from their run game last week and Dillon’s fantasy stock took a hit as a result. He had just five total opportunities (targets + carries) in week seven against Washington and this is an extremely tough matchup for opposing RBs in Arizona. It’s probably best to look elsewhere for a FLEX option this week and leave Dillon on your bench.
Wide Receivers
DeAndre Hopkins: Did Hopkins torch his former team the way that the majority of fantasy managers would have liked to see? No. However, there were a lot of positive takeaways from last week’s matchup against the Texans for Nuk. One of the biggest concerns for Hopkins so far this year has been the fact that he’s not seeing as many targets as he has in previous seasons. Hopkins has just 47 targets on the year now up to this point, but he had a whopping 73 targets at this point last year. The target share has been split pretty evenly across the board in Arizona so far, but that was not the case on Sunday. Hopkins had a 32% target share against Houston and it translated to a 7-53-1 stat line. Looking ahead to week eight, fantasy managers are hoping that that target share is here to stay as the Cardinals take on the Packers and their banged-up secondary. Nuk should draw coverage from Eric Stokes for the majority of the game this week and Stokes is going to have his hands full as a rookie DB. He’s performed well so far this season, but guarding a player like Hopkins is an entirely different task. Nuk can be viewed as a mid-range WR1 this week.
AJ Green: Green has had just two down performances all season long, but if we remove those from the equation here are his fantasy finishes: WR38, WR21, WR17, WR15, and WR38. He’s delivering solid performances each week for fantasy football and the majority of people are still very hesitant to buy into what we’re seeing on the field based on how he disappointed many last season. This Cardinals offense is moving the ball against any defense that they want and Green’s been a key part of that. It’s time that we view Green as a consistent FLEX option week in and week out and he’s going to have every opportunity to deliver a big performance here as he draws coverage from Rasul Douglas in week eight. He can be viewed as a high-end FLEX play this week.
Christian Kirk: Don’t look now, but Kirk is actually the WR20 on the season in Half PPR scoring currently. This Arizona offense is steamrolling the competition and Kirk has benefited greatly as a result. It’s not just Murray making things happen though and Kirk benefiting from fantastic QB play, he’s been making plays himself. He has an 83.3% catch rate on the season, he’s averaging just shy of 14 Yards Per Reception, and he has a 127.8 Passer Rating when targeted this season. We need to move Kirk up our rankings into the weekly starter conversation, regardless of the matchup. This week, against the Packers defense that’s allowing over a touchdown per game on average to the WR position, Kirk belongs in your lineup as a high-end FLEX play with upside.
Rondale Moore: It hasn’t been pretty for Moore over the past few weeks. He has just eight touches over the past two games and 43 total yards as a result. With Green, Kirk, and Hopkins all dominating the snap share in this offense, Moore is not seeing enough consistent usage to be a viable fantasy option. He’s outside the FLEX conversation this week and can be dropped if there’s a better option available on your waiver wire.
Allen Lazard: Lazard is coming off of a big performance for the Packers in week seven as he had five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown on six targets. Now, he’s going to be asked to take on a larger role here with Adams out for this matchup against Arizona. While Lazard should see the majority of the targets, it’s worth noting that there’s currently optimism that MVS will return to the lineup here in week eight. This would limit the potential ceiling for Lazard, but he’s still worth playing due to the opportunity. He’ll need to find the end zone to crack the top-24, but the upside is there against the defense that’s allowing 22.4 fantasy points per game to the WR position. Lazard can be viewed as a mid-range WR3 for week eight. Update: Lazard has been placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list and is almost certainly out this week.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: MVS is reportedly set to return to the lineup this week against Arizona and the potential is there for him to make a significant impact with Adams and Lazard out for this matchup. However, MVS is nothing more than a dart-throw FLEX play in his first game back in action. We don’t know what his health status and snap count are going to be and he’ll most likely need to find the end zone to return value. He’s a risky play, but the upside is certainly there due to the opening in opportunity. Update: MVS was not activated off of IR and will not play in this game.
Randall Cobb: Cobb has had moments where he’s flashed so far this season in Green Bay, but there’s been very little consistency with his usage up to this point. In a game where Adams, Lazard, and MVS are out, the target share in this offense will open up dramatically but that doesn’t exactly mean that Cobb is an automatic start. He can be viewed as a high-end FLEX play at best in this one.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz: Welcome to Arizona, Mr. Ertz! In his first game wearing Cardinal red, Ertz played 35 snaps, had a 17.9% target share, and tied for the team lead in receiving yardage. Oh, and he scored a touchdown too! Due to the fact that he’s no longer splitting opportunity with Dallas Goedert, Ertz has to move up rest-of-season rankings, especially based on what we witnessed in his first game with the team. Moving forward, we can value Ertz as a weekly high-end TE2 that has upside due to the offense that he plays in. Against the Packers’ defense that’s middle-of-the-pack in defending opposing TEs, Ertz can be viewed as a low-end TE1.
Robert Tonyan: Tonyan has now had five games this season with two or fewer fantasy points. However, last week was not one of those performances. Tonyan finally came through for fantasy managers that were still starting him with a 4-63-1 stat line and there’s now the potential that that type of usage is here to stay for this matchup against Arizona. With Adams and Lazard out, the targets in this offense could go anywhere and we know that Rodgers and Tonyan have the chemistry to build upon. It’s a risky play this week because we know that it has the potential to result in two or fewer fantasy points, but the upside is there. He can be viewed as a high-end TE2 for week eight.
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