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IDP Start em, Sit em – Week 8 (2022 Fantasy Football)

IDP Start em, Sit em – Week 8 (2022 Fantasy Football)

Thursday Night Football had its moments. We got a marquee matchup with Lamar Jackson vs. Tom Brady, which barring a Super Bowl, is likely the last time we will see these two MVPs go at it. Mike Evans was a force to be reckoned with under the bright lights, and we also saw the ‘better late than never’ emergence of offseason standout Isaiah Likely, who got some extra burn with Mark Andrews hurt. On the IDP side of things, Justin Houston recorded his second straight two sack game despite playing only 35 percent of the snaps, while Shaq Barrett, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, and Vita Vea all got sacks of their own on Lamar Jackson. Looking ahead to this weekend, we will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others who are better left on benches despite promising upside. Let’s dig in.

Start em

Rasheem Green (DE – HOU)
Rasheem Green had a solid Week 7, posting two solos, one sack, and two tackles for loss. Green saw the most snaps of the Texans pass rushers with Jonathan Greenard on IR. He is seeing fewer third down snaps than one would like, but we can’t argue with 3.5 sacks in five games and a team-high four tackles for loss. All of the Texans pass rushers are still seeing under 60 percent of the snaps, thanks to Ogbonnia Okoronkwo seeing an expanded role, but Green and Jerry Hughes are the strongest bets for production this weekend. Treat Green as a DL3 with DL2 upside for a plus Week 8 matchup against a Tennessee Titans team surrendering the second most fantasy points to the defensive end position.

Travon Walker (DE/LB – JAC)
Travon Walker was excellent in Week 8, recording two solos, three assists, one sack, and one tackle for loss. He has been picking it up in the tackle department over the last few weeks and has now finally tallied his second sack of the season. The tackles raise his floor, making him a comfortable DL3 with DL2 upside. He looks like a DL2 option for this weekend, however, due to facing a struggling Denver Broncos team allowing the eighth most fantasy points to opposing edge rushers.

Deion Jones (LB – CLE)
Deion Jones was solid in his Cleveland Browns debut, playing 52 percent of the snaps and racking up four solos, one assist, and one tackle for loss. He was third on the team in linebacker snaps behind Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Sione Takitaki. Takitaki saw just 56 percent of the snaps in Week 7, and both linebackers are set to see a spike in their snaps with Jacob Phillips lost for the season with a torn pec. Jones was an LB1 mainstay when he was healthy with the Atlanta Falcons, and as such, is teeming with upside. Treat him as a borderline LB2 for a plus Week 8 matchup against a Cincinnati Bengals team allowing the 16th most fantasy points to the linebacker position.

Ja’Whaun Bentley (LB – NE)
Bentley had been playing behind Jahlani Tavai for the past couple of weeks but pushed passed the young linebacker to hit 90 percent of the snaps in Week 7. Bentley is and has been productive when getting consistent starters snaps and should be back to being a locked-in LB2 option. There is always the risk that Tavai gets more usage due to gameplan, but it is Bentley who you want plugged into lineups for a neutral Week 8 matchup against the New York Jets. Start him where needed as an LB2, albeit with an LB3 floor.

Eric Rowe (S – MIA)
The Miami Dolphins appear set to deploy a committee to replace the injured Brandon Jones, but Eric Rowe seems like the safest bet to emerge with an IDP-relevant role. Rowe has been stealing snaps from Jones all season, so it only seems natural that he would be the platoon leader. However, because we will also see Clayton Fejedelem and even some Verone McKinley, Rowe sees his upside capped and will not be as valuable a contributor as Jones has proven to be both in real life and on the virtual gridiron. Treat him as a DB3 option for a plus Week 8 matchup against a Detroit Lions offense surrendering the 13th most fantasy points to the position.

Sit em

Isaiah Simmons (LB – ARI)
Isaiah Simmons was incredible in Week 7, recording four solos, one assist, one interception, one pass defended, and one touchdown. He was a recommended waiver add this week but is not a suggested start. Simmons remains stuck in slot coverage on 44 percent of his snaps and is ceding snaps to the likes of Ben Niemann and Tanner Vallejo. He has had some excellent games this season but has been an utter disappointment in the other five contests. He is too inconsistent to trust as anything more than an LB4/flex2 and should be treated as such against a Minnesota Vikings team limiting the linebacker position to the eighth fewest fantasy points per game.

Arnold Ebiketie (DE – ATL)
Ebiketie went from 83 percent of the snaps in Week 6 back down to 55 percent in Week 7. It appears that he did not, in fact, finally earn a larger role and that Week 6 was just an aberration. Ebiketie’s value is and was tied to his perceived wide-open path to heavy snaps, something that has yet to materialize. With a light on bye on tap, fantasy managers can afford to roster him for one more week but should be looking into more reliable replacement options if available. Keep Ebiketie benched for Week 8, and if his snaps and production do not improve, redraft managers should cut ties altogether.

Chandler Jones (DE – LV)
Jones has been a major disappointment this season and is now rather embarrassingly letting Clelin Ferrell push him for snaps. Chandler is still one of the best in the league when he is motivated but is playing just 67 percent of the snaps, while Clelin sees 66 percent. Both are behind Maxx Crosby, and it is a wonder that they both struggle for production across from someone playing as well as Maxx is. Jones has just 0.5 sacks all season and should not be in any fantasy lineups unless you roster multiple DL options from the Los Angeles Chargers or the Kansas City Chiefs. Look elsewhere for Week 8.

Andrew Adams (S – TEN)
Adams went bonkers in Week 7, recording six solos, four assists, one interception, one pass defended, and one touchdown. He played 99 percent of the snaps due to the Titans playing heavy dime looks and could become an IDP force if they keep up the three safety, two corner looks with Amani Hooker in the slot. Adams is someone to target off the waiver wire but is not someone to plug into lineups for Week 8. Last week was the first time we saw him over 68 percent of the snaps and the first time he recorded more than three solos. Stash him, but pass on starting him for a plus Week 8 matchup against a Houston Texans team allowing the 12th most fantasy points to the position.

Blake Martinez (LB – LV)
Blake Martinez managed just 15 snaps in Week 7 and is still not an IDP option. His name equity keeps him on rosters, and his role is slowly expanding, but he is stuck behind Denzel Perryman (at least for now) as long as he is healthy. Perryman is losing value himself due to Martinez siphoning a large chunk of snaps, so the suggestion here is to avoid both linebackers where possible. Both linebackers have LB1 upside when getting starters snaps, so this is a very frustrating situation for fantasy managers with either on their roster. Both are worth a continued stash, but while Perryman can still be deployed as a borderline LB2 due to sheer tackle activity, Martinez needs to be glued to benches for a tasty Week 8 matchup against a New Orleans Saints team relinquishing the sixth most fantasy points to the position.

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.

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