Now that we are into the part of the season where bye weeks wreak havoc on lineups, fantasy football managers will be facing even more difficult lineup decisions. Let’s take a look at our Week 8 WR start ’em and sit ’em plays.
Week 8 Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em: Wide Receivers
Which wide receivers are starts heading into Week 8?
Start ‘Em | Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (@ NYJ)
The criteria for advocating a player as a start is malleable. Sometimes, it’s matchup-based. The Jets actually allow the second-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers. So, in this case, it’s not the matchup.
Tee Higgins is a talented wide receiver whose production just isn’t matching the targeting. Higgins caught 7 passes for 62 yards last week. That’s a fine enough game in PPR leagues, but what really stands out is his target count (15).
The Bengals are making it a deliberate point to try and get the ball into the hands of Higgins. Of course, Ja’Marr Chase is incredible and the clear WR1, but that doesn’t mean Higgins isn’t great in his own right. I’m banking on the efficiency catching up to the volume with Higgins this week.
Start ‘Em | Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos (vs. WAS)
As for Courtland Sutton, it is, in fact, matchup-based. The Football Team allows the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Sutton is the clear WR1 in Denver. Yes, Jerry Jeudy is returning this week, but he won’t take anything away from Sutton. Instead, Jeudy will vaporize the targets that went to Tim Patrick and Kendall Hinton.
Neither of these teams sports a particularly good defense. While I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it, this game does have sneaky shootout potential with big-time pass catchers on both sides.
Teddy Bridgewater was dreadful last week and only targeted Sutton 5 times. I’m willing to give him a bit of a pass, though. He was playing on a short week while banged up due to a foot issue. With 10 days to rest, Bridgewater should be better and ready to exploit a beatable Washington secondary.
Sutton’s usage should look more like the previous three weeks, where he saw 14, 11, and 8 targets, respectively. Start Sutton in Week 8.
Week 8 Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em: Wide Receivers
These wide receivers should be left on your bench in Week 8.
Sit ‘Em | Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (vs. JAX)
I am taking a stand against Tyler Lockett’s weekly ranking. I will list Lockett as a sit every week until he either falls out of the top 36 or Russell Wilson returns.
Lockett is still a good wide receiver. It just doesn’t matter with Geno Smith under center. DK Metcalf remains safer because of his skill set, but even he’s not immune to Smith’s ineptitude. If not for his 84-yard touchdown on Monday, Metcalf would’ve been just as useless as Lockett for fantasy purposes.
Lockett is averaging 31.8 receiving yards per game over his last five contests. On Monday Night Football, Smith targeted Lockett 3 times. When I said Lockett needed to fall out of the top 36, I was being generous. With Smith at quarterback, Lockett doesn’t even belong in the top 60.
The matchup does not matter and neither does the opponent. The only thing that matters is that Smith is not capable of playing QB at a level high enough to support Lockett’s fantasy value. Don’t even look at Lockett until Wilson comes back. Whoever you can stream off the waiver wire is better.
Sit ‘Em | Julio Jones, Tennessee Titans (@ IND)
While the Colts have been a relatively favorable matchup for wide receivers, so were the Chiefs last week. It didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now.
Sadly, Julio Jones might be done. His skills certainly aren’t entirely gone, but the fear entering this season was his health. Jones dealt with nagging injuries throughout his career, but as a guy in his 20s, he was able to play through them. In his early 30s, he’s finding it far more difficult.
Jones has played the past two weeks and hasn’t been listed on the injury report, but he’s clearly not 100%. Over the first two weeks of the season, Jones played 78% and 75% of the offensive snaps, respectively. However, he strained his hamstring in Week 3. Although he returned in Week 6, Jones played just 66% of the snaps. That number dropped to 43% last week with no reports of re-injury. It just looks like Jones is laboring out there and can’t do it anymore.
We are now entering Week 8, and Jones has posted just a single usable fantasy effort (his 6-128 line back in Week 2). Every other week, you’d have been better off sitting Jones. That continues this week.
