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Have you played Draftmaster yet? It's a new year-long Fantasy game where you re-draft your team every week -- with up to three keepers every week. If you drafted poorly last week but hit on one or two good bets -- I ended up with Spencer Ware last week heading into his matchup with the Colts with one team -- you can keep those and swap everyone else out.
Picking those keepers is, of course, the most important part of the early part of every week. When you do your draft for the week and you don't have at least a few good keepers locked in, you run the risk of falling behind your competition.
So, for those of you trying out Draftmaster, here are the 10 players for Week 8 of the Fantasy season you can't afford to pass up. Whether you're deciding who to keep or going through a draft for the first time -- you can start your season at any point -- these are the 10 names you want on your roster.
Remember, the Giants, Steelers, Dolphins, Ravens, Rams and 49ers are on bye this week, and Cowboys and Panthers were on bye last week and won't be available to be kept.
It's hard to argue with Jones being No. 1 in any ranking in any week, even against a somewhat tough Green Bay defense. He has racked up 313 yards over the past two games, and is on pace for just under 1,897 yards on the season. What is interesting is that Jones is on pace for nearly identical numbers to last season in yards and scores, while seeing nearly 3.5 fewer targets per game. If his target volume increases -- if the Falcons find themselves playing from behind in a shootout against the Packers, say -- there is reason to think he is capable of even bigger production than we've already seen from him.
You might wish you had more time to make this decision, because Green's matchup could be either very tough or pretty easy, depending on Josh Norman's status. The Redskins have been pretty solid against the pass this season, and Norman has obviously played a big part in that. But Green could be in line for a huge game if Norman sits out.
Getting Gronk puts you ahead of the game at tight end, which is a lot less necessary if you are playing in a league with only four teams, so that is something to keep in mind. However, he has averaged 121.3 yards per game since Tom Brady's return from suspension, while scoring two touchdowns in three games, production that would be good for a No. 1 WR, let alone a tight end. Unless you can grab Greg Olsen, securing Gronkowski is the easiest way to pretty much guarantee you will be ahead of the pack at one position.
Remember when Evans had just three touchdowns last season? He is already at six through six games, as Jameis Winston has continued to force-feed him targets this season. The third-year receiver is enjoying a big-time breakout, improving his yards per game to a career-best 90.8, while improving his catch rate from a year ago despite a much heavier target load. This Raiders defense has not been what we hoped it might be, and Evans has a good chance for another big game as a result.
Our first running back makes an appearance! No back in the league is guaranteed the kind of workload Johnson has received this season, as he has not had fewer than 15 touches in any game. He has reached at least 25 in his past three games, including a ridiculous 41 in Week 7. And Johnson isn't just getting by on volume. He has eight touchdowns, and is a threat to go to the house every time he touches the ball in the receiving or rushing game.
Michael has been largely held in check of late, rushing for less than 4.0 yards per carry in each of the past three games. However, two of those games came against the Cardinals and Jets, tough matchups for any running back, so you can at least excuse that, and he had two touchdowns in the other game. The matchup couldn't be much easier for Michael this week, against a Saints team that allows the most Fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.
The Jaguars aren't a punchline anymore! Sure, they're only 2-4, and their much-hyped quarterback has been a total flop, but the defense has actually been respectable. Against the run, at least, where that unit has allowed the 12th-fewest Fantasy points to opposing backs so far this season. No matter. Murray has been the best back in football outside of Arizona, and is averaging 23.7 touches per game. Even against a middling matchup, he's one of the most attractive backs in football.
Ware has made a recovering Jamaal Charles totally irrelevant so far this season, with his emergence as an every-down force for the Chiefs. He has made an impact in every facet of the game, and gets to go against a Colts defense in Week 8 that ranks among the worst in the game. There is always the risk Ware struggles and Charles works his way back into a larger role, but that seems unlikely at this point.
It's been an up-and-down season for Cooper. The overall numbers indicate he is on pace for more catches and yards than as a rookie, but with just one touchdown, he feels a bit disappointing. Still, you would expect him to find the end zone a bit more frequently moving forward, and a prime matchup against a Buccaneers defense that has allowed nine touchdowns in six games to wide receivers gives him a good opportunity.
Marcus Peters is a tough matchup for any receiver, even one with Hilton's skill set. Good thing the Colts are willing to move Hilton around the formation a bit, because the Chiefs' secondary corners are not great right now. It will be interesting to see if the return of Donte Moncrief cuts into Hilton's target share, but he has at least nine in each game, so that may not be much of a concern.
