Fantasy managers who drafted Michael Thomas have to be wondering if he'll ever help their Fantasy team again. He's missed time because of an ankle injury, a bye, a suspension, and now a hamstring injury will quite possibly cause him to miss a second week in a row. It has been extremely frustrating. Those of you who drafted Chris Godwin might be in similar spots, as he is missing his fourth game of the season Sunday with a finger injury. Thankfully, there are some very interesting replacement options out there.
Within the Saints game against the Bears, there are a handful of options you could consider. Marquez Callaway flashed in his first action in Week 7, but he's battling an injury as well so you should watch his status. If Callaway, Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders (Covid IR) remain out Tre'Quan Smith would become a very interesting option and Deontae Harris would be a deep flyer. On the other side of the field, both Darnell Mooney and Anthony Miller are possible flex options even with Robinson expected to play. Mooney is the preferred option, but it's hard to get too excited about either with Nick Foles playing quarterback.
The best replacement options for Thomas and Robinson don't play for the Saints or the Bears. That's because Rashard Higgins and Corey Davis are both available in at least 40% of leagues right now and they both have outstanding matchups. The Raiders have surrendered at least 30 Fantasy points to receivers three weeks in a row and the Bengals have allowed double-digit Fantasy points to every receiver who has received at least six targets against them.
If you lost Odell Beckham for the season, I'm not sure any of these guys are going to help you much after Week 8, but Sterling Shepard is still available in about 60% of leagues and he should.
Here's everything else you need to prepare for Week 8: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Dave Richard's Week 8 Preview | QB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | RB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | PPR Cheat Sheet | Non-PPR Cheat Sheet | Trade Values | Biggest Questions | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Rest-of-Season Rankings | Cut List | Waiver Wire | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not
Week 8 WR Preview
Who's Out
The following players are not being projected to play Week 8 at this time:
Rashard Higgins and Jarvis Landry are both high-end No 3s
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Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler would be deep flexes.
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Brandon Aiyuk could be a solid No. 3.
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Scott Miller and Tyler Johnson are both flexish.
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Numbers to Know
- 11 -- Calvin Ridley leads all receivers with 11 red-zone targets.
- 6 -- Chase Claypool has received six total targets in the three full games Diontae Johnson has played.
- 45% -- Terry McLaurin and Marquise Brown are the only two receivers to account for more than 45% of their team's air yards.
- 11.8% -- Marquez Valdes-Scantling has dropped 11.8% of his targets. He'll be dropped by Fantasy managers if he doesn't have a good game in Week 8.
- 43 -- Davante Adams has played three full games. He has 43 targets in those games. He's the No. 1 wide receiver rest of season.
- 16.3 -- Scott Miller has averaged 16.3 air yards per target. That's not the role Chris Godwin has fulfilled in this offense.
- 76.7 -- Since Week 4 Travis Fulgham has been the No. 1 wide receiver in Fantasy with 76.7 Fantasy points.
The FFT crew is previewing Week 8 game-by-game on the Fantasy Football Today podcast. Follow all of our podcasts and subscribe here:
Matchups that matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
In a one-week pinch, Higgins is my favorite receiver for Week 8 against the Raiders. Odell Beckham is gone, Jarvis Landry still isn't 100%, and we don't expect Austin Hooper or Nick Chubb back yet. Higgins has six career games with at least six targets and he's scored double-digit Fantasy points in four of them. That should be the floor in a good matchup against the Raiders.
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Shepard is by far my favorite option on the list rest of season. He hovered around a 25% target share last year with Daniel Jones and was the No. 1 option in his first game back in Week 7. But the matchup against the Bucs isn't a great one, so I understand if you don't want to start him this week.
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I would actually start Miller over Aiyuk in all formats and Shepard in non-PPR, but I'm not sure he'll have much value when Godwin returns, and we've seen Miller flop when Godwin was out earlier this year Like Aiyuk, he's a high-ceiling, low-floor No. 3 receiver but unlike Aiyuk, I don't believe he can develop into a starter later in the year, especially with Antonio Brown coming in.
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Mims was impressive in his debut and could be the team's No. 1 receiver if Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman can't go. The game script against Kansas City should be great, but the matchup has been difficult for receivers. Mims is a low-end No. 3 if everyone is out, but I like him as a stash as well.
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Agholor has been impressive as of late, but Week 7 was the first game he's seen more than four targets. I'll need to see more before I want to start him as anything more than a deep-league flex.
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DFS Plays
Adams is seeing 14 targets a game and faces a Vikings defense that has surrendered 45 PPR Fantasy points per game to receivers. In Week 1 against this defense, Adams caught 14 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Lock him in for cash games and try to make room in tournaments as well.
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Yeah, Diggs was a flop last week. And I can't use him in cash games against Gilmore. But I love the fact that his cost went down, and I'd imagine his roster rate will as well. He's dominating targets in Buffalo and averaging nearly 9 yards per target. Any time you can get an elite receiver at low roster rate, you have to take it.
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Heath's Projections
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 8 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
