Heading into Week 8, there’s enough new news in the past 24 hours to
make a novice fantasy footballer cry in confusion. But we’re better than that. So let’s try to make sense of it.
Most of you know I’ve been pushing Devontae Booker for weeks. No one like to see an injury, and C.J.
Anderson’s potentially multi-week absence means we’ll never know if Booker
could have eventually overtaken C.J. as Denver’s top RB. What we do know is that Booker suddenly has
been elevated to RB1 status this weekend and, if he plays as expected and if
C.J.’s injury requires surgery or extensive rehab, could be a top 6 RB the rest
of the season. That’s no
exaggeration. In a run-first,
defense-friendly offense, someone with Booker’s talent will be a game-changer
for fantasy managers.
Josh McCown is working his way back to game action, which is fantastic
news for those who have Terrelle Pryor and/or Corey Coleman (who could return
after this weekend). Since this summer I’ve
been pushing McCown as the key to kick-starting Cleveland’s offense. He looked solid in his one start this season
against a Baltimore defense yielding only 220 yards per game (McCown threw for
260, along with two scores). If he
starts against the Jets, I’m looking at a QB1 line.
If Jordan Reed is good to go on Sunday, trade him. There’s a lot to love about his rapport with
Kirk Cousins. But four of the following
six weeks will feature a bye and three potentially brutal matchups (Minnesota,
Philly, and Arizona). Add in my deep
concerns about his recent concussion and long history of concussions, and I can’t
envision him as a top 8 TE between now and the fantasy playoffs, at which point
the 5-7 Redskins might not even play him if he’s not close to 100%.
Speaking of Washington, Rob Kelley is expected to start this week if
Matt Jones sits. I’m a bit skeptical about
the severity of Jones’s knee injury—whether the coaching staff realized he was
fumbling the Redskins out of the playoff hunt and needed to shift strategies
without the drama of a formal benching.
But really, who knows. The point
is, Kelley would be an RB3/4 (depending on how many touches he gets), while
Chris Thompson would be an RB2/3 in PPR.
For tonight, Allen Robinson will go back to being Allen Robinson, which
means it’ll be a great time to sell high Friday morning. On the other side of the ball, I think it’s a
matter of “when,” not “if,” Derrick Henry gets more touches. Murray is on pace for 379 and his hit an
incredible 27+ in three of four games. The
rookie Henry has looked good in a limited role.
Just like Booker in Denver, Henry offers incredible upside and is a
must-own RB handcuff.