Fantasy Football Predictions Week 8

The best thing about fantasy football (other than winning) is that things typically change from week to week. So if you have a bad week like I did last week, you just have to put it behind you and move on to the next week. Fortunately for me, this past week was much better and my record showed just that, winning 5 out of my 7 leagues.

As always, you will not see names like Aaron Rodgers or Saquon Barkley here. If you have them on your team you should play them every week. These are players that could help you on bye weeks or if you are a fan of daily fantasy football. So without further ado, here is my fantasy football predictions week 8 edition.

Quarterbacks

Mason Rudolph – Pittsburgh Steelers

Rudolph took a nasty hit a couple weeks ago against Baltimore, band it looked like he might be out for a while. But in a little over 2 weeks, he has passed through concussion protocol and is ready to go. Nothing like facing the Miami Dolphins to ease back into action, and with the Steelers desperately needing a win to keep up with Baltimore, look for the Steelers to not take the Dolphins lightly, which should mean a solid game for Mason Rudolph.

Ryan Tannehill – Tennessee Titans

In somewhat of a surprise move, Tannehill replaced incumbent Marcus Mariota against the Denver Broncos and has been named the starter going forward. In his first start last week he had 312 yards passing, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, which is not completely surprising since Tannehill has had success in the NFL during his career. Up next is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, no reason not to see Tannehill put up similar numbers this week.

Matt Stafford – Detroit Lions

Matt Stafford appeared to have his best days in the rear view mirror, but has had a few very nice games this year. It is definitely based on his opponents, but with the New York Giants coming to town, look for Stafford to have another one of those nice games.

Running Backs

James Conner – Pittsburgh Steelers

Conner was already coming out of his early season slump the last few weeks, and keeping with the theme of playing everybody that plays the Miami Dolphins I would be surprised if James Conner did not put up big numbers this week

Sony Michel – New England Patriots

Although James White takes away from Michel’s number all too frequently, Sony Michel is beginning to get into a nice groove. Although he only had 19 carries for 42 yards Monday night against the Jets in a route, he did get 3 touchdowns as New England used him near the goal line multiple times, which is a very good sign. With the Cleveland Browns up next, I would expect Michel to have a solid game, and a touchdown or 2 from helping you win your match up this week.

Ty Johnson – Detroit Lions

This is somebody that is probably not owned in your league, so you should be looking for him on your waiver wire. With starter Kerryon Johnson headed to injured reserve, this will be the Lions workhorse for the foreseeable future. The Giants will be a good match up for Ty Johnson to get a nice flow.

Wide Receivers

Allen Robinson – Chicago Bears

I know you have heard that the Bears offense is horrible, and even as a Bears fan myself I have to agree. But before you lose all faith in this fantasy sports dad, hear me out. Even as poorly as the rest of the offense has been, Allen Robinson has been putting up good numbers, with double digit outputs in PPR leagues in every game except 1 this year and the last two games over 20 points. The Bears host the Los Angeles Chargers this week, and while the offense tries to find its identity you can count on Allen Robinson to consistently putting up hi stats.

John Brown – Buffalo Bills

John Brown had 5 catches on 6 targets against the Dolphins last week, including a 20 yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen. The Bills started off slow, but warmed up in the second half. Coming up are the Philadelphia Eagles, who have not shown they can stop many teams through the air, so I expect John Brown to have another successful outing this week.

Golden Tate – New York Giants

Golden Tate has had a couple of good games with Sterling Shepard on the sidelines recovering from multiple concussions this year, but there is just something extra that comes out for some players when they face their old team. Look for Tate to show off a little when he heads back to Detroit this week and put up solid numbers.

Tight Ends

Evan Engram – New York Giants

The Giants as a team did not have near the success that many expected against the Arizona Cardinals last week, but I see Engram bouncing back this week against Detroit. He will be utilized much more than when Engram does well do does the Giants offense.

Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons

Hooper is nearing the automatic play area of the likes of Zach Ertz and Travis Kelce. He has double digit point totals in PPR leagues in every game save one this year, and The Seattle defense coming up isn’t quite as fearsome as it was a few years ago in the Legion of Boom days. This very well could be a high scoring affair, which means lots of opportunities for Austin Hooper.

Hunter Henry – Los Angeles Chargers

Hunter Henry has had 2 impressive games coming back from injury, and immediately connected with QB Philip Rivers with 8 targets one game and 9 the other. Even with the Chicago Bears up next, there’s no reason to think that Henry will not get similar targets in this game.

Defenses

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Viking defense has had up and down games all year, but have proven to be able to take advantage of easier match ups. With the Washington Redskins coming to Minnesota on Thursday night, especially with this being the first time their QB Kirk Cousins will be playing his old team, the Vikings will come out firing on all cylinders.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Although the Steelers as a team have struggled early this year, starting of 2-4, their defense has actually put up nice fantasy numbers. Besides the week one beat down at the hands of the Patriots, the lowest the Steeler defense has put up in traditional fantasy leagues is 7 points, and 4 straight games in double digits. With the Dolphins up next on Monday night, don’t expect this streak to end.

New Orleans Saints

I have had people ask me when I was going to give this Saints defense their credit, and it is hard not to wonder why. After the first 2 games they have been almost unstoppable, only allowing garbage points against their opponents after the game was well in hand. While rookie QB Kyler Murray has been doing very well for the Arizona Cardinals, Sean Paytons defense is very fast and hides coverages as well as anybody in the league. Expect another strong performance from this defense.

We are Nearing the Halfway Point

We are about halfway through the NFL season and those playoff races are now starting to heat up in fantasy leagues. Let me know if you have any questions about your lineups, or any comments about my picks for this week. If you want to check out my thoughts on daily fantasy football click here. Have a great week!