Week 8 is upon us and it’s now or never for many fantasy teams out there. Here are the starts and sits for the week.
Start
Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
A new day is dawning in Detroit and it’s being led by the team’s new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. Cooter will no doubt look to get the ball into the hands of receiver Calvin Johnson. That means a lot of passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford. The matchup against Kansas City is favorable. Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, Andy Dalton and Peyton Manning have all had great outings against the Chiefs. The Chiefs have improved on their pass defense the past two weeks against Minnesota’s Teddy Bridgewater and Pittsburgh’s Landry Jones but I expect Stafford to have a good outing across the pond, throwing to Johnson.
Chris Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
CJ2K? Is that you? While it may not be the second coming of the Chris Johnson of 2009, the former Tennessee Titan sure has made a big comeback. What is it with the Cardinals turning old-timers into studs again? Maybe head coach Bruce Arians has found the fountain of youth? Regardless, Johnson has a great matchup this week against the Browns who allow a league-high 151 rushing yards per game to opponents. Johnson has been the clear lead back in Arizona averaging 14 carries a game. Start him with confidence Sunday.
Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Last week I said to start Cardinals wide receiver John Brown against the Ravens and he put up 65 yards and a touchdown. This week I’m picking on Baltimore again and telling fantasy owners to start Chargers wideout Keenan Allen against a struggling Baltimore pass defense. What’s not to love about this matchup? The Ravens are allowing the 5th-most passing yards to opponents at 286 yards per game. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers leads the league in passing yards (2,452) and attempts (311). Rivers is throwing for 350 yards a game and Allen is his No. 1 target with 690 receiving yards on the season.
Ted Ginn Jr, WR, Carolina Panthers
Brandon Marshall, Allen Robinson, DeAndre Hopkins, Julian Edelman all had good outings against the Indianapolis Colts’ pass defense which is giving up 286 passing yards to opponents, bad enough to be considered one of the 10 worst pass defenses in the league. Even with solid corner Vontae Davis, No.1 receivers are doing well against Indy. Apart from tight end Greg Olsen, receiver Ted Ginn Jr. is quarterback Cam Newton’s favorite target in Carolina. A deeper play for those in need at the position or those who have receivers on bye, he should rack up some yards and hopefully a score Monday night.
Sit
Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Last week Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden filled in admirably for an injured Joseph Randle, rushing for 152 yards and a score. Don’t expect an encore performance when the Seahawks come to town this week though. The Seahawks have been no slouches against the run, limiting Matt Forte, Carlos Hyde and James Starks to modest outings. However, the success stories of Giovani Bernard and Jonathan Stewart may inspire fantasy owners to start McFadden — especially given how well the Cowboys ran the football against Seattle last year.
However, all three of those success stories have one thing in common: a competent passing game. With quarterback Tony Romo out and receiver Dez Bryant returning from a seven-week-long absence likely at less than 100 percent, I don’t anticipate the Seahawks to be overly concerned with the Cowboys’ passing game. Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel is no Romo and is likely good for a few turnovers. With the Legion of Boom at their back, there’s no doubt the Seahawks’ defense will concern themselves with stopping the Cowboys’ only viable weapon, the run game.
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts
I know T.Y. Hilton will likely find his way into most fantasy lineups this week, but the matchup is awful. It’s so bad I can’t even say to curb your enthusiasm on Hilton. Here’s the thing, Panthers cornerback Josh Norman has limited the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans and Allen Robinson. Maybe Hilton is quick enough to get by Norman a couple times. But consider this, Hilton’s monster game last week came when New Orleans had the contest in hand (his first score came with the Saints up 27-0). I don’t think Carolina will run away with this contest and I don’t think the garbage time points Hilton and quarterback Andrew Luck have been capitalizing on will be there this week. Carolina’s defense will likely have to play at an elite level throughout the contest.
Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders
Latavius Murray was on the start list last week and he performed well, but he should be on fantasy benches this week. The Jets bring their stingy run defense to Oakland this week, allowing just 72 yards per game on the ground to opposing running backs. The Jets have stymied running backs all season, allowing just two rushing touchdowns this year. The only fantasy relevant back to post good numbers on the Jets was Ryan Mathews in a do or die contest for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3. The Jets best defensive effort came last week when they allowed only 16 yards to the Patriots and starter LeGarrette Blount rushed for -3 yards.
Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers
Pop quiz. Which team leads the league in fewest passing yards allowed this season and is tied for the lead in fewest receiving touchdowns this season? If you own wide receiver Randall Cobb (and James Jones for that matter) you should know that the answer is the Denver Broncos. Simply put, cornerbacks Chris Harris and Aqib Talib are elite cornerbacks ranking up there with the Legion of Boom (the 2013 version, not this watered down 2015 stuff). When the going has gotten tough, Cobb’s numbers have suffered the most. He has failed to gain more than 50 receiving yards or a single touchdown in his last three games. Part of that had to do with the fact that he’s been dealing with a shoulder injury, that seems to be resolved. However, the matchup is brutal.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders
Like a bad sequel to an equally bad movie, Revis Island is back with a vengeance. Corny, I know but wide receiver Amari Cooper is in big trouble this week as the Jets travel to . Coliseum. T.Y. Hilton, Pierre Garcon, Jarvis Landry, Jordan Matthews and even Julian Edelman have all been left stranded on Revis Island. Facing a hungry Jets defense eager to wipe away a Week 7 loss to New England, I fear Cooper will be the next to fall to cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Hugh Johnson: 303-954-1037, hjohnson@denverpost.com or @HughJohnsonDP
