We’ve reached the midway point of the season, a crucial milestone for any team looking to either lock in a postseason berth or compile key wins to avoid being on the outside looking in.
No matter what position your fantasy team finds itself in, you’re going to have to battle this week without two of this year’s top fantasy quarterbacks, and , who are on a bye. Same for wideout , who will go for his third straight 100-yard receiving game when he returns to action, and running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was bottled up by Redskins defense last week at FedEx Field.
Injuries to , Matt Breida, Sony Michel and thin the ranks even further, forcing you to dig deeper on your bench to fill out a competitive roster.
If your reserves aren’t up to snuff, there may still be some decent option on this week’s waiver wire, such as running back Marlon Mack. Otherwise, here are six moves you will want to consider to make the most of Week 8.
Start
, QB,
Dalton has completed almost 64 percent of his passes for 1,822 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2018. His touchdown rate and Total Quarterback Ratings are the highest they have been since 2015 and the game charters at Pro Football Focus rank him as the 13th best passer in 2018.
In Week 8 he and the Bengals will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the worst overall pass defense in 2018, per Football Outsiders with the least-effective pass-rushing unit, per Pro Football Focus.
As an added bonus he is still available in 30 percent of fantasy leagues, making him a good bye-week or injury replacement.
, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Hilton leads the team in yards per route run (1.7) and has helped quarterback produce a 102.4 rating on his targets this season, significantly higher than Luck’s overall passer rating of 93.3 in 2018. That combination could be big trouble for an Oakland secondary that is allowing a 106.6 passer rating against, the fourth-worst mark in the NFL.
Not only is the Raiders secondary allowing superior performance to opposing passing, they have surrendered 45 more points than expected based on the down, distance and field position of each throw against this year.
, RB,
Lindsay’s emergence as a fantasy-viable running back was a surprise but if you were lucky enough to grab him in the draft or on the waiver wire he is certainly rewarding you for your belief. The rookie has 90 touches for 555 yards from scrimmage plus three total touchdowns and will get to ply his trade against a defense that has trouble both stopping rushers at the line of scrimmage (16 percent stuff rate, 22nd) and from catching passes out of the backfield (27th per Football Outsiders).
Sit
Michael Thomas, WR,
It’s not often you see someone advocate sitting a premier wideout, but this isn’t ordinary circumstances. Thomas and the Saints will have to contend with a Vikings defense that has limited No. 1 receivers to an average of 53 yards per game and all receivers to less than 10 PPR points per week, with a max of 13.7 fantasy points to a wideout over their last three games.
, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Jacksonville’s defense isn’t as good as it was last year but it has been successful at shutting down opposing tight ends. Heading into this week’s matchup against the Eagles, the Jaguars’ pass coverage has surrendered just one receiving touchdown to a tight end this season, Jordan Leggett of the . Only one tight end, of the Kansas City Chiefs, has topped more than 22 receiving yards.
Kenyan Drake, RB,
Drake has two obstacles in his way this week. The first is teammate , who has played more rushing snaps (72) than Drake (60) this season. The second is a Houston defense that ranks first against the run per Football Outsiders.
Three Texans — defensive end , plus linebackers Zach Cunningham and Benardrick McKinney — have 21 or more stops at or behind the line of scrimmage and four others, including Jadeveon Clowney and Tyrann Mathieu, have at least double-digit stops this season.
That’s a tough task for a Miami offensive line that ranks 27th for run-blocking by Pro Football Focus.