Week 7 is in the books which means we are officially halfway through the fantasy football regular season. Bye weeks and injuries are hitting us like a Mike Tyson punch to the gut and they aren’t going away anytime soon. This next three-to-four-week stretch will go a long way in determining if our fantasy teams are headed to the playoffs or if we should pack it up for next year. We need to bring our focus to Week 8 and Week 8 alone to secure a win and a step in the right direction.
Here are 10 tips you should know heading into Week 8:
1. Bye Weeks
There are only two teams on bye this week. The Raiders and the Ravens will have the week off. After a large amount of Week 7 byes, this week doesn’t seem too bad.
Still, these two teams have some fantasy studs that we will miss this week. If you are looking to the waiver wire to replace QB Lamar Jackson I don’t mind QB Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence plays a Seahawks defense that ranks sixth-worst in passing yards allowed. As for TE Darren Waller, I would pick up TE Ricky Seals-Jones. He has averaged seven targets in his last three games and is on track to be utilized heavily again this week.
2. Damien Harris is a Must Start
Patriots’ running back Damien Harris is coming off his best fantasy performance of the year. This week he faces the Chargers’ defense who ranks dead last in rushing yards allowed per game.
Fire up Harris with supreme confidence this week. New England is usually hard to trust for fantasy purposes given the way they rotate players so sporadically. Don’t overthink this one.
3. Bench Leonard Fournette
I have been one of Buccaneers’ running back Leonard Fournette’s biggest fans this year. I wrote about him in my preseason sleepers piece and throughout these articles as well. But this is the week to sit the big man.
The Saints rank top-three in rushing yards allowed per game. The Bucs will also likely have TE Rob Gronkowski back in this one. It just feels like a passing day for Tampa.
4. Broncos’ Pass-Catchers are Must Starts
The Washington Football Team’s defense has been horrendous. They rank last in points allowed and passing yards allowed per game. I would fire up Courtland Sutton as a WR1 and Noah Fant as a TE1.
I would even consider starting WR Jerry Jeudy coming back from injury. The Washington defense has been so bad that I would not want to miss out and leave him on my bench.
5. Bad Weather Games
There is a chance of rain in Orchard Park for the Bills-Dolphins game. There is also a chance of rain in East Rutherford for the Jets-Bengals matchup.
As of now, I would not bench any of the players on the four teams mentioned based on weather conditions alone. However, it is something worth monitoring as we get closer to Sunday.
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6. D’Andre Swift Finishes as RB1
Last week I called my shot that Alvin Kamara would finish as the week’s RB1. This week I am taking last week’s RB2 to finish as RB1. I know, very bold of me.
Lions’ running back D’Andre Swift has been electric in his second season as a pro. This week he faces an Eagles defense that has allowed the fourth-most rushing yards in the league. I think he gets it going on the ground and in the passing game in this one.
7. Stefon Diggs Finishes as WR1
It’s tough to bet against Rams’ wide receiver Cooper Kupp since pairing up with QB Matthew Stafford. But I have a feeling this is the week WR Stefon Diggs reminds everyone how elite he can be by finishing as the week’s WR1.
The Bills play the Dolphins at home in what should be an absolute blow-out win. Miami’s defense has been awful against the pass. Fire up Diggs in DFS and expect great things.
8. Chiefs Get Back on Track
The Chiefs have had a tough start to the year. If you played QB Patrick Mahomes last week, then you probably lost your matchup. Mahomes has had such a great career for fantasy football that we’ll let last week slide.
This week the Chiefs face off against the Giants on Monday night. I wouldn’t hesitate to play Mahomes, WR Tyreek Hill, or TE Travis Kelce in this one.
9. Matchup of the Week
The matchup that I am most interested in for fantasy football purposes is the Cowboys-Vikings game. This game should be an offensive shootout that features countless fantasy implications.
This game kicks off Sunday night so we’ll have to wait around all day for it but it should be worth it.
10. Defense to Stream
Whoever plays the Jets is going to be my answer from here on at for streaming defenses. This week the Bengals travel to New York. Cincinnati has been playing extremely well on their way to a 5-2 start. The hot start will continue for another week at least.
If you enjoyed this article, then you’re in luck! Be on the lookout for weekly installments of “10 tips to know” throughout the season. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @jaltorfer1. Any and all feedback is welcome.
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