We're halfway through the fantasy season. It's time to take a look at some of the best and worst matchups to keep in mind for Week 8.
With seven weeks in the books, the fantasy season is hitting the halfway point. The only teams on a bye in Week 8 are the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, leaving plenty of options for fantasy owners and their lineups.
Last week's advice featured starting Russell Wilson and Dwayne Allen while sitting Matt Ryan and Zac Stacy. Some misses included starting Justin Hunter and sitting Jerick McKinnon. Let's see who the matchups favor to start and sit in Week 8.
Start
QB Ryan Tannehill at Jaguars: The Dolphins quarterback finished No. 4 among fantasy quarterbacks in Week 7. In his last two games, he rushed for 49 and 48 yards. Now he gets another good matchup to continue his pace.
Jacksonville's stats against quarterbacks are deceiving when you consider the Jaguars faced Charlie Whitehurst and Brian Hoyer over the last two games. This secondary gave up 12 touchdowns and picked off just two passes over the first seven weeks.
QB Carson Palmer vs. Eagles: Aside from Eli Manning's debacle in Week 7, the Eagles have allowed at least two passing touchdowns in every game. Since returning from injury, Palmer is averaging just over 250 yards passing and two touchdowns per game. His shoulder is returning to full strength and he should have no problem finding holes in the Eagles' secondary.
RB Shane Vereen vs. Bears: A Bill Belichick offense always presents some mystery when it comes to the backfield, but Vereen appears to be a safe bet without Stevan Ridley in the mix. Vereen played 48 of 60 snaps in Week 7, and he made the most of his start with two receiving touchdowns.
The Bears have allowed three running backs to score over the last four games. Their defense isn't giving up a ton of yardage, but Vereen provides value in the receiving game, and he should lead the way once again in touches. Despite the concern about Belichick changing up the workload, I'm feeling confident about Vereen going forward.
RB Darren McFadden at Browns: Cleveland is allowing 4.85 yards per carry to opposing running backs. Teams are rushing for over 120 yards per game against this defense. If you need any more stats, just look at Denard Robinson's 127-yard game from Week 7.
McFadden continues to see 15-plus touches a game. He's only averaging 3.8 yards per carry, but when he's facing a run defense this porous, I'll bet on him as a solid flex play.
WR Sammy Watkins at Jets: A few notes from Rich Hribar of XN Sports should excite Watkins owners.
1) Watkins is on pace for 96 receptions, 1,259 yards and 11 touchdowns with Kyle Orton under center.
2) The Jets are the only team that has given up multiple passing touchdowns in every game so far.
The rookie has been volatile, but after his breakout in Week 7, you should continue to expect big things from him against a secondary that needs help.
WR Greg Jennings at Buccaneers: Tampa Bay is truly terrible against opposing wide receivers. This position has caught 79 passes for 1,105 yards and 11 touchdowns on the Buccaneers defense in 2014. Those numbers came from just six games.
Jennings finished with six receptions for 77 yards in Week 7. With Teddy Bridgewater healthy, this duo should be able to hook up for some bigger plays on the league's worth pass defense. Not quite the sexy pick owners might be looking for, but Jennings has a good floor for Week 8.
TE Owen Daniels at Bengals: Cincinnati is the worst team in the league against tight ends. The Bengals give up 22.2 points per game to tight ends in PPR scoring. Daniels and Dennis Pitta combined for 14 catches against this defense in Week 1. After seeing nine targets in Week 7, expect Daniels to put up good numbers with heavy volume.
Sit
QB Matt Ryan vs. Lions (in London): Ryan was a recommended sit last week. He finished with 228 yards and one touchdown against the Ravens. It's looking like you should just keep him right there on your bench.
Now overseas, Ryan takes on a Lions team that allows the fewest points to opposing quarterbacks. Detroit has eight interceptions to seven passing touchdowns allowed. With a makeshift offensive line protecting him, Ryan's value is low in Week 8.
QB Andy Dalton vs. Ravens: Dalton's specialty is certainly not putting up fantasy points against Baltimore. He averages four fewer points on average against the Ravens, and he has not topped 20 fantasy points in a single game against them.
Baltimore is the sixth-toughest team for quarterbacks to face in terms of fantasy production. A.J. Green still isn't practicing. Find another quarterback to stream.
RB Bishop Sankey vs. Texans: While the Texans have allowed a few big games to running backs, they've only given up 2.82 yards per carry over the past two weeks. Le'Veon Bell took over in the receiving game in Week 7, but Sankey adds almost zero value there as he didn't catch a pass in his last matchup.
Shonn Greene has been limited in practice, which means he looks like he's at least ready to play in Week 8. Sankey didn't do much as the starter with Greene out. I can't see him breaking out now, especially with rookie Zach Mettenberger starting his first game.
RB Denard Robinson vs. Dolphins: A popular waiver wire pickup, Robinson broke out in Week 7. He isn't facing the same awful Browns run defense again, though, and Toby Gerhart is healthy enough to play.
Early reports indicate the Jaguars want to mix and match these two running backs. The Dolphins allow the fewest yards per play in the league. Robinson is worth stashing, but I wouldn't dive right in and start him this week.
WR Mohamed Sanu vs. Ravens: Considering Dalton struggles against the Ravens, that doesn't bode well for Sanu. He'll face Jimmy Smith in Week 8. Smith held Julio Jones to five catches for 56 yards in Week 7 and Vincent Jackson to four catches for 66 yards in Week 6.
Sanu was able to haul in three of his nine targets in his last outing. Better days are ahead, but this matchup doesn't provide a lot of promise.
WR Cordarrelle Patterson at Buccaneers: While I'm sticking with Jennings, Patterson is still not touching the ball enough to warrant starting. He managed to break his scoring drought in Week 7, but he finished with three total touches and saw four targets in the passing game. I won't be starting Patterson until the Vikings show any sign of change with their usage for him.
TE Travis Kelce vs. Rams:Jason Witten holds the single-game record for most catches by a tight end against St. Louis in 2014. He caught four passes in Week 3. Only two tight ends have scored on the Rams: Kyle Rudolph and Cooper Helfet.
Kelce is easily the best receiving option the Chiefs have, aside from Jamaal Charles, but they choose not to use him. Kelce finished with four receptions in Week 7. He has seven targets over the past two weeks. I'd love to see him more involved every week, but he's a boom-or-bust TE1 with a tough matchup for Week 8.