Welcome back to Week 8 of Keeping it Real With Fantasy! A bittersweet victory for Giants fans (check News/Injuries to see why) and a great week for the Jets (who couldn’t lose because they didn’t play). This week should be even more interesting for New York football fans who will see their teams face off in the battle for New York on Sunday. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the 49ers continue to implode without some of their stars and have now lost two straight. They face the Bengals in Week 8 in what could be a potentially explosive matchup. Philly and Miami clashed Sunday night in a potential Super Bowl preview where the Eagles handily took care of the Dolphins.
News/Injuries:
Saquon Barkley (RB) – The Giants running back has been on and off with injuries his whole career. Despite winning 14-7 against the Commanders on Sunday, Barkley suffered a hyperextended elbow but says he “should be fine” for Sunday’s rivalry matchup against the Jets.
Deshaun Watson (QB) – Watson has been a surprisingly good quarterback this year but unfortunately suffered an injury on Sunday (a strain in his rotator cuff). As of now, his status for this week’s game is unknown, but expect him to be out. This injury typically keeps baseball pitchers out for 4-6 weeks.
Justin Fields (QB) – Fields got injured in the Bears’ week 6 loss to the Vikings and also missed their crushing victory over the Raiders where UDFA Tyson Bagent took the reins. Fields is doubtful and could miss Chicago’s primetime matchup in Los Angeles against the Chargers.
Starts:
Jordan Addison (WR) – Addison had a huge game last week against a very solid 49ers defense, being Kirk Cousins’ go-to receiver. This week, the Vikings take a trip to Green Bay to face the struggling Packers. Addison looks to have another big game with Jefferson still out, and his connection with his quarterback better than ever.
Isaiah Pacheco (RB) – The Chiefs’ running back, and New Jersey native, Isaiah Pacheco has been a very good option for Andy Reid’s offense. This season, he has 100 carries and 419 yards with 3 touchdowns. The Chiefs are on the road this week against arguably the worst-run defense in the NFL in the Denver Broncos. Pacheco looks to be racking up lots of carries and racking up lots of points.
Sits:
Michael Pittman Jr. (TE) – Pittman has been a solid target for the Colts offense all year. This week, the Colts host the Saints. The New Orleans defense has been very good and will make passing to Pittman extremely hard. The Colts are also starting to utilize Josh Downs more which takes away targets from Pittman.
Bijan Robinson (RB) – Bijan had a disappointing game last week with only putting up 3 yards on 1 carry. This week, the Falcons play the Titans who have a very dominant run defense and will limit him again, forcing the Falcons to pass more.
Waiver Wire:
Cam Akers (RB) – If you’ve held onto him through the first two months of the season, with absolutely no production or stats to backup (like I have), it seems to have paid off. The Vikings are starting to finally feed Akers who had 12 touches for 50+ yards against a rock-solid 49ers defense. His volume could potentially increase in the following weeks if Alexander Mattison keeps struggling.
Darrell Henderson Jr. (RB) – Last week it seemed that Zach Evans was going to become the number one option with Kyren Williams down. Instead, it was Darrell Henderson who put up 13.6 yards with a touchdown and 61 rushing yards. Pick up Henderson because he’ll be the starter in LA until Williams returns in 3+ weeks.
Kendrick Bourne (WR) – Although you may be concerned with the Patriots’ dull offense, you shouldn’t be afraid to look at some of their players. Kendrick Bourne has seen an increase in targets from Mac Jones over the past couple of weeks. Bourne has put up close to 15 points in each of the last two weeks with a touchdown and over 150 yards. I don’t see him slowing down, so he’ll likely be a viable option for your flex or even WR2 slot.