Happy Friday! Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike Hubbard Jr here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard). You can tweet me or message me with any questions you might have regarding the fantasy football season.
Week 8 has begun which means 7 weeks of fantasy are in the books. Whether you are top of your league or alone at the bottom always keep fighting. Stay informed and be strategic. Right now, all you should be focused on is week 8 and in the back of your head plan for BYEs so you can progress without conflict.
Last night was the TNF matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens. After being down 10-3 at the half, Ravens rallied and beat the favorite Bucs by a score of 27-22. Brady lost his 3rd consecutive game for the first time in decades and has the worst record he has ever had at this point in a season. The golden GOAT might have too many off the field distractions and is lacking the team chemistry he is used to having. The Ravens improve to 5-3 while Tampa falls to 3-5. Both teams seem to be going in opposite directions. Bucs take on the Rams next week in a battle for who can get closer to being back on track while the Ravens go to New Orleans where I’m sure Lamar and Baltimore will be favored. Next week’s TNF game take us to Houston for a game between the currently undefeated Eagles and the 1-win Texans.
Week 8 has some interesting matchups to keep your eye on. The games I’m intrigued by the most are the Cardinals/Vikings, 49ers/Rams, and Giants/Seahawks. I like the Vikings, 49ers, and Giants in those 3.
PAY ATTENTION TO BYE WEEKS. THIS WEEKS BYES ARE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AND LOS ANGELES RAMS. PLAN YOUR LINE UPS ACCORDINGLY. ALSO BE AWARE THE BRONCO’S VS JAGUARS IS IN LONDON SUNDAY MORNING.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Travis Etienne – Etienne had a great week 7 in a losing effort against the Giants. He set career highs in rushing attempts and rushing yards. Travis rushed 14 times for 114 yards and found the end zone for the first TD in his young and promising career. James Robinson has been traded to the Jets since Breece Halls season ended abruptly. That means Etienne won’t have to split as much time with any RBs giving him more volume than ever before. Etienne can hurt you on the ground and he’s also a catch and run threat. Etienne has at least 1 reception in all games except for week 4 when he took on Philly. Travis is a must start, let’s see if he can bring his burst of talent into London.
Broncos @ Jaguars (London)
Start – Travis Etienne – SEE START OF THE WEEK ABOVE
Sit – Melvin Gordon – Gordon led the Broncos in rushing attempts and yards in week 7 which sounds good until you see he only had 33 yards on 11 carries. That’s just 3 yards per carry. His 33 yards is his average this season rushing. Even though the Broncos lost Javonte Williams, Gordon hasn’t produced in the RB1 role and is going to continue to lose playing time with RB Latavius Murray and now Marlon Mack in the picture. The Broncos have only 4 rushing TDs this season and 1 was Russell Wilson. Murray has only played 3 games this season but has 2 rushing TDs compared to Gordon who has played every week this season and has only 1 TD to show for it.
Steelers @ Eagles
Start – Jalen Hurts – Hurts is in a great spot this week facing the Steelers in Philadelphia fresh off a BYE. Steelers have given up at least 1 passing TD in every game this season. Pittsburgh might not have allowed a QB to rush for a TD but that could very well change this week. No QB has rushed more than 7 times against the Steelers, but Hurts has ranged from 9 to 17 attempts in every game this season. I think Hurts can burn the Steelers defense in every way this week with their bad defense and the Eagles explosive offense full of weapons.
Sit – Najee Harris – Najee has double digit carries in every game this season but is averaging just 47 rushing yards per game. He is also a threat as a pass catcher with 2 receiving TDs this season but only has 1 game with over 17 receiving yards. Harris has had to play Tampa Bay, Buffalo, and now Philadelphia all in a 4-week window. I think the Eagles will be ready to shut down Najee this weekend and make the Steelers throw to stay competitive. For what it’s worth, after the Eagles allowed 144 rushing yards to D’Andre Swift in week 1, they haven’t allowed a 3-digit rushing yard game by any RB and they also haven’t conceded any RB receiving TDs this season. Fading Najee yet again.
Panthers @ Falcons
Start – DJ Moore – DJ takes on Atlanta this week who are terrible defending opposing WRs. They just allowed the Bengals trio of WRs to rack up 378 receiving yards (Chase 130, Boyd 155, Higgins 93) and 3 TDs. PJ Walker targeted Moore 10 times in week 7 leading to 69 yards and a TD. Panthers are coming off a big upset win over the Bucs and will want to keep things rolling so targeting Moore is a great place to start. DJ leads the current Panthers pass catchers in every main receiving category.
Sit – Kyle Pitts – Pitts is off to a terrible first 7 weeks of the NFL season. His highlights thus far include an 87-yard game @ Seattle in week 3 and a receiving TD in week 6. Other than that, he has been a big non-factor for Atlanta. Pitts has played 6 games this season and he has surpassed 25 receiving yards just once. The Panthers have allowed just 2 TE scores this season (Ertz, Bellinger) and have only allowed a TE to surpass 47 receiving yards once (Otton week 7). Marcus Mariota has under 20 passing attempts in 3 of his last 4 games including just 27 combined in the last 2 games. All signs point to another disappointing day for Pitts (reverse jinx?).
Bears @ Cowboys
Start – Tony Pollard – ** UPDATE EZEKIEL ELLIOT IS LISTED AS DOUBTFUL **
Tony Pollard may be Zeke’s back up RB but it’s way closer than a glance at the depth chart. Pollard has 8+ carries in every game since his season low 6 in week 1. He also can contribute to the passing game which Zeke has had more trouble doing this season. News shows that Elliot sprained his knee in week 7 and its likely he could miss this game. My guess is they rest him and get him ready for week 9. If he can’t go it is open season for Pollard to take off. The Bears have allowed 7 total TDs to RBs alone this season.
Sit – Justin Fields – Fields went into New England and took down the double-digit favorite Patriots with a shocking 19-point margin of victory. Fields rushed for over 80 yards for the 2nd consecutive week but now he travels to Dallas this Sunday. Dallas defense has an INT in all but 2 games this season and only Jalen Hurts has thrown for multiple TDs against them, and only Daniel Jones had more than 27 rushing yards by a QB against them. Fields may be on a hot streak, but I wouldn’t underestimate the Cowboys defense at home where every game counts in the heated NFC East race.
Dolphins @ Lions
Start – Raheem Mostert – Mostert has taken over RB1 from Chase Edmonds and taken advantage of the opportunity. He got his first receiving TD of the season in week 7 catching 4 of 5 targets for 30 yards. He also rushed 16 times for 79 yards. Raheem has 14+ carries in each of his last 4 games and has at least 1 rush of 12 yards or more in those games. Worth noting that Detroit’s defense has allowed a rushing TD to a RB in all but 1 game this season and that was week 5 in a blowout 29-0 loss to New England. Mostert should be able to feast if Tua hands it off regularly. All offensive Dolphins are a go this week.
Sit – Jamaal Williams – Jamaal had a good week 7 mostly due to the sheer volume he had while Swift remained out. Swift has been practicing this week and all signs point to him starting on Sunday. Now whether he can produce and stay healthy the entire game is the real worry. Williams should still contribute and maybe even get more goal line carries, but with Swift in the picture it definitely lowers Williams’ expectations a bit. Dolphin’s defense has been good against RBs this season not allowing a RB to hit the century mark on the ground. Miami also has not allowed a rushing or receiving TD to RBs in 4 of 7 games this season. There are at least 25 RBs I like ahead in fantasy this week.
Cardinals @ Vikings
Start – Kyler Murray – Murray is in a good spot this week facing Minnesota. The Vikings have given up 1+ passing TD to every starting QB this season except for Aaron Rodgers in week 1 where he was a dud like last season. Vikings have played 2 mobile QBs this season and they resulted in Jalen Hurts 57 rushing yards with 2 rushing TDs, and then Justin Fields rushed for 47 yards. Murray throws a lot and is always a threat to take off. I think Kyler can produce this week both on the ground and through the air. Hoping for a high scoring game that allows Murray plenty of chances to produce.
Sit – James Connor – Connor is RB1 in Arizona but it’s hard to ignore Eno Benjamin. Eno rushed for 92 yards with a TD and caught 4 of his 5 targets for 21 yards in week 7. The Vikings have been shutting down RBs lately not allowing any RB to reach 100 rushing yards the entire season, and only allowing 2 RBs to surpass 60 rushing yards in a game (Jamaal Williams & Miles Sanders). Kyler Murray should throw and rush often so his carries will be in the way of Connors success along with Eno being a great receiving RB who can steal targets. I’m not a big fan of Connor or Benjamin this week but I slightly prefer Eno, especially in PPR. Connor feels very TD dependent this week and that’s not ideal for a guy who hasn’t scored a TD since week 1.
Raiders @ Saints
Start – Chris Olave – Olave has been a great rookie WR this season and I’m sure he must be top 3 currently for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the year award. He has played in 6 games this season and half of those games he had 13+ targets resulting in 80+ receiving yards. Raiders are middle of the pack in defending WRs this season. Andy Dalton is most likely going to start for the Saints this week so let’s hope for a repeat 14 target game. It’s also very beneficial for Olave’s volume knowing Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry both have been injured and are still missing practices leading me to believe they won’t play this weekend. Fire up Olave.
Sit – Darren Waller – After the first 2 weeks of the 2022 season Waller had caught 10 of his 14 targets for 129 yards and a TD. Since then, he has only caught 6 of 10 targets for 44 yards with no scores. Waller hasn’t played since week 4 and returning to face the Saints in New Orleans isn’t ideal given the Saints success this season defending opposing TEs. Saints have only allowed 1 TE to reach over 23 receiving yards this season (Noah Fant had 49 in week 5). No TEs have caught 4 passes when playing the Saints and none have scored either. You might need to start him given the lack of good TE options this season but Waller the baller can find a warm spot in the sit section if you can manage it.
Patriots @ Jets
Start – Michael Carter – Breece Hall is done for the season, so the Jets now have Carter at RB and just traded for James Robinson from the Jags. Robinson will most likely be RB1 sooner than later but given he was just acquired I think they will ease him into the gameplan. Carter could get a nice workload which he can do damage with both rushing and receiving. The Patriots defense just got murdered by the Bears in primetime and over the last 3 games New England has allowed 4 RBs to hit 50 rushing yards. Patriots may not give up many RB TDs but the way they allow them to rush should change that.
Sit – Damien Harris – Harris got injured in week 5 and missed week 6. He returned in week 7 to face the Bears just to rush for 8 yards on 3 carries. The game plan didn’t favor the run game for New England on MNF and Rhamondre Stevenson has appeared to blossom into RB1 for the Pats. Jets are on a hot streak and have shut down most RBs this season. Only 2 rushing TDs given up by the Jets since week 2 when Chubb unloaded for 3 TDs. Harris should get playing time and chances, but I like Stevenson a lot more right now. You can start Harris knowing he scored 3 rushing TDs against the Jets last season in their 2 (lopsided) battles, but the Jets seem different this season and the Patriots didn’t have Rhamondre in those games.
Titans @ Texans
Start – Derrick Henry – Henry must be salivating knowing he gets to run all over the Texans this weekend. Henry is coming off his 3rd consecutive 100+ rushing yard games and has 80+ rushing yards in 5 of his 6 games. Henry has also scored in every game except for week 1 and week 7. Houston has a terrible rush defense allowing at least 1 RB to reach 60 rushing yards in every game. Jonathan Taylor lit them up week 1 for 161 yards and a TD, Khalil Herbert rushed for 157 yards and 2 TDs in week 3, and just last week Josh Jacobs had a field day rushing for 143 yards and 3 TDs. The sky is the limit for king Henry this weekend so expect him to get 20+ rushes.
Sit – Robert Woods – Woods is in a funk which isn’t unusual given the Titans have Henry rushing a ton and Ryan Tannehill giving underwhelming performances. Woods does lead the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, but it isn’t enough to start him let alone own him at this point. Woods had an 85-yard game in week 3 but other than that he hasn’t reached 40 yards in a game. The Titans pass game is less than ideal and the Texans have only allowed 2 WRs catch a receiving TD (Michael Pittman & Mack Hollins).
Commanders @ Colts
Start – Sam Ehlinger – Call me crazy but I like Sam Ehlinger in his first NFL start. Matt Ryan did what he could do for the Colts, but it only led to 3 wins out of 7 games. Next man up is the Texas Longhorn Sam Ehlinger who was drafted in the 6th round of the 2021 NFL draft. Looking at his college stats he rushed for 1907 yards in his college career including 33 rushing TDs (only 2 freshman year). In his sophomore season the stud QB threw for almost 3300 yards, threw 25 TD passes, rushed for 482 yards and scored 16 rushing TDs. The Commanders are going to have their hands full with Sam’s rushing ability. He has an all-star RB in Taylor behind him, and a trio of good receivers in Pittman, Pierce, and Campbell. Everything he needs on offense is available to him so if he can stay poised in his first start, I think he could be a nice surprise in fantasy moving forward.
Sit – Curtis Samuel – Samuel has been successful this season leading the Commanders in both targets and receptions. Taylor Heinicke is QB1 right now and he targeted Samuel 8 times last game. He also targeted McLaurin 8 times, but Terry had 20 more yards than Curtis and scored a TD. I like scary Terry more than Samuel this week although I think the Colts won’t have too much trouble in pass defense. Colts haven’t allowed a 90-yard performance to any WR this season and have only given up 4 WR TDs.
49ers @ Rams
Start – Brandon Aiyuk – With the recent news that Deebo Samuel is not going to play this week, Aiyuk gets a major bump. Deebo has shredded the Rams this season and last so now Aiyuk has a huge opportunity to have a great game. Well, another great game. He has back-to-back games with 11 targets. He caught 8 in week 6 for 83 yards and scored twice, and he caught 7 for 82 yards. Brandon caught all of his 4 targets for 36 yards in the Rams/49ers game this season so I’m thinking he can do better this time around.
Sit – Darrell Henderson – The good news? Henderson is RB1 for the Rams with no more Cam Akers to worry about. The bad news? Henderson takes on the 49ers. The first time they met this season Henderson finished with just 27 rushing yards and 12 receiving yards. Henderson doesn’t have a 50-yard rushing game and is averaging just 30 rushing yards per game. The 49ers defense has yet to allow an opposing RB to rush for 60 yards in any game and only 1 player hit 50 receiving yards and of course that was the new 49er himself, Christian McCaffrey. Fade Henderson and stash the rookie RB Kyren Williams out of Notre Dame.
Giants @ Seahawks
Start – Daniel Jones – Jones has the Giants on the cusp of their 7th win in the first 8 weeks of the 2022 NFL season. He is taking care of the football a lot better than previous seasons and his rushing abilities are booming. Jones ran for 107 rushing yards against the Jags in week 7 which is his first ever 100-yard rushing performance. Jones is tied for 3rd in rushing TDs by a QB this season with 3. He is also 3rd in rushing yards by a QB behind only Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields. Daniel has more rushing yards than Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, etc. He gets to take on the Seahawks defense that let Kyler Murray rush for 100 yards in week 6. I’m eager to see what Danny Dimes can do this weekend to get his team yet another win. Start him especially if you’re QB is on a BYE and you have limited options.
Sit – Noah Fant – Noah Fant has scored 1 TD this season and that came in a game where it was his only catch and it was a 2-yard TD. He has only 1 game with 4+ receptions and has yet to hit the 50-yard mark in a game. The Giants haven’t been great or terrible against opposing TEs but it’s worth noting that only Mark Andrews hit the century mark against them and only 2 TE scores have been conceded the entire season. I’m going to sit Fant and look elsewhere at the TE position.
Packer @ Bills
Start – Devin Singletary – Singletary has been getting better and gaining more opportunities as the season has gone along. Devin is coming off an 85-yard rushing game where he also caught 4 of his 5 targets for an additional 22 receiving yards. The Packers look very bad on both sides of the ball but have struggled in particular against RBs lately. Green Bay is allowing RBs to rush and receive at will and it shows in the stats. I think Buffalo is in a good spot to destroy the Packers and put up a lot of points. Singletary has just 1 TD this season and it was receiving so let’s hope for a 2nd TD of the season this Sunday night.
Sit – Aaron Rodgers – Aaron Rodgers has been putting up okay numbers throwing this season but nowhere near his MVP capabilities. He is low on weapons and it has shown this season. Packers have lost 3 straight and have a losing record. Rodgers will want to bounce back ending this losing streak, but the task seems almost insurmountable given they must play the suffocating Buffalo defense in Buffalo. Rodgers just hasn’t been good enough to start consistently in fantasy this season and this is probably his worst matchup yet.