Whew what a week of football. A total of 7 games finished with a one score league. Gotta love tight football games. The Panthers also got their first win so hopefully you got a win yourself! Just like every year, it’s a bit of a crazy season. Big bust from top guys, no names making a name for themselves. Let’s keep chugging along with this game we love so much. Time to set that lineup to get a W this week.
Starts
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (@Phi)
Dak is coming off his best game of the season. With a season high 304 yards passing and also a high with 4 passing TDs. Now he’s got a juicy matchup with the Eagles who have been the opposite of a ‘No Fly Zone’. The Eagles have played the Commanders Sam Howell twice this season and he accumulated 687 yards and 5 TDs. Yes, Howell is the man who hasn’t even played a full season in his career. The Eagles secondary is one of the worst in the league at the moment. With Dak and CeeDee Lamb clicking and on the same page Dak will be a top 12 play this week.
RB Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals (Buf)
Coming into the year it was a no-brainer to start Mixon. Now we’re nine weeks in and he’s yet to break 100 yards rushing. He's also averaging under 3 catches a game. All that being said, this will be his best game of the year. He’s at home playing a Bills defense who has allowed the 6th most rushing yards and the 2nd best yards per carry to RBs this season. I know a lot of people have lost faith in the veteran RB but he’s a must start this week. Make sure he’s in your lineup and he wont disappoint.
WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (@Car)
Downs has now gotten double digit fantasy points for a full month straight. With 5 or more targets in all games except one this season he’s a clear focal point of the offense. With 197 yards receiving in the last two games combined he’s obviously on a hot streak and needs to be in lineups. You might say he has a tough matchup this week. Yes, he will be up against Carolina's top-10 secondary this season. I say look at his Week 7 matchup. In Week 7 he played the Browns number one secondary and he torched them for a season high 125 yards and a TD. Don’t have him waste away on your bench. Play the man!
TE David Njoku, Cleveland Browns (Ari)
Always chase those TEs with targets. In that case Njoku has really turned his season around. With just 11 targets through his first 3 games it looked to be a dud of a season. Now in his last 4 games he seen the ball thrown to him 28 times. That's borderline TE1 numbers. He seems to have a connection with backup QB PJ Walker. As long as Walker's under center Nkjoku is a must start. Even if Deshaun Watson comes back I still see him as a lineup lock this week against Arizona.
Defense Los Angeles chargers (@NYJ)
The Charges defense is a bottom 10 ranked until due to how they started the season. Allowing 87 points through the first 3 games alone. The matchup is what draws us to them. Defenses playing the Jets this year have averaged 8.7 fantasy points. That’s a no brainer start. The Jets are averaging just 191 yards passing per game and averaging only 18 points per game. Pretty much if you stream defenses you could draw this matchup every week. Available in over 90 percent of leagues go scoop up the Chargers.
Sits
QB CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (TB)
After a really hit start things have cooled down quite a bit for the rookie QB. In his first 4 starts he was averaging 304 yards passing per game. In his last 3 that number has dropped quite a bit with just 196 yards per game. That drop will send any QB to the bench. Add the fact he’s thrown just 3 TDs during the same stretch of games. With the Bucs allowing the third fewest passing TDs this season the matchup doesn't bode well for the young signal caller. Stream a better option.
RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings (@Min)
The Vikings RB has failed to reach 50 yards rushing in 6 of his 8 games this season. He has also failed to rush for a TD. With Kirk Cousins done for the year with an Achilles injury. You might think they lean on the run a little more. That’s a possibility but I still advise staying away from Mattison. He gets his touches no doubt about it, totaling 42 carries over his last 3 games. His efficiency is the problem, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry over that stretch. He is also up against a Falcons defense whose allowed 1 lone rushing TD this season and just 3.8 YPC. Keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.
WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@hou)
This is another case of a guy coming off a great game but having a mediocre season a whole. Don’t be fooled. There are a lot of better options at WR this week. Godwin is coming off his first TD of the season. In full PPR leagues he has flex value but even then, I don’t trust him in lineups. He gets targets (minimum 5 per game this year) but he’s only gone over 70 yards twice. Another TD this week is unlikely with a matchup against Houston whose allowed just 5 Passing TDs all season. Keep him sidelined week 9.
TE Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (@Cle)
The Cardinals TE is coming off a career game where he hauled in 10 catches for 95 yards and a TD. Don’t do a foolish thing and put him in your lineups this week. Before last week McBride season high was 4 catches and had 5 games with two or fewer catches. He is up against Cleveland who is number 1 against TEs this week. I don’t see a repeat performance from McBride. Keep him sidelined.
Defense New England Patriots (Wsh)
New England is sitting near the top of the waiver because of a matchup against the Commanders. I just can’t trust New England regardless of matchup. They have given up 25 or more points in the last 4 of 5 games. They also only have 5 total sacks over that same stretch. The Commanders have also been no slouch this year on offense. They are a top 12 unit right now in the passing game. This matchup might look good at first glance but better defenses are available (like the Chargers).
