Happy football day, Razzball nation! Doc is out wrestling grizzly bears, running with wolves, taming wild boars and generally creating breathtaking stories of perseverance and triumph to tell his future grandchildren some day. In other words, Doc is out on vacation this weekend so you’re stuck with me and my fantasy wisdom to get you all fired up for week 8 of your faux football season.
We’ve reached the half way point of our fantasy seasons, and judging by the slew of injuries suffered last week, we’ll be lucky to make it to the playoffs. It was a massacre in week 7, so this week I plan on doing some sort of ritualistic dance in the privacy of my own home to summon the fantasy football Gods and say to them, “It’s strange you actually showed up since this whole dance was a joke. I’m a bit unprepared, but I’m glad you’re all here. I have one request so listen closely because I don’t like to repeat myself – for the love of, well, you guys, can you please keep my team healthy? Thanks. Now leave. This is awkward and my lunch is getting cold.”
With the onslaught of injuries suffered last week, here are a few guys to consider as replacements for your wounded workhorse(s). But first, if you need a reminder of the injuries this week, some jackass wrote this injury report here at Razzball which he updates right to kickoff. He needs a life.
Jabar Gaffney: Santana Moss will be out for a while, as in 5-7 weeks, and Jabar Gaffney will be a prime beneficiary of his absence. The Redskins play the Bills Sunday who rank 30th in pass defense and give up 23.3 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers (standard scoring). He’s worth starting at flex or as a bye week fill in. I’m not exactly confident in his QB John Beck, but the ‘Skins may be throwing a lot to play catch up with the surprisingly high scoring Bills offense which translates to a lot of fake point opportunities for Jabar.
Bernard Scott: Scott will start with Cedric Benson serving his one-game suspension. Even against a tough Seattle rush defense in a hostile environment, Scott will see enough touches to be a worthwhile flex start in all leagues. He doesn’t have the talent to go all DeMarco Murray on anyone, but a starting running back is always good for a handful of fantasy points. I mean, even Chris Johnson gets some fantasy points from time to time. More on CJ’s underachieving arse in a minute.
Lex Hilliard: News broke last night that Daniel Thomas will miss the Giants game Sunday. Hilliard should see the goal line touches if nothing else, so if you’re desperate for SOMEONE to start at RB for your team, he’s worth a look. The downside of using him is you might have to pay some attention to the Dolphins offense and they’re attempts to play competitive football. They may not be on the goal line much but when they are, Hilliard will be the guy.
Pierre Thomas: There won’t be a better week than this one to play Thomas. If you’ve held onto him this long, this is the week you’ve been patiently waiting for. Mark Ingram is out, and Thomas should see upwards of 20 touches against an absolutely pathetic Rams rush defense.
Knowshon Moreno: The situation for Moreno is similar to Pierre Thomas’. With Willis McGahee out, Moreno will get more work and is finally a decent flex play.
Chris Johnson: For the love of everything pure and holy in this world, CJ better put up numbers against the Colts or I’m going to start breaking things and I really don’t want to do that because I like most of the things I have. The Colts rank 31st against the run. I mean, come on CJ.
Antonio Brown: Brown is a sneaky start this week with Hines Ward out. He’ll start along side Mike Wallace and the Patriots really suck against the pass. It’s pretty clear the Patriots are worried about Mike Wallace. I’d imagine Brown will be open a lot with that kind of attention on 60 Minutes. This is a great week to start Brown.
“Links make the faux heart grow fonder, and the faux football line ups grow stronger.” — Clint Chugg
I think Evan Silva spends a lot of time on his match ups article every week just for you. Check out his thoughts on the week 8 games.
Jim Day has a few Studs, Duds, and Sleepers for you to keep an eye on.
You should feel a little embarrassed if you haven’t listened to the week 8 Football Sickness Podcast yet.
There have been plenty of Tricks and Treats in this wacky 2011 football season. Michael Lombardi tells us all about them.
If you’re into the IDP thing, Jeff Ratcliffe of Pro Football Focus gives you the Week 8 IDP Breakdown.
Fantasy Pros has the consensus week 8 rankings from over 70 fantasy analysts.
I know you miss Doc, so you should read his two week 8 FanDuel articles to ease your pain: His Running Back Forecast and his Passing Forecast.
From the Razzball crew:
Last Second Decisions: Week 8 – Jonathan Gilpin
Fantasy Football Two Minute Drill – Joseph Buccellato
The Fantasy Football Back Up Plan: Week 8 – Josh Vitale
Fantasy Smash Back: Week 8 – Jeff Brubach
Week 8 Match Ups – Mike Braude
Streaming Pile of D Week 8 – Mark Lee
Week 8: Buy Low, Sell High – Asher Molk
Target(s) Practice – Jones
Rest Of Season Fantasy Football Rankings – Doc
WEEK 8 TOILET BOWL PREDICTION: This week’s Toilet Bowl features the 1-6 Minnesota Vikings at the 2-5 Carolina Panthers. Despite the Toilet Bowl status of this game between two teams with 3 wins combined, there are plenty of stars to watch in this one. Cam Newton, Steve Smith and Adrian Peterson make this game worth watching, if only for a brief time. In a battle between two rookie quarterbacks, I think the aerial assault of the Newton/Smith combo proves too much for the Vikings secondary, prompting Leslie Frazier to ask the question, “Who flung the dung?” The Vikings fall to 1-7, and the Carolina Panthers carry the Golden Plunger Award on into Week 9. Panthers 27, Vikings 17.
If you aren’t ready for week 8, then you got some ‘splaining to do. While Doc is out on vacation, I’ll be answering your start/sit questions in the comments. You can hit me up on Twitter, too. Let’s kick this shindig off already!
