It is amazing that you can learn, research, and be involved in something for 20 years and still be astounded when you get to see it from a different point of view. I have spent over half my life as a firefighter and have countless hours of training, experience, and even a degree in Fire Science. Last week I went to a new class that has a building that allows you to witness a flashover.
A flashover is when a fire reaches a point where everything in the room that is flammable ignites. This is deadly even in our gear. You have roughly 2 seconds to remove yourself from the room if fully geared.
I have trained on the signs of a flashover. I have watched videos of flashovers. I have even witnessed some of those signs in person. But this building allows you to be within feet of a flashover without all the bad stuff that can happen (trust me it still gets very hot!!). It was a remarkable thing to witness and learn from. This building will save firefighter lives. It changed my view after 20 years.
Even though we are in week 8 of the NFL season there are still many unknowns. It is incredible how we can do all this work and still find ourselves scratching our heads. My fantasy picks for week 8 will be players I see as good plays this week even though I have not been high on them this season. They have found a way to change my view just like the flashover building did.
QB
Tom Brady: I have been down on Brady for since before last season. Now, I see a QB with a renewed passion and drive to prove all those media types that rumors of New England’s demise were a bit too early. Brady has posted three 20 plus point weeks in a row. Now he heads to Chicago team that ranks in the bottom 10 of teams verses QBs. This is a good match up and Brady is showing why he and New England have been good for so many years.
Ryan Tannehill: I was not on board with some experts that said this could be the year Tannehill puts it all together. He is still not in the top 15 at QB, however he is making a case for it. He has been producing an average of 20 PPG the past three games and has not had an absolute stinker yet. By no means am I saying he is for real, but he is playing Jacksonville this week.
Kyle Orton: I really must say I would not have believed you if you told me before the season I would need to write and talk about Kyle Orton. Here I am though talking about Kyle Orton. Look he has not set the world on fire nor has he been bad enough to let EJ Manuel back in the door. Orton has thrown for at least 283 yards in each of his 3 games this year. He has 5 TD’s in those 3 games. He plays the Jets this week who have allowed 20 points or more in every week but 2(Weeks 1 and 3).
RB
Bish0p Sankey: I know that many people spent way too much on Sankey. He is just starting to show why he was targeted that way. He has not had the big week yet. He has taken over the number one role in the Titans backfield. His skill will show up at some point and so will the Fantasy points. Maybe this is the week for his breakout. He will face off against a Houston team that has given up the 23 most points to RBs.
Justin Forsett: In the wake if the Ray Rice debacle Forsett has become the man in Baltimore. There were the Peirce people and the Taliaferro people. Then the season started and Forsett went out and played every week. He was consistent and now leads the league in YPC. I hope that the Ravens refrain from giving him the ball 23 times. He is great in the shared back field. This will cost you a touchdown from time to time, but the overall benefit is worth it. The Ravens play the Bangles this week that have had difficulties against the run the last few weeks.
Darren McFadden: Before you start asking if the heat got to me hear me out on this one. He is the main man in Oakland’s backfield. MJD only had 3 carries last week and 4 the week before. He was running well last week before the game got out of hand. He is playable at the Flex spot until farther notice.
Bryce Brown/Anthony Dixon: Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller are both out for at least the next four weeks. Brown has not been on the active roster yet this year but has shown promise when he played for the Eagles. He still should see his fair share of carries. Dixon could see more carries, however this situation may take game play to sort itself out. Both are worth a look until we see what happens.
WR
Dwayne Bowe: I was so off the Bowe Wagon this year. He crushed me last year and it was not going to happen again. For the most part that has been a wise decision by me. He has been better of late and is facing a Rams team that has not done well against WRs this year. He is worth consideration this week.
Golden Tate: I was not buying that Tate would be a good Wide out in Detroit. He just never really showed me any reason to believe he would flourish. He has however been the outlet for a lot of those Megatron targets since Calvin has been injured. Tate goes to Atlanta this week and could be set to go off again. He has had three 100 yard games in his past 4.
Torrey Smith: Smith (Torrey) has shown that big fantasy point ability the past two weeks. They have returned to the deep ball in Baltimore. This is a nice relief for those who have suffered through 4 out of 7 weeks with 5 points or less. This is not the best match up for him this week. The long term outlook is looking up.
Percy Harvin: This is just a hunch and I have no numbers to back it up. Harvin will either blow up or BLOW UP. I feel that this may be an opportunity for him to show Seattle what they gave away. I also think there is equal chance he punches someone before Sunday. The one thing I know is that if he can channel his fiery attitude he may show all that potential he has. That is the big IF.
TE
Dwayne Allen: How is a TE who has scored 9 or more points in 5 out of 7 weeks only owned in 28.4% of ESPN leagues? Now Allen will visit the Steel city where I think he can add another double digit day.
Owen Daniels: (Note that Daniels is now listed as OUT for this week) Daniels has filled in for Pitta again this year. He has done a decent job so far and will get the Bangles team who has had trouble defending TEs this year. Daniels is owned in only 22% of ESPN leagues. This could be a nice fill in this week.
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