Another week, another Fantasy Spotlight. Last week the spotlight was on Jeremy Hill (nine carries, 168 yards and a touchdown) as well as Allen Robinson who had another disappointing outing. There are six teams on a bye as we move to week eight in the National Football League and turn on the Fantasy Spotlight.
Week Eight Fantasy Spotlight: Things to Watch
Aaron Rodgers
In what has been a very “off” year for Aaron Rodgers, the perennial MVP candidate had his biggest game of the season last week. After not looking like himself for the past few weeks Rodgers delivered against the Chicago Bears by throwing 56 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, which surely pleased fantasy owners. Now it’s time to see if Rodgers can do it again. The Green Bay Packers travel to Atlanta to take on the suddenly struggling Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons, who rank 31st in the league in passing yards against (294.3 per game) pose as a juicy matchup for Rodgers and the Packers. With Eddie Lacy out for the year and James Starks on the shelf, Rodgers is in line for another big stat line. With the emergence of Davante Adams, Rodgers has found himself another weapon other than Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Adams has caught 20 passes on 27 targets the past three weeks, three of them for touchdowns. The fantasy spotlight will be shining brightly on the Rodgers and the Packers in the ATL.
Devontae Booker
Early Thursday afternoon, we learned that C.J. Anderson suffered a torn meniscus and is due to miss the remainder of the season. Even before the injury, week seven “Boom” candidate Devontae Booker had become a big part of the Denver Broncos running game. With Anderson out, Booker is now the lead back. Booker is set to carry the load for the defending Super Bowl Champions. Coming off an impressive performance Monday night, Booker and the Broncos face the San Diego Chargers in week eight. Although the Chargers rank eighth in yards against, they are 30th overall against fantasy running backs. The Broncos will be looking to avenge their week six loss to San Diego. Look for Denver to run the ball early and often to control the pace of the game. Booker is a must start in all formats and has top five running back potential this week.
Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant has been out of action since week three with a knee injury. The volatile, yet supremely talented Bryant is expected to return Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. The primetime showdown is the biggest NFC East battle to date this season. The Dallas Cowboys have had a fantastic year with rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott leading the way. Prescott has shown great chemistry with slot receiver Cole Beasley, but the addition of a healthy Bryant will take this offense to another level. If Bryant is on your fantasy team, ideally you want to watch one first before inserting him into your lineup. Obviously with six teams on a bye this week, you may have no choice but to play him. With the game being played Sunday night, the advice here is to make sure you have an alternate available in case he can’t go. Either way, the fantasy spotlight will be turned on all night in the Big D.
Jimmy Graham
For the first time since being traded, Jimmy Graham returns to New Orleans. Graham made himself a household name playing for the New Orleans Saints. Now he returns to the place where it all started as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Graham is averaging 68 yards per game in what has been a resurgence after a disappointing first year in Seattle. One thing hasn’t changed for the Saints since Graham was around, they still have no defense. Despite the lackluster offensive line of the Seahawks, Russell Wilson, Graham and company should have a much needed offensive explosion week eight. It will be interesting to see the response Graham gets from Saints fans in his return. But no matter what the response is, Graham is a must start against his former team.
Arizona Cardinals
For the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday afternoon can’t come soon enough. After being involved in the league’s first tie since 2014, the Cardinals are chomping at the bit to get back to work. Arizona blew a late lead and then kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed a chip shot 24 yard field goal in overtime in last week’s 6-6 tie with the Seattle Seahawks. The missed field goal led to harsh criticism of Catanzaro from Head Coach Bruce Arians. Arizona travels to Charlotte to face a desperate 1-5 Carolina Panthers team. The bottom line is the Cardinals need to have a short memory. If Arizona has ambitions on representing the NFC in the Super Bowl they need to bounce back and win this week. Before the season started this game was billed as a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship. However, with Carolina struggling, the focus of this game falls squarely on the the Cardinals. Look for Arizona to ride their big guns David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald to victory.
