The WN Fantasy Football Report: Week 8 Starts and Sits

Well, fantasy folks, we are essentially at the hallway point of the season. As we are cruising along in the 2014, I thought it would be fair to let you know where our experts stand and take some accountability in our first season as fantasy gurus (that term is used very loosely here at The Nation!). Fee, Dunton and Ted Reed have struggled thus far all coming in at around 30 percent accuracy in their predictions. J.D. has been the all-star of the bunch and his starts and sits have hit almost every time coming in at almost 90 percent correct. The Wayniac? Well, I am right around 70 percent accurate, but in my defense, I pick eight more starts and sits then the rest of the bunch.

So, are we there yet? Not quite, but we have succeeded in getting you some wins. Last week, for example, J.D. was on again. He told you to start Odell Beckham, Jr. who went off for two touchdowns, 34 yards receiving and a 13-yard rush for a 20 point day. He also told you to sit Zac Stacy who got the ol’ goose egg this past Sunday. Ted Reed was right in sitting Frank Gore who was shut down and eventually made a non-factor in the 49ers blowout loss registering two points. Fee and I nailed it on Lamar Miller who is quietly becoming a solid RB1 with the backfield finally all to himself. I missed big on Kirk Cousins who got benched for the lowly Colt McCoy, but I hit on starting Owen Daniels who returned to the end zone, and sitting the way overblown flavor-of-the-week Andre Holmes.

This week the Giants and the 49ers are on byes. Those are two teams that are pretty heavy in fantasy talent. This is also the time of the fantasy football season that if your hovering around .500 with a 4-3 or 3-4 record that every game counts if you want to make the post season. So, who gets you those extra fantasy points this week? We got you covered!

Fee
Start of the Week: Golden Tate, WR
The Falcons are bad and you can make the argument that they are getting worse. Megatron is practicing, but is still a huge question mark. Start Tate, coming off of a 10 catch, 154-yard receiving, one touchdown performance with confidence against the porous Falcons defense. Two other starts caught my eye. Doug Baldwin, who went off for 24 points in his debut as the Seahawks number one receiver, faces off against the 4th worst pass defense of the Panthers. If your worried about Andre Ellington and his inconsistency as he battles injuries, don’t be this week. Start him full speed against an Eagles defense that has been generous to running backs thus far.
Sit of the Week: Matt Ryan, QB
I don’t think I will be alone on this one. This has little to do with the talent he possesses, but more to do with his fifth-string O-line against the best defense in the NFL.

Dunton
Starts of the Week: T.Y. Hilton, WR
I didn’t buy into him last week and he burned me with another stellar performance. Reggie Wayne is no longer numero uno in Indy. If you don’t have Bebe, Jordy Nelson or Dez Bryant, Hilton is becoming a solid start on a weekly basis. Expect at least 80 yards and six catches from Luck’s go to guy.
Sit of the Week: Marshawn Lynch, RB
There are rough times brewing in Seattle, and Beast Mode is suffering from them. This week they travel East and have the dreaded 1 PM start against a pretty decent run defense. Beast Mode can eat all the Skittles he wants, the bottom line is he hasn’t eclipsed 75 total yards or scored a touchdown in two weeks.

Ted Reed:
Start of the Week: Larry Fitzgerald, WR
I think he has a big game in what should be a high-schoring affair. The Eagles defense is stout, but they also let up a lot of big plays. Fitz looks like he’s getting his groove back now that Palmer has returned.
Sit of the Week: Matt Ryan, QB
I thought I was being a bit of a homer, but I’m glad Fee and J.D. are on board. His depleted O-line may get him killed against that Lions’ defensive front.

J.D.
Start of the Week: Kendall Wright, WR
The roller-coaster season is frustrating, I know! I’ve been waiting for the rocket arm of Zach Mettenberger to take the helm and it looks like he will in week 8. I’m looking for him to exploit the weak Texans secondary deep and I think Wright will be his guy. I also like Travaris Cadet to score some points this week.
Sit of the Week: Matt Ryan/Julio Jones QB/WR
This is a repeat of last season for Atlanta and it’s not going to get any better in London against the Lions’ top defense. Drew Brees threw 10 straight incompletions against Detroit last week; they’re that good! Matt Ryan is no Drew Brees and the Falcons patchwork o-line now consists of an undrafted rookie. The Falcons might not score. Regardless, the offensive numbers will be limited and there are better options on your bench and waiver wire. Last time I told you to sit Matty Ice, he threw 3 picks at Cincinnati and put up a fantasy dud.

The Wayniac:
Starts of the Week:
QB: Joe Flacco
The Bengals are struggling. They have let up seven touchdown passes over the past three weeks. Every one of those quarterbacks has passed for over 260 yards and have thrown one combined pick. The Smiths are gelling and Flacco’s safety net Owen Daniels is becoming more comfortable in the offense. The former Blue Hen should go off.
RB: Shane Vereen
The Bears have played seven games thus far and in six of those games a running back has scored on the ground or through the air. Vereen proved last week that he can accomplish the feat both ways. I don’t know if he goes off for 30 points again, but expect another trip to the end zone.
WR: Wes Welker
Somebody has to start double teaming Demaryius Thomas. When that point comes, the sly Welker will sneak over the middle and start grabbing some catches. Get him all goofed up on molly and let’s see the old Welker get some grabs.
TE: Jordan Cameron
Four tight ends have scored against the Raiders in their six games this season. Ok, fine, one was J.J. Watt, but still he lined up at tight end. Cameron is coming off an embarrassing week. Expect a bounce back.
Defense: Lions.
Have you watched the Falcons?

Sits of the Week:
QB: Nick Foles
The Eagles may win this game, but it won’t be on the arm of Foles. The Cardinals defense at home is insane and Foles has been a turnover machine thus far in 14.
RB: The Falcons backfield
In the Falcons seven games this season, an Atlanta back has been the top rusher once. That was in week 3 when they blew out the Bucs and S-Jax had a whopping 54 yards. The Lions front four are going to manhandle that O-Line. Antone Smith is fun to watch, but until he gets some regularity in his touches, there is no one worth starting here.
WR: Andre Johnson
If you don’t know, Andre Johnson is my favorite player to ever play in the NFL. This wasn’t the easiest choice, but here are the facts. Johnson hasn’t scored against the Titans in three seasons (remember they play twice a year) and he hasn’t had a 100-yard day against them in four years. Now he has Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing him the ball. Any other questions?
TE: Delanie Walker
Only two tight ends have scored against the Texans this year and they haven’t allowed over 60 yards receiving to a tight end since week one. Mettenberger is taking over and the dude has a cannon, but he is going to go for the gusto. His wide receivers may pan out, but I don’t trust Walker this week.
Defense: The Seahawks
Something is wrong. I’m not sure what it is or how to fix it, but these guys aren’t as scary anymore. Add in the cross-country trip and an early start and this is a recipe for disaster.