Great Week 8 options for your roster construction
In a Desert of Byes, we find the Week 8 oasis. No teams on bye so we have access to a full slate of games when looking for our stacks to give us an edge. There are some sneaky high scoring games (I’m looking at you, Jax @ Pit) and a couple stinkers we’ll be avoiding (*cough* the battle of the New Jersey teams *cough*).
The whole point of stacking is to exploit correlations, taking the number of events you need to happen for success and cutting them down. A QB throwing a TD to a wide receiver on his team means you get credit for two touchdowns, passing and receiving, if you stacked those two players. If you are just starting studs across multiple teams, you need two touchdowns to get that same amount of points. It opens you up to bigger duds, but also means singular events on Sunday can have a bigger impact on your score.
The Steelers are giving up the 2nd-most fantasy points per game to opposing WRs. The Jaguars are giving up the 2nd most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks.
This game is going to have a lot of points scored and I want pieces on the winning side, i.e., Lawrence and the Jacksonville Squad.
Throwing away Week 1, Kirk hasn’t seen fewer than six targets (two games with double digit targets), hasn’t scored fewer than 13.9 PPR points and has finished as a WR2 or better in four of six weeks (the other two were still top-30 performances). While Calvin Ridley looked like that dude after Week 1, Kirk has made it clear he’s Lawrence’s preferred target.
Johnson walked straight on the field from being injured and immediately was heavily involved -- six targets in Week 7 and now a juicy matchup against a weak Jaguars secondary. Get Diontae in there as your bring-back player in this game.
Call it chasing points, but Jackson is ON right now and just reasserted himself as an MVP frontrunner in a dominant 4-touchdown performance against the Lions in Week 7. We’re running it back against a weak Cardinals defense.
The Cardinals are giving up the 4th-most points per week to opposing quarterbacks and the 6th-most points to opposing WRs. We’re matching a weak defense with an elite offense and an emerging rookie weapon.
Flowers has seen fewer than six targets only twice this season as a rookie and has seen double-digit targets on three occasions. On a team where it seemed predetermined that Mark Andrews would be the top target, Flowers is doing his best to take over as the team’s No. 1. The Cardinals have been surprisingly stingy against opposing tight ends, so roll with Lamar’s other favorite option for the stack this week.
The Panther defense has been absolutely porous against the run, but the Texans have been unable to get things going on the ground. Dameon Pierce has the 9th-most carries in the league but is 28th in yardage. That’s not a recipe for winning games and the Texans should rely on their rookie QB to bring home the W.
It’s like a concussion and a bye week made everyone forget how good of a receiver Tank Dell was through the first five weeks. Consistency likely won’t be there for the rookie, but his first week back coming off a bye against a beatable secondary is a week I’m willing to take a shot.
Save some money to spend big on the rest of this full slate. Dell and Stroud will get it done in Carolina.
Check out the waiver wire for Week 8
Can someone call the NFL schedulers for me? Why on earth did we have to suffer through six teams on bye in week 7 just to have zero teams on bye in week 8. That being said, week 8 is a nice little oasis in the sea of bye weeks that is the middle of the NFL Season.
We’re over halfway through the fantasy regular season at this point yet we’re still learning new information and watching player’s roles on teams change. This is the time of year to pay attention to upward trends on disappointing players. Look for the wide receiver whose snap share has increased dramatically but hasn’t seen the production yet. Look for the backup running backs behind older or injury prone starters. Look for the rookies who may see their first opportunities for significant playing time over the back half of the season.
Fantasy values are far from sticky and we’ll see multiple players dramatically increase (and decrease) before the end of the season. We’re trying to get ahead of those increases and get those players on our roster before the rest of the league catches on.
Josh Downs (52% Rostered)
After a slow start to his rookie year, 3rd round pick Josh Downs has taken on a larger role in this Colt’s offense. He’s had three weeks in a row of at least 6 targets and no less than 13 PPR fantasy points.
Don’t expect Downs to surpass Michael Pittman as the team’s leading receiver, but it does appear as if his role in this offense is secure and can only grow as the season progresses. Downs can be viewed as a WR2/3 depending on matchup.
Kendrick Bourne (39% Rostered)
Kendrick Bourne was doing his best Sammy Watkins impersonation until Week 6 of this year. Blow up week 1 with a multi-touchdown game and then disappear. Luckily for fantasy managers, Mac Jones remembered in Week 6 that Kendrick Bourne is his best receiving weapon and he carried that lesson over into week 7.
Back-to-back top 15 wide receiver weeks, with 7 and 11 targets respectively. Next week the Patriots head to Miami to play one of the highest powered offenses in the league. If the Patriots stand a chance, they’ll have to throw the ball a ton to keep up. Kendrick Bourne should be in line for a hefty target volume in week 8.
Jalin Hyatt (25% Rostered)
After seeing more than 46% of the snaps just once in the first 5 weeks, Jalin Hyatt has been on the field for more than 70% of the snaps over the last two weeks. While he’s starting to consistently see the field more, the production hasn’t quite caught up yet.
Hyatt brings a dimension to the game that the Giants desperately need, a big play threat on the field. If this Giants’ offense is to turn it around, Hyatt will likely be a part of that. If you have room on your bench, add Hyatt before his production catches up to his new elevated usage.
Darrell Henderson (37% Rostered)
My bad on Zach Evans y’all, that one really didn’t work out in all of the leagues I started him in during the bye-pocalypse of week 7. It didn’t work out because Darrell Henderson was activated from the practice squad Saturday and then was the Rams’ clear lead back on Sunday. Henderson has familiarity with this offense so there was little learning curve before he could plug right in.
Henderson should likely remain the lead back so long as Kyren Williams is out, so at least three more weeks. That being said, Royce Freeman looks to get some work as well during that time. If Henderson shows out during this time period, he could see usage even upon the return of Kyren Williams.
Emari Demercado (20% Rostered)
I know Demercado burned us a couple weeks ago but the tables were turned in week 7 as he led the Cardinals backfield with 13 carries. Keontay Ingram confusingly got no carries after leading the team in carries in week 6.
Demercado carries significant risk as the Cardinals don’t seem committed to a single back while James Conner is out, but signs are pointing in his direction. In a decent matchup against Baltimore in week 8, you can put Demercado in your lineup in a pinch.
Tyjae Spears (50% Rostered)
Tyjae Spears continues to earn snaps on a team that has Derrick Henry. While his touches were limited the last time we saw him in week 6 against Baltimore, Spears is carving out a role on this team.
I’m not yet ready to start Tyjae Spears, but get him on your bench while he’s flying under the radar due to the Titans’ bye week. Spears will likely continue to earn more work away from Derrick Henry as the season progresses.
Dalton Kincaid (41% Rostered)
The year of the rookie tight end continued as Dalton Kincaid had his first big game of the season in the Bills’ loss to the New England Patriots. Kincaid caught all 8 of his targets for 75 yards, good enough for TE7 on the week in PPR formats.
With Dawson Knox potentially sidelined for an undetermined amount of time due to wrist surgery, Kincaid could be looking at an opportunity to continue his week 7 successes into the rest of the season.
Logan Thomas (48% Rostered)
Thomas continues to be a preferred target of Sam Howell and that should continue in a week 8 matchup against the Eagles. Thomas has gotten at least 6 targets in half of his games this season and scored a TD in two of them. While this doesn’t sound like much, it’s enough to make him TE13 on the season in PPR leagues.
With Sam Howell set to likely see a lot of pressure in week 8, expect Thomas to be heavily involved over the middle of the field. Thomas is a nice Safety Valve for Howell and Howell will likely need that in week 8.
Kyler Murray (48% Rostered)
While the Joshua Dobbs experience got off to a hot start this season, it’s simmered down over the past couple of weeks. The timing of it works out nicely because we just received news that Kyler Murray will likely be back on the field by week 10.
With the Cardinals offense running surprisingly well to start the season, the upside of Kyler Murray is immense. Let’s not forget who Kyler Murray is for fantasy. This dude, that people seemingly want to leave for dead on the waiver wire, was a top 12 QB in 8 of 11 starts just last season. In 2021, he was a top 12 QB in 7 of 13 starts and a top 15 QB in 11 of 13 starts.
Kyler Murray is good for fantasy football and he’s just sitting out there in a majority of leagues. Pick him up. Put him in your IR spot. Enjoy your top 12 QB for the rest of the season when he comes back in week 10.
Tyson Bagent (7% Rostered)
This is for my friends out there feeling a little desperate. This is for the people in a work league where everyone rosters 3+ QBs. This is for the people that like a little risk in their life.
Bagent is not my 2nd favorite QB on the wire this week, but I wanted to highlight that he is startable in week 8. Bagent turned in an underwhelming fantasy performance in Chicago’s big win against the Raiders, but he’s got arguably the most QB friendly matchup in the Chargers in week 8.
Fields isn’t expected to be out long term, but if you need a week 8 spot start Bagent can get you across this finish line in a good matchup.
Simon says, check out his Week 7 stack options
Some weeks demand you to differentiate yourself more than others in the world of DFS and week 7 of the 2023 NFL season is one of those weeks. With the Panthers, Bengals, Cowboys, Texans, Jets, and Titans all on bye, ownership is going to be even more consolidated than usual.
With the help of the Contrarian Edge Optimizer, we’ve identified three stacks to help differentiate your lineups. Whether you’re looking for that budget option at QB or looking to spend big, there’s an identified stack to fill out your lineup.
Stafford has his favorite weapon in Cooper Kupp back, but don’t forget about Rams big play threat Tutu Atwell. Game script in the blowout second half of the Cardinals game in Week 6 played into Tutu’s one target as did Kupp’s return.
This week, the Rams face one of the most porous secondaries in the NFL. The Steelers have given up the fourth-most PPR fantasy points to wide receivers and have been vulnerable to the big play. Enter Stafford and his favorite deep threat option Atwell.
You’ll save cash compared to some of the high-profile options this week and differentiate yourself from the competition with Tutu as opposed to more popular Rams receiving options.
Howell is coming off three consecutive good-to-great fantasy performances. He’s been QB 8, 5, and 13 in the previous three weeks. If you look further back, you might get scared off of starting a QB that scored 0.6 fantasy points against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3.
The good news is the Giants are not Buffalo. And despite their good defensive performance in Week 6, this Giants defense is still bottom half in the league against quarterbacks and bottom third against wide receivers.
Curtis Samuel is on a hot streak and appears to be Howell’s favorite target over the middle of the field. He’s scored at least 14 PPR fantasy points in each of his last three contests and been a wide receiver 2 or better in all three as well.
Howell has a three-touchdown upside any given week and Samuel may be the most likely to catch a touchdown given Howell’s propensity to target him and Samuel’s ability to score on the ground or through the air.
Now we’re gonna spend some money. The last two stacks were a bit more budget friendly, but we’re breaking the bank on this week’s highest projected point total with some of the NFL’s superstars throwing down.
The Chargers have given up the most passing yards per game at 289.0 and that’s against quarterbacks named Ryan Tannehill and Aidan O’Connell. Patrick Mahomes is not either of those two and seems poised for a big game against a weak pass defense.
Kelce is Mahomes No. 1 target, and while the Chargers have been good against tight ends,, Kelce is borderline matchup proof. In a high scoring game involving the Chiefs, Kelce will be involved.
Don’t sleep on rookie Rashee Rice though. His price hasn’t quite caught up with what appears to be a growing role in the offense. Take the discount on Mahomes’ second option in Rice and bathe in the points of what should be a high scoring affair.
Six teams on bye Week 7 Waiver Targets
Week 7 is one of two Bye-pocalypses in the 2023 NFL Season. Six teams are on bye this coming week which means the waiver wire is more important than ever as the players you pick up have a good chance of needing to be started in the place of a usual starter on bye. Add to this the unusually high number of injuries in week 6 and a lot of our teams will be a patchwork posse of bench riders and waiver wire finds. Let’s get started.
Week 7 Byes: Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans
Wide Receivers
Joshua Palmer (65% Rostered)
Give a peek to see if Joshua Palmer is still on your waiver wire because he’s sitting there in a little over a third of leagues. Mike Williams is done for the year and Quentin Johnston hasn’t been much of a factor (yet). For the foreseeable future, Palmer is the WR2 in a pass heavy offense.
Rashee Rice (55% Rostered)
Is this real? A Chiefs wide receiver we can trust for fantasy? Maybe not yet, but if Rashee Rice isn’t rostered in your league don’t wait until we find out the answer to that question before picking him up.
Rice has put up two decent weeks in a row, but more importantly he’s starting to look more involved in the offense on a weekly basis. Like we discussed in last week’s waiver article, second half of the year breakouts for rookie wide receivers are common and Rice is in the right offense for a breakout.
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Curtis Samuel (51% Rostered)
Curtis Samuel has had a touchdown in each of his last three games, leading him to WR 12, WR 14, and WR 23 PPR finishes over that time. While some may look at this as a sign of upcoming touchdown regression, I see a forming connection over the middle of the field between Sam Howell & Curtis Samuel.
Samuel has been the most consistent of the Washington receiving options and should remain relatively consistent in his usage going forward. If he scores a touchdown, you’re happy you started him. And Samuel is one of the more likely players on the Commanders to find the end zone.
Josh Downs (50% Rostered)
You love watching a player catch their first career touchdown, especially when it comes the week after a “breakout” performance in week 5. Although Anthony Richardson appears to be done for the year (“probably” as Jim Irsay put it), this could be good for Josh Downs fantasy production.
Downs volume didn’t see a dip with Gardner Minshew under center as he remained the 2nd target on the team behind Michael Pittman. The Colts offense with Minshew under center won’t have as many explosive down field plays (a Josh Downs specialty), but there should be more week to week consistency.
Wan’Dale Robinson (28% Rostered)
While I would prefer to start nobody on the Giants not named Saquon Barkley, sometimes your whole bench is on bye and you gotta do what you gotta do. If you’re going to start a Giants wideout, there is some upside for a now healthy Wan’Dale Robinson.
Were the 8 targets he saw this weekend a result of Tyrod Taylor taking over at QB or a sign of him returning to form after his ACL recovery? We’ve seen flashes from Robinson before so I tend to lean towards the latter as the answer. That being said, this Giants offense is inconsistent at best and with Daniel Jones chucking the ball from behind the most porous offensive line in the league, consistency will not be find with any Giants receiver.
Running Backs
Roschon Johnson (60% Rostered)
With seemingly the entirety of the Bears running back rook injured in week 6, you might be able to sneak Roschon Johnson off the waiver wire heading into week 7.
The fantasy numbers thus far do not look fantastic, but the back field is wide open and Chicago seems to like what they have in their 4th round rookie running back. Roschon missed last week due to a concussion but should be back this coming week.
While Khalil Herbert deals with a high ankle injury and Travis Homer deals with a hamstring, Johnson could grab a hold of the lead back role here and not let go.
Elijah Mitchell (34% Rostered) & Jordan Mason (4% Rostered)
Christian McCaffrey went down in Sunday’s loss to the Browns, a double whammy for the 49ers on Sunday. While it is still unclear if CMC will miss any time due to this injury, Coach Kyle Shanahan has already confirmed that Elijah Mitchell will be the next man up if McCaffrey does indeed miss.
We’ve seen Mitchell perform as a high end RB2/low end RB1 as the starting running back in San Francisco before. Don’t judge the negative yardage performance on limited carries against arguably the best defense in football that we saw from Mitchell this weekend. He’ll get first crack at leading this backfield for the duration of any missed time by CMC.
There is the slight chance the Jordan Mason takes over this backfield (or has enough touches to be relevant) if CMC misses time. He’s worth a speculative add, but Mitchell is the priority here.
Zach Evans (5% Rostered)
A rookie running back with a grand total of one PPR fantasy point through 6 weeks is a legitimate waiver wire add in week 7.
Both Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers are currently dealing with injuries, leaving Zach Evans as the last man standing in a less than stellar Rams running back room. With that being said, Kyren Williams has found success in this role and Williams isn’t a top tier talent back. Expect the rookie Evans to struggle with the workload, but volume alone should be enough to make him fantasy relevant while the two other backs miss time.
Craig Reynolds (2% Rostered)
With both Gibbs and Montgomery dealing with injuries in week 6, Reynolds saw his biggest workload of the season with 10 carries and 2 targets coming his way. Should one (or both) of the other backs be sidelined again in week 7, Reynolds holds startable value.
With both backs out, you can start Reynolds as an RB2 with upside in this high powered Lions offense. If Gibbs is able to return this week, Reynolds is still startable but more as an RB3/Flex play.
Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith (24% Rostered)
I am here to yet again let you know that Jonnu Smith can (and should) be started in the year of 2023. Fantasy managers are near unanimous in thinking Smith’s usage is absurd with Kyle Pitts also on the team.
With Tight Ends, we look for usage and Jonnu Smith has seen at least 5 targets in every game since week 2. Smith also has turned in four top 15 tight end weeks, two of those being top 5. All of this with his first touchdown of the year coming this past week. A touchdown makes you a happy camper if you start Jonnu, but his target volume alone makes him fantasy relevant most weeks.
Michael Mayer (12% Rostered)
Rookie Tight Ends take time to break out, so when we start seeing a trend of increased usage and production it’s time to start paying attention. Mayer has posted career highs in snaps, targets, and yards in back to back weeks now. With Davante Adams seeing most of the defensive focus on Sunday, Mayer was able to eat to the tune of a top 5 Tight End performance.
Don’t expect weekly consistency, but Mayer is a suitable bye week replacement and could see his role grow as the season progresses.
Quarterbacks
Sam Howell (40% Rostered)
Sam Howell so far on the year seems to be a very matchup dependent QB. The good news is that this Commanders team has seen a ton of good matchups and has quite a few more left this season. Howell’s one “bad” game came against the Buffalo Bills defense while he’s turned in top 10 QB weeks against the likes of Chicago and Atlanta in back to back weeks.
With the Giants and the Eagles on the schedule the next two weeks, you can roll with Howell confidently for the next two weeks as your starter.
Desmond Ridder (15% Rostered)
Ridder has given you a balanced season thus far: Three top 10 QB weeks and three QB weeks outside the top 24 options. With that being said, two of Ridder’s three good weeks have come over the last two weeks to go along with Atlanta’s commitment to throwing the ball more.
While the matchup against the Buccaneers is a step up in competition compared to the Washington and Houston secondaries, Ridder is still a startable bye week replacement QB. Hopefully the Falcons continue chucking the ball 40 times a game. If so, Ridder could become more than that weekly spot start.
Other Streamers
Daniel Jones (34% Rostered) / Tyrod Taylor (4% Rostered)
Derek Carr (28% Rostered)
Baker Mayfield (31% Rostered)
Joshua Dobbs (21% Rostered)
Brilliant waiver wire options for your fantasy teams
It’s that point in the season where 0-5 or 1-4 teams need to change their strategy. If that’s you, this week’s waiver wire is especially important. You can’t afford another loss so the usual waiver wire math goes out the window. You have to buy wins sometimes.
I’m not talking about bribing your teammates with cash to trade you CMC. Or wiring money to Sleeper or ESPN or Yahoo to change the L to a W. I’m talking about overspending on players to secure them on your team. I’m talking about adding players for a single week because of a killer matchup. I’m talking about paying up for the RB who will only be the starter for one game.
Wins are everything in fantasy football (besides the friends we made along the way) and if you’re still searching for your first, it’s time to adjust your strategy. Be aggressive on the wire and look at your season in one-week windows.
K.J. Osborn, Vikings, (17% Rostered)
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson will be placed on IR and will miss at least four weeks. With Jefferson going down in the fourth quarter, we saw both rookie wide receivers Jordan Addison and Osborn step up, receiving nine targets apiece.
While the output may have been underwhelming from Osborn in Week 5, the volume he saw from QB Kirk Cousins is promising. With Jefferson sidelined, Osborn should continue to see higher volume. Think of him as a WR3 until Jefferson returns.
Josh Reynolds, Lions, (52% Rostered)
While inconsistent, Reynolds is a vital piece of the passing game. In Week 5 against Carolina, he led Detroit in receiving yards and hauled in a TD in the absence of Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Reynolds is a legitimate start option each week if St. Brown continues to miss time. With St. Brown back, Reynolds becomes less reliable but can still be started as a WR4 with serious upside.
Curtis Samuel, Commanders, (28% Rostered)
If WR12 and WR14 in back-to-back weeks sounds pretty good, great news! Samuel just accomplished that and is most likely sitting on your waiver wire just waiting to be picked up.
With an uptick in usage as the season progresses and growing rapport with quarterback Sam Howell, Samuel should be rostered in all leagues and can be started as a WR3/4 through the next few weeks as Washington has a friendly schedule.
Each year we see rookie wide receivers start slowly and then have huge second halves of the season. We’re approaching the halfway point of the fantasy year, so it’s time to start adding some of these high-upside rookies to your bench. These are guys like Christian Watson in 2022, Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2021 and A.J. Brown in 2019.
The guys below could have a second half breakout and could be vital pieces to a championship roster. Put them on your bench and see if these rookies earn an increased role over the next couple of weeks.
Roschon Johnson, Bears, (52% Rostered)
After a big Week 1, Johnson has been disappointing for anyone looking to start him in fantasy, but the rookie could get a big workload with Khalil Herbert out multiple weeks.
Johnson does need to clear concussion protocol before Sunday, but barring any unexpected setbacks he should suit up. The Bears just added Darrynton Evans on top of D’Onta Foreman and an injured Travis Homer, but Johnson seems to have earned the No. 2 role after Herbert.
Johnson will have first crack at being lead back in an offense coming off two good weeks. Starting RBs are hard to find on the waiver wire but you’ve got one for at least a couple of weeks here.
Emari Demercado, Cardinals (2% Rostered)
With James Conner suffering a knee injury, undrafted free agent rookie Demercado led the backfield Sunday to decent success. He had been seeing more involvement in recent weeks and Sunday had 45 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Conner likely will be miss some time, according to coach Jonathan Gannon. Thus, Demercado can be started against the Rams even with the Cardinals adding Tony Jones Jr.. If Conner somehow does play, Demercado is relegated to a backup RB on your bench.
Tyjae Spears, Titans (36% Rostered)
You should have done it last week. And honestly you should have done it the week before that. When a team with Derrick Henry is giving significant snaps and touches to a running back not named Derrick Henry, you pay attention.
Spears scored his first touchdown of his rookie campaign Sunday and looked good doing it. While his seven carries and five targets isn’t anything to write home about, it shows how Tennessee values Spears and their commitment to getting him involved.
Look for Spears’ touches to continue to rise as the season goes on. If Henry were to miss anytime, Spears appears to be one of the best backups in the league for fantasy.
Dalton Schultz, Texans (45% Rostered)
Sometimes all you need from a tight end is a touchdown and you’re happy. Schultz has given that to you two weeks in a row, including 10 targets for seven receptions and 65 yards in Week 5.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud has been electric, supporting an entire cast of fantasy-relevant options. While Schultz is late to the party compared to Tank Dell and Nico Collins, Stroud may continue to lean on his TE and go back to him in the end zone.
Consistency might continue to be an issue with the Houston receiving options, but you can do much worse at a position where all you need is 10 points to be a top 12 option most weeks.
Logan Thomas, Commanders (20% Rostered)
Outside of the brief stint in the concussion protocol following Week 2, Logan Thomas has been a relatively consistent option. Thomas has finished top 12 n three of four games and in Week 5 had 11 targets in a game where Howell had to throw the ball 51 times.
While the passing volume cannot be expected to be that high week in and week out, Thomas has established himself as a reliable option for Howell. Thomas is the perfect matchup play at TE with the upside of turning in a top 5 week.
Sam Howell, Commanders (55% Rostered)
Coming off a 388-yard passing performance, Howell will be a hot commodity on the waiver wire entering bye weeks. With Atlanta, the Giants, and Philadelphia in the coming three weeks, you should be able to continue riding with Howell.
We’ve seen the downside of Howell -- four interceptions, no touchdowns, and less than 200 passing yards against the Bills in Week 3. But we’ve also seen the Commanders let him air it out -- 51 attempts in their Week 5 loss to the Bears.
With the receiving trio of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel (not to mention Logan Thomas), Howell has the weapons to continue this success and will likely find himself in more negative game scripts like the ones the Commanders faced Sunday.
Matthew Stafford, Rams (55% Rostered)
Turns out Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua can be good at the same time. That’s great news for Stafford now that his No. 1 WR is back. And great news for fantasy managers looking for a QB on the waiver wire.
Stafford has yet to have that huge week, but this is a team that wants to throw the ball. The Rams have the second-most pass attempts in the league, behind only the Minnesota Vikings. With Kupp back and good matchups against the Cardinals and Steelers in the next two weeks, Stafford should be rostered in most leagues and can be trusted as a starter.
Great stacking options for your Week 5 lineups
Week 5 is the season’s first bye week, which means our DFS options are slightly limited by the absence of Browns, Buccaneers, Seahawks and Chargers players. But we don’t need them to build successful stacks -- especially not the Browns. The theory behind stacking players is that by putting correlated players into your lineup, you only need one event to ‘hit’ to be a success.
It’s like double dipping in the guacamole at your favorite Mexican restaurant -- except significantly less gross. Let’s double dip together as we go through three of the best Week 5 stacks.
Since Week 2, Dobbs has averaged over one passing TD per game, throwing no interceptions and finishing as a top-8 fantasy QB twice. The matchup against the Bengals isn’t frightening either, as far as opposing defenses go. While the Cardinals were believed to be tanking, they clearly want to win. I’m not sure I’ve ever watched a scrappier football team than these Cardinals, and I expect them to find a way to stay in this against a hobbled Bengals team.
More on the NFL:
Zach Ertz has seen double-digit targets in half of the games so far this season and 8-plus in three of four. He’s yet to find the end zone, but that could be this weekend. You’re not sacrificing upside with this stack, but you are saving a ton of money to use elsewhere.
Yeah, I know. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce is pretty freaking basic, but they are, uh, really good. The Chiefs will wallop the Minnesota Vikings. The total is 52.5, the highest of any Week 5 game.
You’re spending big here, but we’re expecting big points. I like adding Pacheco after a big Week 4. The Chiefs will roll, which could mean another big day for Pacheco. If you really feel like spending all your money up top, add Justin Jefferson on the other side of this game.
I saved this one for last, so you wouldn’t stop reading after seeing Zach Wilson’s name. I know it seems like chasing points after the best game of his career, but there is more at play here.
Let’s build context around the situation. Wilson gets drafted second overall and then fails spectacularly over his first two seasons, to the point that he gets benched for Mike White. The Jets all but give up on him as a starter by trading for Aaron Rodgers. The entire offseason is spent building an offense for Rodgers, not for Zach Wilson. Then BAM, Week 1 he’s thrown into action unprepared, and it showed.
My point is that what we saw could be the best game Zach Wilson plays in his career OR we could be seeing a third-year QB taking a step forward after a couple of unexpected starts. Add to that a Broncos defense that has been porous and you’ve got a hot and very affordable stack in the Wilsons of New York in Week 5.
Simon says, check out these waiver wire possibilities
The purpose of the waiver wire changes this week. No longer are we just speculating for future weeks, replacing injured players in our lineup, or cutting the underperforming players from our draft. It’s Week 5, which means we’ve got four teams on bye and these waiver wire additions may be filling out your starting lineup immediately.
With the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks on bye, fantasy managers will be left with quite a few holes in their roster for the first time this season. Let’s fill those holes together.
Michael Wilson (6% Rostered)
Since Week 2, Wilson’s usage has been on a steady rise in the Arizona offense, all culminating in his Week 4 breakout. Now seemingly ahead of Rondale Moore on the depth chart, Wilson could become a more consistent flex option.
His seven targets were by far the most he’s had, but Wilson is building rapport with quarterback Joshua Dobbs and we still don’t know when Kyler Murray will be back.
Don’t expect two touchdowns every week for Wilson but do expect a lot of pass-happy game scripts for a struggling Cardinals team.
Curtis Samuel (14% Rostered)
Despite being on the field for the majority of snaps, Week 4 was the first-time fantasy managers were happy starting Samuel. He turned his highest target total of the season (eight targets) into seven receptions for 71 yards. A PPR dream.
With a juicy matchup against Chicago, Samuel is the perfect bye week fill-in. Touchdowns haven’t gone his way yet, but Samuel is still a serviceable PPR option.
Tyler Boyd (51% Rostered)
I’m not sure there is a more quintessential bye week wide receiver than Boyd. Never one to blow the roof off but also never one to ruin your week, Boyd is the epitome of high-floor/low-upside.
The amount of time he spends on the field can hardly go up if Tee Higgins misses time, but he may see Burrow look his way more often. What’s more likely is that Ja’Marr Chase sees the benefit of Higgins' absence and Boyd continues his steady slot role.
If you’re looking for a safe (but not so exciting) flex play for bye weeks, Boyd can fill that role.
Jameson Williams (53% Rostered)
Williams’ suspension for gambling was reduced to four games, so he can return in Week 5. While it's unknown how his talent will translate to the NFL, the upside of a former first-round pick entering one of the more exciting offenses in the NFL is enough to warrant a pick-up.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is clearly the Lions' No. 1 WR, but there is room for Williams to emerge as the WR2 in this offense and a weekly fantasy starter. Pick him up before his first week back on the field, though hold off on starting him if possible.
Jaleel McLaughlin (2% Rostered)
Javonte Williams suffered a hip flexor injury and missed the second half of Sunday’s victory against the Chicago Bears. In his stead, Samaje Perine and McLaughlin split the running back duties.
Good news, bad news with this one. The good news is that Javonte Williams is not expected to miss much time. The bad news is that this means McLaughlin will likely have one week of startability and it comes against a tough Jets defense.
McLaughlin should be looked at as a bye week filler while we await the return of Williams, which should be sooner rather than later.
Ronnie Rivers (2% Rostered)
Kyren Williams has been one of the best waiver wire finds of the season, currently sitting as the No. 3 PPR RB. The Rams' rushing role has fantasy value and this week highlighted Rivers as a competent backup.
Rivers turned nine carries into 47 yards and added two receptions for 10 yards. Unlikely to be worth starting while Williams is healthy and starting, Rivers is worth adding as a backup if you have room.
Tyjae Spears (34% Rostered)
It was a disappointing week if you started Spears, but it’s disappointing every week if you have to start a clear backup running back. While hardly start-able given the Titans' preference for Derrick Henry (duh), the Titans have shown they really like the rookie and continue to get him involved.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable plugging Spears into my lineup unless it is an absolute emergency, but I would like to roster one of the league’s clearest backup running backs.
Jake Ferguson (50% Rostered)
Tight end is gross, and volume alone is enough to make a player relevant. Ferguson has emerged as a favorite safety valve for Dak Prescott, with seven targets in three games this season including Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
Ferguson led all Cowboys in targets, receptions, and yards Sunday and turned in his third consecutive top-12 TE week. Ferguson’s PPR floor appears to be relatively safe and if he finds the end zone, a top-5 weekly finish is likely.
Jonnu Smith (2% Rostered)
A tight end led the Atlanta Falcons in receiving yards this weekend in London, and it wasn't Kyle Pitts. Seeing 6 or more targets in the last 3 games makes Smith a reluctant start at the position.
Upside is limited as the offense seems limited by Desmond Ridder. But while we await the emergence of Pitts, you can get a couple bye week or injury filler starts from Smith. Expect TE2 numbers and get excited if he turns his targets into more, like he did this past weekend.
C.J. Stroud (55% Rostered)
Stroud has finished as QB13 or better each of the last three weeks, even with his pass volume dipping due to positive game scripts against the Jaguars and the Steelers. With the emergence of Nico Collins and Tank Dell as viable threats for the rookie, Stroud can be relied on as a weekly starter and should get back to chucking the ball near 50 times a game as the Texans are in more negative game scripts.
Russell Wilson (53% Rostered)
While the Broncos look lost as a team, Wilson has put together multiple good games in a row including this week’s impressive three-touchdown game against a struggling Bears’ defense.
While you wouldn't start Wilson every week in one-quarterback leagues, he has shown he can be started in positive matchups. Week 5 is rough against a strong Jets defense, but you can pick him up now and then play the matchups.
Joshua Dobbs (9% Rostered)
Now that Dobbs’ jersey is available in the Cardinals team store, start taking him seriously as a fantasy option. He' been start-able the last three weeks, including two top-8 finishes. These weren’t against nobody defenses. Dobbs got it done against the Giants, Cowboys and 49ers.
The Cards' offense continues to find a way when many counted them out to start the year. With Kyler Murray having no clear timetable for return, fantasy managers can pick up Dobbs as a serviceable QB for the foreseeable future. The Week 5 matchup against the Bengals also makes Dobbs an excellent bye week replacement QB.
Check out these stacking options for Week 4
With three weeks behind us, the NFL season feels like it’s fully underway and (mostly) starting to make sense (I’m looking at you Cowboys, what was that!?). Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami offense have been unstoppable, Jordan Love is an above average quarterback, Travis Kelce is smitten with Taylor Swift, De’Von Achane is as fast as advertised, the Falcons still hate throwing the ball and the Bears are an absolute disaster.
As the season falls into place, more information reveals itself, priors are proven right and even more are proven wrong, it’s up to us to fish out the relevant information and try to find that edge against our opponents.
Sometimes it makes sense not to rock the boat. Tua has been great and he’ll probably remain great for DFS with the Olympic track team he has. But sometimes we have to get contrarian with our stacks to set ourselves away from the crowd. We’ll give you a little bit of both here.
All that talk about Tua in the intro and now I’m saying start Josh Allen!? Shoutout to our friend here at Sportstopia Terrell Furman for promoting this stack. We’ve got the highest total of the week at 53.5 and I WANT SOME OF THAT.
After what we’ve seen Tua and Tyreek do, you wouldn’t be the only one going back to the Dolphin well in Week 4. I’m trying to get on the other side of what should be a game where both teams score plenty. Allen and Diggs are no-brainers, but I like Kincaid’s involvement in the offense so far. Knox only saw two targets last weekend and seems to have lost his job to the rookie while injured.
In the absence of Cooper Kupp, Rams QB Matthew Stafford has built quite the connection with two young wide receivers. Puka Nacua has been the highlight of this season, but don’t forget about Stafford’s favorite big play guy Tutu Atwell. Atwell out-targeted Puka on Monday and has seen 8 or 9 targets in every game.
Texans’ CJ Stroud threw the ball 47 times against the Colts, so if Stafford can stay alive behind his offensive line I’m expecting similar volume from a team that clearly wants to throw the ball. Puka will likely eat as well, but I’m taking the less rostered and just as involved player. Throw Higbee into the lineup as a contrarian tight end option. He’s been involved and is due a trip to the end zone. Shoutout to the Fantasy Sports Logic Contrarian Edge Optimizer for this Rams stack.
OR
Chalk, chasing points, going back to the well, WHATEVER. Justin Herbert has been a fantasy star despite the Chargers early struggles and I’m going back for more after Keenan Allen’s big Week 3. Every quarterback to play the Raiders has thrown at least two touchdowns and no interceptions. This list includes Russell Wilson and Kenny Pickett, so I don’t expect Herbert to be the one to break the trend.
If Ekeler is in fact back, he’s equally as great of an option and you might get a slight dip in ownership due to fears of him coming back from injury. Herbert and Allen are chalk to the max. Ekeler captures the same upside but differentiates your roster from everybody else who watched what Keenan Allen did after Mike Williams went down.
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