Week 8 is in the books! Cooterdoodle is back to walk us through the fantasy landscape from a buy, sell, hold perspective…
What a head-scratching, frustrating, high blood pressure type of week. In short, Week 8 was abysmal. We even witnessed the Talented Mr. Roto tilting on the timeline after Sunday Night Football.
But no matter how badly your team might've performed in Week 8, there is a silver lining. Your fantasy team still can’t possibly have performed worse than the New York Giants did.
We’re bitter. We’re upset. And we’re reeling from poor performances from our (sometimes highly-drafted) fantasy players. But let’s all take a deep breath, hold, and exhale. That’s better…
Let’s get into this week’s players to buy, sell, or hold.
Player to buy
Patterns are emerging! It’s time to get out your pocketbook and think about buying:
Javonte Williams, RB - Broncos
Well, the Broncos…beat the Chiefs? Russell Wilson has been much-improved in 2023, and yet, the most exciting part of this new and improved Denver offense has been the return of Javonte Williams.
The Broncos are on bye this week, but Williams is coming off of two straight games now of at least 80 rushing yards and three receptions.
Oct 29, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (33) carries the ball for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
While Williams still hasn't scored a single rushing TD, he did finally catch a TD in Week 8. And his rushing attempts are metaphorically an arrow pointing straight up:
- Week 4: 2 attempts
- Week 6: 10 attempts
- Week 7: 15 attempts
- Week 8: 27 attempts
It’s possible that the team with Williams in your league needs a win this week and might sell Williams for a startable RB or flex play on his week off. Given his increased usage that is showing no signs of slowing down, I’d send out some trade offers.
Takeaway: Capitalize on the bye to buy Williams.
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Players to sell
Sometimes there’s bad writing on the wall even when a player has been performing. It’s time to think about selling.
Alexander Mattison, RB - Vikings
I think we’ve seen this movie before. It’s Week 9, and we are yet again talking about selling Alexander Mattison, and it’s not only because the Vikings' backfield is split. It’s not just because of Mattison’s inconsistency and inefficiency. And it’s not only due to the tough matchups looming or Minnesota's upcoming bye in Week 13.
The answer is: D. All of the above.
And speaking of “D”s, let’s look ahead at the defenses that Mattison is slated to face in the coming weeks:
- Week 9: Atlanta defense that ranks second against RBs
- Week 10: New Orleans defense that's tied for second against RBs alongside Atlanta
- Weeks 11-12: okay, okay…a couple of decent matchups against Denver and Chicago
- Week 13: Bye
You’d have to hope for some seriously big games from Mattison over the next couple of games, which is an iffy proposition given that we have no idea if this Vikings offense will be able to move the ball as well with Joshua Dobbs replacing Kirk Cousins.
You’d also have to hope that Cam Akers doesn’t continue to steal away touches, and it won't be easy to predict which RB is going to see the most work each week for Minnesota.
Takeaway: A split, unpredictable backfield on a potentially terrible Minnesota offense without Cousins? I want off this ride.
Cam Akers, RB - Vikings
Find Mattison's name in the section above and replace it with Cam Akers's name. That should do it.
‘Nuff said.
Takeaway: I wouldn’t touch the Vikings backfield with a 10-foot pole.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB - Lions
This isn’t about talent because we know that Jahmyr Gibbs has plenty of that. This is about Dan Campbell and David Montgomery’s impending return.
We’ve seen very clearly that Campbell loves a bell-cow RB. With Montgomery out the last couple of weeks, Gibbs has been given the reins to this Detroit offense, and boy, has it been beautiful.
But when Montgomery was healthy, he was “that dawg”. When he returns from his rib injury, there are a few possible scenarios for what the Lions' backfield will look like, and none of them are going to be as good for Gibbs as they have been the last couple of games with Montgomery out of the picture.
The best-case scenario is that Gibbs will lead a split backfield with Montgomery involved, possibly with Montgomery vulturing valuable goal-line touches. There's also a non-zero chance that Campbell could go back to the veteran, and Montgomery reclaims the lead role that he had prior to injury.
I’m choosing to sell now if you can get a haul for Gibbs because neither of the above scenarios is ideal.
Takeaway: Return of the Full Monty?
Jahan Dotson, WR - Commanders
Philadelphia's defense currently ranks dead last in the league against opposing WRs, having given up an average of 46.2 PPR points per game (PPG) to the position, so it really should've been no surprise that Jahan Dotson connected on eight catches for 108 yards and a TD against the Eagles in Week 8.
Well, I’m lying a little bit.
It is surprising in relation to his previous weeks, where Dotson logged six single-digit PPR performances over the first seven weeks. It’s also surprising that Dotson had more receptions than Terry McLaurin against Philadelphia this past week.
Oct 22, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson (1) makes a catch during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
While there's a chance that last week's game against the Eagles was the wakeup call that the Commanders needed to start featuring Dotson more, I have to ask you this:
Even if you've held onto Dotson through his down weeks, are you confident in starting him moving forward?
If your answer is no: Sell. Otherwise, you have a player that’s scoring or dropping duds on your bench, neither of which will benefit your fantasy team.
Takeaway: If the trust isn't there, sell high if possible.
Player to hold
Here are some “They did so great, I bet I could get some value for them right now" players that we are not letting go of, no matter what.
Remember, we’re not chasing the next big thing if we already have it.
Rashid Shaheed, WR - Saints
Rashid Shaheed is the No. 3 WR on a New Orleans offense that has lost the faith of their fan base (most weeks). Saints fans have called for coaching changes, and plenty of boos were heard in the Superdome Week 7.
But the Saints should eventually find their rhythm, and Shaheed has been making explosive downfield plays all season.
You know, the explosive downfield plays that we expected from Chris Olave. Instead, a large chunk of Olave’s yards have come in the form of “what ifs” and “could've beens”, also known as air yards.
If you have Shaheed, you likely drafted him very late or added him for free off the waiver wire. He’s been an extremely productive flex play here and there despite having a non-existent weekly floor that can make your tummy bubble.
I’d put feelers out to sell, but most fantasy managers are probably still skeptical of this offense and Shaheed's role, which puts a damper on his trade value.
Takeaway: Boom or bust, but that ceiling is rising. Steal at ADP.
Other players to target in trades or on waivers
Josh Downs, WR - Colts
Garrett Wilson, WR - Jets
Zach Charbonnet, RB - Seahawks
