Fantasy Football Forum Week 8

Welcome to week 8 everyone! Jeff is out of town, so I’ll be taking over main hosting duties this week. I know, I don’t like it either, but we’re just going to have to make the best of it, ok?

If you’re in any kind of sensible Fantasy Football League, this is the half-way point. As such, this is an excellent time for reflection and contemplation. Either you’ve started out strong, made good waiver wire choices, and are well placed for the upcoming play offs… or you’ve screwed the proverbial pooch (good god, where did that idiom come from? Wait, no. Don’t tell me) and need to claw your way back into relevance.

In this week’s Fantasy Football Forum, we’re going to discuss some options for both those scenarios. First up, players to go after if you need to win NOW:

QB - Sam Darnold

The Sixth Sense himself very well could be on your waiver wire as we speak since he’s only around 25% owned. Yes, he looked horrific Monday against the Patriots. Get over it. Everyone looks horrific against the Patriots, and former Chicago OC Adam Gase did him no favors in that game. That said, Sammy faces a middling Jacksonville defense this week and should be an OK start. However, you’re not excited about him for this week. You’re excited for what’s to come. Miami, Giants, Washington, Oakland, Cinci, Miami. That’s his next 6 match ups, and in case you don’t know, that’s CAKE. Darnold can be a significant help to a QB needy team over the second half of the season. If that’s you, I’d seriously suggest picking him up.

WR – DaeSean Hamilton

Joe Flacco is… well, he’s trash. We all know that, but the fact remains that he was supporting a strong WR2 in Emmanuel Sanders. Well, Sanders has gone to greener pastures in a trade with San Francisco. Obviously this means that Courtland Sutton will probably get more looks, but it also clears the way for DaeSean Hamilton. The second year receiver more or less fits the Sanders mold, and should step right into his role in the offense. Will he be as productive as the 31 year old former superstar? Time will tell. The opportunity is there though, and at less than 10% owned, he’s worth an add for a WR needy team.

TE – Jacob Hollister

Big Will Dissly was having a break out season before having it derailed AGAIN by a season ending injury. You gotta feel for the guy. Many thought Luke Wilson would be the next man up for Seattle, but it ended up being Hollister. The former Patriot saw 6 targets from Russell Wilson last week. He didn’t manage much in the way of yards, but the usage is promising. Tight End is a wasteland, so there’s a good chance you’re in dire need. If that’s the case, Hollister may be worth an add, especially as he faces a barely there Atlanta pass defense who gave up 50 yards and a TD to Gerald Everett last week.

Now, if your team is sitting pretty with a winning record heading into the second half of the season, good for you! But the work’s not done. Now is the time to start looking for players to stash who could come up big in the second half and propel your already good team to a championship:

RB – Kenyan Drake

Yeah, yeah. He’s a Dolphin. Yeah, yeah. He’s not even the starter anymore. But unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, you’ve heard all the trade rumors swirling around Drake. Miami has been vocal about the fact that he’s on the trade block, and multiple teams have been confirmed to have inquired about him. There’s a chance he’s on your waiver wire, as he’s only about 55% owned. If he’s there, scoop him up. If he’s owned, consider working a trade for him. Don’t give up anything you need though. This is still a speculative stash. Maybe a WR4 with a recognizable name get’s it done. Don’t sell the farm, or even a good chicken, but do look into getting him on your team.

WR – DeVante Parker

Um, pretty much everything I said about Drake applies to Parker as well. Of course, Parker has been producing a bit more lately, so you might have to give up more to get him if he’s owned. The good news though, is that he’s only rostered in about 25% of leagues. So go snag him if he’s available!

RB – Le’Veon Bell

This one is going to take some doing to pull off. He’s owned, and he’s starting for whoever owns him. He was likely a late 1^st round or early 2^nd round pick in a redraft league. You aren’t buying him cheap. But, he has been under performing compared to expectations. So if you have depth at a position that the Bell owner needs, consider packaging your RB2 and a say, a WR2 and get Bell on your team pronto! Remember how I talked about Sammy Darnold and his CAKE schedule coming up? Well, Bell gets that schedule too. Go get him!

Moving on, let’s have a quick check in on the WCG League of Champions (comprised of the division winners and top scorers from last year’s WCG Fantasy Tournament)!

It’s a pretty competitive league so far, as expected. 12 Angry Bears is leading the way at 5-2, with yours truly nipping at his heals. Champaign Cubbies, Ya Bish! And my WCG Cohort Jeff Berckes (Peanut Punchers) are just behind at 4-3, And of Course Sam Householder (Golladay Celebrate) is hanging in there at 3-4. It’s still anybody’s league at this point, where even the last place team has scored over 800 points.

Taking a look over at the WCG Daily Fantasy League, not much has changed really. BoomShakUrlacher (I think that’s Sam?) is still in the lead, with Jeff sliding into 3^rd. I’m currently holding down 7^th (biding my time… muhahahahaha!). Typer-Pempo, JamesTravis, Esraem, BrianCarstens, Scork, Roctown and shortbus-74PCF round out the top 10.

Daily leagues are a different and super fun way to do fantasy. You essentially draft a new team every week, but there are no player restrictions. You can play whoever you want, regardless of who else is playing them. The only thing limiting your choices, is your player budget. If you haven’t tried it, I highly suggest it! I’m sure we’ll be doing the WCG Daily league next year as well, so give her a join next summer!

Good luck to everyone in the second half! As always, this article is here for you to ask lineup questions, or just talk general fantasy football. So, I hope this helped, and have at it!

Jeff Berckes is the Fantasy Football writer for Windy City Gridiron, co-hosts the podcast Bears Over Beers, and can be found on twitter @gridironborn. WhiskeyRanger is a freelance graphic artist and Windy City Gridiron Contributor at not-so-large. You can find him on twitter @WhiskeyRanger29.