Another 11-game slate for Monday week 8, with 7 early games and 4 late games. The early slate is highlighted by an AFC East battle between the New York Jets (5-2) and the New England Patriots (3-4). It also features 3 high totalled matchups, meaning there’s plenty to choose from early. The late slate is peppered with games featuring low totals, with the highlight being the NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers (3-4) taking on the Los Angeles Rams (3-3). Total scores were slightly down last week for the Monday slate, going from an average of 43.3 in week 6 to 43.1 last week. This is reflected in the market average total dropping again this week to 43.7, down from 44.5 a week ago.

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Quarterback

Kyler Murray - $14,980

Murray hasn’t exactly set the world on fire this season, with a high score of 24.9 and an average of 19.9, however with the return of DeAndre Hopkins last week and a great matchup this week against the Vikings, expect a breakout for Murray in week 8. The Vikings have been horrible at stopping the deep pass this year, currently ranking 32nd in explosive pass rate, 28th in passing yards per game, and 32nd in DVOA against short passing. With Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury’s “air-raid” style offense, Murray should be able to get whatever he wants downfield, whilst also having plenty of chances to hit targets underneath for yards.

Tua Tagovailoa - $13,850

Tua has a great matchup this week, taking on the Detroit Lions who have been horrible defensively in the first half of the season. The Lions are currently giving up the 4th most points to quarterbacks this season, whilst ranking 28th in deep pass DVOA, whilst conceding the third best success rate per drop back. This game has the highest total on the board for the week, with betting markets seeing a shootout on the cards. Tua has huge upside, with a high score of 43.9 on the year, whilst also averaging 17.9 despite two concussion affected games.

Running Back

Derrick Henry - $15,210

Look out for the King this week. Henry has been in beast mode the past 4 weeks, averaging 25.5 in that span. This week could be his biggest yet. Henry and the Titans take on the Houston Texans, who have been absolutely destroyed by running backs this year. Added to this, Titans Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out, meaning rookie Malik Willis will get his first career start this week. There’s no doubt Head Coach Mike Vrabel will rely even more heavily than usual on his bell cow, so expect big numbers for number 22, in a matchup he has dominated in the past.

Josh Jacobs - $15,290

If the Tannehill news scares you off Henry, you can pick up the hottest running back in this slate for basically the same price. Josh Jacobs has been utterly dominant over the past 3 weeks, and we spoke about him in detail last week. He continued his dominance against the Texans in week 7, running for 143 yards and crossing for 3 touchdowns. This week, Jacobs gets the New Orleans Saints, who give up the 10th most yards to running backs in the NFL. There are concerns of the flu going around the Raiders locker room which scares me a little, but if Jacobs plays you can expect another big performance in week 8.

D'Onta Foreman - $8,510

Foreman’s season was flipped on its head with the pre-week 7 trade of Christian McCaffrey. Last week saw Foreman’s highest usage for the year, and he gashed the Buccaneers normally stout run defence for 118 yards. This week, things get even better, with Panthers’ new RB1 Chuba Hubbard out, leaving Foreman to step up as the team’s new RB1. Foreman should get a high usage this week, and is taking on a team in the Falcons who have struggled to stop the run this year, currently allowing the 2nd highest success rate in the league to running backs, whilst ranking 29th in line yards and 22nd in second-level yards allowed. A great matchup, an uptick in usage, and a cheap price, Foreman screams RB2 this week.

Wide Receiver

DeAndre Hopkins - $13,370

Hopkins made his return last week, and didn’t miss a beat. Hopkins was targeted 14 times, whilst gaining 103 yards from 10 receptions. This week, he comes up against a poor Vikings’ secondary, and as outlined in the Kyler Murray blurb above, the Cardinals offense sets up perfectly to take advantage. Expect a high share of targets once again, and a chance to get into the endzone in a game that is totalled at 49, currently the 3rd highest total of the week. Hopkins spent plenty of time in the slot last week, and given how good he looked, no doubt HC Kingsbury will go back to the well, which will be great for fantasy owners.

Davante Adams - $15,710

Adams has gone a little under the radar this season, with his big offseason move to the Raiders leaving him sitting in a team with a disappointing 2-4 record to start the year. Don’t let that turn you off though, as Adams has continued to put up WR1 numbers this year, and is currently averaging the 5th most points of all wide receivers in this slate. Adams will be taking on a secondary without CB1 Marshon Lattimore this week, and the Saints’ defence has been terrible without him. Keep an eye on the final injury report, with Adams under the weather all week and missing the final practices for the Raiders.

Amon-Ra St. Brown - $13,110

We had St. Brown in our squad last week, and he let us down after he was ruled out of the game early with concussion symptoms. News has emerged this week that St. Brown did not receive a concussion, and is good to go this week. In weeks 1 to 3, St. Brown was a WR1 getting premier usage for a Lions offense that was humming. Several injuries to key offensive weapons, including himself, dropped St. Brown’s production, and his price. This week, the Lions get back several key pieces on offense and get a matchup against a banged-up Dolphins secondary. St. Brown should be back to his early season best, which is WR1 type numbers for a high-end WR2 price tag.

Tight End

Irv Smith - $7,670

This is purely a matchup pick, with the Vikings taking on the Cardinals, who have been horrible defending tight ends this season. Smith has a high score of 14.6 this season and averages only 4.8 targets per game. I was hoping Smith would be cheaper, but he’s being priced up based on this matchup, however, could be a solid point of difference in your teams this week with a high upside. Not for everyone, but don’t be surprised if Smith puts up a top 3 performance at tight end in this slate of games.

Mike Gesicki - $5,870

Gesicki gets a good matchup this week, taking on the Detroit Lions who are currently allowing the 5th most points per week to tight ends. Gesicki’s target share has grown over the past two weeks, after averaging just over 2 targets per game through week 5, Gesicki has been targeted 7 times in each of the past two games. Gesicki is a redzone target, with 3 touchdowns on the season and should get a chance at more this week against a Lions defence giving up the most points per game at 32.3. Gesicki is a cheap way into a Dolphins offense which is predicted to score the most points in this slate.

D/ST

Carolina Panthers - $4,940

The Panthers’ defence has been quietly achieving a solid body of work this season, currently averaging the 8th highest points per game in fantasy. This week, they get a Falcons offense that, whilst scoring at a decent clip, could struggle to get going on the ground. The Panthers are a top third of the league defence against the run per DVOA, and appear to be a unit that is gelling under Interim Head Coach Steve Wilks. I expect the Panthers to win this game, and it will no doubt be on the back of another stout defensive performance.

Dallas Cowboys - $7,360

The Cowboys could be the best defence in football, and this week get a Bears team coming of a huge Monday Night Football win last week. Justin Fields is getting used to running for his life behind a poor offensive line, and this week he can expect much of the same. The Cowboy’s defence is elite at rushing the passer, so expect sacks galore, and they are also top 5 in the league at takeaways. If you’ve got the coin, the Cowboys are D/ST1 this week with a bullet.

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