Fantasy Football Week 8 Mailbag: Waiver Wire, Arian Foster Questions Answered
Week 8 of the NFL season kicks off Thursday night with an exciting matchup between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins that’s full of fantasy football angles.
You have submitted your mailbag questions ahead of a pivotal week in most fantasy leagues as the playoff races heat up. We answered some of the best questions below.
Question (from Ben via Facebook): Peyton Manning or Brian Hoyer this week?
It’s hard to believe this is a legitimate question, but in 2015 it certainly qualifies.
Manning hasn’t played well this season and the Denver Broncos wouldn’t be 6-0 without one of the league’s best defenses bailing him out after mistakes. He’s thrown just two touchdown passes with seven interceptions in the last three games. Manning also hasn’t hit the 300-yard mark in that span.
Hoyer, meanwhile, has thrown six touchdown passes and one interception in the last two weeks. He’s not helping the Texans win any games, but Houston is falling behind early and being forced to throw often in the second half, which leads to Hoyer picking up a lot of fantasy points in garbage time.
Your best bet this week is Hoyer.
Question (from Daniel via Twitter): trade offer. Lamar Miller for J. Graham. I have no backup TE so would need to shop on the waiver wire. Perhaps Clay, he is available
Acquiring Miller for Graham straight up is a trade that should be made immediately. Literally stop what you’re doing and click “accept” on your league page right now.
Miller has been a fantasy star under new Dolphins head coach Dan Campbell. In Campbell’s first two games in charge, Miller has ran for 288 yards (two 100-yard performances) on 33 carries. That’s just four fewer carries than he had in the first four games of the season combined. Miller also caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in a Week 7 win over the Houston Texans.
Graham has been a disappointment in Seattle. Not only is he failing to produce at the rate of an elite fantasy tight end, his consistency also is poor. Graham has just one game with more than 31 receiving yards over the last four weeks, in addition to zero touchdowns in that span. His four receptions per game average isn’t helping fantasy owners in PPR leagues, too.
Miller has much more value and upside than Graham, as most RB1 or RB2 running backs would when compared to a tight end.
Question (from Chris via Facebook): Should I start (Philip) Rivers at Baltimore or (Russell) Wilson at Dallas?
Rivers against the Ravens is the safer play. Baltimore has given up the fourth-most pass yards and ranks 27th in pass yards allowed per game. The Ravens defense also has just three interceptions in seven games. Rivers didn’t meet expectations versus the Oakland Raiders in Week 7, but he still leads the league in pass yards and should throw a lot in Week 8 because the Chargers don’t have a reliable rushing attack (87.1 yards per game, 29th in the league).
Russell Wilson isn’t a bad start, but expect the Seahawks to establish the run game early against a Cowboys defense giving up more than 100 rush yards per game.
Question (from Joe via Twitter): What are good replacements for (Arian) Foster?
Alfred Blue is the best option if you’re looking at a Houston Texans running back. He was the starter when Foster missed the first three weeks of the season with an injury, and his Week 3 performance included 139 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Orleans Darwa of the New York Giants is a good waiver wire target. He gave the Giants a spark offensively in Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys with 48 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden is another solid trade or waiver wire target. Joseph Randle’s injury gave D-Mac an opportunity to shine and he took full advantage of it with 152 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. McFadden always has been capable of providing this type of production when healthy. He has the talent, but durability is a concern.
Thumbnail photo via Andrew Innerarity/USA TODAY Sports Images
