RADIO
With injuries and middling performances ravaging fantasy teams to start the season, it's okay to consider benching players who were relatively highly drafted (top-100) for this week and moving forward.
This may be hard to stomach as you bench your QB1 or RB1 for a free-agent acquisition, but sometimes such measures must be taken to ensure victory in the heart of the fantasy football season.
Here is a look at some fantasy football players who have shown warning signals recently, and you should think twice about putting them in your lineup in Week 8. Will they bounce back, or continue to underperform? For any and all issues or concerns, contact @RotoSurgeon on Twitter.
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Quarterback Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 8?
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Russell Wilson is coming off of subsequent hamstring and lat muscle injuries while not playing since Week 6. Yes, he deserves the benefit of the doubt for being Russell Wilson but that's waning as the season goes on and his mediocre performances persist.
Wilson has a solid corps of receiving weapons and solid protection but holds on to the ball far too long (as he has throughout his career) and refuses to take a checkdown. Wilson also is out of sync with his receivers and playing in an unimaginative scheme that requires routes to develop far too long.
Until we see Wilson put up a solid fantasy performance post-injury, he must be benched for other options. Also, it does not help that this matchup is in London at 6:30 AM which could easily throw him and his offense off further.
What To Do
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings vs Arizona Cardinals
Kirk Cousins is far from explosive but he has arguably the most talented WR1/RB1 combo in the league that makes driving down the field a breeze. This coming matchup versus the Arizona Cardinals is also quite favorable as their defense ranks 27th against the pass and Minnesota is fresh coming off of a BYE week.
The Vikings have utilized Dalvin Cook sparingly as a receiver this season due to his shoulder injury but that may change in Week 8 after some rest. Arizona's run defense is top-10 and could lead to more empty sets or RB screens for Cook to attack in space while creating fantasy points for Cousins.
Running Back Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 8?
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Najee Harris has been abominable in 2022 after leading the league in touches last season. Harris is averaging below 4 yards-per-carry and yards-per-target while averaging 16.9 touches-per-game. He is not someone to drop solely due to usage but benching is long overdue.
Harris's snaps have sustained above 70% on the season but Jaylen Warren looks much better with every touch. Would not be a surprise to see a snap decrease in the 2nd half.
While teams in deeper leagues may not have the luxury of this, those in 12-team and shallower formats can remove Harris from their lineups as he is averaging a mere 10.8 PPR points per game, fewer than backup RBs Khalil Herbert, Antonio Gibson, and Jamaal Williams.
Harris is facing an Eagles front that is weaker against the rush but that has not benefitted Najee thus far as he was incapable of taking advantage of weak New England and Cleveland rush defenses this season.
What To Do
Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys vs Detroit Lions
With Ezekiel Elliott likely out due to knee and thigh issues, Tony Pollard steps in as the unquestioned RB1 in Dallas set up to face a Chicago rush defense that ranks 24th in the NFL. Pollard's season has not resulted in too many fantasy points but he has found success through the ground and air as the complementary back to Elliott.
While 5.6 yards/carry should not sustain if given a larger load, Pollard can remain plenty effective with his speed and Dallas's lack of a third option behind him. The expectation should be for Pollard to play a majority of the snaps and see upwards of 20 touches in Week 8. The only concern is at the goal line. Elliott was subbed in when the Cowboys reached inside of 5 yards this season despite Pollard continuously getting them there from near midfield.
Will Dallas trust Pollard at the goal line or hammer Dak inside on sneaks or designed rushes? While this could certainly limit Pollard's ceiling, he must be played if rostered due to the floor of touches.
Wide Receiver Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 8?
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers
Drake London has not cracked 8 PPR points since Week 3 and is losing that alpha role he possessed early on in the season. Through the first 5 games of the season, London averaged 7.8 targets/game and since then, he has 5 total over the past 2 weeks. Not to say London is bad all of a sudden, rather, teams are quick to attend to him downfield as the Falcons are not loaded in their receiving room.
Kyle Pitts is arguably the best receiving option in Atlanta yet he is stuck near the line of scrimmage as a blocker nearly 20% of the time, allowing defenses to bracket London and leave the limited talent elsewhere to scramble around. It also does not help that London plays in the league's second-lowest pass-volume offense. All of this is a recipe for disaster and a matchup against a somewhat porous Carolina pass defense does not help.
What To Do
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns
With news of Ja'Marr Chase's injury, Tyler Boyd immediately jumps to a must-start tier for managers that have him. If he is on waivers, he should be picked up immediately as Boyd could be a fringe WR2 for the rest of this season.
Boyd is a talented receiver who was stuck in an extremely talented receiving room. The loss of Chase is massive on his potential target share as it dipped from 20.7% in 2020 to 18.5% in 2021 (Chase's rookie year) to 14.2% this season. We should expect him to command roughly 20% of targets moving forward.
Boyd had a career game in Week 7 against an atrocious Falcons pass defense and now gets to face Cleveland's 28th-ranked pass D as the clear second option to Tee Higgins. The WR options behind him are not going to step on his toes and neither will TE Hayden Hurst.
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