Puka Nacua
WR2 this week
21.8 points in Week 7 playing through a calf issue. Ranked the number two wide receiver in all of football for Week 8. Start and forget.
Week 8 has not started for you. Nothing has been played since the Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-21 on Monday night, so your scoreboard reads 0.0 to 0.0 and will until Sunday. Today is for acting, not watching: you have a running back starting who scored 1.3 points last week, an open bench spot, and $39 of waiver money to fix it.
LordHaveMRSA
0.00
WhoottieBoys
0.00
Nothing played. Kickoff for you is Sunday 1:00 PM ET.
Roschon Johnson
1.3 points in Week 7
Ranked around the 44th-best running back for Week 8 and the second-most-dropped player in fantasy football over the last 48 hours. He is your current second running back.
DJ Moore
WR15 if cleared
Limited in Wednesday's practice with the shoulder injury that cost him Weeks 5 and 6. If Friday's report clears him he is a clear upgrade in your flex spot.
Where the matchup stands
LordHaveMRSA (3-4) vs WhoottieBoys (1-6) - nothing played yet
Both teams sit on 0.00. The only game before Sunday is the Carolina Panthers at the Green Bay Packers tonight at 8:15 PM ET, and you have nobody in it. WhoottieBoys does: Jalen Coker (Carolina Panthers) is in his starting lineup and is ranked the 17th-best wide receiver this week. So expect to go to bed tonight losing and stay losing until Sunday at 1:00 PM ET. That is noise, not news.
This is the easiest matchup left on your schedule
WhoottieBoys has scored 585.20 points all season. The 11th-place team has scored 747.80. They are not 12th by a hair, they are 162 points behind 11th - the worst offense in the league by a mile, and they have $17 of waiver money left to do anything about it. They are 1-6 for a reason. Anything short of a win here is a genuine problem for your playoff odds.
The uncomfortable season number: 122.40 points left on your bench
You have scored 719.16 points. Your best possible lineups would have scored 841.56. That 122.40-point gap is the difference between 3-4 and sitting in the top four. Six teams make the playoffs, you are 8th, and you are one game out of the 4-3 pack. The roster has been good enough; the lineup decisions have not.
Byes and who they cost you
Week 8 byes: Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers
From your roster that takes out exactly one player: Cam Skattebo (New York Giants), who is also listed questionable with a hamstring injury. He is on your bench anyway, so it costs you nothing this week. Worth remembering that he put up 19.1 points from your bench in Week 7 while Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears) scored 1.3 in your starting lineup - the exact mistake the 122-point bench gap is made of.
Good news: the Chicago Bears are NOT on bye
They play Monday night, November 2 at 8:15 PM ET at the Seattle Seahawks. So Roschon Johnson does have a game, and your matchup will not be decided until Monday night. The bad news is covered below - having a game and being worth starting are different things.
Your lineup for Sunday
| Slot | Player | Call |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Drake Maye (New England Patriots) | Start. 28.44 points in Week 7, at the Miami Dolphins Sunday 4:25 PM ET. Geno Smith (New York Jets) put up 24.48 on your bench - close, but Maye stays. |
| RB | Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams) | Lock. Ranked the 7th-best running back this week, hosting the Los Angeles Chargers. 18.1 points last week. |
| RB | Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears) | PROBLEM. Ranked around 44th at the position. Replace him if a waiver claim lands. |
| WR | Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) | Lock. Ranked 2nd among all wide receivers. The calf is not a factor. |
| WR | Tre Tucker (Las Vegas Raiders) | Start. 21.3 points last week, ranked 30th this week, at the New York Jets. |
| TE | Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) | Lock. 27.1 points last week, at the Dallas Cowboys. |
| FLEX | Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills) | Downgrade pending. Ranked only 49th among wide receivers. See the flex decision below. |
Five of seven spots are settled and strong. The second running back spot is a hole, and the flex is a live decision that Friday's injury reports will answer.
The flex decision
First choice: DJ Moore (Buffalo Bills) - if he is cleared
Moore is ranked the 15th-best wide receiver for Week 8, against the Baltimore Ravens at 1:00 PM ET. That is 34 spots better than the player currently in the slot. He was limited at Wednesday's practice and is still listed questionable with an AC joint sprain - that is the small joint at the top of the shoulder where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade - which kept him out in Weeks 5 and 6. Buffalo's final injury report comes out Friday. If he is active, he plays in your flex. Check it Friday afternoon, not Sunday morning.
Second choice: Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs) - if Moore sits
Worthy is ranked 40th this week, at the Denver Broncos at 4:25 PM ET. Thin, but he has been Kansas City's top target while Rashee Rice (Kansas City Chiefs) has been dealing with hamstring and knee problems, and Rice is still listed questionable. A tough matchup at Denver is the catch. He only scored 4.1 points for you in Week 7, so this is a ranking call, not a form call.
Last: Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills) - who is in the slot right now
Ranked 49th among wide receivers. He has not scored for you since Buffalo's bye and he is the fourth-best option you have for this spot. Leaving him there by default is how the 122-point bench gap got built. Chris Godwin Jr. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ranked 44th) and DeMario Douglas (New England Patriots, ranked 45th) are both roughly his equal, so there is no hidden answer on the bench - the answer is DJ Moore or Xavier Worthy.
Waivers - you have $39 and an open bench spot
| Player | Why | Bid |
|---|---|---|
| Jaydon Blue (Philadelphia Eagles) | The best chance at real volume on the wire. Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles) did not practice Wednesday with hamstring and back injuries, DeVonta Smith is also out, and Dameon Pierce went to injured reserve. Blue was just signed to the active roster. Caveat: Elijah Mitchell (Philadelphia Eagles) is already owned in this league and may lead that backfield instead. Philadelphia plays Sunday night at 8:20 PM ET, so you will know Barkley's status before you have to set the lineup. | $8 - $10 |
| Jaylen Wright (Miami Dolphins) | Practiced in full Wednesday after a quadriceps problem that knocked him out of Week 7. With De'Von Achane out for the season with a torn ACL, Wright is the only back behind Ollie Gordon II, who is ranked 19th this week - meaning Miami's backfield is carrying real work. Ranked 53rd himself, so this is a floor play, not an upgrade in form. | $4 |
| Mason Taylor (New York Jets) | The biggest game still sitting on your waiver wire: five catches, 62 yards and two touchdowns against Miami in Week 7, and a low-end starting tight end three weeks running. You have Trey McBride, so this is not a need - but he is free and somebody else will take him. | $1 or skip |
| Brian Thomas Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars) | A genuinely talented wide receiver sitting unowned in a 12-team league, which tells you how badly his season has gone - he has struggled in Jacksonville's offense all year. Pure buy-low stash if you want a lottery ticket, not a Week 8 starter. | $1 or skip |
You have $39 left of the $100 season-long waiver budget (FAAB) and you sit third in the waiver order. You do not have to drop anybody to make a claim. This league carries one injured-reserve slot and Dameon Pierce (Philadelphia Eagles) is already in it, so he costs you nothing - that leaves 13 players across your 7 starting spots and 7 bench spots, and one bench spot sitting empty. Claim a running back into it for free.
One caveat on that slot: this league only allows a player whose official status is injured reserve to sit there - not out, doubtful or questionable. So the moment Philadelphia activates Dameon Pierce you have to move him onto your bench or cut him, and Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) can never be stashed there no matter how the hamstring goes.
Do NOT spend money here
Brian Robinson Jr. (Atlanta Falcons) - did not practice Wednesday
He is the highest-ranked running back on the wire at around 40th, and on paper the obvious fix. He also did not practice Wednesday with a hamstring injury and was inactive in Week 7. Bidding real money on a back who has not practiced, behind Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons), is how you turn $15 into another 1.3-point afternoon.
Tyjae Spears (Tennessee Titans) - questionable, knee
Ranked 50th, questionable with a knee problem, and inactive in Week 7 behind Tony Pollard (Tennessee Titans). Same trap, cheaper version.
Kimani Vidal (Los Angeles Chargers) and Keaton Mitchell (Los Angeles Chargers)
Both healthy, both free, both stuck behind Omarion Hampton (Los Angeles Chargers), who is healthy and the clear starter. Ranked 51st and 48th. These are bodies, not solutions. Only worth $1 if nothing else lands.
Injuries on your roster
DJ Moore (Buffalo Bills) - questionable, shoulder (AC joint sprain)
Limited at Wednesday's practice. Missed Weeks 5 and 6 and has not been taking contact. The injury is not considered long-term. Your single most important thing to check on Friday, because he is the difference between a 15th-ranked and a 49th-ranked wide receiver in your flex spot.
Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) - questionable, hamstring, and on bye
Nothing to decide this week. He matters in Week 9, when he becomes your likeliest answer at the second running back spot if a waiver claim does not stick. Watch his practice reports next week.
Dameon Pierce (Philadelphia Eagles) - injured reserve, and parked correctly
Injured Monday night and placed on injured reserve. He is already sitting in your injured-reserve slot, so he is not taking up a bench spot and there is no reason to cut him - hold the stash. Just remember the slot only accepts players officially on injured reserve, so if Philadelphia activates him you have to find him a bench spot or let him go that day.
Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) - calf, no designation
Played through it in Week 7 and caught eight passes. Not on this week's injury table. No action needed.
What WhoottieBoys brings
Their lineup: Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers) at quarterback, James Cook III (Buffalo Bills) and Jonah Coleman (Denver Broncos) at running back, Jalen Coker (Carolina Panthers) and Jameson Williams (Detroit Lions) at wide receiver, Colston Loveland (Chicago Bears) at tight end, and Rashee Rice (Kansas City Chiefs) in the flex.
James Cook III is the one who can beat you on his own - he is ranked the 4th-best running back this week against the Baltimore Ravens. Rashee Rice is questionable with hamstring and knee issues and may not play at all. Jalen Coker goes tonight. Colston Loveland does not play until Monday night. Their realistic path to beating you is Cook having a monster day and you leaving Roschon Johnson in the lineup. Do not hand them that.
Your day, in order
1. Put in a waiver claim on Jaydon Blue (Philadelphia Eagles) at $8-$10. You have an open bench spot, so nothing has to be dropped to make room.
2. Add Jaylen Wright (Miami Dolphins) at $4 as the backup claim in case the Blue claim loses.
3. Friday afternoon: check Buffalo's final injury report on DJ Moore. If he is active, he goes in your flex over Keon Coleman. If he is out, Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs) goes there instead.
4. Friday afternoon: check whether Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles) is ruled out. If he is and your claim on Jaydon Blue landed, Blue starts over Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears).
5. Nothing tonight. The Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers game has no bearing on your team.