Fantasy football rankings Week 8: Dave Richard's tough start/sit calls put Patrick Mahomes on the hot seat — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Patrick Mahomes faces another difficult matchup against Denver in Week 8, with the analysis warning that defensive schemes and offensive tendencies can make even productive starters risky plays.
- Geno Smith is among the quarterbacks worth trusting in Week 8 because his matchup against his former team, the Raiders, is favorable.
- Michael Wilson is listed as a start against Dallas, buoyed by a 36% target-per-route-run rate and 2.11 yards per route against single-high coverage; those figures rose to 41.7% and 2.33 in two games since the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade.
- Sam LaPorta is listed as a start against Minnesota, where Richard expects a relentless blitz to concentrate Goff’s targets on Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and LaPorta; LaPorta ranks third in target rate under pressure and averages 2.77 yards per route when blitzed.
- Bryce Young is only a borderline start at Green Bay after Tampa Bay generated a 15.6% sack rate despite blitzing just 28.9%; Richard says Green Bay will try to copy that pressure after Taylor Moton fractured his fibula and Damien Lewis was not well enough to play, while Young’s catchable-ball rate when pressured was 58% at 5.9 yards per attempt.
- James Cook is a must-start against Baltimore because Buffalo’s run-heavy approach has suppressed receiver production: only once in four of Cook’s 20-plus-carry games did a Bills wideout exceed 14 PPR points, and only twice did any Bills pass-catcher clear that mark.
Why it matters: Managers chasing a receiver in Detroit’s game have a concrete reason to keep LaPorta: Minnesota’s blitz rate never fell below 56.5% and reached 85.2% against Indianapolis last week, while pressure concentrates targets on LaPorta, St. Brown and Gibbs. That matchup evidence makes LaPorta a start even as Goff is listed only as a high-end No. 2.
Ask SkimNews
