DFS: Pigskin Panel - The 3 Biggest Questions of Week 8
Each week, theScore's DFS experts tackle the biggest questions of the week. Here are three of the most significant issues of Week 8:
Antonio Brown will rank ___ in fantasy points among wide receivers.
Andrew Potter: 10th. Ben Roethlisberger is lucky in the sense that his injury was on his left knee; most of the power on his throws come from driving off his right side. That said, he is one of the most mobile QBs in the league despite his lumbering size. Expect Roethlisberger's injury to prevent Brown from reaching his ceiling but he should still succeed against the Bengals.
Josh Ghatak: Third. Brown should be back to his normal self this week with Roethlisberger under center. That means DFS players can expect Brown to finish with his usual 120+ yards, 7-10 catches, and hopefully a TD. That score could make the difference between a top-3 and a top-6 finish. Whatever the case, Brown is back to being a must-roster in all formats.
Jason Wilson: Third. Brown's ceiling is impossibly high with Roethlisberger throwing him the ball. His Week 2 performance against the 49ers - nine catches for 195 yards - was something out of Madden. Considering Landry Jones got 124 yards out of him in Week 7, Brown will be back on top. Julio Jones and Keenan Allen have great matchups, giving them slight edges.
Ken Conrad: Fifth. The Roethlisberger-to-Brown combo was unstoppable during the first three weeks of the season - but assuming Big Ben is back, there's no lock that he's completely healthy. Brown should get his steady diet of short and intermediate passes that were lacking under Mike Vick, and given he's not close to the highest-priced WR this week, he offers great value.
___________ will lead the Texans in carries.
Andrew Potter: Alfred Blue will receive the bulk of the carries, though backfield teammate Chris Polk is probably the more intriguing option. Polk will still get a handful of carries but will also be targeted in as a receiver while Blue doesn't appear to have that versatility. That all said, should DFS players target either against the Titans? Probably not.
Josh Ghatak: Blue. Fantasy players have been here before - and as it was before, the options are Blue and Chris Polk. Blue has also out-touched Polk over the course of this season, carrying the ball 60 times against Polk’s 40 and hitting a high of 31 in Week 3. This will be a tight battle regardless of who out-touches the other as both will be provided some opportunity.
Jason Wilson: Blue - but wow, that is not encouraging. The Houston running game does not look good. Blue has averaged more yards per carry than Foster, but that doesn't mean he's a viable option at all. There are better options available in daily fantasy until someone emerges. No Texans RB is worth selecting in any format until further notice.
Ken Conrad: Blue. The second-year back had a big game in Week 3 before Foster's subsequent return, running up a 31-139-1 line. With only three catches on the season, though, he'll cede passing down work to Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk. With Tennessee not a risk to blow Houston out early, Blue should comfortably carry the load on the ground.
_____________ is the must-own tight end of the week.
Andrew Potter: Tyler Eifert. Rob Gronkowski is generally the only must-own tight end in the league today, but he's playing Thursday night and won't be available in many contests. The Bengals' Eifert could be the next closest thing to a must-start; Pittsburgh has been kind to visiting tight ends and Eifert has scored three TDs in the past two weeks.
Josh Ghatak: Chicago TE Martellus Bennett, who has a whopping 35 targets in his last three weeks and 53 overall. That ceiling makes him extremely appealing against Minnesota, which has giving up 85+ yards to opposing tight ends in two of the past three weeks. Coming off the bye, Chicago also has had extra time to rest, plan and practice this week.
Jason Wilson: Eifert, who racked up three touchdown catches over the two weeks prior to Cincinnati's bye. With the entire passing game clicking for quarterback Andy Dalton and the undefeated Bengals - plus a great matchup against a weak Pittsburgh weak secondary allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to the position - Eifert is the right choice.
Ken Conrad: Eifert. It's not a great week for tight ends, with Antonio Gates' uncertain status and Gary Barnidge possibly being tied to Johnny Manziel once again. With the exception of a goose egg in Week 3, Eifert has been an excellent complement to A.J. Green, and with Roethlisberger's likely return, this game should see plenty of fireworks.