Name power often influences how fantasy football owners approach lineups.
While varying schools of thought exist on the matter, it probably shouldn’t. In Week 7, owners who trotted out Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller in a dreadful matchup against the Denver Broncos received all of five points.
San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is the best example. In a Week 6 encounter against those Broncos, he totaled nine points. Fast-forward to Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons, though, and he led all scorers at the position with 29.
It’s a good lesson to keep in mind going into Week 8—owners sometimes cannot afford to put a blindfold on and toss big names into any matchup. Here’s a look at matchup comparisons for the week and notable start-sit options.
Quarterback
Star to Know: Matthew Stafford, DET (at HOU)
Hype for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford as an MVP candidate continues to grow, which won’t surprise fantasy owners. He’s fourth in scoring at the position this year with three outings of 25 points or more.
Keep in mind some of the allure about Stafford’s season comes from the fact he’s doing this without Calvin Johnson.
Owners don’t care either way so long as it keeps up. It should in Week 8 as Stafford gets to take on a Houston Texans defense with five notable names on the injury report. The unit has also allowed 18 or more points in two of its past three outings.
After freeing himself of a matchup-based label, Stafford should have a big day.
Star to Sit: Carson Palmer, ARI (at CAR)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer sits on the other extreme end of the spectrum.
He has fallen completely off the map, battling injuries and scoring more than 20 points in an outing just once this year despite having weapons such as Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson around him.
In Week 8, Palmer hobbles into Carolina on the road for a game against the Panthers. This would be great for most quarterbacks because the Carolina defense allows the third-most points on average to passers, but the unit continues to get healthier out of a bye week and Palmer has not shown anything that should inspire confidence.
He hasn’t even thrown more than a single touchdown in a game since Week 2, so avoid him this week.
Running Back
Star to Know: Chris Thompson, WAS (at CIN)
Chris Thompson isn’t the most recognizable name in the world, but the Washington Redskins back offers plenty of value in the right situation when he’s getting notable touches.
Thompson did just that against the Lions in Week 7, tallying 11 points thanks to 19 touches. Meanwhile, lead back Matt Jones carried the ball only 10 times.
Now Jones not only has a nagging knee problem, but he’s in danger of losing carries, according to the Washington Post‘s Liz Clarke:
That, of course, is good news for Thompson. He is the guy who will get more touches than anyone in Week 8 against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has allowed 30 or more points to opposing backfields in two of the past three weeks.
Star to Sit: Jamaal Charles, KC (at IND)
Well, maybe it is time to pump the brakes on the Jamaal Charles breakout game.
He flashed with a touchdown in Week 6 on limited carries, hinting at major things in a Week 7 game against a miserable New Orleans Saints defense.
Instead, Charles carried the ball once, and head coach Andy Reid provided a cringe-worthy update after the game, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star:
For shame, as Charles gets the Indianapolis Colts defense in Week 8, which is allowing the fourth-most points to opposing backs on average.
This is a four-game stretch (Jacksonville awaits in Week 9) that a healthy Charles would have crushed while maybe topping the leaderboard each week. Now, though, he needs to ride the pine.
Wide Receiver
Star to Know: Doug Baldwin, SEA (at NO)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin seems ready for his second major game of the season.
Baldwin has highs of 15 and 22 points this year with no other trips to double digits in large part due to the struggles of quarterback Russell Wilson.
This narrative should change in a big way in Week 8 against the Saints, who have allowed 24 or more points to four sets of opposing wideouts.
In what could be a high-scoring game inside a dome, Baldwin will be one of the main beneficiaries, which isn’t surprising because he still leads the team in targets.
Star to Sit: Alshon Jeffery, CHI (vs. MIN)
On the other hand, Alshon Jeffery isn’t going to experience a turnaround anytime soon.
The Chicago Bears’ top wideout has looked anything but this season, scoring 10 points in the opener and falling silent the rest of the way. Quarterback Jay Cutler got hurt, and backup Brian Hoyer, though statistically impressive, decided he’d rather throw to Cameron Meredith and Eddie Royal.
Cutler returns from injury in Week 8, though it doesn’t matter much—the Bears have to take on the elite Minnesota Vikings defense. The unit has swallowed up opposing receivers, having allowed only three touchdowns all year while surrendering the second-fewest points on average.
Jeffery can have major games again with Cutler back under center, but not against the Vikings.
Tight End
Star to Know: Tyler Eifert, CIN (vs. WAS)
Feel free to take the shackles off Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert.
Week 7 was an iffy time for owners to trot him out. He came off an injury that had held him out of the entire season to that point, and even in a good matchup against the Cleveland Browns, he didn’t work his way back into things well with one catch on two targets.
Experiencing more practice time and advancing his rapport with quarterback Andy Dalton means Eifert could be back to his usual self in Week 8 against the Washington Redskins.
Granted, Washington has allowed only one touchdown to the position this year. But owners will recall that Eifert has never been a matchup-based play, given that he’s maybe second only to Rob Gronkowski at the position in terms of ability and past production.
Star to Sit: Greg Olsen, CAR (vs. ARI)
This might sound odd, but Carolina tight end Greg Olsen has been a hit-or-miss player this year despite leading all scorers at the position.
Olsen has outings of 18, 15 and 18 points, but the other three came in at nine or fewer. With Cam Newton in and out of the lineup and having big names such as Kelvin Benjamin to hit, Olsen hasn’t provided steady value.
Trotting out Olsen and praying for what seems like a 50-50 chance at production in Week 8 when he faces the Cardinals isn’t a great idea. Arizona allows the fewest points to the position on average and has yet to allow a touchdown.
Seems easy enough, right?
All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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