Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Any fantasy football prognosticator can tell you Drew Brees will have a great game or Calvin Johnson is a good bet to catch a touchdown. Let’s dig a little deeper and get some nuggets of knowledge that will put your fantasy team over the top in Week 8 and beyond.
Ben Roethlisberger will be a sneaky good quarterback play.
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Big Ben has quietly completed 70 percent of his passes the last four games and hasn’t thrown an interception since before the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 5 bye. The problem is that he has only one multiple-touchdown game this season, keeping his fantasy stats at a pedestrian level.
Enter the Oakland Raiders, a defense that gives up more than 250 yards and 16 QB fantasy points a game. Roethlisberger has been on the verge of QB1 status all season. This week, he moves into the top 10 at the position and kick starts an otherwise blah season.
Jordan Reed will lead all tight ends in scoring this week, and maybe beyond.
It’s hard not to love everything you see from the Washington Redskins rookie out of Florida, who looks like a young Aaron Hernandez without the murder accusations. He has the size and speed to run the slot routes coach Mike Shanahan likes to run with his tight ends, and is a great safety valve for quarterback Robert Griffin III, who clearly is still not 100 percent.
This week is a dream matchup against a Denver Broncos defense that practically provides a police escort for opposing TEs into the end zone.
Reed is still available in almost half of ESPN leagues, and with a favorable slate coming up, this will be your last chance to grab him.
Marques Colston will make you remember the name Marques Colston.
Wait, who? The former New Orleans Saints standout receiver has been absolutely horrendous this season, failing to top the century mark in yards all year or reach the end zone after Week 1. Bring on the banged-up and not-very-good-anyway Buffalo Bills defense, which has been giving out multiple touchdowns to wide receivers like it was free health care.
Even if tight end Jimmy Graham plays, which is looking more and more doubtful, watch for Colston to get some of his fantasy mojo back, as his red zone skills will shine through in a game where the Saints will almost assuredly score a bunch of points.
Daniel Thomas will be more productive than Lamar Miller in the Miami Dolphins‘ backfield. This is by no means a good thing. Thomas is one of the more boring runners in the league, but the plodder has been getting the call, even if it is 2.6 yards at a time.
He got more carries than Miller last week, including the early carries in the game, and out-rushed him 60 yards to 43. By no means are either of these guys elite options, but if one takes a more lead dog role, the value would greatly increase.
Expect Thomas to get every chance to assert himself early against the New England Patriots this week.
