Sunday Six Pack: Week Eight

Editor’s Note: Remember, you can get a DLF Premium account free for year (or your current subscription extended for a year) just by signing up with FanDuel and making an initial deposit. For more information on that special offer, click here.

We’re with you every Sunday to provide the Sunday Six Pack, an article featuring six of the biggest storylines heading into each and every week of the season. Keeping tabs on these events will keep you prepared and informed throughout the season – just don’t drive within six hours of reading this.

 

Can #1) When a GM Loves a Player

Can’t keep his mind on nothing else.
Percy Harvin moves to his third team in his young career joining Jets GM John Idzik in the Seattle to New York club. He looks to bolster a Jets team that is ranked 31st in the league in passing offense, averaging a meager 185.4 yards per game through the air. Harvin is just the PPR WR53 in average points per game, but perhaps being freed from the shackles of a Seattle offense that didn’t seem sure how to use him consistently may be a boon to his fantasy value. That may a be a longer term prospect, however, as most reports (and common sense) indicate that he’ll be eased into the Jets’ offense this week against Buffalo. Harvin does bring the possibility of a long TD every time he touches the ball, but he’s more of a desperation WR5 type this week.

Can #2) English Breakfast

Who wants black pudding?
Those of us that live on the East Coast finally get a taste of what West Coasters have been enjoying for years – morning football! The Lions take on the Falcons in London this week likely without Calvin Johnson, who is smartly resting his ankle through the Lions Week 9 bye, and Reggie Bush, who also has an ankle injury. Expect to see a lot of Joique Bell and Golden Tate this week against the eleven cardboard cutouts that the Falcons send onto the field when their offense and special teams aren’t out there. Theo Riddick and Corey Fuller make interesting bye-week and injury speculative plays as well. On the other side of the ball, the Falcons’ patchwork offensive line has destroyed all value in their running game and for Matt Ryan, although you still have to start Julio Jones, who hopefully can stop dropping footballs, and Roddy White who was able to turn it back on last week after a quiet start to the season.

Can #3) Kenny Stills Wouldn’t Start Kenny Stills

(h/t to @allinkid).
[inlinead]On this week’s DLF Podcast, Jake Ciely stopped by and told us about this glorious tweet from Saints WR Kenny Stills who responded to a Tweet asking whether to start him or Dwayne Bowe, that didn’t include his Twitter handle, by responding Bowe. Now we know that the correct answer to almost any start/sit question that is __________ or Dwayne Bowe is never Dwayne Bowe. So, the real question is in addition to being both self-deprecating and bad at fantasy football, can Kenny Stills get points for your fantasy football team this week against the Packers, coming off a five target, five reception 103 yard, one TD game? Unfortunately, those five targets for Stills tied his high for this year, where he is only averaging three targets per game. Stills always brings the big play opportunity to the table, but there just aren’t enough targets flying his way to justify starting him unless you are desperate this week, especially where the Packers are fifth in the league in passing defense, giving up just 214.9 yards per game on average.

Can #4) Dig Doug

Watch out for pookas, fygars and Panthers.
We talked about Percy Harvin earlier, what about the guy that stepped up to fill his void in Seattle, Doug Baldwin, who went off in Week 8 catching seven of his eleven targets for for 123 yards and TD in a losing effort against the Rams. Baldwin has been very vocal of late and is emerging as one of the leaders on the Seahawks. While he has struggled as an outside threat, he thrived in his return to the slot and now gets a Panthers defense that has been routinely shredded in recent weeks. I look for another big game for Baldwin, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. On the flip side of the ball, it will be interesting to see how PPR WR11 Kelvin Benjamin fares with the Richard Sherman treatment now that Sherman has been retasked to shadowing number one WRs.

Can #5) Tears of a Clowney

When there’s likely less than 68,798 around.
The fans in Tennessee might be getting restless, but maybe they’ll show up to see rookie QB and stoner movie star Zach Mettenberger get the start and put an end to the inauspicious Jake Locker era in Nashville. Justin Hunter has certainly underwhelmed so far this year, just 1 TD for the PPR WR61, but he did show some decent chemistry with Mettenberger in the pre-season, so there’s that. Mettenberger’s floor is pretty low, so he has the possibility to drag Delanie Walker and Kendall Wright down with him this week. The Texans should get back number one overall pick Jadeveon Clowney this week to join Justin James Watt (two total TDs this year) in hounding the rooke.

Can #6) Sinking Ship

You win a whole banana.
These are certainly dark times in Gainesville and things are just as dark for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who most everyone thought would have a decent year under new head coach Lovie Smith. Instead the Bucs have looked horrendous. Doug Martin will get one last chance to prove that he has not completely regressed before Charles Sims comes off of IR Designated to Return. The Vikings are ranked 19th in the league giving up 118.1 yards per game, so its not an impossible task, but Martin is running behind the Buccaneers offensive line, which ratchets up that challenge. On the flip side of the ball, the Jerick McKinnon show should continue against the Buc’s 24th ranked rushing defense (does anyone in the NFC South play defense? The Saints are 21st in total yards per game at 373.7, the Panthers are 27th at 388.3, the Falcons are 30th at 412.1 and the Buccaneers are dead last at 422.8 yards per game). That means that Teddy Bridgewater, Cordarrelle Patterson and company will also have a decent chance to get back on track this week.

[ad5]