Lance's 2021 Week 8 Recap and Week 9 Waiver Priorities
To sum up this week: if you’re a gambler and you like to bet on underdogs, congratulations. Six teams that were underdogs against the spread won this week, and the Giants didn’t win, but they did cover.
RECAP
-I’d like to say that Green Bay just flexed on the entire NFC, but I won’t. Arizona was due for a loss, and Rodgers is undefeated without Davante Adams in the lineup (one of those crazy but true stats). Green Bay did further prove that they are one of the top teams in the NFC, but I don’t think they separated themselves from Arizona, Tampa Bay or Dallas.
-The Falcons looked like they had taken a step forward after their week 7 win, and then they surprised no one (but disappointed me) by losing to Carolina.
-Tennessee won the battle, but they also lost the war. The Derrick Henry news puts a dark cloud over the team and raises a big question in the AFC South: With a three game lead, and having swept Indy, are the Titans still the favorites in the division?
-Buffalo might be the favorite in the AFC, but Josh Allen (because the offense funnels completely through him) needs to be more consistent all game long if they want to avoid getting upended in the playoffs. Buffalo’s first half went: Punt, Field Goal, Punt, Punt, turnover on downs. They went into the half allowing the 1-6 Dolphins to feel like they had a chance. A better team would have taken full advantage of that.
-The Jets and Mike White were very impressive and not to take anything away from them, but I do believe Cincy’s woes were a product of them coming off a huge win and overlooking a team they thought they could walk over. It’s not a sign that Bengals fans need to abandon ship.
-I don’t know if the Bears adjusted their scheme to fit Fields or if he just said screw it and started doing it on his own, but we finally got to see why he can make a game exciting, even if they did lose. Side note, another rookie in that game, Elijah Mitchell, is for real, in case you had any reservations about him up to this point.
-The Pats got an impressive win, and in the process the Chargers got a concerning loss. This is the type of game LAC needs to come away with a W in if they want to be recognized as a legitimate threat in the AFC.
-Why would the Vikings think Cameron Dantzler was the best answer for replacing the injured Patrick Peterson? Peterson went down before their bye week, which means they had two weeks to find a suitable replacement and get him ready. Their best answer was to go with the guy who lost his job before the season. I called it in the third quarter when I thought to myself “if Minnesota loses the game it will be because of Dantzler” while screaming at my screen after he got beat by Lamb. There were certainly other factors that played a part in the loss, but everything he did on that game winning touchdown was a step behind.
-I’d like to tackle what happened on Monday night, but I feel like I’d be beating a dead horse. All I’m going to say is that the streaky Giants didn’t have one of their outburst games and yet they still hung with the Chiefs...
FANTASY WAIVER WIRE TARGETS
QB: Taysom Hill (New Orleans)
I listed Winston last week and his season is now over, let’s hope that doesn’t end up being the case again. Hill is expected back this week, so if you’re desperate at the position he should probably be your target. He brings the added threat of running the ball, which is great in fantasy, and he gets Atlanta’s defense.
RB: Jeremy McNichols/Adrian Peterson (Tennessee)
As of right now, he’s the guy that will be replacing Henry. If you lose out on him then try for Adrian Peterson. McNichols isn’t an every down back type and Tennessee just brought AP in. He may be older, but he’s been serviceable over the last few years.
WR: DeVante Parker (Miami)
I should’ve added him to this last week with Jerry Jeudy and Michael Thomas, but I didn’t think about it. He returned this week from a three week absence and immediately saw 11 targets. It’s safe to say the rapport he has with Tagovailoa is still there, and he’s only rostered in 35% of Yahoo leagues.
TE: Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh)
This is not a suggestion if you’re looking for a streaming option with a bad matchup ahead in week 9 against the Bears. But if you’re looking for a potential long term answer, Freiermuth may be your guy. With Smith-Schuster out, Freiermuth's role has increased. He had 7 targets before the bye and 7 after it, and in those two outings he had 11 catches for 102 yards and a score.
K: Jason Sanders (Miami)
Great streaming matchup this week against Houston. They allowed Tyler Bass to score 16 on them and Nick Folk to score 17. Miami’s offense is good enough to get the ball downfield on Houston’s defense, but not so good that you’d expect them to get in the end zone every time, a solid combination.
D: Indianapolis or New England
Indy is rostered in 64% of Yahoo leagues and the Pats are rostered in 55%. They’re the best streaming options if available as Indy takes on the Jets with tape to go on when scouting Mike White, and the Pats get another crack at Sam Darnold, something I’m sure they will enjoy. Worst case scenario, if both are gone you can look at streaming Miami against the Texans.
