Team of the Week

 

QB: Deshaun Watson

Watson looked to be on his way to another modest performance in Week 8 as the Texans trailed 21-13 entering the fourth quarter, but he added a couple of red zone scores to Darren Fells in the comeback win—finishing with 279 yards and three touchdowns through the air (plus 46 rushing yards). Houston’s high-powered offense should keep it going next week in London against the Jaguars.

 

RB: Tevin Coleman

Only 13 touches were needed for Coleman to rip off 118 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday, as Carolina simply had no answers for him and the San Francisco running game. Since returning from injury, Coleman has gone for fantasy point totals of 15.7, 13.3, 7.1, and 36.8. A case could be made for him as an RB1 the rest of the way.

 

RB: Aaron Jones

Jones hasn’t had a ton of success on the ground this season (less than 70 rushing yards in all but two games), but he’s made up for it with touchdowns and—like we saw last night with a 7/159/2 line—as a receiver. The 24-year-old has become a regular on the Team of the Week.

 

WR: Mike Evans

Tennessee had absolutely no answers for Evans on Sunday, and he consistently took advantage of single coverage by catching 11-of-12 targets for nearly 200 yards, including two trips to the end zone. Sandwiching a zero-catch performance in Week 5, Evans has gone for lines of 8/190/3, 4/89/1, 9/96, and 11/198/2 over the past five games.

 

WR: Cooper Kupp

Kupp had disappointed in back-to-back weeks with a combined ten receptions for 67 scoreless yards, but he went off yesterday, catching seven passes for 220 yards and a touchdown (65 yards) in LA’s 24-10 victory over Cincinnati. Heading into the bye, Kupp is on pace for a whopping 174 targets, and the Rams will likely keep throwing down the stretch.

 

TE: Darren Fells

Unless you have one of the top options at tight end, you’re basically just looking for a score, and Fells has come through with five touchdowns over the past six games. On Sunday, the veteran found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter for his second two-touchdown game of the month, and he should continue to be a factor at six-foot-seven.

 

FLEX: Latavius Murray

After scoring 29.5 fantasy points in Week 7, Murray followed it up with 32.2 fantasy points in another start for Alvin Kamara (ankle), and it’s clear that he’s earned standalone fantasy value for November/December. As stated last week, Murray is certainly not “just a guy,” and anyone who continues to doubt him is finding that out.

 

D/ST: Patriots

At the season’s midway point, the Patriots have allowed as many touchdowns (four) as their defense has scored themselves (four), and the unit should remain a fantasy difference-maker for those fortunate to invest (and hopefully hold) early in the year. Against the Browns, New England forced a turnover on three consecutive plays on their way to another 20-point performance.

 

K: Dan Bailey

Bailey missed a field goal last week, but he bounced back just a few days later on Thursday Night Football by connecting on four-of-four attempts (including a 50-yarder), which allowed him to finish as the top kicker of Week 8. Minnesota should convert more in the red zone starting next week against Kansas City, but Bailey is worth playing.

 

Surprise of the Week: Ty Johnson

While most were advising to invest in Johnson last week as the No. 1 claim in all formats, we didn’t even have him listed in our waiver wire column because it seemed like the Lions might make a move at running back (which could happen today or tomorrow). Still, Johnson was the expected starter in Week 8, and he ended up taking a backseat to Tra Carson while handling just seven carries for 25 yards.

 

Disappointment of the Week: Chase Edmonds

There have been some major disappointments this season, but when you take the full context, Edmonds totaling just 13 yards on nine touches before leaving with a hamstring injury yesterday is likely the disappointment of the year because fantasy seasons were literally ended for some people. Anyone who falls into this boat is likely too upset to even read this or anything fantasy related today, but there are probably people out there were 2-4 and lost a close matchup in consecutive weeks because they played David Johnson (0.2 points) in Week 7 and then Edmonds (2.3 points) in Week 8.

 

Rookie of the Week: Darius Slayton

Slayton only caught two passes on Sunday, but they were both highlight scores from 20+ yards, and the rookie has remained a full-time player with Sterling Shepard (concussion) out of the lineup. There are enough options in redraft leagues that Slayton is just a volatile FLEX, but his dynasty arrow is pointing way up.

 

Week 8 MVP: Tevin Coleman

Anyone who needed a big performance from Coleman in the late afternoon game didn’t have to wait long, as he scored three times in the first half, displaying tremendous speed and acceleration in the open field. It still doesn’t make sense that other teams didn’t go harder after Coleman in free agency, but he ended up in a good spot with Kyle Shanahan and the run-heavy 49ers.