Welcome Back to Fantasy Relevance, Mark Andrews!

Week 7 brought on just as many injuries as did Week 5, if not more. Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Godwin and Deshaun Watson are all out for the season, while key roster pieces like Jayden Daniels and DK Metcalf now carry week-to-week injury statuses.

Godwin’s injury was undoubtedly the most frustrating and unfortunate (considering he went down in the final minute and entered the game with the second-most PPR points among receivers), but these injuries now create opportunities for many players who are likely free agents in your leagues, many of which are listed below:

(All fantasy-related statistics are derived from FantasyPros.com and are based on standard format unless otherwise specified).

Browns-Ravens Fantasy Outlook

Start

Cedric Tillman (WR) and David Njoku (TE)

There are three developments with the Cleveland Browns that bode well for Cedric Tillman to become a reliable starter in fantasy moving forward: 1) Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury, 2) Jameis Winston becoming the starting quarterback and 3) the departure of Amari Cooper. Now that Cooper is with the Buffalo Bills, Tillman finds himself in the company of Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore, but led the entire receiver corps (including David Njoku) with 81 yards and 10.1 yards per catch against Cincinnati.

Even though Dorian Thompson-Robinson handled most of the responsibilities before leaving the game with about four minutes left, Jameis Winston (the Week 8 starter) is at the helm of an offense that currently has the fourth-most pass attempts in the NFL, boding well for Tillman should Cleveland trail Baltimore in a similar fashion as did Tampa Bay. Tillman also finished with the second-most targets (12) behind Njoku, although offensive play calling is now the responsibility of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, and not head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Baltimore’s secondary certainly isn’t what it used to be (allowing the most passing yards per game in the NFL with 287.1), which suggests that any Cleveland pass-catcher (especially Njoku and Tillman) could finish with at least 10 PPR points come Sunday.

Rashod Bateman, WR

After serving many weeks on my sit list, Rashod Bateman has officially proven himself as a fringe starting candidate, suitable as a WR3 or flex player on most rosters (especially in 12 or 14-man leagues). With three straight double-digit PPR finishes as of late, Bateman now carries the expectation of having at least four targets per game, and has now scored a touchdown in every other game since earning his first in Week 3. While Zay Flowers continues to be boom-or-bust from week to week, Bateman is starting to suggest that his floor is around 11 points in PPR, as he’s only had one week since Week 3 in which he’s scored below that (earning only 3.3 against Buffalo in Week 4). Cleveland sits just outside the league’s top 10 for passing yards allowed per game (191.7) and has only allowed eight touchdowns thus far, but Flowers is dealing with an ankle injury that could see him limited in the action, if not out, on Sunday, and thus leave more opportunities for the fourth-year receiver.

Others to start: Lamar Jackson (QB), Derrick Henry (RB), Zay Flowers (WR), Mark Andrews (TE), Justin Tucker (K)

Sit

Jerome Ford, RB

The revival of Nick Chubb in Cleveland does not bode well for Jerome Ford, who was averaging 10.2 PPR points until missing last week’s game against Cincinnati due to a hamstring injury. While his status heading into Week 8 is still up in the air, Ford did not practice on Wednesday, and even if he does return, he’s certainly expected to be in a limited, complementary role behind a healthy Chubb. He’s rostered in about 50% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues, but that number will certainly begin to drop as Chubb handles a bulk of the rushing duties. Ford’s FantasyPros projection is 4.1 points, and that number looks to be on par with his final result.

Isaiah Likely, TE

Since posting 16.3 PPR points in Week 5 against Cincinnati, Likely has had underwhelming weeks thereafter, finishing with 4.7 points against Washington and 3.7 points against Tampa Bay. Mark Andrews, on the other hand, has averaged 15 PPR points over his last three games, earning a season-high 20.1 against Tampa Bay last week with two touchdowns included. It’s looking like Andrews is returning to the TE1 form that many expected from him, while Likely’s relevance seems to be fading. He still sits No. 3 on the team in targets (29), but now trails Andrews by three yards on the season. Cleveland’s defense has allowed the sixth-most receptions to tight ends (39), tie for the third most touchdowns allowed to the position (3) and sit 10th for the most receiving yards allowed (318), but Andrews is looking to make the most out of those stats come Sunday.

Others to sit: Jerry Jeudy (WR), Elijah Moore (WR), Browns D/ST, Dustin Hopkins (K)

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Frontrunners Around the League

Start

Tyler Lockett, WR

Like Rashod Bateman, Tyler Lockett is a receiver whom many were afraid to start on their rosters at the beginning of this season, as there is just a lot of competition in his receiving corps. That may not be the case in Week 8 should DK Metcalf miss time, especially considering what Lockett’s floor has been. Since a 3.5 PPR finish in Week 2, Lockett has yet to score below 8.5 points, averaging 11.4 points over the past five weeks. Despite trailing Jaxon Smith-Njigba by nine targets this season, Lockett has 29 more yards but only two less fantasy points. In other words, JSN has yet to outcast Lockett from starting consideration in fantasy thus far, and both receivers should see an increase in production should Metcalf remain sidelined. Against an average Buffalo passing defense, Lockett makes for a suitable WR3 or flex play this week.

Cade Otton, TE

If there’s one player destined to benefit greatly from both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin being injured, it’s Cade Otton, who just racked up 18 PPR points in Week 7 against Baltimore and finished with the team’s most targets (10), receptions (eight) and yards (100). Ranked by FantasyPros as the 10th-best tight end heading into Week 8, Otton has proven himself to be a reliable starter over his last five games, averaging 11.2 points in PPR. Otton is rostered in only 40% of Yahoo leagues and 46% of ESPN leagues, and considering the difficulty of finding a reliable tight end, he makes for a top candidate to be added to your roster and started this week against Atlanta. With uncertainty around which Tampa Bay wide receivers will shine in the absence of Godwin and potentially Evans, Otton has already demonstrated his good connection with Baker Mayfield, and now faces an Atlanta defense that has allowed the 10th-most yards to tight ends thus far with 47 yards per game.

Sit

Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard, WR

Until we actually see a Buccaneers game without the likes of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, it’s hard to really have confidence in any healthy Tampa Bay wide receiver right out of the gate, as there is now competition between Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard. Throw Cade Otton in the mix too, as he led the team’s pass-catchers in all stats against Baltimore.

Looking at the Bucs’ Week 7 snap share, Godwin playing for most of the game kept him at 85%, but after Mike Evans left in the second quarter, Palmer’s snap count equated to 72%, McMillan finished at 60% and Shepard played 45%. Otton, on the other hand, played 98% of the snaps.

McMillan was the third man on the line with Evans and Godwin, but when injuries hit the corps, Palmer saw the most action. At least one of these three receivers are destined to have a good performance against Atlanta, but it’s hard to confidently pick which one before the game. Look elsewhere for your WR3 or flex this week.

Brock Purdy, QB

In wake of Brandon Aiyuk’s season-ending knee injury, Brock Purdy now heads into his Week 8 matchup against Dallas with a questionable Jauan Jennings (hip), questionable George Kittle (sprained foot), questionable Jordan Mason (ankle) and questionable Deebo Samuel (pneumonia). Mason was the only of the four who practiced on Wednesday (in limited fashion, too), suggesting that the 49ers may have to resort to a run-heavy battle plan for their 8:20 game on Sunday.

Without Jauan Jennings against Kansas City, and after losing Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel mid-game, Purdy finished with no passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and three interceptions, which equated to 17.18 PPR points.

The Cowboys have allowed the second most rushing touchdowns in the league (10) but sit in the middle of the pack for receiving touchdowns allowed (9), indicating that Mason could be handling a bulk of the scoring responsibilities. Purdy has finished four of his seven games with less than 15 fantasy points, and his chances for notching a fifth game below his projection look high.

Feel free to leave me your questions in the comments, or tweet me @BrennanStewart_ .

Good luck!

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