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Advice on fantasy football: Kenny Stills Demaryius Thomas – Metro US

Advice on fantasy football: Kenny Stills Demaryius Thomas

Fantasy Football, Kenny Stills, Demaryius Thomas

Here is fantasy football advice from expert Bill Dubiel on NFL Week 8 with a close look at Jets QB Josh McCown, Dolphins WR Kenny Stills and Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas.

 

 

Josh McCown Leading the Surprising Jets

No fantasy writer expected anything out of the New York Jets this year–if they tell you different, they’re lying. Here we are in Week 8, and the Jets are still hanging around in the playoff hunt at 3-4. While it’s certainly not realistic to think that they’ll actually make the playoffs, it appears that Josh McCown can be a viable fantasy asset despite having a roster of no-names around him.

The 38-year-old journeyman has been terrific over the last few weeks, piling up seven passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in his last three games. McCown has been a career backup for good reason–he simply isn’t that talented–but he gets the Atlanta Falcons this week in a game in which he’ll have to throw to keep up. 250 yards and 2-3 touchdowns is a reasonable expectation, and with six teams on a bye McCown could be the bye week fill-in that you need to get by.

 

 

Stills a Favorite of New QB Moore

Kenny Stills is coming off a game in which he set season-highs in catches, yards and touchdowns, finishing with a 6-85-2 stat line. A majority of his production, including both late scores, came with Matt Moore under center, filling in for the injured Jay Cutler. Moore and Stills have a history of success together as well. In the four games Matt Moore played in last year, Stills received nearly a quarter of all targets (23.5 percent). Stills has always been a big-play threat, even dating back to his days in New Orleans, so he should be the one Moore looks at with all of his shots downfield. On top of that, the Dolphins play Thursday night, meaning DeVante Parker will have less time to heal from an ankle injury that has kept him out the last two weeks. With only Jarvis Landry to compete with for touches, Stills should be in for another big game against the beatable Ravens secondary.

 

 

Thomas No Longer a TD Machine

When Peyton Manning was under center for the Broncos in the early 2010s, Demaryius Thomas was one of the most consistently explosive fantasy players in the game. Since then, he has seen his production steadily drop off. In fact, Thomas has not scored a touchdown in any of his last 12 regular season games (dating back to 2016). This can largely be chalked up to the inconsistent, if not downright erratic play of Trevor Siemian. In recent weeks, Thomas’ performance has bottomed out, highlighted by a two-catch, nine-yard performance in Week 7. While it would seem that the absence of Emmanuel Sanders would have helped Thomas’ production, it did the opposite. The opposing defense was able to key in on Thomas and shut him down completely. Until we see some sort of drastic change in his consistency, Thomas is no more than a WR3, and it’ll be tough to justify starting him outside of needing a bye week fill-in.

 

 

 

NFL Pickups of the Week

 

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions – With Golden Tate sidelined for at least this week and likely more, Golladay should see opportunities in what will likely be a shootout with the Steelers in Week 8.

 

Tyler Kroft, TE, Cincinnati Bengals – Tyler Eifert is still on the shelf, and Kroft has provided modest, yet consistent value. He has at least four catches in each of his last three games, with three touchdowns over that time period.

 

Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts – Robert Turbin is out for the season, leaving Mack as the primary complement to Frank Gore in the Indy running game. He should be rostered in every league given his ability to contribute both on the ground and in the passing game.