Guru’s Fantastic Five, Week 8

Like every week throughout this season, I’ll give you a sleeper, i.e. those players flying under the radar, at each of the positions for their respective fantasy leagues.

So get ready to put together your ideal roster heading into Week 8 action:

QB: TREVOR LAWRENCE, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (vs. Seattle Seahawks).

The Jaguars’ rookie quarterback hasn’t necessarily been someone to depend on in fantasy terms thus far. However, I continue to see signs of evolution with each passing game, and this Sunday he faces the fourth-worst through-the-air defense in the NFL. You may get the impression that the Seahawks defense has taken a leap in quality in recent weeks, but the reality is that they faced two offenses that struggle to attack vertically. If the offensive line protects him, Laawrence will do damage deep. Lawrence has limited turnovers in recent weeks, but at the same time, he has thrown just two touchdowns in the last three games. The Seahawks defense is allowing over 414 yards per game and will focus on stopping James Robinson on the ground. So if they have their starting quarterback on a bye week or with a tough matchup, Lawrence should give them some joy this week.

RB: KENNETH GAINWELL, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (vs. Detroit Lions).

With Miles Sanders’ ankle injury, Gainwell becomes a fantastic option for this matchup. The rookie running back had already been gaining prominence in recent weeks due to the fact that he is a dual threat, has very good hands and is very elusive. However, in Week 7, following Sanders’ injury, that chance for production increased considerably. In fact, he had eight targets through the air last week, and Gainwell is averaging 8.6 yards per reception. As if that wasn’t enough, he should get the bulk of the carries against a Detroit defense that is allowing 120 yards on the ground this season. Gainwell is a great option this week at the running back or flex position.

WR: MICHAEL PITTMAN, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (vs. Tennessee Titans).

Although few place him at that level, Pittman is transforming into a WR1 in our eyes. He’s scored 20+ fantasy points in three of the last six games, and this week he’ll face a Titans defense that has allowed the most points to opposing wide receivers this season; they’ve also allowed 10 touchdowns to wide receivers. I’d definitely like to see even more targets for Pittman, but his chemistry with Carson Wentz continues to grow, and the quarterback trusts him deep because he knows most of the 50/50 ovoids will end up going to Pittman. Consider him a WR1 in all of your leagues this week.

TE: ROBERT TONYAN, GREEN BAY PACKERS (vs. Arizona Cardinals).

This was supposed to be the season of confirmation for Tonyan, who instead has been an absolute disappointment. The Packers offense through the air has consisted of a little bit of Aaron Jones and a lot of Davante Adams. Last week we saw Aaron Rodgers make a conscious effort to look for it early, and Tonyan had five targets, four receptions and a touchdown. I understand it’s a short week against an athletic Cardinals defense, but without Adams and Allen Lazard, who both made the COVID-19 roster, Tonyan becomes perhaps the most reliable option through the air for Rodgers. In other words, I prefer Tonyan over 85% of the rest of the tight ends this week. Expect a lot of targets and a lot of points, so if you’ve already released him, go get Tonyan right away.

DEF: CINCINNATI BENGALS (vs. New York Jets).

The Bengals are coming off probably their biggest win in years against the Ravens, especially the way they dominated them. And while Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase get all the spotlight, arguably the biggest area of progress for this Cincinnati team has been their defense. Linebacker Logan Wilson is slowly becoming the cream of the crop at the position, despite no one mentioning him, and Trey Hendrickson has turned out to be perhaps the best acquisition of NFL free agency, considering he leads the NFL with 34 pressures so far this season. The Bengals defense is allowing just four yards per carry, so newcomer Joe Flacco will likely be forced to attack through the air to do damage. A very favorable matchup against the Jets, so the Bengals are one of my favorite defenses of the week.