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Fantasy Football Upside in Week 8

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Fantasy Football Upside 2022 Week 8 Fantasy In Frames

Welcome to our team’s weekly article on Fantasy Football Upside in player performance for the upcoming week!

Each week we’re going to list players that we believe will outperform their Fantasy Pros half-PPR Expert Consensus Rankings, thereby giving you the advantage in setting your lineups for each week’s slate of games. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading our article on Fantasy Football Upside in Week 8!

Quarterback

Sam Ehlinger

You are probably rolling your eyes or questioning my sanity as you read that I’m picking a 6th-round, 2nd-year QB, making his first NFL start this week as my fantasy football upside pick at quarterback. However, if you read this, I think I can make a convincing case of why he’s exactly the kind of upside we are looking for each week. 

The case for why I like Ehlinger this week is twofold. For starters, Washington has struggled mightily against QBs. Since week 2, the QB facing Washington has been top 12 in scoring that week, excluding only Ryan Tannehill. That list includes low-end starters and backups such as Cooper Rush, Jared Goff, and Justin Fields. All three scored five or more points above their season average against this Washington defense. 

The other thing I love about Ehlinger this week is the fact that he can run. Over 1900 yards rushing in college. Part of this change for the Colts is getting a QB who can move, extend plays with his legs and run for the occasional first down. Ehlinger ran for 71 yards and a touchdown on six carries in the preseason. I know it’s only preseason; nonetheless, Ehlinger was very impressive. His numbers were great, 24/29 for almost 250 yards and 4 passing touchdowns, to 0 interceptions. 

The Colts have a star running back, a star receiver, and several games left against bad defenses. It’s possible this move isn’t as much about Matt Ryan but more about the talent the coaching staff has seen in the preseason and each week in practice. With Ehlinger’s running ability, this is an upside pick for this week and the remainder of the season. Primarily if you are weak at QB because you drafted Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, or Aaron Rodgers. Ehlinger could bring you serious upside for week eight and the remainder of the season. 

Running Back

Antonio Gibson

Antonio Gibson being a fantasy football upside pick is a place I did not foresee ending up this season, but here we are. Gibson, the RB37 according to Fantasy Pros ECR, is no longer the starting running back in Washington. However, he remains the most talented running back in the Nation’s Capital.  The team has continued to give him carries and consistently target him in the passing game.  Gibson has twelve targets over the past three weeks, indicating the team will not eliminate him from the game plan.  Mixing Brian Robinson into the game plan has allowed Gibson to improve his efficiency averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 7.7 yards per reception over the past two contests.

We may have overestimated the Commanders eagerness to remove Antonio Gibson from the field.  They have seen other backfields flourish with multiple running backs and seem to have an idea of their own.  That idea might involve using Antonio Gibson as the pass catcher that the fantasy community has been saying he is for years.  Look for Gibson to receive 10-15 opportunities in a matchup against an Indianapolis Colts defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points allowed to the running back position at 20.9 fppg.  Even with Shaq Leonard expected to return, he will be on a snap count and should not leave a significant mark on this game.  Gibson might leave you wanting with a 4-point play, but he has a substantial amount of upside to chase in week 8.

Wide Receiver

Brandin Cooks

The veteran WR has an ECR outside the top-24 WRs for the Texans’ week eight matchup with the Tennessee Titans, and when you look at his 2022 to date, it’s clear why. Cooks has only one TD on the season and has yet to top 100 receiving yards in a single game, but despite the slow start, this is still a passing offense geared towards the former Oregon State Beaver.

Brandin Cooks has 16 more targets and ten more receptions than the next closest WR on the team, and that guy hasn’t practiced all week and is ‘Questionable’ for Sunday. He will likely see a lot of Kristian Fulton and rookie Roger McCreary as those two played interchangeably at the two outside corner positions for Tennessee in week seven. Fulton typically covers the receiver to the left of the formation most weeks, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Titans move him around to cover Cooks specifically.

The #1 corner in Tennessee has looked good this season but has allowed 14.2 yards per reception, putting him just outside the top 10 for most Y/REC allowed. Fulton, in coverage, can be a big play waiting to happen for the player across from him. If Tennessee trusts the rookie McCreary in coverage against Cooks, I expect QB Davis Mills to look Cooks’ way. McCreary allows a reception on over 75% of throws and should bode well for Brandin Cooks in week eight.

Alec Pierce

Rookie receiver Alec Pierce, as expected, has had an up & down start to his NFL career. A raw prospect out of Cincinnati, Pierce probably would’ve been brought along a little slower if drafted by a team with a predetermined hierarchy at the position. Alas, he was drafted by the WR-needy Indianapolis Colts and forced to learn on the fly as the team’s WR2. But, after posting back-to-back 80+ receiving yard games in weeks four & five, scoring his first NFL TD in week six, and playing 97% of the offensive snaps last week, it’s safe to say he’s learning quickly. 

Pierce was predominantly used to the left of the formation last week, and if that continues in week eight will be up against Washington’s veteran cornerback Kendall Fuller. The former Super Bowl-winning corner has had a rough season to date. He has the worst coverage grade among qualifying corners, according to PFF. Fuller also allows over 18-yards per reception, which is the worst among qualifying cornerbacks.  He also allows a 135.1 NFL passer rating when targeted (2nd highest), 417 yards allowed in his coverage (2nd most), and three TDs allowed (tied for 4th most). Fuller looks like he’s lost a step, which is worrying when he has to contend with a rookie receiver who ran a 4.41 forty-yard dash at the NFL Combine earlier this year.

Tight End

Irv Smith Jr.

Like most late-round tight-end options people (including myself) had high hopes for this year, Irv Smith Jr has had a reasonably quiet start to the season. The fourth-year tight end had an injury-plagued start to his career, but the hope was that the new scheme in Minnesota would help him reach his full potential. The former second-round pick, however, has failed to reach 50 receiving yards in any of his six games so far this year. However, that may change this coming Sunday with an enticing matchup against one of the worst defenses against tight ends this year.

This weekend the Vikings host the Arizona Cardinals, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to tight ends in half-PPR scoring, according to FantasyData. The Cardinals have allowed an average of 16.9 half-PPR points to the position, behind only the Seattle Seahawks. Juwan Johnson’s performance on Thursday Night Football was the perfect encapsulation of the upside tight ends possess in this matchup. The former UDFA had the best fantasy outing of his career, turning his five targets into five receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns.

While the yardage may be lacking, the Vikings have continued to utilize Smith. After seeing just two targets in week 1, he has seen at least four in the five subsequent games. He may not have been dependable this season, but Smith is a viable high-upside streaming option this coming Sunday, given this matchup.

Thanks for reading our Fantasy Football Upside in Week 8 article.

Don’t forget to check out our weekly rankings here!

Now go out there and crush your matchups this week!

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