Week 8 Rankings: Standard | PPR
Believe it or not, the Titans-Jaguars game Thursday night actually has playoff implications. Such is the state of the AFC South that the Jaguars are one win and a Texans loss away from being tied in the loss category for the division lead. It might only take eight wins to take this division this season.
Of course, the fact that there might be playoff implications by default doesn't mean this is a particularly interesting game. It could be a competitive one if the Jaguars can sort out the mess that is their offense, but for Fantasy players, it isn't game with a lot of intrigue. Until Blake Bortles and the Jaguars passing game get going, this is a pretty boring team. Of course, that is by far the most interesting question of the game.
Smartest Sit
Neither of these teams has an obvious sit this week, because there aren't really any extremes here. Neither defense is lights out, and neither offense is so bad that you need to avoid them. The Jaguars have been disappointing, to be sure, but at the end of the game, they've typically put up enough points to be respectable, even if they come in garbage time.
Still, at this point, it's awfully hard to rely on Bortles and this Jaguars' passing game. Bortles game has regressed badly from his breakout sophomore season, so the passing game has suffered. The volume is still here, but Bortles' yards per attempt has tumbled from 7.3 last season to 6.6 currently. He is still giving the ball away far too frequently, except this year, he isn't making up for it with big plays. He has been the third-least accurate deep passer in the league, per ProFootballFocus.com, and his touchdown rate has tumbled from 5.8 percent to 3.8 percent.
We've seen Bortles play better than this, and the Jaguars have done a better job of keeping him upright, but that hasn't translated to better production. Maybe he will turn it around, but he hasn't thrown multiple touchdowns in either of his last two games, and now has to face a Titans team that wants to dominate time of possession with the running game. That isn't a great recipe for Bortles putting up big volume stats, which makes it especially tough to bet on him. The worst part, of course, is that Bortles' play has really affected Allen Robinson, who has fallen from the elite receivers tier to a potential sit this week.
Biggest No-Brainer
There are few bigger no-brainers in Fantasy at this point than DeMarco Murray, who is enjoying quite a bounce-back season. He has topped 20 carries in his past four games, with at least 18 touches total in every game so far this season. That kind of volume alone would make him a must-start Fantasy option even if he wasn't running the ball well. However, Murray is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and 7.1 yards per reception -- on 3.9 catches per game, a career-high -- some of the best numbers of his career. The Jaguars aren't the defense you circle on your calendar for a big game every week anymore -- at 14.0 points per game to opposing running backs, they rank just ahead of the median team this season -- but they aren't a matchup you run away from. Especially not with a back of Murray's caliber. He is an obvious stud running back, and shouldn't be inactive in any leagues.
Lineup Hail Marys
You never feel great about starting either Jacksonville running back, both of whom enter Week 8 averaging less than 3.5 yards per carry for the season. However, this has the potential to be a low-scoring game, so the Jaguars may not have to abandon the run as early as usual. That could mean more work for T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory (both had seven touches in Week 7) than usual. If you're absolutely desperate for a running back with all of these byes, these two are in play as fliers.
We're not sure if Julius Thomas is even going to play Thursday because he was unable to practice this week while dealing with an ankle injury. He is a game-time decision, and it might be best to avoid this situation entirely if you can. Given the state of the tight end position, you may not have many options, and Thomas is always in consideration for low-end TE status when healthy enough to play, given his role in the offense as a red-zone favorite.
Scout Team
Marqise Lee and Kendall Wright are starting to make impacts in their respective passing games, but neither is at the point where Fantasy owners need to roster them yet. Wright posted a huge outing two weeks ago, picking up 133 yards on eight receptions, and still has some intriguing potential even if his overall track record remains mediocre. Lee is a former second-round pick who struggled to make any impact in his first two seasons, but now surprisingly ranks second on the team in receiving yards. Coming off a 100-yard game, the first of his career, Lee could be worth picking up if he puts together another solid performance tonight.
