A ton of injuries have piled up in the past 24 hours. AJ Brown is out, as are TreVeyon Henderson, DeVonta Smith, and many others. As fantasy managers are forced to scan free agency for a last-minute option, I will try to come to the rescue. Here are six deep-sleepers who may be worth adding in Week 8.
In games in which Caleb Douglas was the Dolphins’ WR1, Willis averages about 208 passing yards per game, with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. This season, he has added 6.0 rushing attempts and averages about 37 rushing yards per game. Willis has scored three rushing touchdowns in six games played.
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The Dolphins expect either of two game scripts this Sunday: they are competitive, or they are trailing. Either one favors Willis’ passing and rushing volume.
Perine has been the better runner of the Cincinnati backfield. He is averaging 4.1 Yards per attempt, compared to Chase Brown’s 3.5. I believe the only reason that Perine hasn’t closed the gap is that Brown is among the NFL’s best pass-blocking running backs.
Do not be surprised if Perine gets a decent amount of run time this Sunday. The Bengals are 12.5-point favorites against the Titans. If the odds are right, the Bengals could lean on the run in the second half. Just two games back against the Dolphins, they went that route with Perine rushing 14 times.
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Carnell Tate’s inactive status directly benefits Ayomanor. He lines up exclusively outside, whereas Wan’Dale Robinson plays in the slot. Ayomanor runs 6.0 more routes per game than Calvin Ridley, who is also rumored to be traded by next week’s deadline.
The caveat here is that the Bengals do rank best in the league in Yards per Target Allowed to outside wide receivers. I warn that Ayomanor should have respectable volume, especially in a likely pass-heavy script, but the efficiency could be lacking.
DeVonta Smith is inactive for the fourth time this season. In those games Smith missed, Cooper has a 99% route rate. Yes, you read that right. In that time, Cooper has recorded 13 targets, 6 receptions, 121 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
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Cooper currently ranks in the top 40% of wide receivers, 34th in Yards per Target and 20th in Receiving EPA per Play.
Williams is the natural replacement for inactive AJ Brown. DeMario Douglas fills the slot role, opening up the outside to Williams, who plays exclusively there.
Williams hasn’t played in this role yet this season. When Brown missed games earlier this season, Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins filled in, but they are now injured. But fantasy managers can expect a healthy dose of Williams in this shallow receiving offense. The Patriots only have three wide receivers on their roster right now: Douglas, Williams, and Efton Chism III.
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In games where both Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq have played, Taylor has run more routes than his teammate, 106 to 66. Sadiq has caught only four receptions over his last four games, and he has had more than three receptions in only one game.
Taylor is the TE1 in New York. He has 12 receptions over his last two games, and in Week 7 he recorded 62 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. The Raiders, who play the Jets this week, rank 12th-worst in Yards per Target Allowed to tight ends. More importantly, Taylor has shown enough volume to be viable without finding the end zone.
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This article was originally published on http://www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Fantasy Football Week 8 Deep-Sleepers: Samaje Perine, Mason Taylor, and 4 Others.
