Fantasy Football Must Starts Week 8

By James Collier

Week 8 is here and it’s time for some Must Starts.

A reminder of what we are looking for in a “Must Start”. We are trying to find you players that are undervalued in DFS or are being ranked too low by (Expert Consensus Rankings) ECR. So, while there will be some contrarian picks, there will also be some “good chalk”.

Review of Last Week

The best word to describe our picks last week is… whiff.

Let’s hope for some better luck this time out!

Rome Odunze @ Washington Commanders

Outside of his Week 3 blow up against the Colts, Odunze has had a quiet start to his NFL career. But that was always going to happen with him being behind DJ Moore and Keenan Allen on the depth chart. Time and time again we see rookie receivers take strides as the season progresses and I fully expect that to happen for someone as talented as Odunze.

The target competition does mean that barring injuries it’s hard to project Odunze being a WR2 for fantasy purposes this season, but I do think a matchup against the Commanders put’s him firmly in the WR3 conversation as opposed to the low end WR4 his ECR ranking suggests.

The Washington defense has been shredded by every good team it has faced and if the offense can stay afloat with Marcus Mariota or a less than 100% Jayden Daniels, this game has shootout potential meaning the volume will be there for all Chicago pass catchers.

The TL;DR – post bye week rookie bump against a bad defense? Sign me up.

ECR Rank (PPR): WR46

Rashod Bateman @ Cleveland Browns (Kev White)

“With primary wide receiver Zay Flowers struggling with an ankle injury, Bateman is a player I’m targeting in DFS and for my flex spot in lineup leagues, looking to continue his strong recent form. Bateman has delivered at least four targets, four receptions and 50 yards in his last three games – with room for growth based on Flowers’ injury, also hitting at least double-digits fantasy points in over half of his games this season. The Ravens offense is tied first in overall scoring, which negates the typical lower over-under in this week’s matchup against the Browns. With Jameis Winston now the starting quarterback, this could become an explosive affair – with Bateman becoming a key beneficiary of his insertion into the Browns’ starting lineup and a solid start for you this week.”

ECR Rank (PPR): WR49

Javonte Williams vs Carolina Panthers (Lewis Wood)

“The Panthers are the worst rush defense in the league. They’re actually the worst defense in the league, and by some way. The Broncos rushing game has thrived these past few weeks, racking up 227 yards against the Saints last week. Javonte Williams has now seized control of the backfield, with 12 more opportunities than any other back in week 7. This is a smash matchup for Javonte, who seems to be the bellcow on a good rushing team against a very vulnerable defense.”

ECR Rank (PPR): RB16

Tucker Kraft @ Jacksonville Jaguars (Tom Strachan)

“It wasn’t too long ago people were proclaiming Tucker Kraft as a top-five tight end for the rest of the season, but now after a couple of lesser finishes than the back-to-back TE1 finishes that catapulted Kraft into the mainstream, he’s being left behind once more. That is a mistake. Kraft faces a Jaguars defense allowing the sixth-most TE fantasy points, with the 32nd-ranked pass defense struggling across the board. Since Week 6 the Jaguars have allowed 24.0 points to Cole Kmet and 17.2 points to Hunter Henry, making this the perfect get-right spot for Kraft.”

ECR Rank (PPR): TE8

Feature image credit: Tannen Maury/UPI

A Washington fan since the early 2010’s, James had no choice but to turn to fantasy football in search of happiness – and it wasn’t long until it became an obsession. You can follow him on Twitter @jamesc294.