Flex Options for Week 8 (Fantasy Football)

Consider this your friendly reminder to check weather reports and injury reports before slotting players into your lineup. Had you done that last week, you probably would have steered clear of Jerry Jeudy in a game that had wind gusts up to 50 mph, and you definitely would have benched Josh Downs, who was ruled out with a concussion. In my defense, it can be difficult to predict these things on Wednesday, but at the time of this writing, the players listed below are looking like solid starts for fantasy this week. They are all ranked outside (or nearly outside) the starter ranks for fantasy on the Fantasy Footballers’ rankings, but I think they all have a good chance to outperform their ranking. 

Look to these names for a spot start if byes and injuries are getting the best of you this week:

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons

Allgeier is a very game-script-dependent player for fantasy. Atlanta is 3-3 on the season, and there has been a stark contrast in his performance in wins vs losses.

The problem is that we don’t always know when the wins are going to happen. In fact, the one time we predicted a positive game script for Allgeier this season, they got blown out 30-0 by Carolina. But this week almost can’t fail for Atlanta. They are seven-point home favorites against a Miami team that just got throttled by the Cleveland Browns. Allgeier will likely only play about 30% of snaps, but I expect that to be enough for him to vulture a TD (or two) from Bijan Robinson. You can play him this week as a TD-dependent flex option.

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers

Many people were curious what the split would look like between Hubbard and backfield-mate Rico Dowdle when Hubbard returned from injury. Last week, we got our answer, and it was exactly 50/50. This split definitely caps Hubbard’s upside, and I no longer think Hubbard is the weekly RB2 that he was before his injury. However, he’s still a viable starting option as a player, seeing a 50% snap share on a surprisingly productive offense.

I especially like the matchup this week against a Bills defense that’s more beatable on the ground than through the air. You are definitely starting Dowdle, and with all the players on bye this week, it’s unlikely that you have a better option than Chuba Hubbard for your flex spot.

Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos

Heyyyy Franklin! Troy Franklin is rocking an ‘F’ consistency rating in the advanced stats section of his profile on the Fantasy Footballers’ website. That’s because he’s had two games inside the Top-24 this season, and he’s been outside the Top-40 the rest of the weeks. Luckily for Franklin managers, he’s got a dream matchup this week with a Dallas defense that lets everybody score points. The game has a 50.5 point O/U, and Denver is currently favored by 3.5, which means Vegas is expecting points. If Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense continue to hum the way they have been, the Broncos will need to throw to keep pace.

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Franklin tied with Courtland Sutton for the team lead in targets last week with 10, so he is drawing plenty of looks from Bo Nix. He could easily see another 10 targets this week, and that’s a recipe for fantasy success. If you need a spot start this week, you can probably find Franklin on most waiver wires and slot him right into your flex spot.

Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos

Has anyone ever seen Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims in the same room together? Or even on the field at the same time, for that matter? I’m convinced they might be the same person. Mims, like Franklin, is a boom or bust for fantasy. Also, like Franklin, he had had two booms this season and five busts. Also, like Franklin, he’s got a great matchup this week that sets up for a good opportunity to boom. More than likely we will see one of these guys produce for fantasy this week and the other will bust. It’s difficult to predict which one, but who knows—maybe this game will hit the over like the Broncos-Giants thriller last week, and both can have success. It’s too bad they are not the same person, because the Broncos’ WR2 would be a really solid asset for fantasy if they could just decide on one. Regardless, you can start both this week in a plus matchup. 

Tez Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Johnson was in last week’s article, but I have to be honest, I probably would have taken him off after the news that Evans and Egbuka were both active for the game. Fortunately for those who started Johnson anyway, Evans suffered a second-quarter injury that paved the way for Johnson to once again see heavy usage. He capitalized on that usage, drawing nine targets from Baker Mayfield and scoring a TD for the second straight week. I don’t expect Chris Godwin to return to play this week, and as we learned last week, anything is possible even if he does return. As a rookie with just six career games played, Johnson’s arrow seems to be pointing (pointed?) up. You should certainly be adding him off waivers this week, and if you get him, I think you can start him as the likely WR2 in a pass-heavy Buccaneers offense.