Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Well, it just doesn't feel like a proper NFL season until Arian Foster goes on the IR, am I right? Now that balance has returned to the universe (I was kicking myself for not drafting him when he was available late), we can look forward to the Week 8 rankings. This week, we have to deal with Buffalo, Philadelphia, Washington and Jacksonville taking a bye week. That's plenty of good fantasy players on bye, however there's plenty more to choose from - check out our waiver wire picks if you need any more help.

Derek Carr has a tough draw this week, facing the Jets, but at least he gets to do it at home. Last week, Tom Brady showed that the Jets are vulnerable to the pass, throwing it a whopping 54 times. Carr can have similar success as long as he doesn't turn the ball over, and despite the matchup, needs to be starting in all 2-QB formats. Matthew Stafford should remain on your bench, people. His ECR this week is still way up at 8, but he had an injury to his non-throwing hand and has to deal with the circus of going to London. The Chiefs have had a chance to gain some confidence, beating up on Landry Jones and Teddy Bridgewater this week. Stafford won't be an insurmountable challenge for them.

Dion Lewis practiced on Tuesday and should return to the Patriots lineup on Thursday night, healed up from his abdomen injury. He can be fired up as a solid RB2 as the Patriots look to re-establish their run game. The Pats ran the ball 9 times in Week 7, a number that is not at all sustainable. Just make sure the Pats aren't messing with the injury reports and verify he's playing when Thursday night rolls around. It's not certain who will emerge in Houston as the main back, but one thing IS certain - don't start Chris Polk, even though he might look like a tempting flex play.

Nate Washington had a great time collecting lots of garbage points in Miami on Sunday, and look for him to be in a similar high-volume role this week if Cecil Shorts is still out. The Texans throw the ball more than any other team (including the Chargers!) and they need guys there to soak up targets. Washington is the only decent receiver other than DeAndre Hopkins on that team, so there's plenty of balls to go around. Stay away from Brandin Cooks this week. Marques Colston is back, Willie Snead has been involved a lot in the offense, and Ben Watson has become a decent facsimile of Jimmy Graham. There isn't enough consistent work for Cooks to be an every week start. Try to sell high on him if you can.

Having tight end problems? Well, if they're fantasy football related, try a nice relaxing Crockett Gillmore for your pains. Gillmore is the second best target on his team and is going up against a Chargers team that got beat badly through the air last week. He's a good replacement if you're tired of trotting out Kyle Rudolph or Jordan Cameron.