Play Action - Week 8

For a few teams, Week 8 marks the midway point through the season.
Week 8 will mark the return of likely #2 overall Fantasy pick Steven Jackson.
Week 8 has 6 teams on bye.
Laurence Maroney is also expected to be unleashed this week.

Let's break down the Week 8 action.

BYE: Cardinals, Chiefs, Cowboys, Falcons, Ravens, Seahawks

1:00pm EST Games

Browns @ Rams - Dome
Brown Offense - Receiving: 255 (8), Rushing: 115.2 (14)
Ram Defense - Receiving: 212 (9), Rushing: 129.6 (24)

Ram Offense - Receiving: 212.7 (24), Rushing: 82.6 (28)
Brown Defense - Receiving: 269.3 (29), Rushing: 149.5 (30)

START: Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, Torry Holt
CONSIDER: Jamal Lewis (check), Isaac Bruce
BENCH: Jason Wright, Jerome Harrison, Drew Bennett

A collision of the Rams' terrible offense against the Browns' awful defense. If Bulger can't get on track this game, it's time to permanently affix him to your bench. If he can perform, Holt should benefit nicely.
A returning S-Jax should definitely be in your lineup here, it's a great match up for him. The Rams actually have a decent pass defense, but don't let that scare you away from the legal firm of Anderson & Edwards. The Browns love to sling it.
Jamal Lewis will be a game-time decision, if he goes and you're mired in bye week hell, you could probably do worse. If he doesn't go, rumor is that Wright and Harrison will be a RBBC.

Giants vs. Dolphins @ Wembley Stadium
Giant Offense - Receiving: 223.6 (19), Rushing: 130.4 (10)
Dolphin Defense - Receiving: 216.4 (12), Rushing: 156.4 (31)

Dolphin Offense - Receiving: 232.9 (14), Rushing: 115.1 (15)
Giant Defense - Receiving: 229.4 (17), Rushing: 97.4 (10)

START: Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey, Giant Defense
CONSIDER: Amani Toomer
BENCH: Derrick Ward (check), Cleo Lemon, Jesse Chatman, Marty Booker, Ted Ginn Jr., David Martin (out)

The good people of London get treated to a Dolphin team that is starting their backup QB, traded away their only decent WR, will likely play their #2 TE, will be without their star MLB and starting SS, and just lost their stud RB for the season. Enjoy that! At least they've got Eli Manning in town in order to make Prince Charles look handsome.
Suffice it to say, the Dolphins are going to struggle to score points regardless of who they play, and this team has the best chance in a long, long time for a perfect 0-16 record. Chatman should be on your roster, simply due to the fact that any starting RB should be on a roster.
Start all of your Giants, hope that they can do something remotely similar to what the Patriots did to the Dolphins in Week 7. Amani Toomer isn't consistent enough to be anything more than a flex, however. Derrick Ward is expected to be inactive, so Jacobs should have a monster game.

Colts @ Panthers
Colt Offense - Receiving: 263 (7), Rushing: 141.8 (6)
Panther Defense - Receiving: 227.2 (15), Rushing: 110 (18)

Panther Offense - Receiving: 200.5 (25), Rushing: 132.5 (8)
Colt Defense - Receiving: 172.7 (1), Rushing: 107.3 (14)

START: Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Steve Smith
CONSIDER: Marvin Harrison (check), Kenton Keith, DeAngelo Williams
BENCH: Anthony Gonzalez, Colt Defense, David Carr(out), Vinny Testaverde, DeShaun Foster (check), Jeff King, Panther Defense

There is potential for this being a "trap game" for the Colts, but I believe they will pull it out.
Word on the street is that Kenton Keith will continue getting up to 15 touches per game. That seems awfully generous, but if it's true, he makes a good flex play. Marvin Harrison is looking increasingly likely to sit. If he does, look for an expanded role for Dallas Clark and a few looks for Anthony Gonzalez.
DeShaun Foster is struggling with turf toe, which should limit his productivity fairly substantially, but he should play. It comes at a bad time for him, since Williams has looked very good of late. Then again, we all knew Foster would suffer an injury sooner or later. Either way, as long as Foster is active, they will share carries. Steve Smith remains a must-start, and the presence of Testaverde may actually benefit him.

Lions @ Bears
Lion Offense - Receiving: 271.3 (6), Rushing: 85.5 (27)
Bear Defense - Receiving: 242.4 (24), Rushing: 132.6 (26)

Bear Offense - Receiving: 243.3 (10), Rushing: 81.1 (30)
Lion Defense - Receiving: 289.3 (31), Rushing: 116.5 (19)

START: Jon Kitna, Kevin Jones, Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Brian Griese, Cedric Benson, Bernard Berrian, Muhsin Muhammad
CONSIDER: Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen
BENCH: Tatum Bell, T.J. Duckett, Mike Furrey, Devin Hester, Bear Defense

The Lion offense has been slowed considerably the past 2 games. Fortunately for them, they now come up against a mediocre Bear D. (Who would have seen that one coming earlier this year?) The Lions are notorious for poor play on the road, on grass, though. Give them the benefit of the doubt and trot out your Lions. Tatum Bell is rumored to be inactive for this game, therefore, T.J. Duckett is the handcuff that Kevin Jones owners want.
The Lion D isn't much better than the Bears (again, who saw that coming?), and they are flat out terrible against the pass, so look for Brian Griese's improbable run to continue. The Lions also aren't very good against the run, so if you don't have superior options, Cedric Benson gets one more, hesitant, recommendation. The Chicago TE's take too much away from each other to really rely on either. Berrian has never met a pass that he couldn't drop, still, he remains a good deep threat against a team that is prone to giving up pass yardage. Muhammad has been reborn under Griese.

Steelers @ Bengals
Steeler Offense - Receiving: 217.2 (22), Rushing: 159 (2)
Bengal Defense - Receiving: 260.8 (28), Rushing: 135.5 (27)

Bengal Offense - Receiving: 286.2 (2), Rushing: 98 (21)
Steeler Defense - Receiving: 196 (3), Rushing: 75.5 (3)

START: Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller, Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh
CONSIDER: Steeler Defense
BENCH: Najeh Davenport, Rudi Johnson (check), Kenny Watson

The Bengals don't play defense, so all of your usual Steelers should be active and in store for an excellent day. As bad as they've been, the Bengals still put up serious numbers, so if you have an option that has a better option, you should use them at Defense.
Rumor is that Kenny Watson will be the Bengals' starting RB going forward, regardless of the health of Rudi Johnson, who will likely be inactive this week. Watson will find much, much tougher sledding against the Steelers than what was available against the feeble Jets D in Week 7. Palmer, Chad Johnson and Housh all face difficult assignments this week, but are far too good to consider benching. Look for the Bengals to be playing from behind and slinging it, just like every other week.

Eagles @ Vikings - Dome
Eagle Offense - Receiving: 241.2 (12), Rushing: 129.7 (12)
Viking Defense - Receiving: 300 (32), Rushing: 76.5 (4)

Viking Offense - Receiving: 165 (30), Rushing: 163.7 (1)
Eagle Defense - Receiving: 241 (23), Rushing: 88 (8)

START: Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, Eagle Defense, Adrian Peterson
CONSIDER: Nobody
BENCH: L.J. Smith, Tarvaris Jackson (check), Kelly Holcomb (check Jackson), Chester Taylor, Viking Defense

Remember what McNabb did against the Lions D in Week 3? See how poor Minnesota's pass defense is? It'd be unrealistic to expect McNabb to repeat a performance like he had in Week 3, but it's not unrealistic to expect some very nice numbers. So much so that Reggie Brown is making an appearance in the "START" column. The Vikings are solid against the rush, but Brian Westbrook is so much a part of the Eagle offense that it would be ridiculous to consider benching him. The Vikings should struggle to put up points, relying on a home run from Peterson, so the Eagle defense makes a nice option. Only play L.J. Smith if you're in a complete fit of desperation.
Kelly Holcomb will likely start for the Vikings. While Holcomb probably isn't really a worse option that Jackson, the Vikings still have horrible WR's that should not be on any fantasy roster except in the very deepest of leagues. Adrian Peterson is positively on fire and word is that he has taken over the starter's role, although Chester Taylor will continue to get touches.

Raiders @ Titans
Raider Offense - Receiving: 190.7 (28), Rushing: 145.8 (4)
Titan Defense - Receiving: 240.5 (22), Rushing: 59.7 (1)

Titan Offense - Receiving: 188.3 (29), Rushing: 144 (5)
Raider Defense - Receiving: 216.2 (11), Rushing: 141.7 (29)

START: LenDale White, Titan Defense
CONSIDER: LaMont Jordan, Ronald Curry, Raider Defense
BENCH: Daunte Culpepper, Dominic Rhodes, Jerry Porter, Vince Young, Roydell Williams

This should be a low-scoring game.
Rumor is that Josh McCown would be the starting QB if he was fully healthy. McCown was playing WR last season. That doesn't bode well for the future of Daunte Culpepper. Maybe he'll be inspired this week, maybe not. LaMont Jordan is facing an awfully difficult match up, but he claims to feel better than he has all season. We'll see how he feels after the game. Ronald Curry has tons of talent, getting him the ball is the hitch. Earlier this week, a rumor broke that the Raiders were considering dumping Dominic Rhodes, so, it's safe to say he won't be much of a contributor.
Vince Young will likely be less mobile than usual this week, so, given his WR "talent", means that he should remain on your bench. Expect LenWhale to be fed the ball once again, and he should be in for another productive day against a shaky Raider rush defense. Be sure to play that Titan Defense, this is a fantastic match up for them.

4:00pm EST Games

Texans @ Chargers
Texan Offense - Receiving: 279 (5), Rushing: 75.6 (31)
Charger Defense - Receiving: 256.3 (27), Rushing: 84.5 (6)

Charger Offense - Receiving: 221.5 (20), Rushing: 125.8 (13)
Texan Defense - Receiving: 233.9 (19), Rushing: 122.3 (20)

START: Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels, LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates
CONSIDER: Philip Rivers, Chris Chambers, Charger Defense
BENCH: Matt Schaub (check), Sage Rosenfels (check), Ahman Green, Andre Johnson (out), Michael Turner, Vincent Jackson

This game will be played in San Diego at 4:05pm EST.
Matt Schaub will be a game-timne decision, and if he can go, he still may split time with Rosenfels. Nobody really wins with a QBBC. Kevin Walter has been on fire and is way too hot to bench at this point. It took a long time for Owen Daniels to get involved in Week 7 with Schaub out of the picture, but he should get more looks this week. Don't even consider starting Ahman Green against the tough Charger rush D.
LaDainian finally got it rolling before the bye week, look for him to build upon that. Chris Chambers makes his Charger debut, but is still behind LT and Gates as far as options go. Vincent Jackson should be a non-factor from here on out.

Jaguars @ Buccaneers
Jaguar Offense - Receiving: 199.5 (26), Rushing: 148.5 (3)
Buc Defense - Receiving: 199.7 (4), Rushing: 123.3 (21)

Buc Offense - Receiving: 219.3 (21), Rushing: 102.7 (19)
Jaguar Defense - Receiving: 229.8 (18), Rushing: 103.8 (13)

START: Maurice Jones-Drew (check), Earnest Graham, Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay Defense
CONSIDER: Fred Taylor, Jaguar Defense, Jeff Garcia
BENCH: Quinn Gray, David Garrard (out), Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, Ike Hilliard, Alex Smith (out)

No Garrard will likely mean that MJD and Fragile Fred will see a lot of work, especially given how terrible Gray looked in Week 7. However, there's also a chance that MJD could miss the game, which would make Taylor a much more attractive option. There's really not much else to like about the Jag offense this week.
Earnest Graham had a monster game in Week 7. Granted, it was against a weak Lion Defense, but still expect him to put up nice numbers in this game. Joey Galloway basically defines the word "streaky", he's always a deep threat, and the only decent receiving option on the Bucs. Start the Buc D, as the Jag offense should be limited.

Bills @ Jets
Bill Offense - Receiving: 152.5 (32), Rushing: 99 (20)
Jet Defense - Receiving: 246.3 (25), Rushing: 138 (28)

Jet Offense - Receiving: 215.1 (23), Rushing: 89.6 (25)
Bill Defense - Receiving: 274.7 (30), Rushing: 132.5 (25)

START: Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans, Thomas Jones, Laveranues Coles (check), Jerricho Cotchery
CONSIDER: Chad Pennington
BENCH: Trent Edwards, Kellen Clemens, Chris Baker

Phew, what a stinker. Look at those numbers.
Marshawn Lynch carried a huge load last week for a nice game against a much better Raven Defense. He should put up even better numbers this week. Lee Evans also emerged from the abyss last week and should be in line for another quality game here.
The Bill D is even slightly worse than the Jets', so look for good numbers from the usual suspects on the Jets offense, especially Coles and Cotchery. Normally, I would have recommended starting Pennington in this game, but Coach Mangini has announced that he will be on an extremely short leash, so he'd be an awfully risky play. Coles is listed as "questionable", but it'd be quite the surprise if he wasn't active.

Redskins @ Patriots
Redskin Offense - Receiving: 196.8 (27), Rushing: 114.7 (16)
Patriot Defense - Receiving: 205.4 (5), Rushing: 92.7 (9)

Patriot Offense - Receiving: 305.7 (1), Rushing: 133.4 (7)
Redskin Defense - Receiving: 211.3 (7), Rushing: 80.7 (5)

START: Chris Cooley, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Patriot Defense
CONSIDER: Laurence Maroney, Donte Stallworth
BENCH: Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Redskin Defense, Kevin Faulk, Ben Watson (check), Kyle Brady

This is my "trap game" pick for the week. It is by far the toughest test that the Patriot offense has encountered. Yes, Dallas, that includes you.
For the Redskins to win this game, they need their defense to come up huge. That doesn't mean that you should start them. Chris Cooley is the most likely candidate to score a TD, their entire offense is in for a tough test. Portis should see plenty of work, but he won't put up good numbers.
Your usual Patriots must be started every single week, but don't expect any Tecmo Bowl numbers this week. Allegedly Laurence Maroney will see a full workload this week, but he's facing a tough test. It would be an absolute shocker if "questionable" Ben Watson played. If he does, he'd likely be quite limited.
For the record, I still say New England pulls out the W here, based simply on them playing at home.

Saints @ 49ers
Saint Offense - Receiving: 232.3 (15), Rushing: 90 (24)
49er Defense - Receiving: 211.8 (8), Rushing: 126.8 (23)

49er Offense - Receiving: 154 (31), Rushing: 88.8 (26)
Saint Defense - Receiving: 252.3 (26), Rushing: 100.7 (12)

START: Reggie Bush, Frank Gore
CONSIDER: Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Eric Johnson, Vernon Davis
BENCH: Devery Henderson, Alex Smith, Darrell Jackson (check), Arnaz Battle

It looked like the Saints had righted the ship in Week 6, but then they struggled mightily against the Falcons in Week 7. It's clear that there is nothing to get very excited about in The Big Easy. Reggie Bush remains their only big time playmaking threat, so he should be active. Colston continues to disappoint. Eric Johnson is a nice sleeper option if you're in a TE crunch. The Niners have a surprisingly good pass defense, rendering Brees as a decent, but not exciting option.
Alex Smith returns for the 49ers, hopefully in time to revitalize Vernon Davis. If Davis doesn't perform this week, let him rot on your bench or drop him for a capable TE. Frank Gore hasn't accomplished much so far this season, but he's still the only decent option the 49ers have. If D-Jax can't go, there will be an Ashley Lelie sighting...stay away.

Monday Night Football

Packers @ Broncos
Packer Offense - Receiving: 285.8 (3), Rushing: 65.7 (32)
Bronco Defense - Receiving: 179.5 (2), Rushing: 176.2 (32)

Bronco Offense - Receiving: 234.3 (13), Rushing: 130.7 (9)
Packer Defense - Receiving: 237.2 (21), Rushing: 100.2 (11)

START: Brett Favre, Donald Driver, Brandon Marshall
CONSIDER: DeShawn Wynn, Donald Lee, Jay Cutler, Travis Henry (check), Selvin Young (check Henry), Tony Scheffler
BENCH: Greg Jennings, James Jones, Packer Defense, Bronco Defense

You never really want to bench Brett Favre when he's on Monday Night Football, despite the solid Bronco pass defense. The Broncos are horrible against the run, so DeShawn Wynn makes a decent flex play, although the Packers are equally horrible at running the ball. Favre will be looking for Driver often, so keep him in your lineup despite the tough match up. Champ Bailey is unlikely to play in the game, which is a HUGE plus for the Green Bay passing game.
Brandon Marshall is the most reliable Bronco offensive weapon, consistently putting up numbers all season. Jay Cutler looked good in Week 7, can he perform well in consecutive prime time performances? Travis Henry is recovering from bruised ribs and is facing a stingy rush D, he may come down to a game-time decision. Tony Scheffler should remain everybody's favorite sleeper TE.

I'd like to take a moment to welcome the newest member of Team Fantola, McSmacken. Everyone give him a warm welcome and check out his Powerhouse Pick-Ups.

Be sure to head over to Fantasy Chatter for some lively Fantasy Sports discussion and advice.

As always, we greatly appreciate any comments, questions or Diggs that you may throw our way.
Thank you for reading.
Please check back on Sunday for Game Day Inactives.