WEEK 8 FANTASY INSIGHTS - DON'T SPOOK YOURSELF!

This is Mack’s Sunday Sauce comin’ at ya! Always fresh, never stirred, where I’m here to give you your weekly dose of anything goes, no filter FANTASY FOOTBALL advice.

It’s Week 8 baby. As the byes keep rollin’, the weather cools down, and the spooky weekend approaches, here’s my advice in Week 8 - “Don’t Spook Yourself”! It’s the truth. You too could be the ‘Freddy Kreuger’ no one wants to play in fantasy on any given week. What are we saying here? It’s simple. Going with your first instinct and gut in fantasy is vital, and on Halloween weekend, even for someone whose record is 1-6, have some confidence in your studs and your team. But, if you have some byes or injuries, there are always some sleepers and free agents you may consider to help you win a week. That’s where the Sauce comes in. So without further ado, let’s get to it; and while the sauce is always delicious, sometimes you just gotta’ go with that rock shrimp tempura with spicy mayo of a gut.

1. Andy Dalton, QB – Cincinnati Bengals vs. Indianapolis Colts @ 1pm

Coincidentally, I wrote about Blake Bortles last week, and he was playing the Colts as well. I promise that this was just a coincidence. Last week, Dalton had a tough one in Pittsburgh and threw for less than 150 yards and two INT’s. He is ranked just the #26 QB in fantasy through seven weeks. Yikes, pretty brutal for a former top 10 ten fantasy QB. But, the free agent in most leagues is the absolute perfect play this week. If your QB is injured or on a bye, I would have no problem rolling with Dalton as a Week 7 ‘diamond in the rough’. The Colts have had quite an easy schedule this season, and haven’t even played against a top ten QB aside from Russell Wilson in 2017! Yet, they’ve still given up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing QB’s through seven weeks. You can finally expect to see the old school, ‘Dandy’ Andy Dalton in Week 8. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 320 Yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT

2. Wendell Smallwood, RB – Philadelphia Eagles vs. SF 49ers @ 1pm

The 6-1 Philadelphia Eagles will host the 0-7 San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Yeahhh, this one is pretty matchup proof! Let everyone on the Eagles offense get involved! Start Wentz, Ertz, Jeffery, Agholor, Blount and even Smallwood! They may not all score touchdowns, but there is definitely room for all six of these guys to be fantasy relevant in Week 8. Smallwood has shown random sparks of fire so far in his sophomore season, and has definitely exceled against struggling teams. This will be the perfect game for young Wendell to make the most of his opportunities, and he should do just fine scrapping up all-purpose yards against the Niners on his home turf, who are giving up the very most fantasy points to opposing RB’s through seven weeks. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 10 carries, 43 yards / 3 catches, 28 yards, 1 TD

3. Mohamed Sanu, WR – Atlanta Falcons @ NY Jets @ 1pm

This one may not be the biggest sleeper ever, more so justifying the fact that the sixth year vet should definitely not be overlooked this week. In every single game Sanu has been healthy in so far, he has amassed at least 47 yards or a TD, and caught 6 balls in the 47 yard game. The Jets secondary has pretty much been in the bottom half of the league for the past few years, and that hasn’t changed in 2017. They are giving up the ninth most fantasy points to WR’s through seven weeks. Separately, the focus on Julio Jones should make room for Sanu to have a fantasy relevant day at the least. Lastly, after three straight losses against the rest of the AFC East, the Falcons will really be looking to come out swinging this week. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 7 CATCHES, 84 YARDS, 1 TD

4. George Kittle, TE – SF 49ers @ Philly Eagles @ 1pm

The big bad Philadelphia Eagles should have no problem putting up points against the Niners. This was discussed when boasting about Wendell Smallwood earlier. Hence, expect the Niners to be playing from behind most of the game and airing it out. Aside from lone bright spot on offense in Pierre Garcon, rookie George Kittle seems to be the only other receiving weapon to give Garcon some help in San Francisco. Separately, these same big bad Eagles are giving up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing TE’s so far this season, and Kittle just laid an egg last week vs. Dallas. As it is looking like rain in Philly on Sunday, this one may get a little messy. Expect them to try and get him back involved, as they have come closer to winning in games Kittle has been targeted often and plays well. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 5 RECEPTIONS, 58 YARDS

5. Jamaal Charles, RB – Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs -- MNF 8:30pm

Alright, let’s get super deep and have some fun! One of my all-time favorite fantasy RB’s has become a back-up RB in his 10th NFL season. At this very moment, he is actually only 44 yards away rushing and/or receiving from having 10,000 career rushing and receiving yards combined. Charles is still averaging over 4.5 yards per carry in 2017 for his 5.4 YPC career. This week, the explosive and elusive Jamaal heads to Kansas City to play against his former team on Monday Night Football! Why not get those 44 yards this week against your old team? And while Denver has spoken about getting Charles more involved, they haven’t done so just yet. But this is the perfect week to feed him the ball and let him try to break one loose! KC has given up the 12th most rushing yards to backs so far, so we will leave you with this: “Remember who you replaced, Kareem Hunt, remember it well. You will learn a lesson on Monday Night, young fellow”. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 8 carries, 67 yards 1 TD / 4 CATCHES, 18 YARDS

• MACK

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