It's time for the Week 8 installment of Thursday night matchups with my start/sit recommendations. This week, two AFC South teams battle to stay out of last place in the division as the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Tennessee Titans.
Each week of the NFL season, we will be breaking down every game and providing you with some fantasy football advice and lineup recommendations based on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, and injury information as well. Later this week, you will find parts one and two of our Week 8 NFL matchups, which should help you prepare your lineups to win this week. It’s essential to analyze the weekly NFL matchups to find lineup sleepers and gems, while also avoiding those players who may turn out to be busts.
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Jaguars @ Titans - Thursday 10/27 @ 8:25 PM EST
Matchups We Love
DeMarco Murray (RB, TEN)
Yes, he will probably remain in this category for the remainder of the year. Murray is looking like the 2014 version of himself, even with far less talent around him in Tennessee. While he isn't on quite such a prolific pace as that season with Dallas, he has either scored a touchdown or exceeded 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season. The Jags haven't given up huge yardage to running backs this season, but they haven't faced too many tough runners either. Murray isn't necessarily the top RB play this week, but he remains a top five choice at the position.
Kendall Wright (WR, TEN)
Their pass defense has been adequate, but the Jaguars have given up big games to Michael Crabtree, Cameron Meredith, and Travis Benjamin this year. They have also allowed a 64-yard TD to Phillip Dorsett (his only score of the year) and a 44-yarder to Tyrell Williams. As the deep threat, Wright will have a chance to be the next receiver to break a big play against Jacksonville. He was bottled up last week with just two catches for 12 yards but showed he was fully healthy with eight catches for 133 yards the previous week. Wright makes a great sleeper play as a WR3 in a bye-heavy week.
Marqise Lee (WR, JAX)
In year three, Lee is finally starting to look like the receiver he was expected to be as a second-round pick. Lee has held steady between 6-8 targets in every game since the opener, but is now converting those into a higher conversion rate. His 76.3% catch rate is vastly improved from the 53.6% and 46.9% rates of the past two years. After a seven-catch, 107-yard game last week, Lee now looks to supplant Allen Hurns as the #2 receiver for Jacksonville. He makes a solid value play in this game before facing tougher matchups the next two weeks.
Matchups We Hate
Delanie Walker (TE, TEN)
I loved Walker in this column last week and he paid off with 84 yards and a touchdown. He enters Week 8 questionable with a bruised chest and faces a tough matchup regardless. Jacksonville's defense allows an average of 3.5 receptions and 26 yards per game to tight ends, good for third-best in the league for fantasy purposes. You may not have better options at TE this week, but if you are choosing between Walker or another comparable option, don't feel bad sitting him.
T.J. Yeldon (RB, JAX)
He is averaging 3.3 Y/A on the year and has only surpassed 70 total yards from scrimmage in one game. As if that weren't enough of a deterrent, keep in mind that Chris Ivory is working his way back. Ivory should see a further increase to his 40% snap share from last week, compared to 57% for Yeldon. You shouldn't be starting him anyway, but if you are desperate for a flex play with six teams on bye in Week 8, look elsewhere.
Notable Players
Allen Robinson (WR, JAX)
My gut says Robinson finds the end zone in this game, although that isn't something worth taking to the bank. He has been consistently mediocre until last week, averaging 49.3 Y/G this season. He hasn't been terrible, but he is a far cry from the WR1 we thought we were drafting a couple of months ago. You can't take him out of your lineup and won't get fair trade value for him at this point, so keep hoping that the red zone targets remain consistent.
Key Injuries: Allen Hurns (WR, JAX) - probable, Julius Thomas (TE, JAX) - questionable, Delanie Walker (TE, TEN) - questionable, Jace Amaro (TE, TEN) - questionable