We are quickly approaching the midway point of the fantasy football regular season. Bye weeks are back in Week 9, and difficult lineup decisions must be made.
Check out a new episode of The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show where Alfredo Brown and I discuss De'Von Achane, Cedric Tillman, Anthony Richardson, and much more!
Three Up
QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua played together in Week 8 for the first time all season. Matthew Stafford benefited most, setting season highs in touchdowns, completion percentage, EPA, and PFF grade. His 279 yards were the most since a Week 1 homecoming against the Lions. He had more touchdowns in Week 8 than in his first six games this season. Nacua and Kupp combined for 17 targets. Demarcus Robinson found the end zone twice. Everything was humming for the Rams, and their passing attack looked more like what we’ve seen over the last few years than at the start of this season. Stafford averaged a respectable 16.9 points per game last year. In 2021, his 20.4 points per game was good enough for top-12 production. There’s no guarantee that Stafford will maintain the elite production we saw in Week 8. But it was a signal of his potential. He should be picked up and stashed, as he could be a steady bye-week filler.
RB De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
No one has benefited and lost more at the hands of Tua Tagovailoa this year than De'Von Achane. In the three games Achane has played with Tagovailoa, he’s scored 23.0, 29.5, and 26.7 PPR points. In the four games apart: 8.8, 5.9, 2.7, and 10.5. The 26.4 points per game Achane has averaged with Tagovailoa are by far the most in the league. The 7.0 he scored in Tagovailoa’s absence averages out to 47th among running backs. He’s logged a target share of at least 16% in the three games they’ve played together, out-pacing the team’s perceived WR2 Jaylen Waddle. The threat of a deep ball with Tagolvailoa opens up underneath routes for Achane to get the ball in space where he can rack up big plays. It was a tumultuous stretch from Weeks 3-7, but Achane is firmly back in the elite tier of running backs.
WR Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
Amari Cooper is a Buffalo Bill. Deshaun Watson is out for the year. Kevin Stefanski gave up play-calling duties. The Cleveland Browns are currently surrounded by chaos. “Chaos is a ladder,” according to Game of Thrones’ Littlefinger. Cedric Tillman is climbing that ladder. Through his first 17 NFL games, Tillman averaged a paltry 2.9 targets, 1.4 receptions, and 13.7 scoreless yards. Cooper filled Tillman’s hopeful role in the offense. But with him gone, Tillman has become the team’s clear WR1 after a year and a half of patience. Over the last two weeks, he’s compiled 21 targets, 15 receptions, 180 yards, and two touchdowns. Tillman is a big-bodied receiver out of Tennessee who excels at contested catches. Being paired up with Jameis Winston in a match made in heaven. Winston has no qualms about throwing to a covered receiver, letting Tillman excel at what he does best. He has a tough stretch of matchups from Weeks 11-15 that will test his ceiling. But the skillsets between Tillman and future Hall-of-Famer Mike Evans are there, although the talent gap is vast. Think about Tillman as a Diet Evans as long as he’s got Winston under center.
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