The Jacksonville Jaguars defense is pretty damn good. Sacksonville, and all of that. Even if coach Doug Marrone hates the comparisons to the greatest defense of all-time (the legendary 1980s Chicago Bears), people have made this connection for a reason. The Jags had 10 sacks against the Colts last week. Ten in the first week against the Texans. It's starting to become a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Nope, check that. It is. It is a nightmare for quarterbacks already.
As a quick aside (humblebrag), I'm pretty stoked to be on the right side of this recommendation. I was drafting the Jags this summer with great regularity. And look, I don't mean to puff out my chest about this. I was pretty bullish on Terrelle Pryor as well, and yeah, we've seen how that has worked out. So you don't want to get too proud of yourself here. But here was my point in all of this.
The Jaguars are on a bye this week. I know some people have hit me up on Twitter to see if they can drop the Jags this week because they have so many people on a bye. Don't do that. This is one of those defenses that you have to hang on to. Even if you have to take a zero from your defense this week because of the bye week, do not drop the Jaguars.
And if you're reading this over the weekend, if you see the Jaguars being dropped in your league (and it will happen), make sure you fire in immediately. Don't even wait for it. But since the Jags are the most important team on a bye this week. Some good defensive options would include the Bengals (this will be a theme), Eagles and the Chiefs (who might be available). I also impulse-picked the Bears on Sunday. That was all right. Not sure if Drew is going to turn it over as much as Cam did last week.
Give me that quarterback: Andy Dalton
I know. Terrible against the Steelers. But we already knew that. Discussed it in Like/dislike. So this was expected. I'm not going to ignore the previous good work he did in Bill Lazor's offense. Prior to the game at Pittsburgh (which we will throw out), the Bengals averaged 25 points per game. And they are playing the Colts. So I'll just stop typing right now.
How are we liking Tyrod Taylor this week?
Love him. Missed in all of the hysteria of Amari Cooper actually catching the ball in Week 7 (well, sort of) was that the Raiders defense is still going to have a hard time stopping people from scoring. And I don't mean to defame the Chiefs offense which is very good, but Alex Smith drove that team up and down the field. And had the Raiders not been given a few do-overs at the end, this game would have ended differently and the narrative would have flipped. And now I realize none of this has been about Tyrod, but he's been great. What do you want from him? Well, maybe more yards. He finished with 268 and a touchdown. The key was those 53 rushing yards which gives him the safest of floors.
Wait, what about Matt Moore?
Oh yes, here's something you really need to be aware of for this week and next. I've made Moore a priority add for me in teams that need a quarterback this week. Or more importantly, next week. I have Tom Brady shares all over the place. And he's got his bye in Week 9. It's going to be thin next week so I'm adding Moore in the hopes he's going to be the quarterback for the long-term. Trust me, I saw this in Chicago last year. Cutler got hurt and even though it seemed like he was ready to come back, the Bears kept going to Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley. And Cutler was only healthy when those other two guys got hurt. So I'm hoping Moore will start this week and next because I'm really hoping to start him against the Raiders.
Hey, Josh McCown. I can't believe this. Still good this week?
Well, good is a relative term. But he should be all right. Although this was pointed out in our fantasy sewing circle this week, but outside of Brady and Aaron Rodgers, every quarterback to play against the Falcons has finished as the QB18. So when you look at the numbers, and digest the trends, that's interesting. But six teams are on a bye. So McCown would have to be really bad to finish that way. He had four touchdowns last week and is currently second in the NFL in completion percentage, behind only Alex Smith. He also has a passer rating of 96.8 over the last four weeks.
This has all been great. All of those guys are gone. How about another? Case Keenum
He's got the Browns. And that organization is going through some troubles right now. And there could be a reboot in the future. However, for the moment, if you really need a quarterback, Keenum isn't a horrible option. (I know; I should write advertising jingles.) The Browns have been good against the run. They also played really well against the Titans, so don't go expecting some sort of 50-burger or something. But this should be a different game for the Vikings this week who knew they were going to be able to run all over the Ravens. And they did. I mean, when Latavius Murray is getting over on you ���
Which Raiders running back do I want this week? Jalen Richard
DeAndre Wasington and Richard were pretty even in snaps last week, with Richard holding a one-snap advantage. And you're saying the name wrong in your head. It's pronounced Ree-shard, not Richard (like Monica's boyfriend in "Friends" as played by Tom Selleck). But I always go for the guy who can make the big plays. And really, it doesn't matter much since Jamize Olawale is going to vulture all of the touchdowns. No, don't play him instead. Go with Richard.
Please, stop with this: Rex Burkhead (but I won't)
He's back, fools! Tell me I wasn't the first person you thought of when he started getting into the mix. You'll all thank me when you start winning fantasy leagues with him at the end of the season. We're like in the middle of a RomCom where it doesn't seem like it's going to work out for our hero, but it's coming soon.
Dude, I missed out on Freddy Mo and Darren McFadden. What should I do? Add Rod Smith
I'm not completely against this. I have a weird feeling he's going to end up being the guy. I feel like Morris and McFadden would have been solid veterans if Dak Prescott really needed to lean on those kinds of guys. But Dak has established himself as the dude, and I bet they skew younger if Elliott has to serve his suspension. You might not have the room and don't drop the Jags D as I said previously. But I don't hate this move.
Was Deonte Thompson a fluke?
Probably not. I mean, I wouldn't expect 100 yards every week but he looked pretty good with Tyrod. And really, what has happened to Zay Jones? He must have the worst catch-rate of any receiver I've ever seen. It's like you put a lineman out wide on Madden and even then, I can't imagine it would be that bad.
How about a receiver I can also play this week? Brandon LaFell
Look, we are reaching for the stars here. I'm strictly playing the matchup. If I've managed to add Dalton to one of my teams, I certainly would like to stack him with LaFell. What if you also have A.J. Green? What the hell, triple down. If there was one week and one matchup to do it for, it would be this one.
Sick call on Bennie Fowler last week, thanks champ
I'm going with him again. If you watched Good Morning Football Weekend, we kind of moved past him. But this was clearly a whiff in this space and I'll own that (even though that previous statement looked like I was trying to weasel out of it, but it was more of a low-key promotion of my show). I'd go back to him again this week. This Kansas City defense was torched last week.
I need a tight end: Tyler Kroft
He's really starting to play well. He converted on all four of his targets (you see that, Zay?) and scored his third receiving touchdown of the year. He really does have the look of Tyler Eifert, tall and athletic. It's time to start taking him seriously. Plus, the Bengals really, really need him.
-- Follow Adam Rank on Twitter @adamrank
