Fantasy football targets for this week
Listen to this articleSeven weeks into your fantasy football season, the roster you drafted probably looks nothing like what you’re working with going into Week 8. Whether it’s due to a bye week or injury, here are five players to put a claim in for this week.
Anthony Dixon, RB, Buffalo
The Bills saw their top two running backs (Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller) go down with injuries in Week 7. Jackson, who suffered a groin injury, should be back in about a month, but Spiller is out for the season with a broken collarbone. This presents an interesting opportunity for Dixon. Filling in last week, he ran for 51 yards on 13 carries. He’s worth a pickup if you’re in need of a running back, but it’s worth monitoring the distribution of carries between Dixon and fellow running back Bryce Brown.
Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis
After being inactive for the first four games of the season, the rookie led the Rams in carries last week, receiving 18 of the possible 20 handoffs. Zac Stacy, who began the season as the starter, did not touch the ball in St. Louis’s upset of Seattle. It appears that the former Auburn Tiger now has a grasp of the playbook and is clearly the running back to own on the Rams.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle
Baldwin caught seven passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in Week 7, after only compiling 187 in the previous five games combined. Seattle’s recent trade of Percy Harvin appears to have opened the door for Baldwin to become a bigger part of the offensive gameplan as he saw more than double the amount of targets of any other game this season.
Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver
Hillman should be owned in every league. Since becoming the starter two weeks ago, Hillman has rushed 38 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns He’s also caught seven passes during that time span. Playing in Denver’s electric offense awards him the opportunity to put up high point totals every week. Even with Monte Ball on the verge of returning from injury, it appears Hillman has impressed enough to remain the starter for the Broncos.
Denard Robinson, RB, Jacksonville
Robinson rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown last week, helping the Jaguars secure their first win of the season. Jacksonville signed Toby Gerhart this offseason to be their workhorse running back, but he has been injured the past two weeks and was ineffective when he did play. Robinson seems to be the lead runner for Jacksonville now and is worth adding for as long as he’s getting the opportunity.
Scott DeWeese is a geographer from the Baltimore area. One of the final graduates of the University of Maryland from the ACC era, DeWeese is an avid sports writer and fan. When he’s not looking up remedies to counteract male pattern baldness, you can find him at Camden Yards on his phone checking the fantasy football waiver wire. Follow him on Twitter @SDeWeese7.