Wide Receivers For Fantasy Football Week 8: Jauan Jennings, Troy Franklin and More

Before we get into my favorite wide receivers for Week 8, let's take a look back at some of the guys I liked in Week 7.

Quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels. Good.
Running Backs: Austin Ekeler. Great.
Wide Receivers: Tank Dell. Grand.
Tight Ends: Juwan Johnson. Wonderful.

I'm just trying to set expectations appropriately low.

As of Tuesday evening, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 8 fantasy plays — the guys who (in some combination)…

Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
Must be added if they are on waivers.
Possess underappreciated upside.
Have advantageous matchups.
Should be considered in daily fantasy.
Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
Catch my eye with their player projections.
Stand out in our Fantasy Life Player Prop Tool.

Some notes:

Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and my projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.

Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players are ordered within position roughly (but maybe not precisely) according to my rankings.

Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Bye Week: This week, every team is in action. Why? Nobody knows.

Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 11:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.

Freedman's Favorites: Although we publish this piece as four separate articles broken out by position, I think of it as one cohesive whole and write it as such. With that in mind, please be sure to check out the rest of my favorite Week 8 fantasy football plays in the other positional previews:

Best WRs for Fantasy Football Week 8

Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals) vs. Eagles

Bengals: -2.5
O/U: 48
TT: 25.25

Chase entered Week 3 with just 10-97-0 receiving on 11 targets. In five games since, he has 29-523-6 receiving on 37 targets.

With an NFL-high 620 yards and six TDs receiving, Chase might be the league's best pass catcher, aside from Justin Jefferson, and he's easily on pace to join Jefferson (as well as Michael Thomas, Mike Evans, A.J. Green, and Randy Moss) as one of the handful of NFL players to open their careers with four straight 1,000-yard receiving campaigns.

I love the matchup Chase has against the Eagles, who are No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (46.3%). Lining up all over the formation, Chase has a chance to run as many three-fourths of his routes against rookie CBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who are promising players but, you know … rookies.

George Pickens (Steelers) vs. Giants

Steelers: -6.5
O/U: 36
TT: 21.25

After seeing a Week 5 decrease in playing time (65% route rate), Pickens rebounded in Week 6 (85% route rate, 29% target rate, 35% target share), and then in Week 7 he had a season-high 94% route rate with the switch to QB Russell Wilson, who gifted Pickens with 5-111-1 receiving on nine targets — and he could've had an even bigger day, as Wilson just missed him on a second TD. (Sheesh.)

With an explosive 9.9 yards per target for his career and ranking No. 3 this year with a 50% share of air yards, Pickens is the kind of big-play threat who can turn any touch into a long TD, and Wilson — for all his deficiencies — is still the kind of passer whose willingness to attack defenses downfield with multiple moonshots can maximize the upside potential in a player with Pickens' skill set and ability.

The Giants are No. 29 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (28.8%) and could be without CBs Cor'Dale Flott (groin) and Adoree' Jackson (neck).

Jauan Jennings (49ers) vs. Cowboys

49ers: -4
O/U: 46.5
TT: 25.25

Jennings (hip) missed last week, but the team hopes to have him back for Week 8, which is good news because Brandon Aiyuk (knee) suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7, and Deebo Samuel (illness) played only four snaps before leaving early with pneumonia and going to the hospital.

Samuel has been discharged but is far from certain to play this week, so there's a chance Jennings could operate as the No. 1 WR for the 49ers offense — and in Week 3 without Samuel he balled out with 11-175-3 receiving on 12 targets.

If Samuel and Jennings are both out, then rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing — and maybe even veteran Chris Conley — will be reasonable desperado options, but if Jennings plays, he will be a viable inside/outside starter against the Cowboys, who are No. 28 in defensive pass DVOA (17.0%).

Troy Franklin (Broncos) vs. Panthers

Broncos: -9
O/U: 43.5
TT: 26.25

With WR Josh Reynolds (finger, IR) unavailable, Franklin has served as the team's No. 2 perimeter receiver, and with his 68% route rate he has a team-high nine targets, which he has converted into 7-81-1 receiving with a five-yard carry.

That production isn't sexy, but his role and matchup make him a risk-seeking flier in deep formats and daily fantasy… and that's to say nothing of his established connection with QB Bo Nix from their two years together in college at Oregon, where Franklin had 1,383 yards and 14 TDs receiving in 13 games in his final season.

The Panthers rank No. 31 in defensive dropback EPA (0.284).

The Deep Route

Drake London (Falcons -2.5, TT: 24.25) at Buccaneers: Since his lethargic Week 1 performance (15 yards, no TDs), London has been a bonafide alpha with 42-476-5 receiving on 59 targets in six games, and against the Bucs in Week 5 he had a career-high 13 targets and 12 receptions, which he leveraged into 154 yards and one receiving TD. The Bucs are No. 28 in defensive dropback SR (50.2%) and will be without No. 1 CB Jamel Dean (hamstring, IR) and possibly slot CB Tykee Smith (concussion).

Tyreek Hill (Dolphins -3, TT: 24.75) vs. Cardinals: This is just a reminder that — even though he hasn't recently exhibited his full talent without QB Tua Tagovailoa (164 scoreless scrimmage yards in Weeks 3-7) — Hill is still one of the league's best pass catchers (back-to-back seasons with 1,700-plus yards receiving). The Cardinals are No. 32 in defensive dropback SR (55.8%) and could be even worse without CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck).

Chris Olave (Saints +7.5, TT: 16.25) at Chargers: I doubt the Saints will have QB Derek Carr (oblique), but at least Olave doesn't need to compete for targets anymore with No. 2 WR Rashid Shaheed (knee, IR), and I expect joker TE Taysom Hill (ribs) to sit again. I'm optimistic that Olave (concussion) will have time to clear the protocol given that he sat out Week 7, and the Chargers don't have No. 1 CB Asante Samuel (shoulder, IR).

Amari Cooper (Bills -3, TT: 25) at Seahawks: Despite easing his way into the offense with only a 34% route rate in his first game with the Bills, Cooper had 4-66-1 receiving on five targets last week. He should see even more work this week, and the Seahawks might be without starting perimeter CBs Riq Woolen (ankle) and Tre Brown (ankle), both of whom missed last game.

DeMario Douglas (Patriots +7, TT: 17.5) vs. Jets: I mentioned Douglas in this piece last week … and then he had just 14 scoreless yards on three targets and 10 routes — but I'm graciously giving myself a mulligan because he sat out most of the game with a sudden illness. In the four games prior, he was the team's No. 1 pass catcher with a 32% target rate and 30% target share. Against the Jets in Week 3 he had 7-69-0 receiving on nine targets, and now they might be without slot CB Michael Carter (hamstring), who has neither practiced nor played over the past two weeks.

Cedric Tillman (Browns +9, TT: 17.75) vs. Ravens: Tillman had an amplified 82% route rate last week as the in-house positional replacement to traded Amari Cooper, and with his enhanced usage (he had an 8.2 UR Score in Week 7) he had 8-81-0 receiving on 12 targets. The Ravens are No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to WRs (35.6), and No. 1 CB Marlon Humphrey (knee) exited last week early with an injury.

Abbreviations

Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
Against the Spread (ATS)
Over/Under (O/U)
Team Total (TT)
Moneyline (ML)
Return on Investment (ROI)
Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
Expected Points Added (EPA)
Success Rate (SR)
Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
Short Down and Distance (SDD)
Long Down and Distance (LDD)