Mattek Fantasy Football

Calvin Ridley has had plenty of opportunities this season but has underperformed significantly; Lamar Jackson assesses that he 'absolutely cannot play,' making him a fade in favor of lower-profile alternatives like Alec Manor.

Keon Coleman's role and target share are diminished with DJ Moore returning to the lineup, reducing his fantasy upside for Week 8.

Lamar Jackson ranks Adonai Mitchell at 52 in Week 8 WR rankings. Jackson was big on Mitchell coming into the season, but Omar Cooper Jr. came back first and 'snatched his chain,' indicating Cooper has taken over the role. Mitchell looked good before injuring his finger.

Lamar Jackson expresses strong frustration with Xavier Worthy, stating he cannot wait to cut him from all his fantasy teams. Jackson was 'baited' by a seven-catch, 73-yard game and plans to cut Worthy from all 12-team fantasy leagues. Mahomes was yelling at Worthy in the Seattle game due to his inability to adjust to coverage; Jackson finds his play 'so annoying' to watch.

Lamar Jackson ranks Khalil Shakir at 43 in Week 8 WR rankings.

Lamar Jackson wanted to rank Kyle Williams higher but was constrained by snap shares; he identifies Williams as having elite press-man beating ability (ranked among the best in football) with potential for a two-touchdown explosion. Ranked at 47 in Week 8 WR rankings with a strong conviction that he scores a long touchdown against the Dolphins; could be second on the Patriots in targets.

Lamar Jackson ranks DeMario Douglas as his highest-ranked Patriots receiver with very good snap shares and target numbers; he had three touchdowns in prior games and is Lamar Jackson's top desperation start recommendation at the position, citing his best floor among Patriots receivers.

Lamar Jackson identifies Caleb Douglas as the best fit for Malik Willis's offensive system among the Titans receivers, ranked at 44 in Week 8 WR rankings.

Lamar Jackson notes difficulty determining the role and target allocation between Malik Washington, Chris Bell, and Caleb Douglas in the Titans rotation. Washington is described as a space filler with a nice floor who shouldn't be absolutely benched; Chris Bell is ranked as the best of the three, while Caleb Douglas is the best fit for Malik Willis's system.

Despite requesting a trade, Downs will play his normal snap allocation (described as 'a lot of snaps') according to head coach Shane Steichen. Lamar Jackson speculates this could be an audition game or a 'come get me' performance, suggesting Downs will maintain significant volume and opportunity despite the trade request.

Ranked in the F tier with a conservative projection of approximately 6 receptions for Week 8. This represents a low-ceiling expectation from Lamar Jackson.

Positioned against a very bad Raiders defense averaging 16.3 points per game to wide receivers. However, the New York Jets are one of the most negative pass rate over expectation teams in football, having run only 407 plays (fewer than teams that have played only 6 games) and thrown fewer passes than the Titans and Browns. With Garrett Wilson reportedly complaining about target allocation, there is downside risk of a 1 catch for 17 yard game. Lamar Jackson wants to rank Omar Cooper Jr. ahead of Trey Tucker due to the Raiders' poor defense, though he's having difficulty committing to that ranking. Cooper Jr. returned from injury first and has taken over the receiving role from Adonai Mitchell, establishing himself as the primary option.

Ranked at WR35 despite strong recent performances (5 for 97 and 2 TDs vs. Bills; 12 targets, 5 receptions, 103 yards vs. Rams). The concern is inconsistency—he frequently produces floor games like 4 for 43 with deep targets falling incomplete. Additionally, Brock Bowers' knee and calf injuries could resolve, potentially giving him a 40% target share against the Jets, which would further limit Tucker's upside.

Listed on the injury report with knee and calf injuries but could be live for significant volume if he feels healthy on Sunday; he has the potential to command a 40% target share against the Jets, which would make him a high-upside play if he clears the injury report.

Ranked fairly at WR34; he plays significant snaps and generates volume (around 8 targets per game), but his high air yards leave him vulnerable to floor games. The limiting factor is Deshaun Watson's poor quarterback play—8 Watson targets are valued at approximately 6.5 targets from a competent quarterback. The Steelers defense has not been particularly susceptible to big wide receiver performances, adding to the downside risk.

Expected to be unavailable or significantly limited against Indianapolis; if he does play, he may find himself behind Josh Cameron and Travis Hunter on the depth chart, which would substantially reduce his target share in what is otherwise a favorable matchup for Jacksonville's passing game.

Ranked WR32 with significant volume upside. Had 45% target share against Carolina (4 for 27 last week), but Baker Mayfield only had 11 drop-backs in that game. Against Atlanta, Mayfield will have 3-4x the drop-backs, positioning Godwin to lead the team in targets. Lamar Jackson expects Godwin to see double-digit targets and PPR production despite low recent performance, with the Carolina game treated as an outlier.

Ranked WR31 with significant performance concerns. Season production consists of one good half against Arizona, then 3 for 35, 4 for 66, and 0 for 17 in subsequent games. Lamar Jackson hopes his ranking is wrong and that McConkey's recent injuries (concussion, foot, ribs) and Mike McDaniel's offensive adjustments will spark improvement, but expresses skepticism about the Chargers' offensive execution overall.

Ranked WR29 against Washington Commanders defense, which Lamar Jackson characterizes as terrible with no real shutdown corner. DeVonta Smith out this week; Brown dominated last week with 7 receptions for 67 yards and 1 TD against Dallas Cowboys. Lamar Jackson expects no resistance from Washington's secondary.

Ranked WR27 with uninspiring recent performance: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 48 yards last game. Lamar Jackson characterizes the entire Broncos offense as painful and miserable, with everything feeling like work rather than natural execution. Both Bo Nix and Sean Payton are described as uninspiring, creating a difficult environment for receiver production.

Ranked WR17 while averaging only 63 yards per game; positioned as a PPR specialist with elite fight and competitiveness. With Carnell Tate ruled out and Taj Spears listed as doubtful, Lamar Jackson would be stunned if Robinson cannot find a way to PPR scam his way to seven receptions. Jackson has always loved Robinson and thinks he is set up to do some hardcore PPR scamming this weekend.

Roman Wilson is out according to all reports, which should mean roughly a 55% combined target share for DK Metcalf and Jeremy Jeudy.

Michael Pittman Jr. is out according to all reports, which should mean roughly a 55% combined target share for DK Metcalf and Jeremy Jeudy.

Not expected to play this week with no practices logged. According to reports, Brown has a degenerative knee condition and may end up on the IR, which would open opportunity for other receivers. Removed from rankings due to injury/practice status.

Ranked WR20 in a great matchup against the Steelers, who continue to be a top-five pass rate over expectation offense in the NFL. With Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson both out, Metcalf and Jeremy Jeudy are projected to command roughly 55% combined target share. Even in weeks without touchdowns, the Steelers' high-volume passing game provides a safe floor; Lamar Jackson would not be surprised if Metcalf and Jeudy combined for 18 receptions.

If Kendrick Bourne moves into the slot for the Arizona Cardinals this week, his ranking will be way too low because the slot role with Jacobe Brassette throwing 57 passes will generate an insane amount of dropbacks against the Cowboys. Could have 13 targets in this game. Mattek does not love the potential role change from X to slot, but the volume upside is significant if it materializes.

Ranked WR19 with every opportunity to smash against Dallas. Mattek has been a little lower on him in weekly and rest-of-season rankings, but there was chatter about moving him to the X wide receiver position, which would kick Kendrick Bourne into a more target-heavy slot role—a move Mattek does not love. Joey Porter Jr. is probably going to be assigned to cover Wilson in coverage. Despite these concerns, the Dallas matchup is favorable.

Ranked WR24, fairly high on Mattek's site. Diggs is the primary beneficiary of Terry McLaurin being out for the rest of the season. Favorable matchup against the Eagles, who are running out of talent and depth.

Ranked WR28 as the obvious beneficiary of Terry McLaurin's season-ending injury. McLaurin was playing ~20% of snaps in the slot; Dan Quinn and the offensive coordinator indicated they won't overload 33-year-old Stefon Diggs (coming off multiple recent injuries), positioning Williams (third-round pick from Clemson) to absorb slot snaps. Game is a must-win for Washington, suggesting full offensive game plan deployment. Mattek expects both Diggs and Antonio Williams to have big games without McLaurin in the lineup.

Out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, forcing the Bears to adjust their offensive personnel and potentially shift to more base 11 personnel and pass-heavy looks.

Ranked WR18 against Seattle despite a difficult matchup. Burden was dominant in the Bears' most recent game with 4 catches for 132 yards and 1 TD. With Cole Kmet out for the season with a knee injury, Mattek Fantasy Football believes Ben Johnson will shift the Bears offense to more base 11 personnel and pass-heavy looks, which should not reduce Burden's role. Burden is described as one of the best pure athletes at the wide receiver position, moving naturally and causing missed tackles, with career yards per route run over a full yard and a half better than Roma Dunn.

Ranked at WR17; scored a touchdown in his most recent game and is having a great season.

Listed as questionable against the Ravens but has been more effective than expected. As of a week ago, DJ Moore was the most effective passing play target in the NFL in terms of EPA per play, though this may have changed after the Seahawks-Chiefs game. Assuming DJ Moore plays with Josh Allen, he has been a lot better than Lamar Jackson gave him credit for in the preseason.

WR ranking against the dreadful Raiders defense; currently averaging only 14.2 PPR points per game. In a rest-of-season bet, Lamar Jackson is confident taking Garrett Wilson over Omar Cooper Jr., and would only consider Omar Cooper Jr. at 10-to-1 odds. However, Wilson has reportedly complained to coaches about his target allocation, which is a red flag for the Jets' passing game volume and distribution; this suggests potential target share concerns for the entire receiving corps.

WR13 ranking; averaging 15.3 PPR points per game. Recent performance shows mediocre output against Houston (11 targets, 10.4 PPR points) and strong performance in London (6 catches, 124 yards, 2 TDs). Lamar Jackson is very excited about starting Parker Washington in any given week; has an incredible matchup against Indianapolis, who is particularly vulnerable over the middle of the field.

C-tier ranking with excellent matchup and team total context; Steelers have the highest team total on the slate at 30.5 points. Pickens' fantasy experience has been lackluster this season, but his route rate remains very strong at 8.1 targets per game last year and 8.3 targets per game this year; despite potential competition from Ryan Flournoy, Pickens is positioned to dominate in this spot as a very good football player.

WR10 ranking. Lamar Jackson highlights Watson's exceptional durability and toughness, noting he is the only player Lamar Jackson has ever seen leave the stadium in an ambulance, go to the hospital, and then return to play in the same game.

WR9 ranking with a very healthy team total. Lamar Jackson notes he had previously short-changed Higgins in rest-of-season and weekly rankings but has corrected this; Higgins has been dominant this season, warranting the higher ranking.

WR8 ranking against the Buccaneers.

WR7 ranking against the Detroit Lions, described as one of the best matchups Jefferson will find. Lions are receiving defensive help this week. Lamar Jackson sets a performance threshold of 18 PPR points as a benchmark—if Jefferson cannot reach this mark against Detroit, it will trigger a significant re-evaluation of his rest-of-season ranking.