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Week 8 DFS fantasy football: start/sit advice

By Matthew Catalano

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 06: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette (27) makes a cut in the open field during the game between the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Bank of America Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 06: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette (27) makes a cut in the open field during the game between the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Bank of America Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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DFS Fantasy Football
DFS Fantasy Football: CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 14: Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon III (28) runs the football during the second quarter of the National Football League game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Cleveland Browns on October 14, 2018, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH. Los Angeles defeated Cleveland 38-14. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

DFS Fantasy Football: Running Backs to Sit

Melvin Gordon (LAC) @ CHI

When Melvin Gordon’s holdout finally came to an end last month, we all were thinking that he would resume playing like a top-10 fantasy running back.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case since his return as he has failed to even crack a top-15 performance in the three games he’s played in.

Believe it or not, Austin Ekeler has proven to still be a more serviceable runner than Gordon since he came back in Week 5.

To make matters worse, the Chargers will be traveling to Chicago where they will be going up against a very stout Bears’ defense. I would avoid starting Gordon this week until he can shake off some of that off-season rust.

Joe Mixon (CIN) @ LAR

I feel like we have spoken about this ad nauseam, but this year has been brutal for Joe Mixon. Remember when he led the AFC in rushing yards last season? Well, those days seem like a million years ago as his productivity has plummeted so drastically in 2019.

Mixon is receiving only 56% of Cincinnati’s offensive snap shares due to the fact that the team is constantly falling behind in every game, causing them to have to abandon the run and resort to the air.

It really doesn’t matter what Mixon’s match-up is for any week moving forward. He hasn’t shown many signs of fantasy relevance since his offensive line is so poor. I wouldn’t touch Mixon with a ten-foot pole if my life depended on it.

Derrick Henry (TEN) vs. TB

Right off the bat, I’m not much of a Derrick Henry fan, so even the smallest amount of negativity that might be coming his way I duck for cover. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ pass defense has not been good at all this year, quite the opposite can be said about their run defense.

They shut down star running back Christian McCaffrey twice this year, holding him to a combined total of 110 rushing yards. If the Buccaneers can stop an elite talent like McCaffrey two times in the last five weeks, Derrick Henry’s chances aren’t looking too good.

Henry was previously on a four-game drought of not having a top-10 fantasy performance before last Sunday’s game against the Chargers. With the Titans not having much firepower beyond Henry, it will be easy for the Buccaneers to load up the box to stuff him from doing much of anything. Seek other options at the position if possible.

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