One team got its first win of the season Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, when the Jacksonville Jaguars scored a victory. The Browns will try to avoid a repeat performance in Week 8, when they face the heretofore winless Oakland Raiders.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 8: Raiders vs. Browns
The Browns let the Jaguars win their first game last week; will they be as kind to the Raiders?
Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
From a fantasy perspective, the two teams come into Sunday’s game largely healthy, with no one on the injury report who would ever approach fantasy lineups.
The Browns host Sunday’s game at 4:25 p.m. ET. Neither team is loaded with fantasy options, but here’s a look at what there is to watch:
RAIDERS
Start 'em?: It's actually been a decent run of late for Darren McFadden, who has averaged more than eight points a game since Week 1 and faces a poor Cleveland run defense. He's a fine flex play. ... Neither James Jones nor Andre Holmes is anything close to a sure thing, but both have multiple double-digit fantasy games this season. If you're diving deep, you could do worse.
Bench: Right after we saw a big game to give us hope, Derek Carr fell right back to earth in Week 7, and now has seven or fewer fantasy points in three of his last four games. ... Sebastian Janikowski has only kicked for two games that were worth anything this season, out of six tries. ... The Raiders' defense is pretty bad.
BROWNS
Start 'em: Sunday was a disaster for the Cleveland running game, and the absence of Alex Mack could make that continue. Ben Tate is still a starter, but to me he's a low-end RB2. ... The Oakland offense isn't as generous to defenses as Jacksonville's, but it's still a fine matchup. The Browns' defense is a top-10 play.
Start 'em?: The zero-point fantasy day for Jordan Cameron in Week 7 after a strong Week 6 was really deflating; he needs to show something if he wants to again be a fantasy starter. ... In six games, Billy Cundiff has kicked for seven-plus fantasy points five times. He's usable.
Sit 'em: The murmuring hasn't really started yet, but if Brian Hoyer struggles Sunday like he did in Week 7, we might start hearing a lot more about Johnny Manziel. ... Isaiah Crowell will always be worth consideration as long as Tate is injury prone (read: forever), but you can't really use him right now. ... The Cleveland receiving corps of Andrew Hawkins, Miles Austin and Travis Benjamin is a frustrating mix of underwhelming and unpredictable; if you're using one, it's Hawkins, but better to stay away.
SUMMARY
Start in every league: Ben Tate, Cleveland defense
Stat if you're desperate: Darren McFadden, James Jones, Andre Holmes, Jordan Cameron, Billy Cundiff
Bench: Derek Carr, Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland defense, Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel, Isaiah Crowell, Andrew Hawkins, Miles Austin, Travis Benjamin
