At one point in the not too distant past, Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Andrew Luck's bust in the hall of fame was all but assured. Luck entered the NFL the most highly-prized quarterback in years. He had an uncanny ability to play like a seasoned veteran.
Luck had massive success, taking the Colts to the 2015 AFC Championship. But, since that magical year, Indianapolis has fallen apart. This year, though, signs point to Luck once again becoming one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. He's on a groove, which is why I've pegged him my signal-caller for my NFL Week 8 DraftKings Classic Team.
NFL Week 8 DraftKings Classic Team
QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts, $6,300
How hot has Luck been? His TD to INT ratio is 8/3. Get this…all 3 of Luck's interceptions happened in Week 6 against the Jets. Luck threw 4 touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 4, 3 against New England in Week 5, then 4 against the Jets and 4 against the Bills in Week 7. Since Week 3, Luck's thrown 16 TD passes to 5 interceptions.
Those 5 interceptions occurred in only 2 games, 2 against the Patriots and 3 against the Jets. To write that Luck's hot is an understatement. He's scorching. Best part about putting him on my Week 8 team is that he faces one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Oakland's atrocious against the pass.
Luck could throw 4, maybe 5, touchdowns. I think he's an easy add based on salary.
RB Todd Gurley II, L.A. Rams, $9,800
Green Bay's decent against the rush, but the Packers have no shot of stopping Todd Gurley. TG II's a special player. He'll get his fantasy points through the air, on the ground, whatever. The hope is that Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers lays a few TDs onto the Rams' defense. I want this game to turn into a shootout with Todd Gurley getting the ball in his hands as much as possible.
I'd pump up Gurley's ability to score touchdowns, but we all know he does it in his sleep. Gurley should be good for his usual over 30 fantasy points average.
RB Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions $5,300
Detroit's begun to lean more and more on Kerryon Johnson. In Week 7, he caught 2 of 3 passes for 21 yards. He also rushed for 158 yards from 19 carries. Seattle doesn't field the Legion of Boom anymore. The Seahawks have trouble stopping the rushing attack. They'll have a huge problem stopping Detroit's rushing attack because Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford's one of the best in the NFL.
The Seahawks must contain Stafford. That should leave Johnson to probe wide open rushing lanes. He figures to have another excellent yardage performance while also, hopefully, adding one or two touchdowns.
WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts, $6,300
Luck's favorite target remains T.Y. Hilton. Hilton should have a monster day beating up the Raiders' secondary. He caught two touchdown passes in Week 7, his first action since Week 3. If anything, he should be more ready in Week 8 than he was in Week 7.
It's not out of the question for T.Y. to catch 10 of 12 targets for close to 150 yards and again to score 2 touchdowns. That's how bad the Raiders are and how great Andrew Luck is.
WR DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $5,300
I like the match up against the Bengals, who allow an awful 300.7 passing yards per. Jackson's undervalued this week. Fellow Tampa wide receiver Mike Evans has a $7,800 salary while Jackson's at $5,300. Evans has under performed this season. He only averages 20 fantasy points per. DeSean averages 18.4 points.
Jackson could get loose for a couple of touchdowns if Cincinnati does what everyone else has done, contain Mike Evans. DeSean might turn out to be the best addition to my NFL Week 8 DraftKings Classic Team.
WR Willie Snead IV, Baltimore Ravens, $4,200
Snead only averages 10.6 fantasy points per, but could sneak in under the radar in a nice battle against the Carolina Panthers overrated defense. Panthers allow 260 passing yards. Ravens don't always light up the scoreboard. Carolina should move the football, though, which could force Baltimore's hand. This could turn into one of those high-scoring games where the Panthers and Ravens go back and forth.
I'm not looking for much from Willie. Maybe, 6 to 8 catches, over 60 yards and a TD. If I can get that, the other players on my squad should carry him.
TE Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts, $4,900
Andrew Luck likes to throw to Ebron. I believe Ebron's an excellent addition because I see Luck throwing up to 5 TD passes against the Raiders' awful defense. Ebron should benefit with a couple of TD catches and maybe, if I'm lucky, over 100 receiving yards.
Flex – RB Phillip Lindsey, Denver Broncos, $5,200
Lindsey's averaging between 60 to 90 yards per game. Denver dominated the Arizona Cardinals with their defense. That won't happen in Week 8 because the Broncos face the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. KC should score 30. The only way Denver keeps KC from scoring 30 is to hand the ball off to Lindsey and let him control the clock.
Denver's passing attack's horrible. So, even if the Chiefs get a lead, the Broncos have one shot, lean on Lindsey and the rushing attack. I think PL offers value at $5,200.
DST – Washington Redskins, $2,700
I'm not sold on the Giants' offense. Even though it put up 20 points against Atlanta in Week 7, the Falcons field one of the worst defenses in the NFL. NYG should have major problems moving the football because Washington's defensive line can pressure most any quarterback.
Washington feels undervalued at $2,700. Sure, it's a road game, but Josh Norman sticks with Odell Beckham Jr., the front seven terrorizes Eli Manning, and safety Montae Nicholson marks Saquon Barkley. Sounds like a good defensive blueprint, right?
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