We’re diving into the outlooks for Michael Pittman Jr. and Drake London in fantasy football for Week 8. Who is the better player to start this week? Let’s dive in.
Michael Pittman Jr.’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Pittman and the Indianapolis Colts face off against the Saints at home this week, and it’s an interesting matchup for Pittman. On the surface, Pittman feels like a must-start WR2 option for fantasy managers, but is he?
Pittman has played in seven games on the season and has seen 11 or more targets in four of them. However, three of those were the first three games of the season, so it’s just once in the last month. While just shy of eight targets over that time isn’t awful, it makes consistency harder to find.
As a result, Pittman has had two top-12 finishes but has also been outside the top 36 twice in the last month. One of those games was the result of scoring a TD, while the other was his single high-volume game. So the question is, if he’s less likely to be a high-volume option, will he have a chance to score?
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The Saints matchup makes that feel unlikely. The Saints’ primary outside CBs, Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore, have not allowed a single TD between them all season. Adebo has also yet to see greater than five targets in any game, while that total is just seven for Lattimore. Teams have been targeting slot WRs vs. the Saints, where Pittman goes just 26% of the time.
Drake London’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
While Pittman has seen fewer targets last month, Drake London has been seeing more. The Falcons don’t pass at the same clip as the Colts, but over the last month, London has at least seven targets in every game after hitting that once in the first three contests. He’s also seen his top two target weeks with nine and 12 in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively.
As a result of the target consistency, London hasn’t fallen outside of the top 36 overall WRs in any of the last four weeks but has just one top-12 finish (WR7) in Week 6. Yet again, it looks like either volume or a TD are the best indicators to target, so what does the Titans matchup mean for London and the Falcons?
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Despite popular conception, the Titans have been stingy the past month, ranking in the top 10 in fewest fantasy points allowed to WRs. This includes just a single TD, as well as the eighth-fewest targets to WRs in that time. Surprisingly, fantasy RBs are middle of the pack vs. Tennessee, too, so the Falcons might be able to just stick with the run more.
The Falcons have been opening up the offense, though. Week 7 was a bit of an outlier due to three Desmond Ridder fumbles, but his prior three games averaged over 38 passes per game, leading to the uptick for London. So, will the Falcons stick with their pass-happy ways or go back to leaning on the run?
Which of the WRs Should You Start?
The Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer says that Pittman is the player to start. His projected 9.3 points include 1.3 rushing yards, 5.5 receptions, 51.2 yards, and 0.2 TDs. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for London (8.9 points).
However, when you isolate my rankings, I see London outperforming Pittman due to some of what I outlined above. While the Colts might lean on the passing game, this is likely a Josh Downs week rather than a Pittman one. London, on the other hand, is facing a reeling Titans team likely to play two very inexperienced QBs.
The potential for short fields, while playing against a defense that just traded away the leader of the secondary, feels ripe for another good game. London is a borderline WR2 for me, while Pittman is more of a WR3 or Flex play. Both are solid options and playable, but if given the choice, play London vs. the Titans!
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!