Week 8 is where good teams can become great or bad teams can become even worse. This is the week where you can set the trajectory for the second half of the season for your fantasy football squad. So, who should you start between New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave and Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf?
DK Metcalf Fantasy Outlook This Week
Metcalf missed his first game of his career last week against the Arizona Cardinals, citing a rib injury and hip injury. He has practiced this week, and the rib injury has been removed from the injury report, leaving only the hip issue lingering.
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Metcalf and the Seahawks are facing off this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland’s defense has been stout against the pass, allowing an average of 149 yards through the air per game. Despite giving up 39 points against the Indianapolis Colts, they are a defense you would like your skill-position players to avoid.
Chris Olave Fantasy Outlook This Week
Olave has had a perplexing season so far, missing out on big plays but getting plenty of opportunity in the Saints’ offense. He is currently inside the top five in air yards, yet he has three games this season with under 60 receiving yards.
Saints QB Derek Carr has leaned more on the short passing game with RB Alvin Kamara and WR Michael Thomas, leaving Olave as the odd man out on the offense. Still, he’s had productive fantasy games this season, finishing with 95+ receiving yards in three games this year.
Which Wide Receiver Should You Start?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Olave is the player to start. His projected 13.8 points include a projection of five receptions for 71 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms Metcalf’s consensus projection of 13.0 points.
My rankings for the wide receivers align with the consensus because Olave does have a more favorable matchup against Indianapolis’ secondary, which has given up an average of 232 yards through the air per game — nearly 90 yards more than Cleveland.
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This week is Metcalf’s return after being out last Sunday due to injuries. Seattle HC Pete Carroll may want to limit his reps and rely more on rookie WRs Jake Bobo and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to keep Metcalf fresh. With Olave facing a difficult matchup but not nursing any injuries, I would go with him as the receiver to start.
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!