The New England Patriots will face the New York Jets in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Ja’Lynn Polk.
Is Ja’Lynn Polk Playing in Week 8?
Ja’Lynn Polk (concussion) did not practice all week and will not suit up against the Jets on Sunday.
With the 2024 second-rounder unavailable this weekend, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Kendrick Bourne are in line to lead the Patriots’ Week 8 wideout corps.
We’ll continue to monitor the Patriots’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Ja’Lynn Polk?
A head injury resulted in a departure from Week 7’s loss to the Jaguars, but with just one catch on seven targets across Drake Maye’s two starts, you shouldn’t feel obligated to hang onto Polk at this point.
That’s not to say you completely write him off as an asset down the stretch of this season. After all, he’s still a second-round pick and part of this rebuilding team’s future. But we’ve entered the zone where you can pounce if you see glimpses, as opposed to burning a valuable roster spot.
Even if you’re a Polk truther, these next three weeks (Jets, Titans, and Bears) aren’t user-friendly matchups. You can cut ties now and likely get back in for free as we approach the middle of November at no real cost.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Ja’Lynn Polk’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Polk is projected to score 0 points in Week 8.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Ja’Lynn Polk’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
New York Jets at New England Patriots Insights
New York Jets
Team: The Jets were 4-3 through seven games last season and scored on 29.4% of their drives. They are 2-5 this season, scoring on 30.3% of their drives.
QB: The quick hitters that Rodgers has thrived on in the past are gone. He’s thrown 123 passes in 2.7 seconds or less over the past four games, and none of them have resulted in a touchdown (four interceptions).
Offense: During their four-game losing streak, the Jets have scored 61 points, including the Hail Mary to end the first half of Week 6 against the Bills.
Defense: Only the Falcons (3.9) allow fewer yards per reception after the catch than the Jets (4.3).
Fantasy: Breece Hall has two top-10 finishes since the coaching change (he had one top-10 week prior to it).
Betting: Aaron Rodgers is 7-4 ATS for his career against the AFC East with unders cashing in eight of those 11 games.
New England Patriots
Team: The Patriots have lost four of their past five games by at least 16 points, and they lost four of their previous 56 regular-season games by at least 16 points.
QB: Drake Maye has multiple touchdown passes and at least 15 rushing yards in each of his first two career starts – he joins Drew Lock (2019) and Bruce Gradkowski (2006) as the only QBs to do that over the past 20 seasons.
Offense: The Patriots’ rushing success rate has been 8.8% since Drake Maye became the starting quarterback two weeks ago. No other offense has had a lower rate than 20% in that span.
Defense: New England allowed 30 points in regulation through the first two weeks this season – since: 28.4 PPG.
Fantasy: If you extend Hunter Henry’s numbers in Drake Maye’s starts for a full season, you’re looking at 94 catches for 1,131 yards and 8.5 touchdowns.
Betting: The Patriots are the worst home ATS team since the start of the 2021 season (9-18-2, 33.3%).