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Injuries will hold some top-notch receivers out of Week 8 and we have our eyes on a few under-the-radar pass catchers who could rise to the occasion. There are also some bug names who you might want to consider benching ahead of Sunday’s action.
Wide Receiver Starts
Travis Fulgham, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
DeSean Jackson is set to miss a few weeks and Alshon Jeffery’s status is still up in the air so the Fulgham show should continue in Week 8. The wideout hasn’t been held under 70 receiving yards in three games and was held scoreless for the first time this season last week. He’s a legitimate WR1 alongside Greg Ward and could be even more important for the Eagles’ offense than usual with Miles Sanders and Zach Ertz out. The Cowboys’ secondary is getting crushed by everyone.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
Deebo Samuel is dealing with a hamstring injury so the 49ers will have to rely on their other Swiss army knife wideout. Aiyuk notched his first 100-yard game of the season in Week 7 and can contribute on the ground like Samuel. He has two rushing scores on the year and can get yards after the catch with the best of them. I like his odds against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL.
Wide Receiver Sits
Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper has actually been solid since Dak Prescott went down with a season-ending injury, but that should end in Week 8. Andy Dalton is likely to be sidelined with a concussion and rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci should be relied upon to get Cooper the ball against Darius Slay. All Cowboys receivers could see a major drop off in the NFC matchup.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
Smith-Schuster appeared to be the odd man out in Pittsburgh before attracting a season-high 14 targets in Week 7. He caught nine passes for 85 yards agains the Tennessee Titans but Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson have looked outshined him in recent weeks. Getting a ton of passes thrown his way last Sunday helped him avoid slipping into irrelevance but the Ravens’ secondary will make things very hard for him.