The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Fantasy Football: Decoding the Top-12 QBs for Week 8 We’ve now seen 35 different QBs finish in the top-12 in a given week. But did you see Brock Osweiler and Dak Prescott continuing their QB1 run? Last week’s article came in clutch especially with low-end streamers Mayfield, Flacco, and Manning. 8-out-12 moves the decoder to nearly 56% on the year. Here’s your reminder how I categorize decoding the top-12 list each week. Remember this isn’t about predicting the order of the top-12 nor who is a safer option but who is likely to end up as a QB1. Four-Sures: Top 4 for the week and definite must-starts. Com-Four-table: Four QBs with relatively safe floors with added upside to be a solid top-12 choice. Four In the Door: Four QBs who could sneak into the top-12 including the Ballers “Stream of the Week” options and at least one daring dart throw. Four-Get-About-It: Four QBs I’m fading this week and projecting to finish outside the top 12. Often this includes some higher profile QBs with tougher matchups that could underperform. Check out where Andy, Mike, and Jason have their QBs ranked for Week 7. Four-Sures Patrick Mahomes vs. DEN He’s locked-and-loaded as the QB1 at home. Yes, this Denver defense found some life last week against Arizona but Mahomes is at home in Arrowhead with a team implied total of 32.8. He’s the MVP right now and the QB1 every week until further notice. Aaron Rodgers @ LAR Coming off the bye, the Packers go on the road to face a challenging Rams defense that shredded the 49ers on Sunday. This game has the highest over/under of the weekend (56.5) and Rodgers is heating up. He’s thrown for over 400 yards and multiple TDs in back-to-back games, the first time he’s EVER done that in his career. Rodgers can actually keep pace with Sean McVay’s offense and this should be a fun one to watch. Jared Goff vs. GB Rodgers’ opponent also knows a thing or two about offensive prowess. Jared GARF has been uber-efficient with the highest yards per completion (14.0) and a stellar TD to INT ratio (14:5). The Rams have the highest team implied total (33.0) of the weekend against a defense that ranks 22nd in DVOA according to Football Outsiders. Follow the points and believe in Goff as a top-5 play this week at home. We do the work. You dominate your draft. Get the 2021 UDK Tom Brady @ BUF Buffalo at home has been a strange matchup for opposing QBs on the year with some feast (Phillip Rivers’ 3 TDs) and famine (Marcus Mariota‘s 129 passing yards and Kirk Cousins‘ infamous implosion). But this is TB12 we’re talking about and he’s an autostart against a Bills defense that was torn up last week by Andrew Luck in the red zone. Com-Four-table Drew Brees @ MIN In a rematch from last year’s breath-taking NFC Divisional matchup, Brees and the Saints are ready to exorcize their playoff demons on the road in Minnesota. The Vikings defensive name hasn’t held up this year as they rank 25th in DVOA against the pass and opponents are averaging 8.2 yards per completion, 5th worst in the NFL. The big plays are killing the Vikings as they’ve allowed 30 plays over 20+ yards (3rd most) compared to 35 such plays for all of 2017. Brees threw for 294 and 3 TDs in last year’s playoffs and he’s a strong start in a dome game even on the road. Andrew Luck @ OAK Honestly, I’ve doubted Luck for much of the beginning of the year as he returned from his injury and many of his weapons injured and out. He’s shoved it in my face to the tune of 20 passing TDs, 2nd most in the NFL, and 5 QB1 performances. He gets to continue this train with a healthier T.Y. Hilton against a trash Raiders team that ranks 31st in DVOA against the pass. Luck also should be safe in the pocket as the Raiders have registered only 7 sacks on the season, the lowest total in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger vs. CLE Big Ben should be a solid start coming off the bye as an 8-point home favorite. The Browns have averaged 348 passing yards allowed on the road this year although they show up well on Football Outsiders metrics as 3rd best in DVOA against the pass. With the 3rd highest team implied total (29.5) of the week, the Steelers will score points. This should be a fast-paced game as well as both teams rank in the top 11 of pace of play. Andy Dalton vs. TB “Bad Andy” showed up last week in Primetime but it’s time to shake that feeling off. He gets a dream matchup against a Buccaneers defense that has allowed a top-12 performance every single week of the year. The Bengals have a generous implied total (29.3), will be playing at home, and did I mention how bad Tampa Bay is? They rank dead last in DVOA against the pass, given up the most passing yards per game (327.5), the most fantasy points to QBs and 18 passing TDs to only 1 INT. The Red Rifle is Andy’s “Stream of the Week”. Four In the Door Kirk Cousins vs. NO Cousins leads the league with 210 completions and he can thank Adam Thielen for what it feels like half of those. This is a passing offense that we can continue to count on the volume against a New Orleans secondary that ranks 30th in DVOA against the pass. The Saints have given up the 3rd most fantasy points to QBs and 293.7 passing yards per game, 5th worst in the NFL. At home in a game that profiles as a shootout, Cousins is a solid start. Russell Wilson @ DET Wilson has nose-dived into fantasy forgottenness in Seattle as we’ve yet to see him go nuclear in a matchup this year. He’s still been solid with 3 top-12 QB performances and a 3-TD game last week. He might be called on more on the road in Detroit against a Lions unit that ranks 30th in defensive DVOA and 28th in DVOA against the pass. The Lions have faced the fewest passing attempts (30.5 per game) in the league so many of their counting stats look impressive but they’re not by any means an elite unit. Brock Osweiler had a top-12 week last week against them and Aaron Rodgers lit them up for 442 and 3 TDs the week before. Matthew Stafford vs. SEA Wilson’s counterpart will be at home in a tougher matchup as the Seahawks have allowed the 3rd fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs on the year. This is a volume-based play as I don’t think Kerryon Johnson will have the same success on the ground he had last week. With a 26.3 team implied total, I’m willing to roll with Stafford as a low-end QB1 option en route to 300 yards and 2 scores. We do the work. You dominate your draft. Get the 2021 UDK Derek Carr vs. IND This is gross… I know. This team is completely depleted as there will be a steady dose of Jalen Richard check-downs, Jared Cook targets, and Jordy Nelson 5-yard outs. Carr might throw the ball 50+ times and if that happens, 300 yards is a guarantee with the added chance of finding the end zone twice. I’m willing to chase the volume at home against a Colts defensive unit that ranks 24th in DVOA against the pass. WARNING: this is not for the faint-hearted and Carr is not a strong redraft league start. He’s a DFS dart throw. Four-Get-About-It Cam Newton vs. BAL This isn’t the worst of plays and I am starting Newton at home in a home league. However, you know how good Baltimore can be as they rank 2nd in defensive DVOA and have given up the fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs on the year. His floor is always among the safest but apart from Andy Dalton‘s Week 2 performance, the Ravens haven’t allowed another QB1 spot. Carson Wentz @ JAX (London)<doc-sep>Michael Hickey/Getty Images A few NFL players who went undrafted and/or sit on the waiver wire in most fantasy football leagues had solid performances Sunday, marking a trend that has occurred on a regular basis this season. Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams caught four passes for 118 yards and a touchdown one week after snagging three passes for another 118 yards and two scores. Prior to those two games, Williams had just 192 yards and one touchdown in five contests. Elsewhere, Miami Dolphins wideout Danny Amendola had six catches for 84 yards and a score, while Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup had three receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Moving ahead, we'll take a look at some potential waiver-wire adds for Week 8 (and beyond) in addition to providing some rankings for quarterback, running back, wideout and tight end. A few players who may be on the Week 8 start/sit borderline are also discussed. Top 10 Quarterbacks Video Play Button Videos you might like 1. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes vs. Denver Broncos: 350 passing yards, 20 rushing yards, 3 TD (28 points) 2. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at Los Angeles Rams: 375 passing yards, 3 TD (27 points) 3. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger vs. Cleveland Browns: 375 passing yards, 3 TD (27 points) 4. Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins vs. New Orleans Saints: 350 passing yards, 3 TD (26 points) 5. Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 325 passing yards, 3 TD (25 points) 6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston at Cincinnati Bengals: 300 passing yards, 3 TD (24 points) 7. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees at Minnesota Vikings: 300 passing yards, 3 TD (24 points) 8. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady at Buffalo Bills: 300 passing yards, 3 TD (24 points) 9. Chicago Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky vs. New York Jets: 250 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, 2 TD (23 points) 10. Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff vs. Green Bay Packers: 325 passing yards, 2 TD (21 points) Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has morphed into one of the NFL's best fantasy signal-callers overnight. The second-year pro has crossed the 300-yard passing mark in each of his past three games and thrown for 11 touchdowns during that span. However, Trubisky is also a force on the ground, as he's rushed for 181 yards and a score since Week 4. The performance is a shocking twist from the first three weeks of the season, when the ex-UNC star threw just two passes and never had more than 220 passing yards in a game. He's proved a lot of people wrong (including this writer) en route to turning his season around. Trubisky's rushing prowess now puts him in the starting quarterback conversation every week. Of note, he doesn't have any brutal matchups on the horizon—the only defense to be concerned about right now in a time of dominant offenses is the Baltimore Ravens, and the Bears don't play them this year. Therefore, he should be placed into starting lineups with confidence. Top 20 Running Backs 1. Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley vs. Green Bay Packers: 220 yards from scrimmage, 6 catches, 3 TD (46 points) 2. New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley vs. Washington Redskins: 170 yards from scrimmage, 7 catches, 1 TD (30 points 3. Arizona Cardinals RB David Johnson vs. San Francisco 49ers : 140 yards from scrimmage, 6 catches, 1 TD (26 points) 4. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara at Minnesota Vikings: 120 yards from scrimmage, 7 catches, 1 TD (25 points) 5. Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner vs. Cleveland Browns: 140 yards from scrimmage, 3 catches, 1 TD (23 points) 6. Kansas City Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt vs. Denver Broncos 1 TD: 120 yards from scrimmage, 4 catches, 1 TD (22 points) 7. Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey vs. Baltimore Ravens: 100 yards from scrimmage, 6 catches, 1 TD (22 points) 8. Detroit Lions RB Kerryon Johnson vs. Seattle Seahawks: 130 yards from scrimmage, 3 catches, 1 TD (22 points) 9. New England Patriots RB James White at Buffalo Bills: 80 yards from scrimmage, 8 catches, 1 TD (22 points) 10. Chicago Bears RB Tarik Cohen vs. New York Jets: 90 yards from scrimmage, 6 catches, 1 TD (21 points) 11. Denver Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay at Kansas City Chiefs: 80 yards from scrimmage, 5 catches, 1 TD (19 points) 12. Miami Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake at Houston Texans: 90 yards from scrimmage, 4 catches, 1 TD (19 points) 13. Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 100 yards from scrimmage, 3 catches, 1 TD (19 points) 14. San Francisco 49ers RB Matt Breida at Arizona Cardinals: 80 yards from scrimmage, 3 catches, 1 TD (17 points) 15. Seattle Seahawks RB Chris Carson at Detroit Lions: 90 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (17 points) 16. New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram at Minnesota Vikings: 70 yards from scrimmage, 3 catches, 1 TD (16 points) 17. Buffalo Bills RB Chris Ivory vs. New England Patriots: 80 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (16 points) 18. Indianapolis Colts RB Marlon Mack at Oakland Raiders: 90 yards from scrimmage, 1 catches, 1 TD (16 points) 19. Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones at Los Angeles Rams: 60 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (14 points) 20. Washington Redskins RB Adrian Peterson at New York Giants: 80 yards from scrimmage, 1 TD (14 points) The Oakland Raiders have allowed 4.7 yards per carry and 131.8 rushing yards per game this season. That could be a good sign for Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack, who just torched a formerly dominant Buffalo Bills defense for 159 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. The Bills had allowed just 56 points in their last four-and-a-half games before a 37-5 loss to the Colts, and Mack played the biggest individual part in that blowout. Mack has now rushed for 215 yards on just 31 carries in his last two games. If the Colts jump out to a lead against the 1-5 Raiders (much like they did versus the Bills), then we could expect to see Mack carry the ball close to 20 times again—he had 21 touches versus Buffalo as Indianapolis controlled the game from the second quarter onward. That should mean more production. Asking for what he did against Buffalo is a tall order, but approaching the 100-yard-from-scrimmage marker is a possibility. Wide Receiver 1. Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen vs. New Orleans Saints: 12 catches, 160 yards, 2 TD (40 points) 2. Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams at Los Angeles Rams: 12 catches, 170 yards, 1 TD (35 points) 3. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown vs. Cleveland Browns: 11 catches, 150 yards, 1 TD (32 points) 4. Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8 catches, 110 yards, 2 TD (31 points) 5. Minnesota Vikings WR Stefon Diggs vs. New Orleans Saints: 9 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD (25 points) 6. Los Angeles Rams WR Brandin Cooks vs. Green Bay Packers: 6 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (24 points) 7. Los Angeles Rams WR Robert Woods vs. Green Bay Packers: 7 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD (23 points) 8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans at Cincinnati Bengals: 7 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (22 points) 9. Detroit Lions WR Golden Tate vs. Seattle Seahawks: 8 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (22 points) 10. Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Cleveland Browns: 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (21 points) 11. Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (21 points) 12. Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. Miami Dolphins: 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (21 points) 13. Baltimore Ravens WR John Brown at Carolina Panthers: 5 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD (21 points) 14. Kansas City Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins vs. Denver Broncos: 4 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD (21 points) 15. Denver Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders at Kansas City Chiefs: 6 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (20 points) 16.<doc-sep>
A lot of NFL teams are turning to their backup quarterbacks, and with poor play and bye weeks many fantasy owners may follow suit heading into Week 8. Four teams are on bye this week, with Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers the two most notable quarterbacks on bye. Lesser owned options Dak Prescott and Marcus Mariota also has a bye week. Owners of Cam Newton (vs. BAL), Russell Wilson (@ DET), Carson Wentz (@ JAX), and Drew Brees (@ MIN) all may want to think twice before deploying their regular quarterback because of tough matchups. In standard one-quarterback leagues, the waiver wire is usually pretty rich with talent at the position, unless the league is full of owners that like to hold backup quarterbacks. In two-quarterback leagues, nearly every starter is rostered and the waiver wire tends to be quite barren for quality arms. That’s why a few quarterbacks owned in 15% of leagues or less have been included, so even owners in deep leagues have someone to consider. Ownership is based on Yahoo leagues and is current as of October 21. Our incredible team of writers received 11 award nominations , tops in the industry, by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association including Football Writers of the Year, Baseball Writers of the Year, Best Ongoing Football Series and many more ! Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More! Week 8 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky CHI vs. New York Jets – 52% Owned Trubisky’s ownership has been slowly rising after his six touchdown performance back in Week 4. He was about 15% owned at the time of that game, and going into this week he finally broke 50%. Trubisky is averaging more than 30 points per game since his Week 4 performance, so he is backing that career day up nicely. His 33 point performance in Week 7 was aided big time by Trubisky’s legs. He rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on six carries. While he won’t run that often every week, Trubisky has put up at least 47 yards on the ground over his last three games. He is a legitimate threat on the ground and can add in a few points with his legs in most weeks. Trubisky also gets a great matchup in Week 8 against the Jets. The Jets pass defense has fallen to pieces over the past few weeks. Over their last four games, the Jets are allowing 315.75 passing yards per game. If available Trubisky should be the number one streaming option on waivers this week. The schedule for Trubisky gets pretty tough after this game. He faces Buffalo, Detroit, Minnesota, and Detroit again in his four games following Week 8. He might just be a one-week option in standard leagues. He has played well enough to gain some trust from fantasy owners, but with good options often available on waivers in standard leagues owners may not need to risk using him against good defenses. Alex Smith – WAS @ New York Giants – 45% Owned Smith is coming off another disappointing game this week, putting up just 12.7 points in standard scoring leagues. He threw for just 178 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. He isn’t in a great spot in Week 8 either, taking on the New York Giants, who are allowing 236.3 yards passing per game heading into Monday Night Football. Smith’s ownership will probably go down after waivers clear. The reason to add him is in anticipation of Washington’s upcoming schedule after Week 8. After Week 8 Washington gets back-to-back great matchups against Atlanta and Tampa Bay. With Smith likely excised from the roster of fantasy owners or ignored on waivers he can most likely be added for free after waivers run. Then we can sit on him for a week and wait for those awful, awful NFC South defenses to come up on the schedule. There might be a rush to add him heading into Week 9, but we can easily beat that rush this week by picking up the quarterback that faces possibly the two worst pass defenses in the NFL early. Case Keenum – DEN @ Kansas City Chiefs – 20% Owned Keenum didn’t have to do much this week in a blowout win over Arizona, but prior to that game Keenum put up two straight 300-yard performances.