What’s more fun than a bold prediction for Sunday? How about 11 bold predictions. As you plan for setting your lineup, you are at times faced with tough decisions. What you think a player will do may be the complete opposite of his actual performance. So regardless of how bold these may be, our experts have put these predictions out there because there is the possibility they could happen.

While fun to read, this advice can be just as valuable as any other article if one or more of the predictions hold true. So add your comments, lurk, do as you please, and enjoy your Week 8 Bold Predictions.

“Joique Bell of the Detroit Lions rushes for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Falcons defense can’t stop the run and are allowing 126 yards per game while surrendering 12 rushing scores to RBs. Detroit will possibly be without Calvin Johnson again and Reggie Bush is battling an ankle issue. It will be the Joique Bell show this week across the pond in London.”

– Walton Spurlin (Fantasy Sharks)



“Joique Bell goes from a mid-to-low RB2 during most weeks to a stud RB1 this week against Atlanta in London. With Reggie Bush not practicing on Thursday, Bell should be in line for at least the 18 carries he has gotten the past two weeks. If he gets 20 touches against this bad Atlanta Falcons Defense he should produce in the mid-to-upper RB1 range for Week 8. Bell going for over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns is not out of the question.”

– Dennis Esser (Coach Esser)



“Jonas Gray runs for 100 yards this week. You never know what to expect from Bill Belichick RBs. The general consensus was that Brandon Bolden or James White would take on Stevan Ridley’s touches. Instead it was mostly Shane Vereen with a little Jonas Gray mixed in. Gray will supposedly see more time this week and if he has a few nice runs early it’s not hard to see Belichick riding the hot hand with Gray going over the 100 yard mark.”

– Zach Wilkens (RotoBaller)



“This is the week Cordarrelle Patterson goes super nova. The Minnesota Vikings receiver has been an abject disappointment this season, especially considering how much he was talked up by his own team this past offseason. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are giving up the most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers, though, and Patterson has the big-play ability to go off on a handful of targets.”

– Alessandro Miglio (FootballGuys)



“It’s time for Brian Tyms to shine. Tyms was targeted twice in his first appearance in Week 6, catching a 43-yard touchdown pass, and while he earned positive marks from the coaching staff, he didn’t play a role in Week 7’s win over the Jets. That’ll change in Week 8’s potential shootout against the Bears, who are allowing 8.0 yards per attempt and rank fourth in the league with 27 plays of 20 yards or more allowed. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Tyms burn single coverage this week en route to 100-plus yards and a touchdown.”

– R.J. White (Fantasy Football Cafe)



“The Tampa Bay D/ST will be a top 5 scorer for fantasy this week. They face a Minnesota offense that is dreadful. Over the past three games (all losses) Minnesota has given up 19 sacks (6.3 per game), and have thrown just 1 TD pass with 7 picks… plus, they have only scored 9.7 PPG in that span. The Norv Turner offensive game plan is horrific (thus Cordarrelle Patterson is M.I.A.), and it is getting their QBs killed. This is a good thing for the opposing Fantasy D/ST. The Bucs have had several injured defenders return over the past couple of weeks, and they are coming off a BYE. To top that off, they are at home (and with a win could be one-game out of first). Look for five sacks and two picks minimum from the Bucs D/ST… and hopefully a defensive touchdown.”

– R.C. Fischer ( Fantasy Football Metrics)



“Darren McFadden will be a top 5 running back. McFadden has quietly put together a productive season in Oakland and he has the matchup in Week 8 to generate some recognition. His Week 8 opponent, the Cleveland Browns, rank dead last against the run and are allowing five yards per carry. McFadden has 14 or more touches in five straight games and should be able to turn his heavy workload into season highs. If you own DMac, you start him.”

– Marc Caviglia (Bruno Boys)



“My bold prediction is that Darren McFadden will be a top 10 RB play this week. McFadden is dominating the touches from this backfield, carrying double digit times in every game since Week 1 and handling 73 of the 98 backfield attempts from Oakland this season. He hasn’t been the electric player that we’ve seen in the past (3.8 YPC), but he’s seeing the necessary volume and goal line work to exploit a great matchup on the road this week in Cleveland. The Browns just allowed 185 rushing yards to the Jaguars, a team whose previous season high was 105 yards rushing. The Browns have lost Armonty Bryant for the year and Phil Taylor, Ahtabya Rubin and Billy Winn are all nursing various injuries. Cleveland has now allowed 127 yards on the ground or more in every game so far this season, and they allow the 4th most points per rushing attempt, making McFadden a solid RB option this weekend.”

– Rich Hribar (XN Sports)



“In what should be a 28-17 victory for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8 over the Arizona Cardinals, Nick Foles will throw for 300+ yards and 2 TDs, while LeSean McCoy will be stymied by the Arizona Cardinals’ vaunted run defense. The Cardinals have allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points per game to opposing RBs through the first seven weeks (12.40 in non-PPR; 15.90 in PPR) and are allowing just 3.2 yards per carry (and just 3.5 YPC over the last 5 weeks) which is the best in the NFL. On the other hand, although LeSean McCoy is coming off of his best game this season, he has averaged a pedestrian 3.7 yards per carry to go along with just one TD and is barely a top 12 RB in Week 8. His ranking will drop further if Darren Sproles is a go on Sunday.”

– Tony Mauriello (ProjectRoto)



“Alex Smith should have a nice day against the Rams, perhaps even top 12 numbers. The Rams are #31 in 4for4’s primary strength of schedule metric, adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA), and Smith has the ability to take advantage of a soft matchup. Over the past four games, he’s averaging 18.3 fantasy points, which is about what Cam Newton has averaged as the #10 QB in the league. He’s a great, safe option for streamers this week.”

– John Paulsen (4for4.com)



“Houston will be the top scoring defense this weekend. J.J Watt and the return of Jadeveon Clowney will give the Titans plenty to handle.”

– Chris Heil (Sportable)

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Thanks to all of our experts for their Week 8 Bold Predictions. For more advice, check out Start/Sit tool.