The Shadow Knows Week 8 2018

Once upon a time, the Jacksonville Jaguars were a good football team. One of the leading contenders to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIII.

And the biggest reason for that belief was a stifling defense spearheaded by the NFL's best secondary.

Of late, however, the Jags have struggled in a big way. Over their last three games (all losses), the Jaguars have allowed a jaw-dropping 90 points to the Chiefs, Cowboys and Texans. And now that secondary is banged-up.

Per Jeff Kerr of 247 Sports, Jaguars cornerback AJ Bouye will miss Sunday's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in London. That means that Ramsey will be joined in the defensive backfield by a trio of rookies.

However, fantasy owners of Alshon Jeffery, who has been red-hot of late, shouldn't break out the champagne just yet. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said he expects Jeffery to draw Ramsey in coverage most of the game.

"He'll match the top receiver typically," Pederson said. "What a tremendous player, tremendous talent. He's aggressive. With him, he's big, physical, so he can play bump and run. He can run. He's great at the top. He's smart. This guy is very instinctive. It's a challenge and will be a challenge for Alshon going into this game."

With 15 catches for 162 yards and three scores over the last two games, Jeffery is a must-start—especially with Ramsey struggling a bit relative to last year. But it's possible that Jeffery's target share could be a bit on the low side Sunday, with Carson Wentz choosing to instead attack the inexperienced corners around Ramsey.

Panic Level: 3 )Frankly I'm more worried Jeffery's targets drop than about Ramsey himself in Week 8, although the Jags rank at the bottom of the NFL in fantasy points allowed to receivers)

Here's a look at some of the other big cornerback vs. wide receiver matchups on this side of the Atlantic on Sunday.
 

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (Chris Harris vs. Tyreek Hill)

Andy Webb of RotoBaller is bullish on Hill's prospects at home Sunday. "Hill has scored four touchdowns over the last two weeks," Webb said. "He's heading into a matchup against the Broncos defense that he saw a season-high 13 targets against in Week 4. Hill has seen double digit targets in two straight weeks and that should stay the same this week. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes loves going to Hill with the deep ball and it's been paying off this season. Hill is a reliable WR1 against Denver this week."

It's not hard to see where Webb's enthusiasm comes from, given how explosive Hill's been of late. However, Hill's 54 yards on nine catches in Week 4 was his second-lowest yardage total and lowest yards per catch of the season. Hill also managed just two catches for 38 yards in his lone matchup with the Broncos in 2017. You're starting Hill Sunday (because duh), but this might be a "temper expectations" kind of week.

Panic Level: 3 (As a Hill owner in a few leagues, those numbers make me a little queasy. Or maybe that was the day-old Taco Bell I had for breakfast.)
 

Washington Redskins at New York Giants (Josh Norman vs. Odell Beckham)

As we prepare for the latest go-round between two players who do not like one another even a little, let's harken back to what Norman had to say about Beckham last year. “When people get physical, tough, he acts out. He’s a kid. He’s a big kid, man,” Norman said, via Dan Benton of Giants Wire. “When you really, really want to see what a person’s really like, you get in their face, you smell what they ate and you take their soul from them. How do you do that? You put your fist right into their chest and you see what they’re made out of.”

To say these two have a history is an understatement. It's also been a while since they crossed paths between the lines—New Years' Day 2017, to be exact. In that game, Beckham was held to just 44 yards on five receptions, although he did go over 100 yards in the first meeting between the two teams that season. A lot has changed since—Norman's not the player he was, and neither is Eli Manning.

Panic Level: 2 (Part Norman turning back the clock, part stout Redskins D, part chance that stinky Eli shows up.)
 

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (Denzel Ward vs. Antonio Brown)

Anthony Panciocco of The Runner thinks that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would be well-served to not repeat his mistakes of Week 1 against the Browns. "In their Week 1 matchup," he said, "Ben Roethlisberger threw a trio of interceptions, including two to rookie cornerback Denzel Ward. Ward will likely shadow Antonio Brown, where he was one of the few cornerbacks to have success in that matchup. It’s going to be important for Big Ben to utilize his checkdowns to (James) Conner and the tight ends instead of trying to force it to AB when nothing is there. With all that being said, the Brown-Roethlisberger “WiFi” connection has been stronger the last few weeks; if Brown is open, you can expect Ben to get it to him."

Ward did indeed play pretty well in coverage on Brown back in the season-opener—a performance made all the more impressive by the fact that it was Ward's first game in the NFL overall. However, it's also worth pointing out that Brown wasn't exactly held in check in that game—he finished with nine interceptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Panic Level: 1 (Did you not read the part about the 9/93/1 stat line in Week 1?)
 

Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams (Davante Adams vs. Marcus Peters)

Peters told Myles Simmons of the team's website that he's well-aware the Rams will have their hands full with Adams, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense Sunday. “It’s going to be different. Like I say, man, we’ve just got to go play our football,” Peters said, noting the Packers are coming off their bye week. “So he’s getting his body back. They’re getting Randall Cobb back. They’re going to be coming in fresh, and we’re going to be fresh, and we’re going to be ready to play ball.”

If Peters is going to spend the majority of the afternoon on Adams, it would require a schematic shift—they play on opposite sides of the field. It's far more likely that Peters will draw Randall Cobb and/or Geronimo Allison, but even if that isn't the case Adams has shown to be one of the more matchup-proof receivers in the NFL this season.

Panic Level: 1 (Adams is the same fantasy WR1 that he is in any other week)
 

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings (Marshon Lattimore vs. Adam Thielen)

Since getting abused a bit by Mike Evans in the season opener, Lattimore's level of play has steadily improved as the season wore on. While speaking with Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate, Lattimore credited upping his intensity level on the practice field.

“It’s hard to treat practice as a game,” Lattimore said. “A lot of people say they do, but, like, come on, you let certain things happen. You really have to go out there and treat it like a game and be focused on every play, and that’s what I’ve been doing. That’s why I feel like I’m more comfortable with my ability and the game plan. Just doing that will take you a long way.”

Lattimore had better have practiced his you-know-what off this week, as he's about to square off with the hottest receiver in football. With Minnesota's Xavier Rhodes looking very iffy to play Sunday, this is the marquee matchup between corner and receiver in the marquee matchup of the week. Lattimore's a talented young corner and the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, but Thielen's gone over 100 yards in every game this year and has a score in five of seven games.

Panic Level: 1 (No team in the NFL allows more fantasy points per game to wideouts than the Saints)