Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Latest Fantasy Lock and Flop Predictions

Philip Rivers may not be happy with the San Diego Chargers' record, but there has been no letdown in his performance.

The Chargers are struggling along at 2-4, and they have not gotten the lift from Melvin Gordon at the running back position that they had hoped for when they selected him in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. But Rivers is not moping about it—at least not on Sunday afternoons.

He has been a throwing machine while attempting to carry the Chargers on his right shoulder. Rivers is sitting on top of the rankings when it comes to attempts, completions and yardage, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. He has completed 215 of 311 passes for 2,452 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year.

This week, Rivers and the Chargers will take on the Baltimore Ravens on the road, which is good news for fantasy owners. NFL.com has the Ravens giving up more fantasy points to quarterbacks than any other team in the league, and Rivers has performed well in Babe Ruth's hometown. He threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns in Baltimore last season.

The Ravens defense ranks 25th overall and 28th against the pass. Rivers should have a field day.

Position	Player	Team	Opponent	Lock/Flop
QB	Philip Rivers	San Diego	Baltimore	Lock
QB	Russell Wilson	Seattle	Dallas	Flop
QB	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh	Cincinnati	Lock
RB	Todd Gurley	St. Louis	San Francisco	Lock
RB	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay	Denver	Flop
RB	Justin Forsett	Baltimore	San Diego	Lock
WR	Keenan Allen	San Diego	Baltimore	Lock
WR	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis	Carolina	Flop
WR	Calvin Johnson	Detroit	Kansas Ctiy	Lock
TE	Benjamin Watson	New Orleans	NY Giants	Lock
TE	Gary Barnidge	Cleveland	Arizona	Flop

Top Locks

RB Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams

We can talk about Todd Gurley for one more week—perhaps two.

But after that, there will be no point in including Gurley on the list of fantasy locks. He will be like Aaron Rodgers at the quarterback slot or Rob Gronkowski at tight end. He will be among the elite players in the game, and there will be no reason to discuss it. You will put Gurley in your lineup every week, and it will be one of the easiest fantasy decisions you make.

Gurley is a full-fledged beast at this point. He has run for 146, 159 and 128 yards in his last three games, and he pounded the ball into the end zone twice last week against the Cleveland Browns. The only question we have is this: Why didn't he score in the two previous games against the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers?

That's not going to be the case this week as the St. Louis Rams host the beleaguered San Francisco 49ers. The Niners have the 31st-ranked defense in the league, and Gurley will battle the team into submission. His finishing ability should give the Rams an edge, and he could get 30 carries this week. 

If he does, he will run for 175 yards and two scores.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

WR Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers

You probably saw this coming. If we like Rivers against the Ravens this week, we also have to like his prolific receiver.

Keenan Allen is having a brilliant statistical year. He is leading the league with 62 receptions, and he has 690 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Allen is like an avalanche: Once he makes a couple of catches early, the opposing defense cannot stop him. He's going to approach or exceed double-digit receptions against the leaky Baltimore secondary. Rivers is going to keep throwing, and Allen is going to keep catching the ball.

Allen has already put up three games with 12 or more catches (against Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay), and Sunday is setting up to be another one of those games.

TE Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints

Benjamin Watson has been resurgent this year, which is what the Saints have needed him to be. Jimmy Graham is toiling in Seattle, and the Saints needed a tight end to step forward.

Watson caught a TD pass in the Saints' Week 5 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles and then had a virtuoso performance in Week 6 against the previously undefeated Atlanta Falcons, catching 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. He was a key factor in last week's victory over the Indianapolis Colts with four catches for 59 yards, and while he didn't get into the end zone, he reached the 1-yard line on two separate occasions.

Watson and the Saints will go up against the New York Giants on Sunday in a game that should be a passing battle between Drew Brees and Eli Manning. The Giants pass defense ranks 30th in the league, and tight ends have flourished against New York.

Watson looks like a good bet to be a strong fantasy producer this week.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Fantasy Flops

QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks seemed to get their act together in their one-sided Week 7 win over the 49ers, but they have not proved their consistency yet.

That victory came largely as a result of a strong game by running back Marshawn Lynch and a shutdown performance by the defense.

Russell Wilson will do what he must to help the Seahawks secure a road win, but we don't see the signal-caller putting up big numbers against an aggressive Dallas Cowboys defense. Wilson threw for 235 yards against San Francisco, but he threw just one TD pass and two interceptions.

The Cowboys have the eighth-ranked defense in the league and are not going to let Wilson out of their sights. He will throw at least two more interceptions, and he won't exceed 200 passing yards.

Keep Wilson on your fantasy bench.

RB Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers

The Packers love to use Eddie Lacy to soften up opposing defenses early, giving Rodgers more freedom when it comes to finding his talented crew of receivers.

Once Rodgers has put a few touchdowns on the board, they like to use Lacy in the second half to put the game away and run out the clock.

That strategy is not likely to work when the Packers take their undefeated record on the road to face the undefeated Denver Broncos this week. Denver's defense ranks first in the league, and Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware are not about to let the power back dictate the outcome of the game.

Rodgers' accuracy and ability to find the soft spot in the defense may test the Broncos, but they will shut down the Green Bay ground game.

Don't make the mistake of playing Lacy this week.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

T.Y. Hilton is Andrew Luck's favorite receiver, and he is coming off his best game of the season, as he caught four passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts' loss to the Saints in Week 7.

We recommend that you stay away from Hilton and the Colts' other skill-position players this week as they go on the road to take on the undefeated Carolina Panthers.

Carolina has responded to the defensive challenge each week, and the Colts have had a hard time protecting Luck. He has been under the gun all year, and the eighth-ranked Carolina pass defense will make life tough for him.

In addition to the pressure that defensive tackle Kawann Short (5.0 sacks) is going to bring, Josh Norman has become an elite cornerback with 14 passes defensed and four interceptions. He has returned two of those picks for touchdowns.

Hilton may look like a must-play after last week's productivity, but if you make the mistake of putting him in your lineup, it will be a wasted choice.

You need to firmly plant him on the bench.