The Steelers and Giants matchup on Monday Night is all that is left in week 8. As always, there were eye-catching performances around the NFL for good and bad reasons in fantasy football. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from week 8.
Week 8 Takeaways
National Tight End Day Does Not Disappoint
The headline from week eight was the performances of tight ends on National Tight End Day. There were 16 touchdowns and 177 catches from the tight end positional resulting in a monster day from tight ends in fantasy football. Although tight ends have been inconsistent in fantasy football this season, in the last two weeks they seem to be trending in the right direction. Let’s take a look at how some of the top-ranked tight ends heading into the week performed
- Cade Otton (TB) 9 catches for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns > 29.10 points
- Kyle Pitts (ATL) 4 catches for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns > 25.10 points
- Travis Kelce (KC) 10 catches for 90 yards and 1 touchdown > 25 points
- George Kittle (SF) 6 catches for 128 yards and 1 touchdown > 24.80 points
- Trey McBride (ARI) 9 catches for 124 yards > 21.40 points
- Adam Trautman (DEN) 4 catches for 85 yards and 1 touchdown > 18.50 points
- David Njoku (CLE) 5 catches for 61 yards and 1 touchdown > 17.10 points
- Tucker Kraft (GB) 3 catches for 78 yards and 1 touchdown > 16.80 points
- Sam LaPorta (DET) 6 catches for 48 yards and 1 touchdown > 16.80 points
- Zach Ertz (WAS) 7 catches for 77 yards > 14.70 points
Cade Otton was expected to take on a larger role with the injuries to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and he did not disappoint. 9 catches for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns establishing himself as a top TE going forward. Kyle Pitts has become one of the most consistent tight ends with four straight games over 65 receiving yards. Sam LaPorta’s target share and first read percentage were at a season-high without Jameson Williams. Finally, Adam Trautman had a big day making him an interesting pickup on waivers this week.
The Rams Offense is BACK
The Rams got the “Core 4” back together and helped them win their 3rd game on Thursday Night. Going into this season we drafted Williams, Nacua, and Kupp within the first three rounds of drafts with the expectation for these guys to be one of the top twelve players at their positions. Injuries changed that hope and Thursday was the first game we saw all four players healthy for a full game. Below is how they performed against the Vikings defense who has been one of the best in the NFL this season.
Matthew Stafford: 279 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception
Kyren Williams: 23 carries, 97 rushing yards, 5 catches, 19 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
Puka Nacua: 7 catches, 106 yards, 9 targets
Cooper Kupp: 5 catches, 51 yards, 1 touchdown, 8 targets
Kupp and Nacua owners are happy to get their superstar wide receivers back down the stretch. Both players will be WR1’s weekly and Stafford will continue to force-feed these guys targets as the Rams are fighting to get back into the playoffs. Stafford himself becomes an intriguing streamer option now with a healthy set of weapons to utilize. Williams will become more efficient down the stretch as teams will be forced to give the Rams lighter boxes with Kupp and Nacua healthy. Expect big things from the Core 4 going forward in fantasy football.
It is Impossible to Trust the Colts Receivers in Fantasy with AR at QB
On the season Anthony Richardson is now completing 44% of his passes while throwing for more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (4). I have been mentioning that until Richardson can improve his consistency as a passer all of the Colts pass catchers were players that we needed to sit. After only having 1 catch for 3 yards in AR’s return last week, Josh Downs had 4 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Michael Pittman Jr. had 1 catch for 16 yards this week and has yet to finish over WR37 with AR at quarterback. Finally, Alec Pierce only has 3 catches in 2 weeks since Richardson returned. Avoid starting Colts receivers at all costs.
Wide Receiver Notes
One of the biggest questions heading into week eight was how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiving room was going to shake out after the Mike Evans and Chris Godwin injuries. I mentioned how Jalen McMillian would be the biggest beneficiary of the injuries and showed that this week. McMillan led the receivers in snaps, routes run, targets, catches, and yards on the day showing his potential outlook until Mike Evans returns. Although Cade Otton is the most valuable pass catcher for the Bucs going forward, McMillian proved he could be a matchup-dependent FLEX pay if needed.
Two weeks removed from the Amari Cooper trade; we have a clear picture of the Browns receiver’s outlook for the rest of the season. The biggest beneficiary of the trade was Cedric Tillman who has played the 2nd most snaps among receivers and has led the team in fantasy points the last few weeks. With Jameis Winston at quarterback, there could be better days ahead for this receiver group. Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and Tillman saw a combined 28 targets in a close game against the Ravens.
Romeo Doubs continues to establish himself as the Packer’s go to receiver based on snaps, routes run, and first read percentage. It resulted in another game where he led all Packers receivers in targets and receiving yards against the Jaguars. Long term this increases Doubs to a low-end WR2 in fantasy going forward with Jayden Reed’s value decreasing to that range as well. Reed is the big play threat for this offense while Doubs is the more consistent option in the pass game. It will be interesting to see if Jordan Love misses any time going forward.
Amari Cooper busted in fantasy football this week only finishing with 1 catch. He did increase his snap share this week for the Bills but was still 3rd among Bills receivers in snaps. The two guys who played more than Cooper had big days. Keon Coleman had 5 catches for 70 yards while Khalil Shakir had 9 catches for 107 yards in the win. With both receivers playing well and Cooper getting slowly brought along in the Bills offense he is hard to trust right now in fantasy football.
DeAndre Hopkins in his Chiefs debut managed to haul in 2 passes on 3 targets in their win over the Raiders to move to 7-0. Hopkins finished 3rd among Chiefs receivers in snaps and will see this number steadily increase over the next few weeks. He will operate as an outside receiver on the Chiefs providing Mahomes a valuable option on 3rd down outside of Travis Kelce. Until his snaps increase, he is worth stashing on your bench until further notice.
Running Back Splits in Week 8
Nick Chubb took on a larger role in his second game back from injury becoming the lead back for the Browns. He played 59.4% of snaps, dominating the touches on early downs compared to splitting those touches with the other running backs last week. In the win over the Ravens, Chubb finished with 16 carries for 52 yards averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Baltimore has been one of the best teams against the run this season, so his inefficient output is not concerning. Down the stretch, Chubb can be a top 20 running back, and now is the time to buy low.
The Buccaneers went more with a two-man backfield in week eight compared to the three-man backfield we got last week. Bucky Irving operated more as the early down back while Rachaad White was the 3rd-down back. Irving finished with 9 carries for 44 yards while adding 7 catches for 40 yards receiving. White had 6 carries for 29 yards while adding 5 catches for 38 yards and a receiving touchdown. The injuries to Godwin and Evans contributed to more looks in the passing game for both backs. Expect both backs to continue to be matchup-dependent going forward.
Breakout Performances
Each Week I like to highlight three players whose stock is rising after a breakout performance. This week we have three receivers who all have the opportunities to continue their strong play going forward. Cedric Tillman is going nowhere in fantasy football and will once again be the most sought-after player on waivers again. Tillman has 15 catches for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns the last two weeks and with Jameis Winston at quarterback, the Browns offense will be better. Ladd McConkey and Calvin Ridley have been inconsistent options in 2024 but showed their ceilings this week. Both Ridley and McConkey went for over 100 yards and will be more consistent down the stretch.
Quarterbacks Shined in Week 8
Quarterbacks have been inconsistent so far this season but in week eight they turned it up a notch. Jalen Hurts had the best day of the bunch with his 3 rushing touchdowns contributing to his monster performance. Bo Nix is becoming a good streamer quarterback when he has a favorable matchup. Of the top 10 quarterbacks this week, 7 of them have been available on waivers in over 50% of leagues in the last three weeks. It goes to show you that streaming quarterbacks is not always a bad option in fantasy football.
- Jalen Hurts (PHI): 35.14 points
- Bo Nix (DEN): 29.76 points
- Kirk Cousins (ATL): 28.64 points
- Brock Purdy (SF): 26 points
- Matthew Stafford (LAR): 24.76 points
- Lamar Jackson (BAL): 24.16 points
- Justin Herbert (LAC): 24.06 points
- Jameis Winston (CLE): 23.56 points
- Trevor Lawrence (JAX): 23.32 points
- Baker Mayfield (TB): 22.30 points
More Injuries to Big Contributors
Injuries have been a headline of the 2024 season and in week eight it was no different. Jordan Love has been playing through a groin injury for a few weeks now before leaving Sunday’s game with the injury that may hold him out for a week or two. Stefon Diggs went down with a non-contact knee injury that is likely to result in a season-ending torn ACL. Drake Maye left Sunday’s game early with a concussion after a hot start.
The Vikings lost star LT Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending injury, potentially hurting the offense in the 2nd half of the season. The Jaguars lost all three of their starting receivers to injuries. The most significant of the bunch is Christian Kirk who is now out for the season with a collarbone injury. Both Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr’s statuses going forward will be week to week.
Jordan Love: Week to week
Stefon Diggs: Likely out for the season
Christian Kirk: Out for the season
Brian Thomas Jr: Week to week
Gabe Davis: Week to week
Drake Maye: Week to week
Christan Darrisaw: Out for the season
For all of the Week 8 Reactions in Fantasy Football check out this YouTube Video