Week 8: Half Way Home
Did you play Patrick Mahomes, or play against Mahomes (raises hand)? Did you play Dalvin Cook, or play against Dalvin Cook (raises hand again)? Are you dominating your league at 7-1, middling at 4-4 (raises hand), or just battered and bruised at 2-6? Don’t be disconcerted and don’t be too comfy. We’ve got another half of fantasy football ahead of us! In our 4-EYED RECAP of Week 8, we look at who might be worth reconsidering on your roster and who might help you get some critical wins over the weeks ahead.
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson
| Format | Fantasy Points Scored | Avg FPPG |
| FanDuel (0.5PPR) | 16.82 | 20.7 |
In a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lamar Jackson put up a fairly pedestrian 208 passing yards on 13 for 28 passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also added 65 yards on the ground, his third-highest rushing total this year. At the half-way point of the season, Lamar is your QB12 with 20.7 fantasy points per game. Is Lamar no longer a must-start QB?
In seven games played, Lamar has finished as a QB12 in fewer than half of his games, ranging from QB3 to QB23. Lamar remains one of the top rushing QBs in the league with 411 rushing yards, 26 yards behind Kyler Murray 100+ yards in front of the next QB (Cam Newton). Yet, Lamar has only 1 rushing TD and has yet to score a rushing TD in the redzone. By comparison, Kyler and Josh Allen each have 4 redzone rushing TDs on the year.
Lamar’s 190 passing attempts are 27th among QBs, but he has the highest redzone completion percentage in the league (tied with Kyler at 78.6%) and has thrown 10 redzone TDs. He is 19th among QBs in terms of intended air yards – total air yards on all pass attempts, including incompletions – but is 3rd among QBs in intended air yards per attempt (9.2). He doesn’t throw often, but when he does, he throws deep.
Defenses have clearly schemed to stop Lamar from beating them on the ground. With his talent, it’s hard to imagine he will go 9 more games with only 1 more rushing TD. Even without the passing volume, Lamar should have TD regression in his favor. We’re seeing Lamar’s floor, which is an inconsistent QB1. Sure, you could stream a QB1 every week, but none with the upside that Lamar has.
Honorable Mention: Joe Burrow continues to be a solid rookie fantasy QB, adding 249 passing yards, 9 rushing yards, and 2 TDs in Week 8. Through 8 games, he is the QB14 with 11 TDs and only 5 interceptions. Like Lamar, he tends to throw the deep ball, ranking 9th among QBs in intended air yards per target. Burrow faces the Steelers next week, but after that, he gets Washington, the Giants, Miami, and Dallas. It might be worth stashing Burrow on your bench this week to use as a streamer going forward.
Running Back: Jonathan Taylor
| Format | Fantasy Points Scored | Avg FPPG |
| Non-PPR | 3.1 | 10.6 |
| FanDuel (0.5PPR) | 4.1 | 11.9 |
| PPR | 5.1 | 13.1 |
“Come on,” says Jonathan Taylor. He wants the ball. “Give him the ball,” scream Jonathan Taylor’s fantasy managers. In Week 8, Taylor saw only 11 rushing attempts for a paltry 22 yards and 3 targets for 2 catches and 9 receiving yards. Meanwhile, his teammate Jordan Wilkins ran the ball 20 times for 89 yards and Week 1 Waiver Wire Wonder Nyheim Hines got 5 rush attempts and 5 targets for 2 TDs. Hines also proved he is an experienced gymnast with his TD celebrations, which aren’t worth fantasy points but are certainly worth watching. Should Taylor managers be worried?
Going into Week 8, Taylor was 19th in the league in terms of yards before contact per rush (2.6), which is above fellow rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (2.4). However, Helaire was averaging 2.3 yards after contact per rush, 11th among RBs. Taylor was 42nd with 1.3 yards after contact per rush. If you want another comparison, the notoriously inefficient David Montgomery has averaged 2.0 yards after contact per attempt. Even worse, Taylor was averaging a broken tackle every 50 rushing attempts, 48th among RBs, and his Week 8 numbers aren’t likely to improve these stats. Yikes…
This was a smash game for Taylor. The game script went as planned with Indianapolis leading for most of the day. Despite that, Taylor just isn’t seeing enough opportunities. Even with opportunities, he is horribly inefficient. I had been shopping around for Taylor, but these stats are veeeeery troubling. I would try to trade Taylor before he loses even more value next week against the Ravens. If you could get Myles Gaskin or Antonio Gibson for Taylor, I’d strongly consider it.
Honorable Mention: In another split backfield, Zack Moss pounded the rock 14 times for 81 yards and 2 TDs against the New England Patriots. Fellow Buffalo RB Devin Singletary also saw 14 rush attempts for 86 yards and 1 reception for 6 yards. Moss isn’t running away with the backfield, but it’s a step in the right direction for the now-healthy Moss. Similar to Taylor, he’s only averaging only 1.3 yards after contact per rush, but he benefits from a whopping 3.0 yards before contact per rush. Moss is definitely a hold for now, but you may even look to trade high on his 2 TD performance.
Wide Receiver: Mike Williams
| Format | Fantasy Points Scored | Avg FPPG |
| Non-PPR | 16.0 | 8.2 |
| FanDuel (0.5PPR) | 18.5 | 9.7 |
| PPR | 21.0 | 11.2 |
Mike Williams is a BEAST! In Week 8, he caught 5 balls on 8 targets for 99 yards and 1 stellar TD catch. He nearly had another TD with an amazing 36-yard back-shoulder catch that was ruled out at the 2-yard line. Williams is a human highlight reel, and fantasy managers have been yearning for more highlights. Is Williams now fantasy dependable?
Over his past three games, Williams has averaged 14.9 fantasy points per game (half-PPR scoring), 12th best among wideouts. On the season, his average depth of target (17.2) is 2nd among wide receivers with 30+ targets, only behind Marquez Valdez-Scantling. He’s 3rd among wide receivers in yards before contact per reception (14.4), just behind Nelson Agholar and Kenny Golladay (15.0 each). He sees the ball deep. He catches the ball deep. He scores fantasy points. Boom!
Rookie QB Justin Herbert has been unleashed, and, even with Keenan Allen seeing double-digit targets, Williams is capitalizing on multiple deep shots per game. The trust is growing between Herbert and Williams, and fantasy managers should take note. Fire up Williams as a WR2 going forward!
Honorable Mention: Don’t look now, but Corey Davis might be a thing again. Against the Bengals, Davis reeled in 8 catches on 10 targets for 129 yards and 1 TD. Over his past three games, Davis has averaged 8.7 targets, 6.3 receptions, and 14.9 fantasy points per game. With his bye week behind him, Davis is a great bye week fill-in, if not a consistent WR3 rest of season.
Tight End: Darren Waller
| Format | Fantasy Points Scored | Avg FPPG |
| Non-PPR | 2.8 | 7.6 |
| FanDuel (0.5PPR) | 5.3 | 10.8 |
| PPR | 7.8 | 14.0 |
Sadly, Darren Waller deserved no braggadocious finger-wagging on Sunday against the Browns. In a low scoring affair, Waller caught 5 receptions on 6 targets for only 28 yards. Disappointing on all fronts. But was this a blip or should Waller mangers bail?
Waller still gets what tight ends lack most: volume. Over his past three games, Waller has a league-best 7.3 targets per game and 5.3 receptions per game. He’s also seeing volume in the red zone. In 2020, Waller has seen the 12th-most redzone targets (9) among all receivers, including tight ends, wide receivers, and running backs. These targets represent 31% of the Raiders’ end zone targets, which is the 2nd best percentage among tight ends (just behind Kelce’s 31.6%) and 9th among all receivers. More receiving yards and TDs will come. Be patient, Waller managers.
Honorable Mention: T.J. Hockenson continues to see consistent work, with 7 receptions on 10 targets for 65 yards against a strong Colts defense. He has one fewer target than Waller over his past three games (21). Hockenson still struggles with his catch percentage, especially in the red zone (55.56%), but targets are targets. His average depth of target (7.0) also is pretty solid for a tight end. You could do worse than Hockenson.
Defensive Lineman: Stephon Tuitt
| Format | Fantasy Points Scored | Avg FPPG |
| FantasyPros | 20.75 | 8.42 |
In Week 8, Stephon Tuitt wreaked havoc with 9 total tackles (8 solo, 1 assisted) and 2 sacks. With T.J. Watt wreaking havoc on the other side of the defensive line, Tuitt is going to see his fair share of one-on-one match-ups. Next week, he’ll face the hobbled Dallas offensive line and either Andy Dalton or Ben Dinucci, who was sacked four times and fumbled twice against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8. Tuitt and the Steelers D will feast next week!
Defensive Back: Rayshawn Jenkins
| Format | Fantasy Points Score | Avg FPPG |
| FantasyPros | 17.75 | 8.78 |
Rayshawn Jenkins is channeling Derwin James in the Chargers’ secondary. In Week 8, he had 7 total tackles (6 solo, 1 assisted), 2 passes defended, and 1 interception. Over the past five games, Jenkins has averaged 11.4 fantasy points per game and amassed a whopping 36 tackles. Next week, he takes on the Raiders, another run-heavy offense that likes to target the tight end. Check for Jenkins on your waiver wire, even in shallow IDP leagues.
Linebacker: T.J. Edwards
| Format | Fantasy Points Scored | Avg FPPG |
| FantasyPros | 19.50 | 7.65 |
It’s official. The Eagles have a new #TackleMachine. Linebacker T.J. Edwards came off the IR with gusto! In Week 8, Edwards had 12 total tackles (6 solo, 6 assisted), 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. The Eagles are on bye next week, but consider stashing Edwards for free during the bye. In Weeks 10 and 11, the Eagles face the Giants and Browns, two offenses that should give Edwards plenty of running back attempts and tackle opportunities.