Stars of Week 8

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT: 40-49, 522 yards, 6 TDs

RB: Arian Foster, HOU: 20 carries, 151 yards, 2 TDs

WR: Jeremy Maclin, PHI: 12 catches, 187 yards, 2 TDs

WR: Emmanuel Sanders, DEN: 9 catches, 120 yards, 3 TDs

TE:      Rob Gronkowski, NE: 9 catches, 149 yards, 3 TDs

Roethlisburger fell just a bit short of the all-time passing record for yards in one game, connecting for 522 yards against the Colts. Similar to the Joe Flacco explosion a few weeks back, don’t overreact to this performance. Roethlisberger remains a good QB, but he’s not in Peyton Manning territory. Rather, he remains a low-end QB1/high end QB2. Not too shabby in its own right, but expect his normal numbers going forward. Arian Foster makes the list…again. Got nothing else to add there. Jeremy Maclin and Emmanuel Sanders share the honor roll for top WR this week. Wouldn’t be fair to exclude either player here. And last but not least, Gronk! The key to the Patriots’ passing attack, Gronk just ripped apart the Bears this week. 

Week 8 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Kyle Orton, QB - BUF: 10-17, 238 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs

Analysis:         Orton had a fantastic stat line against the Jets in a super efficient performance – he needed only 17 attempts to throw for 238 yards and 4 TD passes. So what do we have here? Nothing more than a QB2. Orton knows the NFL ropes, and will be a steady hand at QB for the Bills. His ceiling, however, is limited. If you need a bye week fill-in, or you lose your primary QB to injury, then Orton will be just fine for you. But don’t overreact to a 4 TD performance against a bad pass defense. 

- Anthony Dixon, RB – BUF: 22 carries, 44 yards, 0 TDs

- Bryce Brown, RB – BUF: 7 carries, 15 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis:         An additional look at the Bills, this time at the RBs together. The early prediction was that Dixon would start out of the gate (meaning the first few games) with Brown slowly taking the lead as time went on. After one game, nothing has changed on that front, although it is worth noting that neither RB impressed this past Sunday. The Jets have a strong run D, so not a massive surprise here. For those who own one of these RBs or both, you just need to keep an eye on the distribution of carries over the next few games. The guess here is that Brown will siphon a larger percentage of the carries each game going forward. Also not to be discounted is the likely return of Fred Jackson within the next month, which would muddy the waters a bit further.

- Ben Tate, RB - CLE: 15 carries, 26 yards, 1 TD

Analysis:         Tate owners were excited to get him back from injury in Week 5, and their excitement was well served for the first two weeks. The last two weeks, however, present a different story. Against cupcake matchups – the Jaguars and Raiders – Tate has struggled to do much, totaling 62 yards on 31 carries. What happened? Well, the loss of stalwart center Alex Mack would be the primary culprit. Mack’s injury has undoubtedly hurt the run blocking, and coupled with the Browns’ recent implementation of a three-headed timeshare, Tate has to be knocked down several rungs from the RB ladder. Tate owners should in fact be concerned going forward. We’ll see more in the weeks to come, but expect Tate to receive 50-60 % of the carries going forward, with West and Crowell taking the rest. Tate drops to a low end RB2, with room to maneuver both up or down. Stay tuned.

- Mark Ingram, RB - NO: 24 carries, 172 yards, 1 TD                                                    

Analysis:         Mark Ingram has had a slow start to his career. Much was expected out of the former Heisman trophy winner out of Auburn, and after a few underwhelming seasons, Ingram has shown signs of taking the next step. Ingram busted out big time against the Packers, rushing for 172 yards and a TD on 24 carries. The stats paint a positive picture, as does the eye test. Ingram just looks more confident in his runs. He’s hitting the right holes, and doing so with power. The improved Ingram we’re seeing is real. We still need to keep an eye on home/road splits, so view Ingram as an RB2 at home and as an RB3/flex on the road, for now, with room for a bump up to RB2 status on the road as well. But let’s see how he fares against Carolina on Thursday.

- Doug Martin, RB - TB: 10 carries, 27 yards, 0 TDs

- Bobby Rainey, RB – TB: 8 carries, 25 yards, 0 TDs

- Charles Sims, RB – TB: DNP – currently on IR-designated return 

Analysis:         So we sorted through the Bills’ RB group earlier, and now we tackle the Bucs situation. Doug Martin, subject to trade rumors (trade deadline has passed – he’s not going anywhere) and general disappointment by Bucs fans and the fantasy community alike, was injured halfway through the game. Bobby Rainey stepped in for Martin after the injury. Just like Martin, Rainey didn’t do too much to inspire confidence. The third name here, Charles Sims, is an intriguing rookie who will be coming off the IR soon (expected to be around week 9). Which RB do you want to own? For this week, it’s Rainey. For the remainder of the season, it’s Charles Sims. This situation most closely parallels the Vikings’ McKinnon/Asiata pairing. The Bucs know what they have with both Martin and Rainey. Both are ok, but none appear to factor as the franchise guy going forward, at least not in the Bucs’ eyes. Asiata fell into the same camp for the Vikings. With the season lost for the Bucs, the team wants to know what it has in Sims, which is the right move. Can Sims be the franchise RB for the Bucs? Sure he can. Will he? Maybe – the Bucs will find out. So from my viewpoint, Sims is the RB to own from the Bucs group.

- John Brown, WR – AZ: 5 catches, 119 yards, 1 TD

Analysis:         John Brown was the Cardinals’ under-the-radar fourth round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Didn’t take long for Brown to force his way into the Cards’ WR plans. With Palmer back at the helm, look for Brown to continue to be an important factor in the passing game. Note that along with his 5 receptions, Brown was targeted 10 times this week. The kid’s got serious talent, no doubt about it. How should you value Brown? He’s straddling the WR3/WR4 line, so he’s more of a backup, but one that should be owned in all leagues with 12 or more teams. Brown’s numbers will be somewhat inconsistent from week to week, as they are for most rookies, and he’ll be contending with Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and even Andre Ellington for receptions. But, he’ll continue to increase his involvement in the offense, so if you need another WR, grab Brown.

- Martavis Bryant, WR - PIT: 8 catches, 83 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis:         What a great WR rookie class! Next up, the Steelers’ promising rookie WR Martavis Bryant. We don’t have much to go on in terms of numbers, as he’s only accumulated stats in two games. But, just from watching the tape, it’s clear that Bryant has a bright future in the NFL. Bryant won’t set the fantasy world on fire this season, as Antonio Brown has dibs. But, Bryant provides Roethlisberger with a large target, one that should get targets in the end zone. Bryant falls into the WR4 category (so a bit behind John Brown), but like Brown, he has room to move up a bit. Keep an eye on Bryant going forward, and those in deeper leagues should roster him if you need a WR. 

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues. 

QB:                  Zach Mettenberger, TEN

RB:                  Jonas Gray, NE

RB:                  Travaris Cadet, NO               

WR:                 Davante Adams, GB

WR:                 Donte Moncrief, IND

TE:                  Richard Rodgers, GB

Week 9 Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Peyton Manning

2. Andrew Luck

3. Drew Brees

4. Tom Brady

5. Philip Rivers

6. Russell Wilson

7. Cam Newton

8. Colin Kaepernick

9. Nick Foles

10. Carson Palmer

11. Ben Roethlisberger

12. Tony Romo

13. Eli Manning

14. Ryan Tannehill

15. Andy Dalton

16. Joe Flacco

17. Brian Hoyer

18. Teddy Bridgewater

19. Alex Smith

20. Austin Davis

Running Backs

1. Arian Foster

2. DeMarco Murray

3. Marshawn Lynch

4. Jamaal Charles

5. Le'Veon Bell

6. LeSean McCoy

7. Lamar Miller

8. Ronnie Hillman

9. Andre Ellington

10. Mark Ingram

11. Ahamd Bradshaw

12. Giovani Bernard

13. Alfred Morris

14. Justin Forsett

15. Jerick McKinnon

16. Branden Oliver

17. Frank Gore

18. Denard Robinson

19. Ben Tate

20. Chris Ivory

21. Shane Vereen

22. Tre Mason

23. Andre Williams

24. Trent Richardson

25. Darren McFadden

26. DeAngelo Williams

27. Darren Sproles

28. Jonas Gray

29. Jeremy Hill

30. Charles Sims

31. Juwan Thompson

32. Lorenzo Taliaferro

33. Knile Davis

34. Carlos Hyde

35. Bobby Rainey

Wide Receivers

1. Antonio Brown

2. Demaryius Thomas

3. Dez Bryant

4. T.Y. Hilton

5. Jeremy Maclin

6. Emmanuel Sanders

7. Kelvin Benjamin

8. A.J. Green

9. DeSean Jackson

10. Andre Johnson

11. Steve Smith Sr.

12. Mike Wallace

13. DeAndre Hopkins

14. Keen Allen

15. Rueben Randle

16. Brandon LaFell

17. Odell Beckham Jr.

18. Brandin Cooks

19. Doug Baldwin

20. Vincent Jackson

21. Mohamed Sanu

22. Michael Floyd

23. Julian Edelman

24. Terrance Williams

25. Pierre Garcon

26. Torrey Smith

27. Cordarrelle Patterson

28. Larry Fitzgerald

29. Andrew Hawkins

30. Reggie Wayne

31. Anquan Boldin

32. Marques Colston

33. Percy Harvin

34. Matavis Bryant

35. Mike Evans

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski

2. Julius Thomas

3. Jimmy Graham

4. Antonio Gates

5. Greg Olsen

6. Jordan Reed

7. Larry Donnell

8. Dwayne Allen

9. Jason Witten

10. Travis Kelce

11. Zach Ertz

12. Vernon Davis

13. Heath Miller

14. Tim Wright

15. Jared Cook

- Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports expert for RealGM.  He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on twitter at @NeemaHodjat.