Stars of Week 8

QB:      Derek Carr, OAK: 40-59, 513 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs

RB:      Jonathan Stewart, CAR: 25 carries, 95 yards 2 TDs                   

WR:     Amari Cooper, OAK: 12 catches, 173 yards, 1 TD           

TE:      Rob Gronkowski, NE: 5 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD 

Derek Carr had himself a signature game, tossing his fourth touchdown with around two minutes remaining in overtime. Carr has matured into one of the top young QBs in the league. In terms of his fantasy value, he’s a back end QB1, as he’s not as consistent as the upper echelon QB1s. Now that’s certainly subject to change as Carr continues to grow, but for now he’s not quite yet an every week starter. No surprise to see Carr’s teammate, stud wide receiver Amari Cooper join Carr for this week’s honor roll. The two proved unstoppable for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cooper remains an upper echelon WR. Also, welcome back Jonathan Stewart! The Panthers’ RB falls into the better-real-life-than-fantasy category, largely because Cam Newton vultures many of his touchdowns. But not this week, as Stewart found the end zone twice, and the Panthers’ offense looked good for the first time in a while. Last but not least, Gronk does it again – that’s three weeks in a row that he earns the top chair for tight ends. In other news, the sun came up in many parts of the world today. 

Week 8 Takeaways – A Closer Look

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

- Tom Brady, QB – NE: 23-33, 315 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs                                             

Analysis: We don’t usually take a look at the established cream of the crop, such as Tom Brady, when they’re rolling. If you have Brady, he’s in your lineup – no brainer. We’ll make an exception here, just to highlight how historic Brady has been since his debut after the four game Deflategate suspension. In Brady’s four games back, he’s sporting a line of 1,319 yards passing with 12 TDs and 0 INTs. Extrapolate that over a sixteen game season, and you’ve got 5,276 yards with 48 TDs and no INTs! Sure, it’s not realistic to expect a season without interceptions, but that’s missing the point. Brady looks as good as ever and is in the midst of a historic season. At 39 years young, he’s the top QB – both in real life and in fantasy. Enjoy the ride if you have him.

- Mark Ingram, RB - NO: 1 carry, 5 yards, 0 TDs, 1 fumble lost

- Tim Hightower, RB – NO: 26 carries, 102 yards, 0 TDs                                   

Analysis: Here, we take a look at the benching of star running back Mark Ingram. Unfortunately for his owners, the benching took place early in the first quarter, after Ingram was stripped of the football, which the Seahawks returned for a touchdown. So Tim Hightower took Ingram’s spot and moved the chains against the Seahawks, never relinquishing the lead RB role back to Ingram. How worried should Ingram’s owners be? And relatedly, how quickly should you rush to pick up Hightower? We’ll have to keep an eye on the news that floats out of New Orleans, but what we do know is that Ingram is clearly the more talented back. In addition, Ingram has not been a chronic fumbler to date, so it would seem a bit harsh to banish him to the bench from this one fumble. Circling back to the burning questions here, I would be mildly concerned about Ingram, but would expect him to return as the starter next week. If you own Ingram, it’s not a bad idea to snag Hightower just in case. Or if you’re looking for a speculative RB add and have room on your roster, why not give Hightower a spot and see what transpires. But to sum it up, Ingram should remain the starter, but stay tuned.

- Bilal Powell, RB – NYJ: 6 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: While usually contributing as a receiving option out of the backfield, Bilal Powell made his presence felt carrying the rock, particularly with a 35 yard TD run. Matt Forte still dominated the carry distribution, with 25 carries versus Powell’s 6. However, with Forte on the wrong side of 30 years old and the Jets playoff hopes virtually nil, it’s likely that Powell will begin to eat into Forte’s carries as we head into the second half of the season. Forte will still lead the distribution, but a more solid 2 to 1, or even a 60/40 split will be possible. In addition, Powell will remain the 3rd down back, so Powell will get you points each game. We’re talking about an RB3/flex option here, so not a savior – but certainly a player that should be rostered in standard leagues and larger.

- J.J. Nelson, WR – ARZ: 8 catches, 79 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: With the Cardinals’ WR corps – other than Larry Fitzgerald - in flux, there was an opening for a young WR to step up. Answering the bell this week was J.J. Nelson, the second year player from Alabama-Birmingham. After a very quiet start to the season, Nelson has picked things up over the last two games, culminating with his performance Sunday against the Panthers. Most importantly, according to Pro Football Focus, Nelson led the Cardinals’ WRs in snap count – even ahead of Larry Fitzgerald! Here are the numbers per PFF (out of 71 snaps): JJ Nelson 65, Larry Fitzgerald 56, John Brown 38, Michael Floyd 29 and Brittan Golden 23. With John Brown and Michael Floyd both dealing with injuries, Nelson has a chance to stick around and post useful stats. The real test will come when both Brown and Floyd reach better health, assuming that happens. So view Nelson as a short term add if you need WR help, with potential to win a roster spot for you long term based on how he performs over the next few weeks.

- Tyreek Hill, WR - KC: 5 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD                                     

Analysis: The Chiefs are not known as a passing juggernaut, but they do have a few fantasy stalwarts within their aerial attack – namely Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce. Could we be witnessing the development of another? Rookie Tyreek Hill has quietly caught 4 TDs this season, albeit he’s had low yardage totals, specifically 38 yards or less, in every game but this week. Hill’s a speed guy, so I would expect his yardage to pick up with jaunts after the catch. For those of you in deeper leagues, or better yet dynasty leagues, Hill’s someone to put on your tracker. He’s too boom or bust right now to count on regularly (note that he’s also had four targets or less in all but two games), but has potential to become a very nice player down the road.

- Tyler Eifert, TE - CIN: 9 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD  

Analysis: Tyler Eifert made his debut last week against Cleveland, catching 1 pass for 9 yards. But a slow start was to be expected, as Eifert was coming back from a serious ankle injury. Well, game 2 was a different story, as Eifert crossed the century mark for yards, catching 9 passes and finding the end zone once. Dalton showed his full trust in his stud tight end, targeting Eifert 12 times. In addition to the stats, Eifert looked really good out on the field – able to get open and make his cuts. For those of you who stashed Eifert in anticipation of his return, be ready to reap the benefits. Eifert resumes the season as a mid level TE1. If you own Eifert, get him in your lineup. 

Rapid Fire Pickups 

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

QB: Joe Flacco, BAL

RB: Charcandrick West, KC (in line to start with Spencer Ware out)

RB: Thomas Rawls, SEA

WR: Adam Humphries, TB

WR: Tyler Lockett, SEA

TE: Cameron Brate, TB

Week 9 Rankings 

Quarterbacks:

1. Drew Brees, NO (at SF)
2. Aaron Rodgers, GB (vs IND)
3. Matt Ryan, ATL (at TB)
4. Andrew Luck, IND (at GB)
5. Cam Newton, CAR (at LA)
6. Jameis Winston, TB (vs ATL)
7. Philip Rivers, SD (vs TEN)
8. Dak Prescott, DAL (at CLE)
9. Marcus Mariota, TEN (at SD)
10. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at BAL)
11. Russell Wilson, SEA (vs BUF)
12. Matthew Stafford, DET (at MIN)
13. Derek Carr, OAK (vs DEN)
14. Eli Manning, NYG (vs PHI)
15. Colin Kaepernick, SF (vs NO)
16. Blake Bortles, JAX (at KC)
17. Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ (at MIA)
18. Sam Bradford, MIN (vs DET)
19. Ryan Tannehill, MIA (vs NYJ)
20. Tyrod Taylor, BUF (at SEA)

Running Backs:

1. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (at CLE)
2. Le'Veon Bell, PIT             (at BAL)
3. DeMarco Murray, TEN (at SD)
4. Devonta Freeman, ATL (at TB)
5. Melvin Gordon, SD (vs TEN)
6. Devontae Booker, DEN (at OAK)
7. Jay Ajayi, MIA (vs NYJ)
8. Matt Forte, NYJ (at MIA)
9. Todd Gurley, LA (vs CAR)
10. Jonathan Stewart, CAR (at LA)
11. Carlos Hyde, SF (vs NO)
12. Christine Michael, SEA (vs BUF)
13. Frank Gore, IND (at GB)
14. Isaiah Crowell, CLE (vs DAL)
15. Mark Ingram, NO (at SF)
16. Latavius Murray, OAK (vs DEN)
17. Terrance West, BAL (vs PIT)
18. Charcandrick West, KC (vs JAX)
19. Theo Riddick, DET (at MIN)
20. Matt Asiata, MIN (vs DET)
21. Tim Hightower, NO (at SF)
22. Rashad Jennings, NYG (vs PHI)
23. Ryan Mathews, PHI (at NYG)
24. LeSean McCoy, BUF (at SEA)
25. Antone Smith, TB (vs ATL)
26. Darren Sproles, PHI (at NYG)
27. Duke Johnson, CLE (vs DAL)
28. Mike Gillislee, BUF (at SEA)
29. Derrick Henry, TEN (at SD)
30. Bilal Powell, NYJ (at MIA)
31. Chris Ivory, JAX (at KC)
32. Peyton Barber, TB (vs ATL)
33. Jerick McKinnon, MIN (vs DET)
34. C.J. Prosise, SEA (vs BUF)
35. T.J. Yeldon, JAX (at KC)
36. Kenneth Dixon, BAL (vs PIT)
37. Alfred Morris, DAL (at CLE)
38. DeAndre Washington, OAK (vs DEN)
39. Zach Zenner, DET (at MIN)
40. Terron Ward, ATL (at TB)

Wide Receivers:

1. Julio Jones, ATL (at TB)
2. Antonio Brown, PIT (at BAL)
3. Odell Beckham Jr., NYG (vs PHI)
4. Dez Bryant, DAL (at CLE)
5. Mike Evans, TB (vs ATL)
6. Brandin Cooks, NO (at SF)
7. T.Y. Hilton, IND (at GB)
8. Jordy Nelson, GB (vs IND)
9. Brandon Marshall, NYJ (at MIA)
10. Demaryius Thomas, DEN (at OAK)
11. Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (at LA)
12. Jarvis Landry, MIA (vs NYJ)
13. Emmanuel Sanders, DEN (at OAK)
14. Amari Cooper, OAK (vs DEN)
15. Terrelle Pryor, CLE (vs DAL)
16. Donte Moncrief,, IND (at GB)
17. Allen Robinson, JAX (at KC)
18. Stefon Diggs, MIN vs DET)
19. Doug Baldwin, SEA (vs BUF)
20. Davante Adams, GB (vs IND)
21. Michael Thomas, NO (at SF)
22. Randall Cobb, GB (vs IND)
23. Michael Crabtree, OAK (vs DEN)
24. Ty Montgomery, GB (vs IND)
25. Willie Snead, NO (at SF)
26. Marvin Jones, DET (at MIN)
27. Jordan Matthews, PHI (at NYG)
28. Jeremy Maclin, KC (vs JAX)
29. Tyrell Williams, SD (vs TEN)
30. Mike Wallace, BAL (vs PIT)
31. Quincy Enunwa, NYJ (at MIA)
32. Golden Tate, DET (at MIN)
33. Kenny Britt, LA (vs CAR)
34. Cole Beasley, DAL (at CLE)
35. Allen Hurns, JAX (at KC)
36. Devante Parker, MIA (vs NYJ)
37. Travis Benjamin, SD (vs TEN)
38. Tavon Austin, LA (vs CAR)
39. Mohamed Sanu, ATL (at TB)
40. Torrey Smith, SF (vs NO)

Tight End:

1. Greg Olsen, CAR (at LA)
2. Delanie Walker, TEN (at SD)
3. Travis Kelce, KC (vs JAX)
4. Jimmy Graham, SEA (vs BUF)
5. Coby Fleener, NO (at SF)
6. Kyle Rudolph, MIN (vs DET)
7. Gary Barnidge, CLE (vs DAL)
8. Cameron Brate, TB (vs ATL)
9. Antonio Gates, SD (vs TEN)
10. Jack Doyle, IND (at GB)
11. Dennis Pitta, BAL (vs PIT)
12. Eric Ebron, DET (at MIN)
13. Jason Witten, DAL (at CLE)
14. Julius Thomas, JAX (at KC)
15. Austin Hooper, ATL (at TB)
16. Hunter Henry, SD (vs TEN)
17. Zach Ertz, PHI (at NYG)
18. Lance Kendricks, LA (vs CAR)
19. Charles Clay, BUF (at SEA)
20. Jesse James, PIT (at BAL) 

Defense/Special Teams:

1. Seattle Seahawks (vs BUF)
2. Minnesota Vikings (vs DET)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (vs JAX)
4. Denver Broncos (at OAK)
5. Carolina Panthers (at LA)
6. Dallas Cowboys (at CLE)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (at NYG)
8. Miami Dolphins (vs NYJ)
9. Green Bay Packers (vs IND)
10. New York Jets (at MIA)
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (at BAL)
12. Los Angeles Rams (vs CAR)
13. Buffalo Bills (at SEA)
14. Baltimore Ravens (vs PIT)
15. Detroit Lions (at MIN)