Stars of Week 8
QB: Jalen Hurts, PHI: 19-28, 285 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs
RB: Christian McCaffrey, SF: 18 carries, 94 yards, 1 TD (8 catches, 55 yards, 1 TD) Passing: 1-1, 34 yards, 1 TD
WR: AJ Brown, PHI: 6 catches, 156 yards, 3 TDs
TE: Tyler Conklin, NYJ: 6 catches, 79 yards, 2 TDs
Week 8 presented some monster performances, with Eagles’ Jalen Hurts leading the way at quarterback. Hurts tormented the Steelers with four TD passes while throwing for just under 300 yards. The Eagles took their foot off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter, so Hurts could’ve added to these already gaudy numbers. Also impressive – Hurts did the damage almost exclusively with his arm, as he only logged 10 rushing yards. Only Josh Allen sits above Hurts in the fantasy QB pecking order.
The 49ers sent shockwaves through the NFL when they traded for Run CMC, matching up the most toolsy RB in the league with Kyle Shanahan, a reputed rushing guru. The results didn’t disappoint this past Sunday, as McCaffrey became the first player in a long time to run, catch and pass for a TD in an NFL game. McCaffrey’s usage versus the Rams (minus the passing attempt) should closely resemble how the 49ers will use him going forward. Expect 15-18 carries per game to go along with 6-8 receptions – which entrenches McCaffrey in the RB1 overall discussion.
With a prolific passing day often comes the battery mate of our lead QB as the lead WR. AJ Brown caught 3 of Hurts’ 4 TD tosses, and the majority of Hurts’ passing yardage (156 of 285). Brown has helped Hurts and the Eagles’ offense unlock a new level on offense this year, as was intended from the offseason trade. Brown remains a weekly WR1, with the ability for enormous offensive outbursts like the one that happened in Week 8.
The New York Jets had a rough day at the office, losing to Bill Belichick and the Patriots once again. On the positive side, tight end Tyler Conklin had himself a great day, scoring the Jets’ only two TDs of the game. Conklin sits on the TE2 side of the fence, as his fantasy relevant games only come sparingly.
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.
- Justin Fields, QB - CHI: 17-23, 151 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs (8 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD)
Analysis: The 2021 first round QB draft class has largely underwhelmed thus far into their careers. Of course, it’s way too early to make any firm declarations, but as of now, only Trevor Lawrence has cemented himself as a firm long-term answer. That said, Lawrence has merely been solid, while not showing any signs of the generational prospect that he was touted to be at draft time. Now which QB from that group 1) has done the most with the least, and 2) has the most fantasy value for 2022 moving forward? We go to Chicago, where Ohio State alum Justin Fields has quietly strung together three strong fantasy performances in a row. Fields threw for two TDs and ran for another against the Cowboys this past Sunday, with 60 yards rushing (aka fantasy gold from a QB) to his name. Fields has six total TDs over the last three weeks, with two of those coming on the ground, while averaging 173 passing yards and 77 rushing yards in those games. Fields and the Bears will likely continue having weekly ups and downs in terms of wins and losses, but Fields the fantasy asset has arrived. As you can see from the top of the fantasy QB standings, signal callers who compile rushing statistics provide a whole new layer of value versus pocket only passers. This is largely because rushing yards are worth more than passing yards in virtually all leagues, and rushing TDs are worth more than passing TDs in most leagues. As the Bears will be trailing in most games, the ball will be in Fields’ hands to make plays. The Bears face the Dolphins, Lions and Falcons in their next three games…all incredibly QB friendly matchups. If you need a QB, make a play for Fields now. Fields will hover near the QB1 line for those matchups.
- Jonathan Taylor, RB – IND: 16 carries, 76 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: You have to dig back a while to find a consensus number one overall fantasy pick who has failed to deliver – for reasons not dominated by injury - to the extent Jonathan Taylor has this season. Yes, Taylor missed a few games due to injury, but he’s also left his fantasy owners hanging in the six games he’s played in so far. Since scoring a TD and rushing for more than 100 yards in Week 1, Taylor has failed to repeat either of those accomplishments in his five games since. So what’s going on in Indy? Well, the offense - and specifically the passing game – scares no one. QB Matt Ryan has been escorted to the bench for the remainder of the season, as Ryan was wholly ineffective…in part due to diminished arm strength, while also not being able to hack it behind a weak offensive line. Insert young second year QB Sam Ehlinger, which the team hopes will provide a spark the rest of the way. Ehlinger has mobility and a lively arm in comparison to Ryan, so the move at QB should cause defenses to focus at least a bit more attention away from Taylor and the Colts’ running game. So how should you value Taylor moving forward? The RB1 overall moniker has been put to bed for good, at least for this year. But he remains a top 8-10 fantasy RB for the rest of the season. Admittedly this is very disappointing for owners who took Taylor with pick 1.1 in drafts, but that’s a sunk cost at this point. Fantasy owners should remain patient with Taylor, as his numbers should improve moving forward. He’s too talented to stay in the dumps the whole season. In case an owner wants to sell low on Taylor, go grab him – but go into any such deal with the mindset that you’re acquiring a low end RB1 and not THE RB1.
- Tony Pollard, RB – DAL: 14 carries, 131 yards, 3 TDs
Analysis: Usually an injury to a team’s starter causes a dropoff in production, but the Cowboys have a stubborn allegiance to Zeke Elliott, when a simple look at statistics – not even advanced statistics, but base statistics – makes clear that backup Tony Pollard should be the team’s primary back. With Zeke out against the Bears, Pollard glided for 131 yards over 14 carries (9.4 YPC) while scoring 3 TDs. For the 2022 season, Pollard has averaged 6.2 yards per carry versus 4.1 for Elliott. Moving back a year to 2021, Pollard has the edge over Elliott by a 5.5 to 4.2 stat line. Pollard holds the end in 2020 and 2019 as well, covering Pollard’s four seasons in the league. Given that both backs run behind the same offensive line, you’d be hard pressed to explain away the large gap in performance between the two players with an answer other than Pollard > Elliott. But unless you own the Cowboys, you don’t get to decide which player starts. Sorry Coach McCarthy! Owner Jerry Jones has made clear that Elliott will return to the starting lineup upon his return, so expect the existing split between the backs (approximately 60/40 in favor of Elliott) to continue. But Pollard showed what the alternate universe looks like if he were to be the Cowboys’ starter in a non-timeshare situation – a top-5 fantasy RB. For those of you in dynasty leagues, now would be a good time to secure his rights for next season. Pollard hits free agency next offseason, and he will likely be starting somewhere…if not Dallas, then somewhere else.
- Greg Dulcich, TE – DEN: 4 catches, 87 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: The Denver Broncos have fallen flat on their faces thus far in what was supposed to be a Super Bowl contending season. Nathaniel Hackett’s coaching acumen has come into question, while Russell Wilson has struggled to acclimate to his new franchise, with his trademark pocket mobility largely invisible. Fortunately for the Broncos, they came out on top versus the Jaguars in London, which puts them at 3-5 instead of a more insurmountable 2-6 record. Not much as gone right for the team on offense, but one bright spot has been rookie Greg Dulcich, who has emerged over the past three games to provide the Broncos another weapon in the passing game. The UCLA product caught 4 passes for 87 yards against the Jaguars, while targeted by Wilson 5 times. Only Jerry Jeudy had more targets in the game. Over this productive three game stretch, Dulcich has 12 receptions for 182 yards and a TD, while being targeted just under 6 times per game. Dulcich has soft hands to go with above average athleticism, which at 6-4 makes him a desirable target for QBs. Wilson has struggled with consistently incorporating tight ends into offenses throughout his career, so Dulcich does come with downturn risk. But for teams needing a tight end, Dulcich is worth an add. The Broncos have their bye week coming up, so Dulcich will be an intriguing option from week 10 forward. Make a claim for the Broncos’ rookie tight end if you need help at the position.
* All snap count information is referenced through statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case a player 1) who has NOT been featured above, and 2) remains available in more than 50% of leagues.
QB: Marcus Mariota, ATL (vs LAC)
RB: Isiah Pacheco, KC (vs TEN)
RB: Kyren Williams, LAR (@ TB) (running out of time to stash him)
WR: Romeo Doubs, GB (@ DET) (somehow still available in most leagues)
WR: Rondale Moore, ARI (vs SEA)
TE: Evan Engram, JAC (vs LV)
Personal Note
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