Stars of Week 8

QB: Patrick Mahomes, KC: 24-34, 303 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT

RB: James Conner, PIT: 24 carries, 146 yards, 2 TDs (5 catches, 66 yards, 0 TDs)          

WR: Mike Evans, TB: 6 catches, 179 yards, 1 TD           

TE: Travis Kelce, KC: 6 catches 79 yards, 1 TD 

Just because you see Patrick Mahomes’ name here yet again doesn’t mean that the writeup hasn’t been updated. Mahomes continues his dominance this year, and don’t expect anything to change. Who needs Le’Veon Bell? Not the Steelers, who have had James Connor give them ninety percent of what Bell gives them. Connor took the Browns to the shed this past weekend, helping put the final nail in the coffin for Hue Jackson’s head coaching tenure with the Browns. Meanwhile Bell has cost himself several million dollars, all while hurting his market value for next season. The Bucs are in disarray at the QB spot, but Mike Evans continues to roll regardless of whether Winston or FitzMagic is the QB. He remains a WR1. Travis Kelce has been in this space a few times as well, and he remains a top 3 overall tight end. No real surprises here for this past week.

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. 

- Carson Wentz, QB – PHI: 21-30, 286 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT 

Analysis: The Eagles have faced adversity in their post-Super Bowl winning season, and would be on the outskirts of the playoffs if the season started today. Wentz made his debut in week 3 against the Colts, after having torn his ACL in December of 2017. While Wentz has not performed to his 2017 levels to date, there are signs that he’s heating up. Over the last three games, Wentz has thrown 8 TDs and only one pick, while averaging just a shade under 300 yards per contest. It takes time to get your footing (pun intended) following an ACL injury, and Wentz has shown over these last few weeks that he’s back to QB1 status. If you’ve got Wentz, look to plug him into your lineup as the starting QB, and if you need a QB via trade, he’s a good one to seek. He’s a bit undervalued still, but that won’t last long – act now.

- Adrian Peterson, RB – WAS: 26 carries, 149 yards, 1 TD (1 catch, 7 yards, 1 TD)

Analysis: Future hall of famer Adrian Peterson looked like he was toast during the 2017 season. As a result, AP’s signing in training camp landed him onto the fantasy rader, but only as a mid round pick. Well, All Day has apparently consulted with Ponce De Leon and found the fountain of youth, as he’s on pace for close to 1,300 yards and 9 TDs. That’s high end RB2 territory, and great ROI for those of you who snagged him. AP fits perfectly within the Redskins system, and o-line coach Bill Callahan has created a monster line for the 33 year old RB to run behind. Given AP’s age, there might be an inclination to sell high. That would be a mistake, as he’s in fantastic shape and in a perfect system for his skills. Having rushed for at least 96 yards in five of his seven contests, look for AP to continue as a top 15 RB for the rest of the season. Look for his second half of the season to resemble the first half. 

- Josh Adams, RB – PHI: 9 carries, 61 yards, 0 TDs 

Analysis: The Eagles lost Jay Ajayi to a season ending injury a few weeks back, so Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement stood to share RB duties for the rest of the season. Well, not quite actually. Enter Josh Adams, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame who played 18 snaps for the Eagles this past Sunday against the Jaguars. Apologies for the additional pun, but Adams ran with his opportunity to a tune of 61 yards off nine carries. Adams checks in at 6’2” and 225 pounds, which makes him the best bruiser the Eagles have for goal line carries. Adams’ ascent appears to come mostly at Clement’s expense, as he was limited to four carries against the Jags. With the running game not having had much success up to this point, look for Adams to continue to get an extended look as a key part of the Eagles backfield. The Eagles are on bye this week, so it’s a perfect time to snag him while hopefully the rest of your league looks for more immediate options. If you need an RB and have a spot available, prioritize adding Josh Adams. 

- DJ Moore, WR – CAR: 5 catches, 90 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: Panthers rookie WR DJ Moore got the first start of his NFL career on Sunday against the Ravens, and he stepped up against a tough Ravens’ secondary. Moore hauled in five passes for 90 yards, with QB Cam Newton targeting him six times. Each of those stats is a career high for Moore. The Maryland product has freakish athletic ability, having tested in the 97 percentile with his SPARQ score. There’s no question that Moore has all the tools needed to be a special WR. The question we need to decipher though is how helpful he’ll be to your fantasy team for the rest of this season. Like any rookie, Moore’s production will vacillate from week to week, in large part based on opportunity, quality of opponent and natural learning curve for a rookie. Moore makes for a great play this coming week against the Buccaneers, but after that will be more of a deeper league play (think 12 or more teams). If you need a WR, Moore’s a solid add and a good bet to put up numbers this week, but just be realistic about week to week expectations. In case you need a reminder, take a look at fellow rookie Calvin Ridley’s game log. 

- David Moore, WR – SEA: 4 catches, 97 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: We’ve got a second Moore up for review this week.  Along with emerging Seahawks star RB Chris Carson, WR David Moore was a seventh round pick in 2017. More importantly, Moore has shown that he was a steal in that draft. The Seahawks released Brandon Marshall this week as a direct result of Moore’s ascension into the third wideout role for the Hawks. Moore has good size at 6’2’’ and has shown special ability to haul in contested catches. That’s not all – Moore is also able to create separation from defenders. So we’re talking about a complete package here. While Moore has all the skills, he doesn’t have as much opportunity as we would like. The Seahawks have committed to a run first offense, and passing attempts are less frequent than the rest of the league. So the talented Moore will not have many catches per game – note he hasn’t been targeted more than 4 times in any game. Because of this, his fantasy value will be up and down from week to week. Moore’s a WR4 in smaller leagues, but he’s a flex in deeper leagues (14 plus teams). For those of you in dynasty leagues, he’s a great player to snag. Moore has WR1 potential down the road. 

Rapid Fire Pickups

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

QB: Alex Smith, WAS (great matchup vs. Atlanta this week)

RB: Duke Johnson, CLE

RB: Ronald Jones, TB

WR: Courtland Sutton, DEN (with D. Thomas’ trade, Sutton is a must add)

WR: Keke Coutee, HOU

TE: Cameron Brate, TB

Week 9 Rankings 

Quarterbacks:

1. Patrick Mahomes, KC       @Cle
2. Cam Newton, Car            TB
3. Aaron Rodgers, GB          @NE
4. Tom Brady, NE                 GB
5. Jared Goff, LAR                @NO
6. Drew Brees, NO               LAR
7. Deshaun Watson, Hou      @Den
8. Kirk Cousins, Min             Det
9. Matt Ryan, Atl                 @Wsh
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB         @Car
11. Russell Wilson, Sea          LAC
12. Philip Rivers, LAC            @Sea
13. Mitchell Trubisky, Chi       @Buf
14. Baker Mayfield, Cle         KC
15. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit    @Bal
16. Matthew Stafford, Det     @Min
17. Joe Flacco, Bal                Pit
18. Alex Smith, Wsh             Atl
19. Dak Prescott, Dal            Ten
20. Marcus Mariota, Ten        @Dal

Running Backs:

1. Todd Gurley, LAR             @NO
2. Alvin Kamara, NO            LAR
3. Kareem Hunt, KC             @Cle
4. Ezekiel Elliott, Dal            Ten
5. C. McCaffrey, Car             TB
6. Melvin Gordon, LAC          @Sea
7. James White, NE              GB
8. James Conner, Pit            @Bal
9. Adrian Peterson, Wsh       All
10. Lamar Miller, Hou            @Den
11. Tarik Cohen, Chi              @Buf
12. Nick Chubb, Cle               KC
13. Latavius Murray, Min        Det
14. Kenyan Drake, Mia           NYJ
15. Chris Carson, Sea           LAC
16. Phillip Lindsay, Den         Hou
17. Mark Ingram II, NO         LAR
18. Kerryon Johnson, Det      @Min
19. Isaiah Crowell, NYJ         @Mia
20. Tevin Coleman, Atl          @Wsh
21. LeSean McCoy, Buf          Chi
22. Chris Thompson, Wsh      Atl
23. Jordan Howard, Chi         @Buf
24. Aaron Jones, GB              @NE
25. Alex Collins, Bal              Pit
26. Dion Lewis, Ten              @Dal
27. Peyton Barber, TB           @Car
28. Austin Ekeler, LAC           @Sea
29. Duke Johnson Jr., Cle       KC
30. Frank Gore, Mia               NYJ
31. Javorius Allen, Bal            Pit
32. Derrick Henry, Ten           @Dal
33. Ito Smith, Atl                  @Wsh
34. Jamaal Williams, GB         @NE
35. Mike Davis, Sea               LAC
36. Trenton Cannon, NYJ        @Mia
37. Theo Riddick, Det             @Min
38. Devontae Booker, Den      Hou
39. Alfred Blue, Hou               @Den
40. Chris Ivory, But                Chi

Wide Receivers:

1. Adam Thielen, Min          Det
2. Davante Adams, GB        @NE
3. DeAndre Hopkins, Hou    @Den
4. Antonio Brown, Pit          @Bal
5. Julio Jones, Atl               @Wsh
6. Tyreek Hill, KC               @Cle
7. Michael Thomas, NO       LAR
8. Mike Evans, TB               @Car
9. Robert Woods, LAR         @NO
10. Keenan Allen, LAC           @Sea
11. Stefon Diggs, Min            Det
12. Jarvis Landry, Cle            KC
13. E. Sanders, Den              Hou
14. Brandin Cooks, LAR         @NO
15. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pit  @Bal
16. Cooper Kupp, LAR           @NO
17. Julian Edelman, NE         GB
18. Devin Funchess, Car       TB
19. Josh Gordon, NE             GB
20. John Brown, Bal              Pit
21. Kenny Golladay, Det        @Min
22. Sammy Watkins, KC        @Cle
23. Marvin Jones Jr., Det       @Min
24. Allen Robinson, Chi         @Buf
25. Amari Cooper, Dal           Ten
26. D. Thomas, Hou              @Den
27. Courtland Sutton, Den    Hou
28. Michael Crabtree, Bal      Pit
29. Doug Baldwin, Sea         LAC
30. DeSean Jackson, TB       @Car
31. DJ Moore, Car                TB
32. Taylor Gabriel, Chi          @Buf
33. Corey Davis, Ten            @Dal
34. Tyler Lockett, Sea           LAC
35. Calvin Ridley, Atl             @Wsh
36. Randall Cobb, GB            @NE
37. Keke Coutee, Hou           @Den
38. DeVante Parker, Mia        NYJ
39. Chris Godwin, TB            @Car
40. Mohamed Sanu, Atl         @Was

Tight End:

1. Travis Kelce, KC              @Cle
2. Rob Gronkowski, NE        GB
3. Greg Olsen, Car              TB
4. Jimmy Graham, GB         @NE
5. O.J. Howard, TB              @Car
6. Trey Burton, Chi              @Buf
7. David Njoku, Cle             KC
8. Jordan Reed, Wsh           Atl
9. Austin Hooper, Atl           @Wsh
10. Vance McDonald, Pit        @Bal
11. Kyle Rudolph, Min           Det
12. Benjamin Watson, NO     LAR
13. Jeff Heuerman, Den        Hou
14. Chris Herndon, NYJ         @Mia
15. Charles Clay, Buf             Chi
16. Jesse James, Pit              @Bal
17. Cameron Brate, TB          @Car
18. Antonio Gates, LAC         @Sea
19. Gerald Everett, LAR         @NO
20. Ed Dickson, Sea              LAC

Defense/Special Teams:

1. Chicago Bears                 @Buf
2. Dallas Cowboys               Ten
3. Carolina Panthers            TB
4. Houston Texans              @Den
5. Minnesota Vikings           Det
6. Miami Dolphins               NYJ
7. Baltimore Ravens            Pit
8. Washington Redskins       Atl
9. Denver Broncos               Hou
10. Pittsburgh Steelers          @Bal
11. New York Jets                 @Mia
12. Kansas City Chiefs           @Cle
13. Los Angeles Chargers      @Sea
14. Buffalo Bills                     Chi
15. Los Angeles Rams           @NO