RADIO
We can't even begin discussing Week 8 without acknowledging National Tight Ends Day. Unless you started Jake Ferguson or Cole Kmet, you were happy with the output you got from your tight end last week. Don't expect to be as pleased this week -- we are much more likely to revert to the tight-end landscape we saw in the early part of the season than we are to see another weekend like that.
Unfortunately, I didn't call out any tight ends as trade targets last week. I suggested trading for Stefon Diggs and DeVonta Smith. Diggs was having a fine day with five receptions and 81 yards before exiting with a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter. Smith bounced back with six receptions for 85 yards and a score in the Eagles' win over the Bengals, a bright spot in what was otherwise a rough week for my trade recommendations. I mentioned Terry McLaurin and Kyler Murray as players to sell high, and both had solid showings. In my defense, I did not think Jayden Daniels was going to suit up. With how Murray's season has gone up to this point, it's going to be difficult to predict his good and bad games.
Let's get back on track heading into Week 9, starting with two underperforming players who should improve soon.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for the 2025 playoffs:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Football
Davante Adams, New York Jets
Oh, the Jets. Losing on the road to the Steelers is one thing, but the Patriots with Jacoby Brissett taking over for an injured Drake Maye in the second quarter? This was a historically bad loss.
Scored 20+ points
Didn’t turn it over
Allowed fewer than 250 yardsIn NFL history, teams are 750-1 (including playoffs) when generating that box score.
The only loss is the Jets yesterday.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 28, 2024
Since acquiring perennial Pro Bowler Davante Adams, the Jets are 0-2, and Adams is averaging just 3.5 receptions for 42 yards. He and Aaron Rodgers have not been on the same page while Garrett Wilson has been thriving with less attention on him. I can't say for sure that New York is going to make a serious playoff push, but I do expect Adams to rebound.
Adams and Rodgers have too much past success together to think that they suddenly can't work as a tandem. The opportunities have been there for Adams as he earned nine and six targets in his two games as a Jet, respectively. The Steelers have been limiting WR1s all season, and although the Patriots have not on paper, almost all of the receiver production they've surrendered has come in three games.
The 2-6 Jets will return to MetLife Stadium to take on the Houston Texans this Thursday night. They surprisingly opened as 1.5-point favorites even though Houston has as many wins as New York has losses. Of course, the Texans are without their top two pass-catchers, the aforementioned Diggs and Nico Collins, but Houston's defense is playing fairly well and Joe Mixon has been running wild.
The Jets are favored simply because it is now or never. They are two games out of a Wild Card spot in a wide-open AFC playoff race. There are seven teams in the AFC with two or fewer victories, but a loss against the Texans would all but seal New York's fate.
While Houston has been stingy against the run, it has been vulnerable to the air attack. Wide receiver rooms are averaging 28.3 half-PPR points per game against the Texans, the eighth most in the league. The Texans only trail the Ravens in touchdowns allowed to wideouts through eight weeks.
I anticipate a big get-right game for Adams and Rodgers this week, and I'm betting the former scores his first touchdown as a Jet in his home debut.
The schedule for Adams over the next three weeks looks extremely promising. After the Texans, he'll face the Cardinals and Colts, both of whom rank top-10 in passing yards allowed per contest. Fantasy managers who drafted Adams have only been happy with his play once this year, so he shouldn't be too difficult to acquire.
Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
Onto another former Packer. Aaron Jones has been steady this season as the RB14 in fantasy points per game, but he's been a top-12 running back just twice. Last week, he had his least efficient outing of the year with only 58 rushing yards on 19 carries in a stunning loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The positive takeaway from Week 8 was Jones' prolific utilization.
#Vikings went full-blown Aaron Jones last night. RB snaps:
* Aaron Jones 46
* Ty Chandler 2
* Cam Akers 0— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 25, 2024
Before last week, Jones' season high in snap percentage was 82% in a revenge game against Green Bay. In every other contest before Minnesota's Week 6 bye, Ty Chandler was given at least seven touches. Since returning, Chandler has garnered two total opportunities.
Jones may have been so heavily leaned upon because the Vikings have either been trailing or going back and forth with their last two opponents. Chandler is likely to see the field a bit more in games that Minnesota leads. The Vikings are favored against the Colts this week, but Jones should still see plenty of work.
Indianapolis will be starting Joe Flacco at quarterback on Sunday night, which is great news for Jones. The Colts are 2-1 and averaging 27 points per game when Flacco is under center, more than Anthony Richardson. The Vikings pass defense is struggling right now, so we should see a relatively competitive battle between these two teams.
The Colts are allowing the third-most rushing yards in the NFL and the 13th-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Joe Mixon scored as the fantasy RB6 against them last week.
In addition to his incredible snap share, Jones' route participation in Week 8 was excellent. He was a receiving option for Sam Darnold on 69% of Minnesota's pass plays. While he finished with just two receptions, his 37 yards through the air were a big boost to his fantasy output. There is little reason to suspect this usage changes as long as the Vikings aren't blowing teams out.
Although Minnesota could pummel the Jaguars in Week 10, Jones would almost certainly help the Vikings get up early. Jacksonville gives up the sixth-most fantasy points and the most receptions to opposing backs.
The fact that Jones has already had his bye week is yet another reason to trade for him. You can get a workhorse running back on a good offense and lock him in your starting lineup for the rest of the season. I'd rather have Jones for a playoff run than players such as Josh Jacobs, Alvin Kamara, and James Cook.
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Football
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals backfield has been a difficult one to evaluate this season. Zack Moss got off to a nice start, but second-year pro Chase Brown has emerged as the preferred fantasy option over the past five weeks.
Since Week 4, Brown is the fantasy RB12, averaging an impressive 13.4 fantasy points per contest. He found the end zone in Week 8 and has a very favorable matchup on tap for Week 9, but I think the time to sell him high is now.
Brown scored twice and ran efficiently in Week 4, but he still played fewer snaps than Moss and continued to do so in Week 5. Moss suffered a mild ankle sprain, and while he was active in Weeks 6 and 7, he was used sparingly while Brown led the way. In that span, the Bengals played the Giants and Browns and came away victorious twice.
Last week, Cincinnati went back to featuring Moss a bit more heavily.
Zack Moss went back to out-snapping Chase Brown on Sunday (game script alert), getting two more snaps. They were three routes run away from one another, per PFF, but Brown, once again, saw more attempts. His 70.6% running back rush share was the second-highest of his season.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) October 28, 2024
Sure, Brown handled 12 carries to Moss' five, but both earned four targets and Moss was far more effective as a pass-catcher. The Bengals lost to the Eagles, and the concern going forward is that Cincinnati could be playing from behind often.
Again, Brown should be fine in Week 9 against the Raiders as the Bengals are favored by more than a touchdown. His schedule starting in Week 10 is worrisome, though. Five of Cincinnati's last eight games will be against opponents over .500.
Their three remaining adversaries below .500 will be the Cowboys, Titans, and Browns. Tennessee and Cleveland have fared well against the run this season and it's reasonable to expect the Cowboys and Browns to play the Bengals close, if not win outright.
The Bengals' more difficult remaining foes are the Ravens, Chargers, Steelers (twice), and Broncos. Baltimore has the best run defense in the league by a wide margin, and Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Denver rank 32nd, 31st, and 30th in most points per game allowed, respectively.
If you want to hang onto Brown for one more week in hopes that he performs well against Las Vegas, I can't blame you. I would rather move him now on the promise that he will have another good showing. It also could be more challenging to trade him away closer to his bye in Week 12.
J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers
Through the first eight weeks of the season, J.K. Dobbins has easily been one of the biggest steals in fantasy drafts. His ADP was in the 11th round, outside of the top 40 running backs drafted. Tyjae Spears, Ezekiel Elliott, Blake Corum, and even Chargers teammate Gus Edwards were all commonly drafted ahead of Dobbins.
Concerns with Dobbins have always been injury-related. The 25-year-old appeared in 15 games as a rookie but has failed to suit up for more than eight in a single season since. He is on track to do so in 2024, however, with seven games played already.
Dobbins got off to a hot start this year with over 130 rushing yards and a touchdown in back-to-back games. He has turned in two performances as a top-15 fantasy back since Week 3, but his numbers have been disappointing.
J.K. Dobbins is averaging only 3.16 yards per carry on 85 rush attempts in his last five games.
This is despite a couple of smash spots vs the Cardinals and Saints.
It's time to see more Kimani Vidal.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) October 28, 2024
Who knows if sixth-round rookie Kimani Vidal will get significant playing time at some point this season, but Gus Edwards will probably have a role when he returns from an ankle injury. The earliest Edwards can play is in Week 10.
Neither Edwards nor Vidal have been efficient in 2024, either, but if Dobbins continues to struggle, we will almost definitely see a committee of some sort. Dobbins' chances of turning things around are slim, given his schedule over the next six weeks.
In Week 9, Dobbins will go on the road to face the Browns, who give up less than 100 total rushing yards per game at home. Cleveland is the sixth-most-difficult matchup for fantasy running backs this season.
The Ravens are the seventh-toughest matchup, the Falcons are the eighth-toughest matchup, and the Chiefs are the single worst matchup for fantasy backs. All three of these teams are on the docket for Dobbins before Week 15. He'll also get the Titans during that stretch, who have given up a fair amount of fantasy points but hold running backs to the seventh-fewest yards per tote in the league.
He has helped your fantasy team get some wins in the early going, but it's time to move on from Dobbins while you still can. He scored last week and finished as the RB15, so he should still hold enough value in most leagues to yield a more stable RB2 or WR2 in return.
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