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Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Fantasy Football Breakouts - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends Analysis For Week 9
Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent target-earners are among the top fantasy point scorers: they can be relied on by not just their team’s offense to earn targets and produce on those targets.
We’ll take a weekly team-by-team look into these target earners and separate the wheat from the chaff. To properly lead into what we’ll be looking at this season, we’ll have to establish a baseline of the most important things we’re looking at with targets and other receiving metrics that paint the full picture for who we should be rostering, who we should be adding, and who we can drop.
Everything we’ll discuss in this season’s WR/TE/RB Targets, Air Yards, and Snaps trends analysis article will be some of the best statistics and metrics correlating with fantasy football production. Think of targets as a page in a coloring book, representing the outline yet to be colored. Coloring on that page adds context and flavor to that page. That’s what we’ll do with targets — adding more context than just some target totals and box score stats.
Note: Statistics from our player pages at RotoBaller were included during the compilation of data, while Pro Football Reference, PFF, Fantasy Points Data, NFELO, NFL NextGenStats, NFL Pro+, RotoViz, ESPN Stats and Info, SumerSports, and Nathan Jahnke's Immediate Fantasy Football Takeaways article for that particular week were also used as resources in the creation of this article.
Important Links
We're also providing a full table with statistics for each week HERE.
Largest Target Share % Increases from Week 7 To Week 8
| Name | Pos. | Team | WK 7 Target Share | WK 8 Target Share | Diff (+/-) |
| Zay Flowers | WR | BAL | 5.3% | 36.4% | +31.1% |
| DeVonta Smith | WR | PHI | 9.1% | 40.0% | +30.9% |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | DEN | 0.0% | 29.7% | +29.7% |
| Sam LaPorta | TE | DET | 4.3% | 33.3% | +29.0% |
| Kyren Williams | RB | LAR | 0.0% | 18.8% | +18.8% |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | CIN | 4.2% | 22.9% | +18.7% |
| Josh Downs | WR | IND | 10.0% | 28.6% | +18.6% |
| Elijah Moore | WR | CLE | 13.0% | 31.6% | +18.5% |
| Christian Watson | WR | GB | 6.1% | 24.0% | +17.9% |
| Brenton Strange | TE | JAC | 0.0% | 16.7% | +16.7% |
| Tyreek Hill | WR | MIA | 9.1% | 25.0% | +15.9% |
| Travis Kelce | TE | KC | 20.0% | 35.3% | +15.3% |
| Calvin Ridley | WR | TEN | 23.7% | 38.9% | +15.2% |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | NE | 5.6% | 20.7% | +15.1% |
| David Moore | WR | CAR | 0.0% | 14.7% | +14.7% |
Sam LaPorta FINALLY had his target-earning game... but with a caveat: the Lions' quarterbacks threw 18 passes, so with the Lions starting every drive in plus territory, there wasn't much opportunity for volume.
Without Tee Higgins for the Bengals, Mike Gesicki got to eat at the adult's table for the week and had a solid volume-earning game besides Ja'Marr Chase. If Higgins remains out, Gesicki should be a sizable part of that.
Cracking this list due to the tonal shift for the Cleveland Browns is Elijah Moore, who may have more appearances on this list with some boom-or-bust games with several other receivers ahead of him in the pecking order.
Largest Target Share % Decreases from Week 7 To Week 8
| Name | Pos. | Team | WK 7 Target Share | WK 8 Target Share | Diff (+/-) |
| Tutu Atwell | WR | LAR | 45.0% | 6.3% | -38.8% |
| Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | CAR | 33.3% | 2.9% | -30.4% |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | DET | 34.8% | 11.1% | -23.7% |
| Tyler Johnson | WR | LAR | 25.0% | 3.1% | -21.9% |
| Troy Franklin | WR | DEN | 26.1% | 5.4% | -20.7% |
| Brock Bowers | TE | LV | 39.4% | 19.2% | -20.2% |
| George Pickens | WR | PIT | 36.0% | 17.9% | -18.1% |
| Mason Tipton | WR | NO | 23.1% | 5.6% | -17.5% |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | NYG | 30.8% | 13.9% | -16.9% |
| A.J. Brown | WR | PHI | 45.5% | 30.0% | -15.5% |
| Jonnu Smith | TE | MIA | 31.8% | 16.7% | -15.2% |
| Lucas Krull | TE | DEN | 17.4% | 2.7% | -14.7% |
| Stefon Diggs | WR | HOU | 36.8% | 22.2% | -14.6% |
| Breece Hall | RB | NYJ | 25.0% | 11.5% | -13.5% |
| Saquon Barkley | RB | PHI | 18.2% | 5.0% | -13.2% |
Some players on this list are on here as they were deemphasized within their offenses, like Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson due to the returns of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Troy Franklin because of personnel instability, and whatever Sean Payton's voodoo he's doing with pass-catchers in Denver.
Others just had to come down a bit based on huge previous weeks, like A.J. Brown and Brock Bowers. Stefon Diggs was the most consistent target earner in Houston with Nico Collins out, but now Diggs is out for the season with a torn ACL, so that one is going to hurt the Texans going forward. We'll talk about that one below.
Arizona Cardinals
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | 7 | 6 | 111 | 1 | 48.8% | 97.3% | 90.9% | 20.0 | 23.3% | 33.3% | 19.4% | 3.08 | 23.1 | WR4 |
| Greg Dortch | WR | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.7% | 45.9% | 37.9% | 1.0 | 6.7% | 0.0% | 11.8% | 0.53 | 1.9 | WR98 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 6 | 5 | 31 | 1 | 14.0% | 78.4% | 69.7% | 6.7 | 20.0% | 22.2% | 20.7% | 1.07 | 14.1 | WR29 |
| Zay Jones | WR | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | -0.7% | 29.7% | 25.8% | -2.0 | 3.3% | 5.6% | 9.1% | 0.27 | 1.3 | WR110 |
| Zach Pascal | WR | 2.7% | 3.0% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Trey McBride | TE | 9 | 9 | 124 | 0 | 28.5% | 97.3% | 97.0% | 9.1 | 30.0% | 38.9% | 25.0% | 3.44 | 21.4 | TE5 |
| Elijah Higgins | TE | 2 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 2.4% | 21.6% | 28.8% | 3.5 | 6.7% | 0.0% | 25.0% | 1.63 | 3.3 | TE46 |
| Tip Reiman | TE | 16.2% | 43.9% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| James Conner | RB | 2 | 2 | 16 | 0 | -0.7% | 64.9% | 80.3% | -1.0 | 6.7% | 0.0% | 8.3% | 0.67 | 16.9 | RB14 |
| Trey Benson | RB | 2.7% | 6.1% | 1.0 | RB67 | ||||||||||
| Emari Demercado | RB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0% | 10.8% | 12.1% | 20.0 | 3.3% | 0.0% | 25.0% | 0.00 | 0.0 | RB75 |
Cardinals Notes From Week 8:
On National Tight End Day -- did you hear about this? Did you see this? -- Trey McBride (nine targets, 9-124) celebrated by leading the Cardinals in everything but on the touchdown end. A healthy 9.1-yard aDOT was great to see where McBride was winning on all levels of the field.
Marvin Harrison Jr. (seven targets, 6-111-1) was able to play off of him at a very deep 20.0-yard aDOT with a robust 140 air yards as well. After Michael Wilson and his second-quarter touchdown, no other Cardinal had more than two receptions or 16 receiving yards.
It was a little less efficient than we’d like, but James Conner (20-53-1 rushing; two targets, 2-16 receiving) just manages to get there every week on a whopping 80% of snaps. Trey Benson (1-10 rushing) and Emari Demercado (one target, no stats) aren’t factors whatsoever.
Atlanta Falcons
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Drake London | WR | 6 | 4 | 34 | 0 | 19.9% | 96.8% | 100.0% | 6.7 | 21.4% | 30.0% | 20.0% | 1.13 | 7.4 | WR62 |
| Darnell Mooney | WR | 7 | 5 | 92 | 1 | 67.6% | 96.8% | 93.5% | 19.5 | 25.0% | 30.0% | 23.3% | 3.07 | 20.2 | WR10 |
| Ray-Ray McCloud III | WR | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 | -4.0% | 96.8% | 88.7% | -2.7 | 10.7% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 0.30 | 5.6 | WR69 |
| KhaDarel Hodge | WR | 3.2% | 1.6% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Kyle Pitts | TE | 5 | 4 | 91 | 2 | 19.8% | 61.3% | 48.4% | 8.0 | 17.9% | 10.0% | 26.3% | 4.79 | 25.1 | TE2 |
| Charlie Woerner | TE | 1 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 2.0% | 25.8% | 56.5% | 4.0 | 3.6% | 5.0% | 12.5% | 1.63 | 2.3 | TE50 |
| Bijan Robinson | RB | 6 | 6 | 37 | 1 | -5.4% | 67.7% | 67.7% | -1.8 | 21.4% | 15.0% | 28.6% | 1.76 | 22.0 | RB8 |
| Tyler Allgeier | RB | 12.9% | 35.5% | 3.3 | RB46 |
Falcons Notes From Week 8:
The same story, but a little bit of a wrinkle. Drake London (six targets, 4-34), Darnell Mooney (team-leading seven targets, 5-92-1), and Ray-Ray McCloud (three targets, 3-9; 1-17 rushing) ran all but one route short of 100% route participation.
McCloud has been slowly having his production and opportunity phased out of the offense, but he could see more sporadic stuff. Still, it’s a tough sell for feeling bullish on anything McCloud right now.
At least there’s Kyle Pitts (five targets, 4-91-2), who put up a monster game against the creamsicled Buccaneers on an inexplicable 61% of routes. Yeah, I don’t get it either.
not an exaggeration to say these are the two plays in Kyle Pitts career that most closely resemble the 'matchup nightmare' we all thought he could be
1. Size + physicality to throw off a DB in man cvg
2. MOF full speed route, long strides & strength to run away from the defense pic.twitter.com/ewGujHofO0— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) October 29, 2024
After the “Pitts is too slow” people crushed him on social media, he’s been a top-13 fantasy tight end in each week after Week 4. The routes need to come up because it’s kind of wild to see Charlie Woerner (one target, 1-13, 57% snaps) out-snap Pitts.
Bijan Robinson’s solid day (13-63 rushing; six targets, 6-37-1) could have been massive if not for a holding penalty or two keeping him down. He still scored, but those penalties prevented a true “generational” game out of Robinson. Tyler Allgeier (12-33) was around to get 12 carries but was a non-factor in the receiving game, as Robinson took 68% of the routes.
Baltimore Ravens
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Zay Flowers | WR | 12 | 7 | 115 | 0 | 56.4% | 95.3% | 86.8% | 17.3 | 36.4% | 36.0% | 29.3% | 2.80 | 18.5 | WR14 |
| Rashod Bateman | WR | 3 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 17.7% | 97.7% | 83.8% | 21.7 | 9.1% | 8.0% | 7.1% | 0.67 | 3.8 | WR83 |
| Nelson Agholor | WR | 5 | 3 | 36 | 1 | 18.2% | 46.5% | 44.1% | 13.4 | 15.2% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 1.80 | 12.6 | WR40 |
| Mark Andrews | TE | 5 | 5 | 36 | 1 | 7.6% | 76.7% | 73.5% | 5.6 | 15.2% | 16.0% | 15.2% | 1.09 | 14.6 | TE11 |
| Isaiah Likely | TE | 4 | 4 | 47 | 0 | 0.3% | 67.4% | 69.1% | 0.3 | 12.1% | 12.0% | 13.8% | 1.62 | 8.7 | TE23 |
| Charlie Kolar | TE | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.8% | 7.0% | 14.7% | 1.5 | 6.1% | 4.0% | 66.7% | 3.00 | 1.9 | TE53 |
| Derrick Henry | RB | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -1.6% | 32.6% | 51.5% | -6.0 | 3.0% | 4.0% | 7.1% | 0.29 | 14.7 | RB21 |
| Justice Hill | RB | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0.5% | 48.8% | 50.0% | 2.0 | 3.0% | 0.0% | 4.8% | 0.67 | 2.9 | RB50 |
| Patrick Ricard | FB | 9.3% | 16.2% | 0.0 | FB5 |
Ravens Notes From Week 8:
Derrick Henry “continues to get away with it” as he’s been the player you needed to draft in the third round this season.
After a Zay Flowers 23-yard reception in the fourth quarter, Henry’s (11-73-1 rushing; one target, 1-4 receiving) ho-hum fantasy outing got a boost with a two-yard touchdown. He’s been great, and anybody who faded him (myself included) is getting their face rubbed in the dirt over and over again.
The aforementioned Flowers (team-leading 12 targets, 7-115) has been awesome with volume this season, providing a true, consistent wide receiver threat that the team hasn’t had, even with guys like Marquise Brown in the fold.
Mark Andrews (five targets, 5-36-1) saw his highest routes per dropback of the season (77%) and scored another touchdown, so with 12 personnel as the base formation for the Ravens, we’re getting Andrews on the field more now, which is massive. Isaiah Likely (four targets, 4-47) has been solid, but the upside with him is just not there weekly with so many moving pieces in Baltimore.
And that is what makes the Diontae Johnson trade even more bewildering, because with all of the personnel the Ravens play with multiple tight ends, a fullback, multiple running backs, etc., where does Johnson fit in? He’s going to have to take the downfield element directly from Rashod Bateman (three targets, 1-28) and essentially make him the sparingly used version of Nelson Agholor (five targets, 3-36-1).
It’s a weird situation, but Johnson is a good receiver, and it only cost the Ravens a fifth-round pick. Like the Cooper trade to Buffalo, I have a hard time seeing this as a net positive for Johnson looking at this through a fantasy lens.
Buffalo Bills
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Khalil Shakir | WR | 9 | 9 | 107 | 0 | 8.1% | 76.3% | 57.9% | 1.9 | 29.0% | 33.3% | 31.0% | 3.69 | 19.9 | WR11 |
| Keon Coleman | WR | 7 | 5 | 70 | 1 | 39.8% | 73.7% | 82.9% | 12.0 | 22.6% | 28.6% | 25.0% | 2.50 | 18.0 | WR16 |
| Mack Hollins | WR | 47.4% | 46.1% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Amari Cooper | WR | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2.8% | 63.2% | 50.0% | 3.0 | 6.5% | 9.5% | 8.3% | 0.13 | 1.3 | WR110 |
| Jalen Virgil | WR | 5.3% | 14.5% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Dalton Kincaid | TE | 7 | 4 | 31 | 1 | 22.9% | 60.5% | 53.9% | 6.9 | 22.6% | 14.3% | 30.4% | 1.35 | 13.1 | TE14 |
| Dawson Knox | TE | 2 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 18.9% | 47.4% | 53.9% | 20.0 | 6.5% | 9.5% | 11.1% | 2.78 | 7.0 | TE28 |
| Quintin Morris | TE | 2.6% | 13.2% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| James Cook | RB | 3 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 0.4% | 44.7% | 55.3% | 0.3 | 9.7% | 4.8% | 17.6% | 1.29 | 28.3 | RB1 |
| Ray Davis | RB | 13.2% | 22.4% | 2.9 | RB50 | ||||||||||
| Ty Johnson | RB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1% | 31.6% | 19.7% | 15.0 | 3.2% | 0.0% | 8.3% | 0.00 | 0.0 | RB75 |
Bills Notes From Week 8:
At the end of the first quarter, the Bills scored on a 93-yard drive capped by a Keon Coleman two-yard touchdown to make it 14-3 over the Seahawks. This was the first of their four consecutive drives where they scored 24 points and blew the game wide open. The game really wasn’t ever in doubt, as the Bills traveled west to Seattle and handled their business.
Khalil Shakir (team-leading nine targets, 9-107) put up 107 receiving yards on a hilarious 1.9-yard aDOT on the day. Shakir and Coleman (seven targets, 5-70-1) accounted for over half of the team’s targets on the afternoon. Scoring the other touchdown was Dalton Kincaid (seven targets, 4-31-1), who doesn’t even feel like a focal point of the offense, which was the thesis of drafting him in the first place.
With Shakir getting “easy button” looks in the offense, plus Coleman putting up two top-16 fantasy weeks at wide receiver, and the addition of Amari Cooper (two targets, 1-3, 63% routes) getting worked into the offense, it’s going to be a difficult proposition for Kincaid’s fantasy managers to assume any big production based on where you drafted him. Right now, he’s touchdown or bust.
Definitely NOT a bust is James Cook (17-111-2 rushing; five targets, 3-22 receiving), who was awesome and still is pushing Ray Davis (6-29 rushing) and Ty Johnson (one target, no stats) away from meaningful touches.
Carolina Panthers
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 7 | 4 | 34 | 1 | 38.8% | 63.4% | 62.3% | 16.3 | 20.6% | 19.2% | 26.9% | 1.31 | 13.4 | WR33 |
| Jonathan Mingo | WR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.0% | 51.2% | 54.1% | 14.7 | 8.8% | 7.7% | 14.3% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| David Moore | WR | 5 | 4 | 39 | 0 | 13.6% | 85.4% | 82.0% | 8.0 | 14.7% | 11.5% | 14.3% | 1.11 | 7.9 | WR56 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 6 | 4 | 78 | 1 | 34.0% | 80.5% | 68.9% | 16.7 | 17.6% | 23.1% | 18.2% | 2.36 | 17.8 | WR17 |
| Ian Thomas | TE | 4.9% | 27.9% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 4.8% | 48.8% | 60.7% | 4.7 | 8.8% | 7.7% | 15.0% | 0.65 | 3.3 | TE46 |
| Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2.0% | 43.9% | 36.1% | 6.0 | 2.9% | 3.8% | 5.6% | 0.39 | 1.7 | TE54 |
| Chuba Hubbard | RB | 2 | 2 | 15 | 0 | -2.0% | 58.5% | 73.8% | -3.0 | 5.9% | 3.8% | 8.3% | 0.63 | 9.1 | RB36 |
| Miles Sanders | RB | 7 | 7 | 38 | 0 | -6.2% | 36.6% | 34.4% | -2.6 | 20.6% | 23.1% | 46.7% | 2.53 | 11.5 | RB26 |
Panthers Notes From Week 8:
With no Diontae Johnson and the return of Bryce Young as starting quarterback, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be for Young. Don’t get me wrong, it was 28-7 in the third quarter, and the Panthers were overmatched, eventually losing 28-14. But Young threw for two touchdowns, and he wasn’t an outright abomination. So, baby steps?
Young found his top two receivers in rookies Xavier Legette (seven targets, 4-34-1, 63% routes) and Jalen Coker (six targets, 4-78-1, 81% routes) for touchdowns on the day, and with Johnson now in Baltimore, it’ll likely be these two with a returning Adam Thielen (TBD) to lead the way for the Panthers. It’s hard to trust any of them for fantasy, especially with Young throwing the ball.
If I had to pick one Panthers pass-catcher to roster, it’s Coker, who seems the most stable and efficient of the pass-catchers, but it’s still not a great offensive situation which if I have to decide between a third or fourth option on a good team to put in my lineup, the good team breaks ties in most instances.
Ja’Tavion Sanders (one target, 1-7, 44% routes) fell back to earth, with Tommy Tremble (three targets, 2-13, 49% routes) returning.
The backfield split remains the same as always, with Chuba Hubbard (15-56 rushing; two targets, 2-15 receiving) having a bit more of a muted day than usual and Miles Sanders (1-7 rushing; seven targets, 7-38) PPR scamming his way to double-digit fantasy points.
Chicago Bears
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| DJ Moore | WR | 4 | 2 | 27 | 0 | 17.4% | 97.0% | 95.2% | 11.3 | 20.0% | 23.1% | 12.5% | 0.84 | 5.4 | WR71 |
| Keenan Allen | WR | 6 | 2 | 39 | 0 | 35.3% | 97.0% | 96.8% | 15.3 | 30.0% | 23.1% | 18.8% | 1.22 | 5.9 | WR66 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 6 | 3 | 41 | 0 | 40.8% | 81.8% | 74.6% | 17.7 | 30.0% | 30.8% | 22.2% | 1.52 | 8.4 | WR53 |
| DeAndre Carter | WR | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2.3% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 6.0 | 5.0% | 7.7% | 100.0% | 7.00 | 1.7 | WR105 |
| Cole Kmet | TE | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 2.7% | 60.6% | 77.8% | 7.0 | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.0% | 0.70 | 4.4 | TE38 |
| Gerald Everett | TE | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1.5% | 33.3% | 33.3% | 2.0 | 10.0% | 15.4% | 18.2% | 0.27 | 1.3 | TE60 |
| Marcedes Lewis | TE | 15.2% | 15.9% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| D'Andre Swift | RB | 45.5% | 73.0% | 18.9 | RB11 | ||||||||||
| Roschon Johnson | RB | 12.1% | 27.0% | 6.6 | RB42 |
Bears Notes From Week 8:
In a game people will remember for the last play of the game rather than the previous 59:58, Caleb Williams was only 10-of-24 in passing, and D’Andre Swift carried the torch in a pretty ugly game, all things considered, with all field goals until the Bears scored two touchdowns at the end of the third and fourth quarters before the Hail Mary to Noah Brown.
While DJ Moore (four targets, 2-27; 2-7 rushing), Keenan Allen (six targets, 2-39), and Rome Odunze (six targets, 3-41; 2-13 rushing) carried 80% of the target volume for the Bears, it didn’t really amount to anything fruitful for fantasy purposes.
Swift (18-129-1) carried the day, though, and was the main cog in moving the ball for Chicago, with backup Roschon Johnson (2-6-1) also scoring a touchdown.
Oh, and besides the Hail Mary, we won’t ever forget the time that Shane Waldron called for a handoff to a backup offensive lineman with a fumbled exchange.
The Bears being the typical Bears. They hand it off to their O-Lineman who loses a fumble in the red zone.pic.twitter.com/0YGxCycDpk
— Lawrence Smelser (@LawrenceSmelser) October 27, 2024
Cincinnati Bengals
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 11 | 9 | 54 | 1 | 28.4% | 100.0% | 94.8% | 7.5 | 31.4% | 37.0% | 27.5% | 1.35 | 20.4 | WR8 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.1% | 95.0% | 87.9% | 12.7 | 8.6% | 11.1% | 7.9% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Jermaine Burton | WR | 3 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 27.9% | 42.5% | 41.4% | 27.0 | 8.6% | 11.1% | 17.6% | 2.41 | 5.1 | WR73 |
| Trenton Irwin | WR | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1.4% | 22.5% | 27.6% | 4.0 | 2.9% | 3.7% | 11.1% | 0.44 | 1.4 | WR109 |
| Charlie Jones | WR | 2.5% | 6.9% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 8 | 7 | 73 | 0 | 20.9% | 60.0% | 53.4% | 7.6 | 22.9% | 25.9% | 33.3% | 3.04 | 12.3 | TE15 |
| Drew Sample | TE | 20.0% | 31.0% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Tanner Hudson | TE | 15.0% | 13.8% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Erick All Jr. | TE | 2 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 7.2% | 37.5% | 41.4% | 10.5 | 5.7% | 7.4% | 13.3% | 2.13 | 5.2 | TE35 |
| Zack Moss | RB | 4 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 1.8% | 47.5% | 51.7% | 1.3 | 11.4% | 0.0% | 21.1% | 1.47 | 7.9 | RB39 |
| Chase Brown | RB | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -0.7% | 40.0% | 48.3% | -0.7 | 8.6% | 3.7% | 18.8% | 0.13 | 11.4 | RB28 |
Bengals Notes From Week 8:
With no Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase (team-leading 11 targets, 9-54-1) saw more underneath work than he typically does, with just a 7.5-yard aDOT – his lowest aDOT in the last six weeks. Working off of him was Mike Gesicki (eight targets, 7-73), who had a slightly bigger aDOT (7.6) and carried some of the volume along with Chase on a day when the Bengals really needed some help in that department.
The rest of the wide receivers combined for seven targets, two receptions, and 45 yards, the vast majority of that coming off of one Jermaine Burton (one target, 1-41) 41-yard deep completion.
Chase Brown (12-32-1 rushing; three targets, 2-2 receiving) continues to outproduce Zack Moss (5-11 rushing; four targets, 4-28 receiving), who is essentially Samaje Perine now in Cincinnati with his role of pass-protector and occasional receiving threat.
Brown may cede work on the field as he’s been routinely out-snapped, and Moss has run more routes, but the higher-leverage work seems to be destined to go Brown’s way in most instances.
Cleveland Browns
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 7 | 5 | 79 | 0 | 20.9% | 100.0% | 97.1% | 12.9 | 18.4% | 20.6% | 16.3% | 1.84 | 12.9 | WR37 |
| Elijah Moore | WR | 12 | 8 | 85 | 0 | 25.5% | 76.7% | 71.0% | 9.2 | 31.6% | 29.4% | 36.4% | 2.58 | 16.5 | WR21 |
| Cedric Tillman | WR | 9 | 7 | 99 | 2 | 36.8% | 93.0% | 89.9% | 17.7 | 23.7% | 23.5% | 22.5% | 2.48 | 28.9 | WR3 |
| David Njoku | TE | 6 | 5 | 61 | 1 | 14.8% | 81.4% | 84.1% | 10.7 | 15.8% | 17.6% | 17.1% | 1.74 | 17.1 | TE7 |
| Jordan Akins | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.3% | 18.6% | 21.7% | 10.0 | 2.6% | 2.9% | 12.5% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| Geoff Swaim | TE | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.5% | 25.6% | 31.9% | 2.0 | 2.6% | 0.0% | 9.1% | 0.64 | 1.7 | TE54 |
| Pierre Strong Jr. | RB | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | -1.2% | 30.2% | 20.3% | -5.0 | 2.6% | 2.9% | 7.7% | 0.23 | 1.3 | RB65 |
| D'Onta Foreman | RB | 14.0% | 18.8% | 2.6 | RB54 | ||||||||||
| Nick Chubb | RB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3% | 44.2% | 59.4% | 1.3 | 2.6% | 2.9% | 5.3% | 0.00 | 5.2 | RB43 |
Browns Notes From Week 8:
In a development that has shocked nearly nobody, Jameis Winston has transformed this Browns offense with zero intriguing fantasy assets (after the trade of Amari Cooper) into something exciting after the first 300-yard passing game by a Browns quarterback this season.
Winston is no stranger to pushing the ball down the field, with the Browns putting up the second-most air yards (431) of Week 8 and hanging with the Ravens all game, going right up to what has looked like the best team in the NFL and giving them the proverbial “punch in the mouth.”
To say Cedric Tillman (nine targets, 7-99-2) has been a revelation is a sizeable understatement. With multiple quarterbacks in Week 7, Tillman slotted into the Cooper “X” receiver role vacated by Cooper’s trade to Buffalo.
All Tillman did was put up 8-81 on 11 targets. It’s easy to look at that and think it could be a fluke based on his opportunity last season, where he was a sacrificial “X” receiver running cardio routes to run off coverage for other wide receivers.
Tillman came out in Week 8 and said, “Hold my beer,” with his two touchdowns and massive target-earning ability. It’s looking less and less fluky now, with Tillman running routes on 83% and 93% of dropbacks, plus a 35% air yards share and 27% first-read target rate.
If you Add Winston throwing him the ball, we’ve got an upside WR3 that’s massively rising in fantasy circles. Tillman is already looking like one of the massive hits you may need to have for fantasy championships.
He's also making viable options out of Jerry Jeudy (seven targets, 5-79) and Elijah Moore (team-leading 12 targets, 8-85), which is huge for the offensive environment.
Add in stalwart tight end David Njoku (six targets, 5-61-1), and this is an offense that you can actually trust multiple pieces on. Granted, Winston is going to have his blowups; every quarterback as aggressive as he is will. But it’s a massive shift from what we’ve known the Browns to be from the first seven weeks of the season to now.
No Brown may benefit (eventually) from a passing-game shift like Nick Chubb (16-52 rushing; one target receiving), who is slowly working his way into more of a workhorse role. He’s an awesome buy-low in fantasy right now, even before he has his bigger games.
Dallas Cowboys
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| CeeDee Lamb | WR | 16 | 13 | 146 | 2 | 47.8% | 90.2% | 88.7% | 10.2 | 44.4% | 51.9% | 43.2% | 3.95 | 39.6 | WR1 |
| Jalen Tolbert | WR | 3 | 3 | 44 | 0 | 10.5% | 92.7% | 88.7% | 12.0 | 8.3% | 0.0% | 7.9% | 1.16 | 7.4 | WR62 |
| Jalen Brooks | WR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.3% | 63.4% | 66.1% | 25.0 | 2.8% | 7.4% | 3.8% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Ryan Flournoy | WR | 2.4% | 3.2% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| KaVontae Turpin | WR | 4 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 29.6% | 29.3% | 22.6% | 25.3 | 11.1% | 7.4% | 33.3% | 1.33 | 3.7 | WR85 |
| Jake Ferguson | TE | 7 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 0.0% | 85.4% | 83.9% | 0.0 | 19.4% | 22.2% | 20.0% | 0.66 | 8.3 | TE24 |
| Brevyn Spann-Ford | TE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3% | 22.0% | 30.6% | 9.0 | 5.6% | 3.7% | 22.2% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | RB | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -1.8% | 31.7% | 45.2% | -3.0 | 5.6% | 3.7% | 15.4% | 0.31 | 10.8 | RB30 |
| Dalvin Cook | RB | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1.2% | 24.4% | 27.4% | 4.0 | 2.8% | 3.7% | 10.0% | 1.00 | 3.2 | RB48 |
| Hunter Luepke | FB | 39.0% | 40.3% | 0.0 | FB5 |
Cowboys Notes From Week 8:
Well, Dallas couldn’t run the ball because with Rico Dowdle receiving a questionable designation midday Sunday and then being ruled out with an illness, actual octogenarians Dalvin Cook (6-12 rushing; one target, 1-10 receiving) and Ezekiel Elliott (10-34-1 rushing; two targets, 1-4 receiving) heading up the Cowboys’ backfield like some kind of 2019 fever dream.
Neither Cook nor Elliott are the answer here. Elliott did get the touchdown, but the depth the Cowboys have at running back promotes a level of unseriousness that warrants a congressional investigation.
For the passing game, it was CeeDee Lamb (16 targets, 13-146-2) then, now, and forever. Lamb was massively dominant, and everything flowed through him. Sure, Jake Ferguson (seven targets, 6-23) earned seven targets, but on a 0.0-yard aDOT. No joke. It was literally just a low-upside line of scrimmage utilization based on compiling.
Denver Broncos
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 11 | 8 | 100 | 0 | 37.2% | 85.4% | 83.6% | 13.4 | 29.7% | 28.0% | 31.4% | 2.86 | 16.0 | WR25 |
| Marvin Mims Jr. | WR | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 7.3% | 31.7% | 28.8% | 14.5 | 5.4% | 8.0% | 15.4% | 0.62 | 1.8 | WR102 |
| Troy Franklin | WR | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 9.3% | 39.0% | 37.0% | 18.5 | 5.4% | 8.0% | 12.5% | 0.38 | 1.9 | WR98 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 3 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 7.3% | 39.0% | 34.2% | 9.7 | 8.1% | 8.0% | 18.8% | 1.75 | 5.8 | WR68 |
| Lil'Jordan Humphrey | WR | 6 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 14.4% | 53.7% | 60.3% | 9.5 | 16.2% | 16.0% | 27.3% | 1.00 | 4.2 | WR80 |
| Adam Trautman | TE | 4 | 4 | 85 | 1 | 14.1% | 34.1% | 56.2% | 14.0 | 10.8% | 12.0% | 28.6% | 6.07 | 18.5 | TE6 |
| Lucas Krull | TE | 1 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 1.3% | 43.9% | 37.0% | 5.0 | 2.7% | 8.0% | 5.6% | 1.00 | 3.8 | TE44 |
| Nate Adkins | TE | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1.3% | 31.7% | 47.9% | 5.0 | 2.7% | 4.0% | 7.7% | 0.23 | 7.3 | TE27 |
| Javonte Williams | RB | 5 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 4.3% | 43.9% | 57.5% | 3.4 | 13.5% | 0.0% | 27.8% | 0.44 | 9.2 | RB34 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | -0.5% | 29.3% | 31.5% | -2.0 | 2.7% | 4.0% | 8.3% | 0.75 | 12.6 | RB24 |
| Audric Estime | RB | 2.4% | 6.8% | 0.4 | RB70 | ||||||||||
| Michael Burton | FB | 1 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 4.0% | 9.8% | 15.1% | 16.0 | 2.7% | 4.0% | 25.0% | 7.00 | 3.8 | FB2 |
Broncos Notes From Week 8:
Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers was really a “Bo Nix-a-thon,” with some other pass-catching subplots, but it was Nix carrying the water for the Broncos for the majority of this one. Much has been said about Nix and his propensity to throw short, but Nix gave his pass-catchers plenty of chances to get deep with a season-high 397 air yards, including Courtland Sutton’s 147 in his solid day at the office.
Sutton (11 targets, 8-100) was the breadwinner on the day as 10 other Broncos caught a pass. Besides Sutton, only Adam Trautman (four targets, 4-85-1, 34% routes) had more than 28 receiving yards.
The Broncos proved to be an unreliable source of fantasy points or even projecting who is going to run routes, as after Sutton’s 85% of routes per dropback, only Lil’Jordan Humphrey (six targets, 4-22) had more than 44% of routes on the entire team. You can’t trust anybody else in this offense aside from Sutton, and that’s a stretch in and of itself.
Speaking of trust, if Javonte Williams (17-44 rushing; five targets, 4-8 receiving) can’t even put up a solid game against the Panthers on the ground in a plus matchup, when CAN you trust him? This wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the camel is going to have to go to physical therapy as far as I’m concerned.
Williams is also ceding some work to Jaleel McLaughlin (8-47 rushing; one target, 1-9-1 receiving), who found the end zone on a nine-yard pass to the flat, where he won the race to the pylon for a score. It would not surprise me to see more of McLaughlin going forward, which would be 100% on-brand for the Broncos, considering how they seem to have a rotation for almost every position on offense.
Detroit Lions
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 15.0% | 87.0% | 87.5% | 5.5 | 11.1% | 13.3% | 10.0% | 0.35 | 8.7 | WR51 |
| Kalif Raymond | WR | 2 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0.0% | 39.1% | 31.3% | 0.0 | 11.1% | 13.3% | 22.2% | 1.56 | 15.4 | WR26 |
| Isaiah Williams | WR | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 9.4% | 13.0% | 10.4% | 2.3 | 16.7% | 20.0% | 100.0% | 2.00 | 2.6 | WR93 |
| Tim Patrick | WR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35.6% | 73.9% | 77.1% | 26.0 | 5.6% | 6.7% | 5.9% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Allen Robinson II | WR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.9% | 43.5% | 43.8% | 8.0 | 5.6% | 6.7% | 10.0% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Sam LaPorta | TE | 6 | 6 | 48 | 1 | 14.0% | 69.6% | 79.2% | 1.7 | 33.3% | 33.3% | 37.5% | 3.00 | 16.8 | TE8 |
| Brock Wright | TE | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4.1% | 26.1% | 41.7% | 3.0 | 5.6% | 6.7% | 16.7% | 1.33 | 7.8 | TE25 |
| Shane Zylstra | TE | 13.0% | 27.1% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4.1% | 30.4% | 39.6% | 3.0 | 5.6% | 0.0% | 14.3% | 0.86 | 20.3 | RB9 |
| David Montgomery | RB | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6.8% | 34.8% | 47.9% | 5.0 | 5.6% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 0.63 | 14.9 | RB20 |
| Craig Reynolds | RB | 8.7% | 12.5% | 0.3 | RB74 |
Lions Notes From Week 8:
In one of the weirdest games you’ll see, the Detroit Lions had touchdown drives of:
- 23 yards (off of an interception)
- 70 yards (a one-play Jahmyr Gibbs rushing touchdown)
- 25 yards (from a 72-yard kickoff return)
- 12 yards (off of an interception)
- 22 yards (off of a 64-yard punt return)
- A 90-yard punt return touchdown
- 26 yards (off of a Calvin Ridley fumble)
There were definitely some wild circumstances here, so with 88 yards passing between Jared Goff and David Montgomery (who threw a touchdown pass), there wasn’t a lot of volume to be earned when Goff only threw 15 passes, mainly because he didn’t have to because he got short field after short field.
Sam LaPorta (6-48-1) led the volume aspect with his best game of the season. All of the major players found the end zone, like Amon-Ra St. Brown (two targets, 2-7-1), Gibbs (11-127-1 rushing; one target, 1-6 receiving), and Montgomery (9-33-1 rushing; one target, 1-5 receiving; three-yard touchdown pass).
Green Bay Packers
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Jayden Reed | WR | 3 | 2 | 55 | 0 | 13.0% | 66.7% | 58.6% | 10.0 | 12.0% | 14.3% | 15.0% | 2.75 | 7.5 | WR61 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 6 | 3 | 72 | 0 | 42.2% | 96.7% | 84.3% | 16.2 | 24.0% | 28.6% | 20.7% | 2.48 | 10.2 | WR45 |
| Christian Watson | WR | 6 | 4 | 39 | 0 | 30.0% | 76.7% | 74.3% | 11.5 | 24.0% | 28.6% | 26.1% | 1.70 | 7.9 | WR56 |
| Dontayvion Wicks | WR | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 3.5% | 30.0% | 30.0% | 4.0 | 8.0% | 9.5% | 22.2% | 1.22 | 3.1 | WR89 |
| Bo Melton | WR | 6.7% | 17.1% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Tucker Kraft | TE | 3 | 3 | 78 | 1 | 12.6% | 80.0% | 84.3% | 9.7 | 12.0% | 9.5% | 12.5% | 3.25 | 16.8 | TE8 |
| Ben Sims | TE | 30.0% | 35.7% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| John FitzPatrick | TE | 3.3% | 8.6% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Josh Jacobs | RB | 2 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 2.2% | 53.3% | 64.3% | 2.5 | 8.0% | 0.0% | 12.5% | -0.13 | 25.5 | RB3 |
| Emanuel Wilson | RB | 2 | 2 | -2 | 0 | -3.9% | 23.3% | 17.1% | -4.5 | 8.0% | 9.5% | 28.6% | -0.29 | 2.3 | RB58 |
| Chris Brooks | RB | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.4% | 10.0% | 24.3% | 1.0 | 4.0% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 0.33 | 2.7 | RB53 |
Packers Notes From Week 8:
With Jordan Love leaving the game in the second half with a groin injury, the Packers only passed five times the rest of the game. Both Romeo Doubs (six targets, 3-72) and Christian Watson (six targets, 4-39) led the Packers in targets (six), and both got to this number with Love before Malik Willis came into the game.
The one notable Willis throw was a 51-yard pass to Jayden Reed (three targets, 2-55) on the near sideline, where he set up the game-winning field goal on that huge catch and run.
Tucker Kraft (three targets, 3-78-1) led the Packers in receiving yards and scored their only touchdown as he continues being a force at the tight end position.
On the strength of huge volume and two touchdowns, Packers running back Josh Jacobs (25-127-2; two targets, 1-(-2)) absolutely dominated on the day on 64% snaps, where neither backup really factored into the equation in Week 9.
Houston Texans
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Stefon Diggs | WR | 8 | 5 | 81 | 0 | 30.1% | 70.0% | 53.5% | 10.3 | 22.2% | 33.3% | 28.6% | 2.89 | 12.7 | WR39 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 4 | 4 | 35 | 1 | 15.8% | 75.0% | 74.6% | 10.8 | 11.1% | 11.1% | 13.3% | 1.17 | 13.5 | WR32 |
| Robert Woods | WR | 2 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 4.7% | 20.0% | 33.8% | 6.5 | 5.6% | 11.1% | 25.0% | 2.25 | 3.8 | WR83 |
| Xavier Hutchinson | WR | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 6.9% | 65.0% | 62.0% | 19.0 | 2.8% | 0.0% | 3.8% | 0.73 | 2.9 | WR91 |
| John Metchie | WR | 4 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 14.6% | 22.5% | 28.2% | 10.0 | 11.1% | 16.7% | 44.4% | 3.22 | 5.9 | WR66 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 6 | 4 | 52 | 0 | 18.6% | 77.5% | 66.2% | 8.5 | 16.7% | 22.2% | 19.4% | 1.68 | 9.2 | TE20 |
| Cade Stover | TE | 3 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 7.7% | 25.0% | 47.9% | 7.0 | 8.3% | 5.6% | 30.0% | 1.90 | 3.9 | TE41 |
| Teagan Quitoriano | TE | 20.0% | 33.8% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Joe Mixon | RB | 7 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 0.5% | 57.5% | 76.1% | 0.2 | 19.4% | 0.0% | 30.4% | 1.39 | 23.4 | RB5 |
| Dameon Pierce | RB | 7.5% | 5.6% | 0.4 | RB70 | ||||||||||
| Dare Ogunbowale | RB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1% | 17.5% | 18.3% | 3.0 | 2.8% | 0.0% | 14.3% | 0.00 | 0.4 | RB70 |
Texans Notes From Week 8:
The Texans are a weird team this season, and not in a particularly good way. Sure, the injury to wide receiver Nico Collins hasn’t helped matters at all, but C.J. Stroud looks like he’s been running his rookie season this season instead after such a transcendent first season in 2023.
Last season, the Texans didn’t have a run game anywhere near as capable, so Stroud had to shoulder a lot of offensive responsibility. In 2024, he has Joe Mixon (25-102-1 rushing; seven targets, 4-32), who has been excellent this season, but the passing game, in its potency and quality, just doesn’t look anywhere near the same as 2023.
Speaking of “injury to wide receiver”, the Texans lost Stefon Diggs (team-leading eight targets, 5-81 receiving; 1-(-4) rushing) to a torn ACL and will be out for the season. On the broadcast, Diggs walked it off, and it looked like he had just pulled up lame.
I know I wasn’t alone in seeing that and thinking it was a hamstring, which you also hate to see, but I would take a 2-to-3-week absence because of a hamstring over a season-ending injury.
It’s such a tough thing for a veteran like that who took a one-year "prove it" deal with the Texans to prove to the team and the people out there that he was a team player and not a distraction. By all accounts, he had done just that, but the football gods are apparently very cruel, and now Diggs enters free agency after a major injury.
Tank Dell (four targets, 4-35-1) becomes the immediate second target for the Texans once Collins returns, and after a very slow start, has the ability to reshape his season after a tough, relatively unproductive start.
Xavier Hutchinson (one target, 1-19), veteran Robert Woods (two targets, 2-18), and John Metchie (four targets, 3-29) should all work without Diggs, but in terms of fantasy viability, I’m looking at Hutchinson and then Metchie for taking some of the Diggs stuff.
Indianapolis Colts
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | 6 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 28.5% | 97.4% | 95.3% | 22.3 | 21.4% | 24.0% | 15.8% | 0.42 | 2.6 | WR93 |
| Josh Downs | WR | 8 | 4 | 109 | 1 | 20.6% | 79.5% | 70.3% | 12.1 | 28.6% | 32.0% | 25.8% | 3.52 | 22.2 | WR6 |
| Adonai Mitchell | WR | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 20.2% | 25.6% | 20.3% | 23.7 | 14.3% | 16.0% | 40.0% | 0.90 | 1.9 | WR98 |
| Alec Pierce | WR | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 15.1% | 76.9% | 78.1% | 23.7 | 10.7% | 8.0% | 10.0% | 0.37 | 2.1 | WR96 |
| Ashton Dulin | WR | 5.1% | 15.6% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Kylen Granson | TE | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.9% | 25.6% | 31.3% | 4.0 | 3.6% | 4.0% | 10.0% | 0.40 | 1.4 | TE58 |
| Mo Alie-Cox | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.5% | 20.5% | 42.2% | 21.0 | 3.6% | 4.0% | 12.5% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| Drew Ogletree | TE | 12.8% | 28.1% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Will Mallory | TE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3% | 30.8% | 18.8% | 12.5 | 7.1% | 4.0% | 16.7% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| Jonathan Taylor | RB | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | -0.6% | 64.1% | 81.3% | -3.0 | 3.6% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 0.48 | 18.7 | RB12 |
| Trey Sermon | RB | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0.2% | 12.8% | 15.6% | 1.0 | 3.6% | 0.0% | 20.0% | 2.80 | 2.4 | RB56 |
| Tyler Goodson | RB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3% | 5.1% | 3.1% | 25.0 | 3.6% | 4.0% | 50.0% | 0.00 | 0.0 | RB75 |
Colts Notes From Week 8:
I’ve certainly had my opinions about Anthony Richardson, with him getting benched for 39-year-old Joe Flacco and what that can and cannot do for your franchise. First of all, the Colts drafted Richardson fourth overall in 2023. He has all of 10 starts in the NFL. 10 starts are not enough time to be able to accurately judge anything, much less a quarterback you drafted that high.
What does Flacco do for you? At best, they turn into a non-serious 9-8 playoff team that gets beaten by the worst division winner on Saturday afternoon of Wild Card Weekend. It’s a spot that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been in for the last few seasons as they straddle the line between “better than the bad teams” and “nowhere near good enough to seriously compete for championships.”
The move had head coach Shane Steichen say the choice was his to move on to Flacco for now, but it screams “ownership meddling.” Some players weren’t told about the move; they only learned about it on television or social media. It’s all shrouded in secrecy, when on a cohesive team, you want that move discussed in-house with the players inevitably affects. It’s bewildering, but that’s the Colts right now.
I’m sure Richardson going 10-of-32 passing for 175 yards didn’t help matters at all with his future starting prospects, but you’ve got to take your lumps if you’re going to devote massive resources to a player like Richardson. You’ve got to see it through, good or bad.
Yikes pic.twitter.com/go4Qei5htj
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 28, 2024
Josh Downs (nine targets. 4-109-1) got a long 69-yard touchdown on a busted coverage play rather than a skill-based throw by the quarterback, and he led everything for the Colts.
No other Colt had more than one reception. With the move to Flacco, at least the volume-earning will be back in a meaningful way, with Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. (six targets, 1-16) being the only fantasy viable passing game options here.
Jonathan Taylor (20-105-1 rushing; one target, 1-12 receiving) returned after a several-game absence to immediately return to his huge workload, and he looked excellent in that.
Trey Sermon (one target, 1-14) and Tyler Goodson (one target, no stats) become instant drops. Though both could be stashed as contingency-based backups on benches, we’ve seen the fantasy implications of Taylor's absence, and the work is pretty low-upside stuff versus contingent bench stashes with much higher upside like Blake Corum, Braelon Allen, Tyler Allgeier, etc.
Jacksonville Jaguars
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Christian Kirk | WR | 4 | 2 | 59 | 0 | 28.2% | 62.9% | 64.9% | 20.0 | 13.3% | 20.8% | 18.2% | 2.68 | 7.9 | WR56 |
| Gabe Davis | WR | 17.1% | 15.8% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | 5 | 3 | 60 | 1 | 23.8% | 48.6% | 50.9% | 13.5 | 16.7% | 16.7% | 29.4% | 3.53 | 15.0 | WR27 |
| Parker Washington | WR | 4 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 21.1% | 71.4% | 73.7% | 15.0 | 13.3% | 16.7% | 16.0% | 1.84 | 7.6 | WR59 |
| Tim Jones | WR | 2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 3.5% | 51.4% | 47.4% | 5.0 | 6.7% | 4.2% | 11.1% | 1.11 | 3.0 | WR90 |
| Evan Engram | TE | 5 | 4 | 36 | 1 | 13.4% | 88.6% | 82.5% | 7.6 | 16.7% | 12.5% | 16.1% | 1.16 | 13.6 | TE12 |
| Luke Farrell | TE | 5.7% | 22.8% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Brenton Strange | TE | 5 | 5 | 59 | 0 | 9.5% | 37.1% | 38.6% | 5.4 | 16.7% | 20.8% | 38.5% | 4.54 | 10.9 | TE17 |
| Tank Bigsby | RB | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0 | -1.6% | 45.7% | 66.7% | -1.5 | 10.0% | 4.2% | 18.8% | 0.50 | 10.6 | RB31 |
| D'Ernest Johnson | RB | 2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 2.1% | 45.7% | 33.3% | 3.0 | 6.7% | 4.2% | 12.5% | 1.25 | 3.3 | RB46 |
Jaguars Notes From Week 8:
The Jaguars’ Week 8 can only be explained as a war of attrition, with Brian Thomas Jr. (five targets, 3-60-1) leaving midway through the game with a chest injury, Gabe Davis (no targets) also leaving the game, and Christian Kirk (four targets, 2-59) breaking his collarbone, which knocks him out for the season.
That left such luminaries as Parker Washington (four targets, 3-46) and Tim Jones (two targets, 1-20) to shoulder the load for the wide receivers. That predictably didn’t work out super great, but the Jaguars signed Velus Jones Jr. this week, so is he the answer?
Well, tying the game in the last couple of minutes was Evan Engram (five targets, 4-36-1), who was quiet for most of the game until racking up a couple of catches and then hauling in a 14-year touchdown in between three Packers’ defenders.
(**chuckles in the background**)
With no Travis Etienne yet again, Tank Bigsby (18-78 rushing; three targets, 2-8) took the workhorse role and was solid with it. So much so that Etienne trade rumors are starting to swirl around. Will that happen? We have no way of knowing, but there’s no shortage of running-back-needy teams that could use him if the Jags want to commit to Bigsby moving forward.
Kansas City Chiefs
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Xavier Worthy | WR | 8 | 4 | 37 | 1 | 23.9% | 73.8% | 52.8% | 7.5 | 23.5% | 33.3% | 25.8% | 1.19 | 13.7 | WR31 |
| Justin Watson | WR | 3 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 8.4% | 76.2% | 76.4% | 7.0 | 8.8% | 4.8% | 9.4% | 1.03 | 6.3 | WR65 |
| Mecole Hardman | WR | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2.8% | 33.3% | 29.2% | 7.0 | 2.9% | 0.0% | 7.1% | 0.57 | 1.8 | WR102 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | 3 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 17.9% | 33.3% | 31.9% | 15.0 | 8.8% | 14.3% | 21.4% | 2.07 | 4.9 | WR74 |
| Montrell Washington | WR | 4.8% | 6.9% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Travis Kelce | TE | 12 | 10 | 90 | 1 | 36.3% | 92.9% | 79.2% | 7.6 | 35.3% | 47.6% | 30.8% | 2.31 | 25.0 | TE3 |
| Noah Gray | TE | 3 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 8.0% | 57.1% | 72.2% | 6.7 | 8.8% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 0.96 | 5.3 | TE33 |
| Jared Wiley | TE | 7.1% | 23.6% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Jody Fortson | TE | 19.0% | 26.4% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Samaje Perine | RB | 2 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 4.0% | 38.1% | 30.6% | 5.0 | 5.9% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 1.88 | 5.0 | RB44 |
| Carson Steele | RB | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.0% | 4.8% | 11.1% | 0.0 | 2.9% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 4.00 | 2.4 | RB56 |
| Kareem Hunt | RB | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -1.2% | 42.9% | 58.3% | -3.0 | 2.9% | 0.0% | 5.6% | 0.22 | 13.3 | RB23 |
Chiefs Notes From Week 8:
In DeAndre Hopkins’ first game in a Chiefs’ uniform, it went about as expected, with 33% of routes and a handful of targets for Hopkins (three targets, 2-29) to ramp up with once he gets more and more used to the playbook and Patrick Mahomes.
It was very nice to get another target-dominant Travis Kelce (12 targets, 10-90-1) game where he was the huge focal point of what the Chiefs wanted to do passing the ball. On the flip side, Xavier Worthy (eight targets, 4-37-1) has been getting involved in the offense more without Rashee Rice but hasn’t been able to really assert himself outside of specific, manufactured touches.
If the Chiefs’ offense continues to be productive in a way where everything comes together after six shaky games, it’s going to be one of the receivers playing directly off Kelce. That’s likely why they traded for Hopkins: because Worthy isn’t likely to ascend to be that specific guy this season.
Kareem Hunt (21-59-1 rushing; one target, 1-4 receiving) remains hugely involved, even if the fantasy production gets all the way there in what looked to be an excellent matchup.
Las Vegas Raiders
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Jakobi Meyers | WR | 6 | 6 | 52 | 1 | 24.4% | 94.4% | 81.0% | 5.8 | 23.1% | 30.0% | 17.6% | 1.53 | 17.2 | WR20 |
| Tre Tucker | WR | 3 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 30.1% | 94.4% | 91.4% | 14.3 | 11.5% | 15.0% | 8.8% | 0.76 | 5.3 | WR72 |
| DJ Turner | WR | 4 | 4 | 28 | 1 | 16.8% | 66.7% | 53.4% | 6.0 | 15.4% | 15.0% | 16.7% | 1.17 | 13.2 | WR35 |
| Alex Bachman | WR | 5.6% | 10.3% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Justin Shorter | WR | 2.8% | 3.4% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Brock Bowers | TE | 5 | 5 | 58 | 0 | 20.3% | 86.1% | 91.4% | 5.8 | 19.2% | 20.0% | 16.1% | 1.87 | 10.8 | TE18 |
| John Samuel Shenker | TE | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2.8% | 36.1% | 39.7% | 4.0 | 3.8% | 5.0% | 7.7% | 0.54 | 1.7 | TE54 |
| Alexander Mattison | RB | 5 | 5 | 29 | 0 | 0.0% | 38.9% | 65.5% | 0.0 | 19.2% | 10.0% | 35.7% | 2.07 | 9.4 | RB33 |
| Ameer Abdullah | RB | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 5.6% | 27.8% | 29.3% | 4.0 | 7.7% | 5.0% | 20.0% | 0.90 | 2.1 | RB59 |
Raiders Notes From Week 8:
The Raiders were a bit plucky in this game with the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, as they hung with the Chiefs the entire game, even having a lead for most of the second quarter. The Chiefs were too much for the Raiders, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Jakobi Meyers (six targets, 6-52-1) returned for this game, giving the wide receiving corps an actual professional football player for once. He led the Raiders in targets and receptions and scored one of the two passing touchdowns from Gardner Minshew.
Brock Bowers (five targets, 5-58) wasn’t as much of a factor in this game as the Chiefs made it a focal point to stop him more than others. When a 5-58 game feels like a down game, you’re on the right path. Scoring the other touchdown was slot man DJ Turner (four targets, 4-28-1).
The run game is pretty bad, with Alexander Mattison (14-15 rushing; five targets, 5-29 receiving) leading the way strictly on volume. He’s never a fun click, but byes are back this week, so as a desperation flex, it could be worse. It could be much BETTER, though.
Los Angeles Chargers
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Joshua Palmer | WR | 4 | 2 | 72 | 0 | 31.9% | 81.6% | 77.3% | 19.5 | 13.8% | 10.0% | 12.9% | 2.32 | 9.2 | WR48 |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 6 | 6 | 111 | 2 | 32.6% | 78.9% | 62.1% | 13.3 | 20.7% | 25.0% | 20.0% | 3.70 | 29.1 | WR2 |
| Simi Fehoko | WR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.6% | 81.6% | 78.8% | 21.5 | 6.9% | 10.0% | 6.5% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Jalen Reagor | WR | 2 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 7.4% | 34.2% | 30.3% | 9.0 | 6.9% | 5.0% | 15.4% | 2.69 | 5.5 | WR70 |
| Will Dissly | TE | 7 | 5 | 41 | 0 | 15.2% | 73.7% | 68.2% | 5.3 | 24.1% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 1.46 | 9.1 | TE21 |
| Eric Tomlinson | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0% | 15.8% | 37.9% | 5.0 | 3.4% | 5.0% | 16.7% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| J.K. Dobbins | RB | 6 | 4 | 11 | 0 | -7.8% | 60.5% | 81.8% | -3.2 | 20.7% | 15.0% | 26.1% | 0.48 | 16.8 | RB15 |
| Kimani Vidal | RB | 13.2% | 16.7% | 1.6 | RB63 | ||||||||||
| Scott Matlock | FB | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1.2% | 10.5% | 40.9% | 3.0 | 3.4% | 5.0% | 25.0% | 2.25 | 1.9 | FB3 |
Chargers Notes From Week 8:
It was beautiful to see Ladd McConkey’s work on a 60-yard catch and run touchdown where he “Moss’d” Alontae Taylor and then when Taylor caught up to McConkey (six targets, 6-111-2) crossing field, avoided his shoestring tackle while splitting two more defenders. That’s easily the best play I’ve seen from a Chargers’ pass-catcher this season.
If only Ladd McConkey was big enough or fast enough to play professionally pic.twitter.com/zWs4gaQgx7
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) October 27, 2024
The Chargers have been (surprisingly) in the top 10 in PROE the last two weeks after being negative PROE for the first six games of the season, and that’s coincided with the top two total yards output of the season. Maybe letting Justin Herbert cook is the answer?
Justin Herbert is so good he turned Harbaugh and Roman pass-leaning. pic.twitter.com/gqhEB5PwKJ
— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) October 29, 2024
Will Dissly (team-leading seven targets, 5-41, 74% routes) led the team in targets for the second straight week, but he’s not somebody I can totally recommend with certainty. If you’re desperate in deeper leagues, taking a flier is not a bad thing.
Josh Palmer (four targets, 2-72) grabbed a 45 and 27-yard catch but didn’t do anything else of note, while Simi Fehoko (two targets, no catches, 82%) played the role of sacrificial “X” wide receiver to perfection.
J.K. Dobbins (17-57-1; six targets, 4-11) kept a massive role with 82% snaps, and Kimani Vidal (6-16) was second-in-command but didn’t contribute too much. He remains the handcuff to Dobbins.
Los Angeles Rams
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | 8 | 5 | 51 | 1 | 19.9% | 81.8% | 59.2% | 6.8 | 25.0% | 30.0% | 29.6% | 1.89 | 16.1 | WR24 |
| Puka Nacua | WR | 9 | 7 | 106 | 0 | 39.6% | 66.7% | 56.3% | 12.0 | 28.1% | 35.0% | 40.9% | 4.82 | 18.1 | WR15 |
| Demarcus Robinson | WR | 2 | 2 | 35 | 2 | 14.4% | 84.8% | 84.5% | 19.7 | 6.3% | 10.0% | 7.1% | 1.25 | 17.5 | WR18 |
| Tutu Atwell | WR | 2 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 20.9% | 21.2% | 16.9% | 28.5 | 6.3% | 10.0% | 28.6% | 2.57 | 2.8 | WR92 |
| Tyler Johnson | WR | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1.5% | 24.2% | 38.0% | 4.0 | 3.1% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 0.75 | 1.6 | WR106 |
| Colby Parkinson | TE | 2 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 4.4% | 72.7% | 64.8% | 6.0 | 6.3% | 0.0% | 8.3% | 0.71 | 3.7 | TE45 |
| Davis Allen | TE | 9.1% | 38.0% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Hunter Long | TE | 1 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 4.0% | 6.1% | 40.8% | 11.0 | 3.1% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 9.00 | 2.8 | TE49 |
| Kyren Williams | RB | 6 | 5 | 19 | 1 | -4.0% | 63.6% | 90.1% | -1.8 | 18.8% | 15.0% | 28.6% | 0.90 | 22.6 | RB7 |
| Blake Corum | RB | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | -0.7% | 6.1% | 9.9% | -2.0 | 3.1% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 4.50 | 2.8 | RB52 |
Rams Notes From Week 8:
Were you on the right side of history with Puka Nacua? The talk leading up to Thursday Night Football was all about Nacua and “snap count,” which is incredibly valid. But it didn’t seem that plausible to me because, at the time, the Rams were 2-4 and needed a season-salvaging game to get them back into playoff contention.
This isn’t a rebuilding team by any means with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and some of the other weapons. They played a tough game with the Lions last season in the playoffs. The window is still open.
So why activate both Kupp (eight targets, 5-51-1, 82% routes in return) and Nacua (team-leading nine targets, 7-106, 67% routes in return) if you’re not going to make an honest go of it?
A significant number of people who play fantasy- so much so that the edge between fantasy players still exists- are mostly unable to handle the possibility of being wrong and then having to face that. Nobody wants to be wrong; it doesn't feel good. Assessing risk and weighing it to ultimately make a decision involves that same feeling: not wanting to be wrong.
Looking at the team factors (Rams needing a win to save their season) and then the team activating both Kupp and Nacua should have been a giant lightbulb moment that Nacua would be utilized heavily despite the likelihood of a limited snap count.
While the snap count WAS limited, Nacua is a borderline superstar, if not one already. Isn't it very possible an elite player could produce in a massive, meaningful way on limited snaps?
Puka Nacua so far limited to every target
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) October 25, 2024
Using "limited snap count" reports as a crutch eliminates any logical thinking on your end. Ask yourself WHY the Rams would activate Nacua and Kupp on the same night?
The team running out Nacua for 10 snaps makes zero sense, and if that were the case, he wouldn't have been activated at all. It’s certainly something a number of teams would do, but I give the Rams the benefit of deference because they’ve shown themselves to be pretty forward-thinking and consistent in how they view things.
Of course, this is easy to say in hindsight, but there's much more to the Nacua thing than just, "Oh, well, he played more than we thought."
With the attention squarely on Kupp and Nacua, Demarcus Robinson (two targets, 2-35-2) was the clear third receiver on 85% of routes, being virtually unnoticed for touchdowns on both of his targets.
Kyren Williams (23-97 rushing; six targets, 5-19-1) continues to rock it on 91% of snaps on the evening, with Blake Corum (4-9 rushing; one target, 1-9 receiving) being the clear second back and still remaining one of the best contingent backs in fantasy football despite a lack of work.
Miami Dolphins
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Tyreek Hill | WR | 9 | 6 | 72 | 0 | 51.8% | 90.0% | 87.7% | 12.2 | 25.0% | 27.6% | 25.0% | 2.00 | 13.2 | WR35 |
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 6 | 4 | 45 | 0 | 25.5% | 85.0% | 86.2% | 9.0 | 16.7% | 20.7% | 17.6% | 1.32 | 8.5 | WR52 |
| Malik Washington | WR | 30.0% | 24.6% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Dee Eskridge | WR | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2.4% | 7.5% | 6.2% | 5.0 | 2.8% | 3.4% | 33.3% | 2.00 | 1.6 | WR106 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | 27.5% | 16.9% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Jonnu Smith | TE | 6 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 20.4% | 72.5% | 66.2% | 7.2 | 16.7% | 17.2% | 20.7% | 0.69 | 6.0 | TE31 |
| Durham Smythe | TE | 22.5% | 29.2% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Julian Hill | TE | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1.4% | 17.5% | 32.3% | 1.0 | 8.3% | 10.3% | 42.9% | 1.57 | 4.1 | TE40 |
| De'Von Achane | RB | 7 | 6 | 50 | 1 | -6.6% | 60.0% | 58.5% | -2.0 | 19.4% | 13.8% | 29.2% | 2.08 | 26.7 | RB2 |
| Raheem Mostert | RB | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2.4% | 45.0% | 46.2% | 5.0 | 2.8% | 0.0% | 5.6% | 0.61 | 16.0 | RB17 |
| Jaylen Wright | RB | 2.5% | 4.6% | 1.8 | RB61 | ||||||||||
| Alec Ingold | FB | 3 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 2.8% | 25.0% | 41.5% | 2.0 | 8.3% | 6.9% | 30.0% | 1.90 | 5.2 | FB1 |
Dolphins Notes From Week 8:
Dare to dream, but the Dolphins are back? At least most of the way, as some parts of the offense felt very much back in rhythm and en vogue, like Tyreek Hill (nine targets, 6-72) and De’Von Achane (10-97 rushing; seven targets, 6-50-1 receiving).
Some parts felt a bit more stale, like Raheem Mostert (9-12-2 rushing; one target, 1-11 receiving) minus his scores. Even Jaylen Waddle (six targets, 4-45) feels like he’s just there instead of being a featured player on the offense.
Maybe the wheels need to be squeakier for the Waddles and Mosterts of the world. But it does feel like the offense is kicking into the next gear with Tua Tagovailoa back and in control of the Dolphins’ offense despite the loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Minnesota Vikings
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 9 | 8 | 115 | 0 | 48.5% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 12.7 | 39.1% | 47.1% | 31.0% | 3.97 | 19.5 | WR12 |
| Jordan Addison | WR | 3 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 18.7% | 93.1% | 92.0% | 14.7 | 13.0% | 17.6% | 11.1% | 0.81 | 4.2 | WR80 |
| Jalen Nailor | WR | 4 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 9.8% | 62.1% | 42.0% | 5.8 | 17.4% | 11.8% | 22.2% | 0.89 | 3.6 | WR86 |
| Brandon Powell | WR | 6.9% | 12.0% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Trent Sherfield Sr. | WR | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2.5% | 6.9% | 6.0% | 6.0 | 4.3% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 5.00 | 8.0 | WR54 |
| Johnny Mundt | TE | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 8.1% | 62.1% | 62.0% | 9.5 | 8.7% | 5.9% | 11.1% | 0.56 | 2.0 | TE51 |
| Josh Oliver | TE | 2 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 3.0% | 48.3% | 70.0% | 3.5 | 8.7% | 5.9% | 14.3% | 2.14 | 11.0 | TE16 |
| Robert Tonyan | TE | 3.4% | 4.0% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Aaron Jones | RB | 2 | 2 | 37 | 0 | 9.3% | 72.4% | 92.0% | 11.0 | 8.7% | 11.8% | 9.5% | 1.76 | 11.5 | RB26 |
| Ty Chandler | RB | 6.9% | 4.0% | 0.0 | RB75 | ||||||||||
| C.J. Ham | FB | 6.9% | 16.0% | 0.0 | FB5 |
Vikings Notes From Week 8:
Superstars do superstar-type things, and Justin Jefferson (team-leading nine targets, 8-115) is most definitely a superstar. He led the Vikings in everything minus two touchdowns to Trent Sherfield Sr. (one target, 1-10-1) and Josh Oliver (two targets, 2-30-1).
The passing game was Jefferson and bit players scoring, with Jordan Addison (three targets, 2-22) and Jalen Nailor (four targets, 2-16) not doing anything of note.
Aaron Jones (19-58 rushing; two targets, 2-37 receiving) did virtually wipe out Ty Chandler as Chandler didn’t see a carry or touch in this game, so you’ve got to take him down a peg in the contingency running back pecking order; possibly even drop him if you need room on your roster. Jones took the entire market share on Thursday night.
It’s going to hurt not having all-world left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who is out for the season with a knee injury. We’ve seen how much a franchise left tackle means to teams, and to not have one can be near-catastrophic.
It’s why the 49ers did everything to get Trent Williams back in the building. It’s why the Giants went from plucky on offense to not nearly as consistent without Andrew Thomas there. The Vikings went out to get Cam Johnson from the Jaguars in a “Band-Aid” type move to help in the interim as they clearly are going to be competing this season, but losing a franchise linchpin like Darrisaw is going to hurt big time.
New England Patriots
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| DeMario Douglas | WR | 3 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4.5% | 66.7% | 58.2% | 4.0 | 10.3% | 9.1% | 12.5% | 0.50 | 3.2 | WR88 |
| Kendrick Bourne | WR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.4% | 77.8% | 77.6% | 15.3 | 10.3% | 13.6% | 10.7% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| K.J. Osborn | WR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.4% | 5.6% | 11.9% | 17.0 | 3.4% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Tyquan Thornton | WR | 3 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 13.6% | 13.9% | 16.4% | 12.0 | 10.3% | 9.1% | 60.0% | 4.00 | 4.0 | WR82 |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 6 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 36.3% | 88.9% | 83.6% | 16.0 | 20.7% | 22.7% | 18.8% | 1.44 | 7.6 | WR59 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 6 | 5 | 45 | 0 | 15.2% | 83.3% | 85.1% | 6.7 | 20.7% | 27.3% | 20.0% | 1.50 | 9.5 | TE19 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 4 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 6.5% | 38.9% | 47.8% | 4.3 | 13.8% | 13.6% | 28.6% | 1.07 | 4.5 | TE37 |
| Jaheim Bell | TE | 11.1% | 11.9% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 3 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0.0% | 58.3% | 82.1% | 0.0 | 10.3% | 4.5% | 14.3% | 0.81 | 23.5 | RB4 |
| Antonio Gibson | RB | 16.7% | 17.9% | 0.6 | RB69 |
Patriots Notes From Week 8:
We had Drake Maye get removed from the game thanks to a concussion, so we were forced to relive the entire Jacoby Brissett experience again in Week 8. If you watch NFL RedZone on NFL Network, you’ll know that in the early window, that Patriots/Jets game was shown ad nauseum for whatever reason. It’s not like it was a super offensive game either; it was a 25-22 final!
Hunter Henry (six targets, 5-45) led the Patriots in everything on the afternoon, which is not a great sign for anybody in the passing game looking for production elsewhere. Kayshon Boutte (six targets, 3-46) ran the most routes (89%) and was clearly targeted with intent, as he earned 36% of air yards.
While pretty inefficient with just shy of 2.5 yards per carry, Rhamondre Stevenson (20-48-2 rushing; three targets, 3-17 receiving) got into the end one and carried a ton of volume with 82% of snaps in the game. Well ahead of Antonio Gibson (5-6), who was just a bit player in Week 8.
New Orleans Saints
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Chris Olave | WR | 13 | 8 | 107 | 0 | 57.3% | 92.0% | 79.5% | 12.2 | 36.1% | 40.6% | 28.3% | 2.33 | 18.7 | WR13 |
| Bub Means | WR | 1 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 12.7% | 18.0% | 19.2% | 35.0 | 2.8% | 3.1% | 11.1% | 4.00 | 4.6 | WR78 |
| Mason Tipton | WR | 2 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 4.3% | 88.0% | 76.7% | 6.0 | 5.6% | 3.1% | 4.5% | 0.32 | 3.4 | WR87 |
| Equanimeous St. Brown | WR | 40.0% | 46.6% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 4 | 3 | 48 | 0 | 16.6% | 34.0% | 43.8% | 11.5 | 11.1% | 12.5% | 23.5% | 2.82 | 7.8 | TE25 |
| Taysom Hill | TE | 4 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 5.1% | 38.0% | 39.7% | 3.5 | 11.1% | 12.5% | 21.1% | 1.11 | 6.2 | TE30 |
| Foster Moreau | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.3% | 58.0% | 78.1% | 12.0 | 2.8% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| Alvin Kamara | RB | 10 | 6 | 55 | 0 | -1.8% | 44.0% | 54.8% | -0.5 | 27.8% | 25.0% | 45.5% | 2.50 | 18.2 | RB13 |
| Jamaal Williams | RB | 18.0% | 31.5% | 0.4 | RB70 | ||||||||||
| Kendre Miller | RB | 8.0% | 13.7% | 1.6 | RB63 | ||||||||||
| Adam Prentice | FB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4% | 8.0% | 16.4% | 4.0 | 2.8% | 0.0% | 25.0% | 0.00 | 0.0 | FB5 |
Saints Notes From Week 8:
With Chris Olave back in the Saints’ lineup, he and Alvin Kamara handled the majority of the volume among the pass-catchers, with 64% of the team’s targets from Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.
Olave (team-leading 13 targets, 8-107) got downfield a ton (ninth-most air yards in Week 8 – 159) and was peppered almost all day. Only Juwan Johnson (four targets, 3-48) caught more than two balls and more than 36 yards through the air.
With Bub Means (one target, 1-36, 18% routes) all but phased out thanks to Olave’s return, Mason Tipton (two targets, 2-14, 88% routes) kept his routes, which makes him a guy in super deep leagues to stash in case this offense becomes a bit more fruitful on Derek Carr’s return.
Kamara (10-67 rushing; 10 targets, 6-55 receiving) handled massive volume on just 55% of snaps, but he’s just compiling at this point instead of creating offense. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; the compiling comes at the expense of high weekly fantasy scoring.
New York Giants
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Malik Nabers | WR | 12 | 7 | 71 | 0 | 52.7% | 100.0% | 98.6% | 13.4 | 33.3% | 45.8% | 27.9% | 1.65 | 14.1 | WR29 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | 5 | 5 | 30 | 0 | -0.7% | 90.7% | 86.1% | -0.4 | 13.9% | 16.7% | 12.8% | 0.77 | 8.0 | WR54 |
| Darius Slayton | WR | 7 | 4 | 108 | 0 | 39.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 17.0 | 19.4% | 12.5% | 16.3% | 2.51 | 14.8 | WR28 |
| Theo Johnson | TE | 4 | 3 | 35 | 0 | 10.9% | 79.1% | 97.2% | 8.3 | 11.1% | 12.5% | 11.8% | 1.03 | 6.5 | TE29 |
| Chris Manhertz | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6% | 7.0% | 15.3% | 5.0 | 2.8% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| Devin Singletary | RB | 3 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 1.0% | 37.2% | 38.9% | 1.0 | 8.3% | 4.2% | 18.8% | 0.75 | 4.3 | RB45 |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr. | RB | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | -4.6% | 34.9% | 56.9% | -4.7 | 8.3% | 8.3% | 20.0% | 0.33 | 23.0 | RB6 |
| Eric Gray | RB | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | 7.0% | 4.2% | 0.0 | 2.8% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 1.00 | 1.3 | RB65 |
Giants Notes From Week 8:
It’s been a two-player show for the Giants, with Malik Nabers (team-leading 12 targets, 7-71) and Wan’Dale Robinson (eight targets, 5-30), and then when Nabers was hurt, Robinson and Darius Slayton (seven targets, 4-108) filling in and getting some target and being solidly productive.
Now, with all three players healthy, it looks like the production is going to be heavily condensed to those three players each week.
Obviously, the emphasis will be on Nabers for the target-earning and downfield matchup stuff. Robinson is responsible for the PPR scam work, and Slayton is responsible for more downfield, one-on-one stuff to stretch and stress opposing defenses. It’s all going to hinge on Daniel Jones, but it can work.
The takeover has happened, and there’s no going back… well, except when Tyrone Tracy (20-145-1 rushing; three targets, 2-5 receiving) leaves the game and enters concussion protocol. But with both Tracy and Devin Singletary (2-11 rushing; three targets, 2-12 receiving) healthy, it’s now Tracy’s backfield. Singletary played a clear second fiddle in this game against the Steelers with only four touches.
New York Jets
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Garrett Wilson | WR | 8 | 5 | 113 | 0 | 59.7% | 96.6% | 98.4% | 21.3 | 30.8% | 35.7% | 28.6% | 4.04 | 16.3 | WR22 |
| Mike Williams | WR | 65.5% | 58.1% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Xavier Gipson | WR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.7% | 13.8% | 9.7% | 2.0 | 3.8% | 7.1% | 25.0% | 0.25 | 7.1 | WR64 |
| Davante Adams | WR | 6 | 4 | 54 | 0 | 19.6% | 100.0% | 93.5% | 9.3 | 23.1% | 21.4% | 20.7% | 1.86 | 9.4 | WR47 |
| Tyler Conklin | TE | 5 | 3 | 42 | 1 | 19.3% | 75.9% | 80.6% | 11.0 | 19.2% | 21.4% | 22.7% | 1.91 | 13.2 | TE13 |
| Jeremy Ruckert | TE | 3 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0.0% | 17.2% | 37.1% | 0.0 | 11.5% | 7.1% | 60.0% | 2.80 | 4.4 | TE38 |
| Anthony Firkser | TE | 3.4% | 3.2% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Breece Hall | RB | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.7% | 48.3% | 74.2% | 0.7 | 11.5% | 7.1% | 21.4% | 0.64 | 9.9 | RB32 |
| Braelon Allen | RB | 17.2% | 30.6% | 9.2 | RB34 |
Jets Notes From Week 8:
And here I thought the goal of the New York Jets with Davante Adams (six targets, 4-54) was to WIN games! Instead, they mess around and find out (not the exact term) against a Jacoby Brissett-led team.
The Aaron Rodgers-to-Garrett Wilson (eight targets. 5-113) connection was at least consistent and working, unlike the Rodgers-to-Adams connection, which is still downloading archival videos, apparently. It’s still not there, but there’s still plenty of time to work out the bugs.
The touchdowns went (predictably) to Xavier Gipson (one target, 1-1-1), who ran all of four routes. Tyler Conklin (four targets, 3-42-1) was a bit more involved and nabbed the other touchdown score from Rodgers.
Breece Hall (16-80 rushing; three targets, 1-9 receiving) had a solid day, but Braelon Allen (12-32-1) was way too involved in the team’s offense, and Allen wasn’t even that good, minus a fourth-quarter touchdown plunge. This is work that should have been slotted over to Hall like the last couple of weeks with new play-caller Todd Downing. Whatever it was, it was entirely too cute.
Philadelphia Eagles
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| A.J. Brown | WR | 6 | 5 | 84 | 0 | 40.8% | 95.5% | 82.0% | 13.7 | 30.0% | 46.2% | 28.6% | 4.00 | 13.4 | WR33 |
| DeVonta Smith | WR | 8 | 6 | 85 | 1 | 43.3% | 100.0% | 93.4% | 10.9 | 40.0% | 46.2% | 36.4% | 3.86 | 20.5 | WR7 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 59.1% | 42.6% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Johnny Wilson | WR | 4.5% | 9.8% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Ainias Smith | WR | 4.5% | 13.1% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Grant Calcaterra | TE | 3 | 3 | 58 | 0 | 13.9% | 86.4% | 93.4% | 9.3 | 15.0% | 7.7% | 15.8% | 3.05 | 8.8 | TE22 |
| Jack Stoll | TE | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2.0% | 31.8% | 57.4% | 4.0 | 5.0% | 0.0% | 14.3% | 0.86 | 1.6 | TE57 |
| Saquon Barkley | RB | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1.5% | 77.3% | 82.0% | 3.0 | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.9% | 0.18 | 12.1 | RB25 |
| Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.5% | 13.6% | 14.8% | -3.0 | 5.0% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 0.00 | 1.9 | RB60 |
Eagles Notes From Week 8:
Without Dallas Goedert, it was classic Eagles, where A.J. Brown (six targets, 5-84) and DeVonta Smith (team-leading eight targets, 6-85-1) combined for 70% of the team’s targets.
The Eagles are who they are in the passing game, not using anybody else with any sort of volume while maintaining their approach of getting their stars the ball and letting them work. Smith caught an awesome “drop-in-the-bucket” throw from Jalen Hurts on his touchdown on very tight coverage.
Saquon Barkley (22-108 rushing; one target, 1-3) carried the volume in the running game as usual, but with Hurts taking three rushing touchdowns, Barkley wasn’t going to truly “get there” in Week 8. The role is massive and if you have Barkley, you couldn’t have been super happy to have Hurts get all of those touchdowns, but you certainly know better days are coming for one of the best running backs in football.
Pittsburgh Steelers
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| George Pickens | WR | 5 | 4 | 74 | 0 | 21.0% | 85.3% | 81.5% | 12.4 | 17.9% | 31.3% | 17.2% | 2.55 | 11.4 | WR44 |
| Van Jefferson | WR | 5 | 4 | 62 | 0 | 22.4% | 85.3% | 81.5% | 13.2 | 17.9% | 25.0% | 17.2% | 2.14 | 10.2 | WR45 |
| Calvin Austin III | WR | 4 | 3 | 54 | 1 | 17.6% | 73.5% | 58.5% | 13.0 | 14.3% | 18.8% | 16.0% | 2.16 | 20.4 | WR8 |
| Scotty Miller | WR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.0% | 14.7% | 15.4% | 26.5 | 7.1% | 12.5% | 40.0% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Brandon Johnson | WR | 2.9% | 6.2% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 2 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 3.1% | 73.5% | 66.2% | 4.5 | 7.1% | 0.0% | 8.0% | 0.76 | 3.9 | TE41 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 1 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 5.4% | 17.6% | 44.6% | 16.0 | 3.6% | 6.3% | 16.7% | 4.83 | 3.9 | TE41 |
| Connor Heyward | TE | 5.9% | 21.5% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| MyCole Pruitt | TE | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2.7% | 5.9% | 21.5% | 8.0 | 3.6% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 5.00 | 2.0 | TE51 |
| Najee Harris | RB | 4 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0.7% | 38.2% | 58.5% | 0.5 | 14.3% | 6.3% | 30.8% | 1.31 | 16.1 | RB16 |
| Jaylen Warren | RB | 4 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 9.1% | 41.2% | 40.0% | 6.7 | 14.3% | 0.0% | 28.6% | 0.93 | 7.9 | RB39 |
Steelers Notes From Week 8:
I mean, the Steelers look alright with Russell Wilson as opposed to Justin Fields, but it’s just a little different flavor of winning. The main beneficiary was George Pickens (five targets, 4-74), who could have had a much bigger game if a couple of touchdowns had not been overturned on review or penalty.
But in a typical Arthur Smith offense, it’s a bunch of guys rotating in and running routes. I mean, the team used FIVE tight ends, five wide receivers, and three running backs.
Unfortunately, even with Van Jefferson (five targets, 4-62) running 85% and putting up a solid line, it just doesn’t matter and is nowhere near a consistent line you can expect at any point.
Najee Harris (19-114 rushing; four targets, 3-14) notched his third straight 100-yard game, and he feels like a pretty safe high-end RB2 right now for fantasy.
I remember saying in the offseason that Harris seemed to be the perfect back for the newly-hired Smith, and that’s been true with a great runout that’s included Jaylen Warren (9-46 rushing; four targets, 2-13) missing a few games as well as Cordarrelle Patterson.
Harris has been that and then some. With Warren getting healthier, the Steelers playing the run and then play-action with Wilson is going to be pretty dangerous.
San Francisco 49ers
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Deebo Samuel Sr. | WR | 8 | 4 | 71 | 0 | 29.9% | 73.5% | 61.8% | 7.4 | 32.0% | 41.2% | 32.0% | 2.84 | 12.6 | WR40 |
| Ricky Pearsall | WR | 4 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 17.2% | 70.6% | 58.8% | 8.5 | 16.0% | 11.8% | 16.7% | 1.58 | 11.7 | WR43 |
| Chris Conley | WR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.1% | 88.2% | 76.5% | 18.0 | 4.0% | 0.0% | 3.3% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Jacob Cowing | WR | 11.8% | 17.6% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Ronnie Bell | WR | 20.6% | 22.1% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| George Kittle | TE | 7 | 6 | 128 | 1 | 40.3% | 82.4% | 94.1% | 11.4 | 28.0% | 35.3% | 25.0% | 4.57 | 24.8 | TE4 |
| Eric Saubert | TE | 5.9% | 20.6% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Jordan Mason | RB | 8.8% | 16.2% | 1.8 | RB61 | ||||||||||
| Isaac Guerendo | RB | 4 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 2.0% | 61.8% | 63.2% | 1.0 | 16.0% | 11.8% | 19.0% | 0.81 | 19.2 | RB10 |
| Patrick Taylor Jr. | RB | 2.9% | 7.4% | 0.9 | RB68 | ||||||||||
| Kyle Juszczyk | FB | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1.5% | 41.2% | 57.4% | 3.0 | 4.0% | 0.0% | 7.1% | 0.43 | 1.7 | FB4 |
49ers Notes From Week 8:
The 49ers edged the Cowboys in a pretty competitive game where Deebo Samuel returned after his bout with pneumonia to post a solid game. Samuel (eight targets, 4-71 receiving; 4-15 rushing) had a touchdown called back on a penalty but was otherwise solid as usual.
George Kittle (seven targets, 6-128-1) is a star and on National Tight End Day of all days! Did you all know Week 8 Sunday was National Tight End Day?
Jordan Mason (6-18, 11 snaps) left the game pretty early with a re-aggravation of his shoulder injury, so in his stead, Isaac Guerendo (14-85-1 rushing; four targets, 3-17 receiving) took 63% of the snaps and was excellent, as all backup 49ers running back seem to be when pressed into action.
I would say in most weeks that Guerendo would be a priority add, but with the team on bye in Week 9, Mason should be at least trending towards playing in Week 10… unless Christian McCaffrey returns.
Seattle Seahawks
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Tyler Lockett | WR | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 14.8% | 96.9% | 78.4% | 7.0 | 8.0% | 11.8% | 6.5% | 0.29 | 1.9 | WR98 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | WR | 7 | 6 | 69 | 0 | 51.6% | 90.6% | 82.4% | 7.0 | 28.0% | 29.4% | 24.1% | 2.38 | 12.9 | WR37 |
| Jake Bobo | WR | 1 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 11.6% | 81.3% | 76.5% | 11.0 | 4.0% | 5.9% | 3.8% | 0.58 | 2.5 | WR95 |
| Laviska Shenault Jr. | WR | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 3.2% | 12.5% | 13.7% | 3.0 | 4.0% | 5.9% | 25.0% | 2.50 | 2.0 | WR97 |
| Dareke Young | WR | 9.4% | 7.8% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Noah Fant | TE | 3 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 7.3% | 65.6% | 60.8% | 2.3 | 12.0% | 17.6% | 14.3% | 1.05 | 5.2 | TE35 |
| Pharaoh Brown | TE | 12.5% | 29.4% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| AJ Barner | TE | 2 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 22.1% | 18.8% | 37.3% | 10.5 | 8.0% | 5.9% | 33.3% | 5.67 | 5.4 | TE32 |
| Kenneth Walker III | RB | 5 | 4 | 33 | 0 | -8.4% | 43.8% | 54.9% | -1.6 | 20.0% | 5.9% | 35.7% | 2.36 | 8.5 | RB38 |
| Zach Charbonnet | RB | 4 | 3 | 20 | 0 | -2.1% | 43.8% | 45.1% | -0.5 | 16.0% | 17.6% | 28.6% | 1.43 | 11.4 | RB28 |
Seahawks Notes From Week 8:
Without DK Metcalf, the Seahawks just weren’t very good. Getting out behind the Bills in the third quarter, nobody really got anything usable besides Jaxon Smith-Njigba (seven targets, 6-69). Tyler Lockett (two targets, 1-9) has disappointed – auto-correct wanted me to write “disappeared,” which would have also worked – greatly without Metcalf.
Not even Kenneth Walker III (9-12 rushing; five targets, 4-33) was safe, although he did get a nice floor thanks to the receiving game, so it wasn’t all a total loss. Zach Charbonnet (3-4-1 rushing; four targets, 3-20 receiving) got the only touchdown for the Seahawks in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Jalen McMillan | WR | 7 | 4 | 35 | 0 | 29.1% | 90.2% | 80.8% | 14.6 | 15.6% | 21.2% | 15.2% | 0.76 | 9.2 | WR48 |
| Trey Palmer | WR | 2 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 8.0% | 76.5% | 69.9% | 14.0 | 4.4% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 0.74 | 4.9 | WR74 |
| Rakim Jarrett | WR | 3 | 3 | 58 | 0 | 14.5% | 21.6% | 27.4% | 17.0 | 6.7% | 9.1% | 27.3% | 5.27 | 8.8 | WR50 |
| Sterling Shepard | WR | 4 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 10.6% | 72.5% | 61.6% | 9.3 | 8.9% | 6.1% | 10.8% | 0.49 | 4.8 | WR77 |
| Ryan Miller | WR | 5 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 16.2% | 33.3% | 41.1% | 11.4 | 11.1% | 9.1% | 29.4% | 1.12 | 4.9 | WR74 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 10 | 9 | 81 | 2 | 24.2% | 86.3% | 93.2% | 8.5 | 22.2% | 30.3% | 22.7% | 1.84 | 29.1 | TE1 |
| Payne Durham | TE | 5.9% | 15.1% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| Rachaad White | RB | 6 | 5 | 38 | 1 | 2.0% | 52.9% | 56.2% | 1.2 | 13.3% | 12.1% | 22.2% | 1.41 | 15.7 | RB18 |
| Bucky Irving | RB | 7 | 7 | 40 | 0 | -5.2% | 31.4% | 42.5% | -2.6 | 15.6% | 3.0% | 43.8% | 2.50 | 15.4 | RB19 |
| Sean Tucker | RB | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0.6% | 5.9% | 9.6% | 2.0 | 2.2% | 3.0% | 33.3% | 4.00 | 2.5 | RB55 |
Buccaneers Notes From Week 8:
In Week 8, the post-Chris Godwin really failed to get anything going with the wide receivers, even with a clear pecking order of Jalen McMillan (seven targets, 4-35, 90% routes), Trey Palmer (two targets, 2-29, 77% routes) and Sterling Shepard (four targets, 3-18, 73% routes). Despite that order, the targets were all pretty cannibalized amongst each other.
The clear winner? Cade Otton (10 targets, 9-81-2), who ran his usual 85-95% routes, dominated target volume, and scored twice.
The running backs are fun, whereas the Rachaad White (6-29 rushing; six targets, 5-38-1 receiving) Industrial Complex™ continues to just get there each week in some form or fashion. Bucky Irving (9-44 rushing; seven receptions, 7-40) looked pretty fantastic, and Sean Tucker (2-3 rushing; one target, 1-12) got a bit of the short end of the stick.
Tucker looks like the clear contingent play while you can clearly start both White and Irving. The Buccaneers’ backfield looks like everything we wanted out of the Denver Broncos backfield in terms of high-value touches and receiving work.
Tennessee Titans
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Calvin Ridley | WR | 14 | 10 | 143 | 0 | 45.9% | 92.9% | 78.9% | 12.4 | 38.9% | 41.4% | 35.9% | 3.67 | 22.6 | WR5 |
| Tyler Boyd | WR | 6 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 12.7% | 69.0% | 60.5% | 8.0 | 16.7% | 17.2% | 20.7% | 0.48 | 4.4 | WR79 |
| Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | WR | 4 | 2 | 39 | 1 | 15.9% | 95.2% | 92.1% | 15.0 | 11.1% | 10.3% | 10.0% | 0.98 | 11.9 | WR42 |
| Jha'Quan Jackson | WR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.3% | 4.8% | 5.3% | 39.0 | 2.8% | 3.4% | 50.0% | 0.00 | 0.0 | WR112 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 5 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 9.0% | 66.7% | 61.8% | 6.8 | 13.9% | 13.8% | 17.9% | 0.50 | 1.4 | TE58 |
| Josh Whyle | TE | 2 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 2.6% | 26.2% | 40.8% | 5.0 | 5.6% | 3.4% | 18.2% | 3.00 | 5.3 | TE33 |
| Nick Vannett | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 16.7% | 40.8% | 0.0 | 2.8% | 0.0% | 14.3% | 0.00 | 0.0 | TE61 |
| Tony Pollard | RB | 3 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 3.6% | 76.2% | 81.6% | 4.5 | 8.3% | 10.3% | 9.4% | 0.72 | 14.7 | RB21 |
| Julius Chestnut | RB | 11.9% | 18.4% | 3.2 | RB48 |
Titans Notes From Week 8:
Usually, it’s in this section that we’re lamenting the lack of efficiency for Calvin Ridley, but hey, we’ve got to give credit where it’s due: Ridley (team-leading 14 targets,10-143) had himself a fine game, thanks to quarterback Mason Rudolph getting the ball to him repeatedly.
In this post-DeAndre Hopkins world in Tennessee, you’re not starting any other Titans’ receiver, but at least Ridley has a little bit of a pulse as a volatile WR3.
Tony Pollard (20-94 rushing; three targets, 3-23) remains looking like the only other Titan you can start with any sort of confidence for fantasy purposes, as he continues to produce despite putrid game scripts here because his workhorse role is so dominant without Tyjae Spears on the field for a second-consecutive game.
Washington Commanders
| Name | Pos | Targets | Rec. | Rec. Yards | TD | Air Yards % | Route % | Snap % | aDOT | Target Share % | First Read Target % | TPRR | YPRR | PPR FPTS | PPR Finish |
| Terry McLaurin | WR | 8 | 5 | 125 | 0 | 43.7% | 74.5% | 71.6% | 22.6 | 24.2% | 31.8% | 22.9% | 3.57 | 17.5 | WR18 |
| Dyami Brown | WR | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | -1.0% | 25.5% | 32.4% | -4.0 | 3.0% | 4.5% | 8.3% | 0.50 | 1.6 | WR106 |
| Luke McCaffrey | WR | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 4.1% | 34.0% | 33.8% | 8.5 | 6.1% | 0.0% | 12.5% | 0.50 | 1.8 | WR102 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 42.6% | 35.1% | 0.0 | WR112 | ||||||||||
| Noah Brown | WR | 6 | 3 | 73 | 1 | 29.0% | 78.7% | 81.1% | 20.0 | 18.2% | 13.6% | 16.2% | 1.97 | 16.3 | WR22 |
| Zach Ertz | TE | 11 | 7 | 77 | 0 | 25.8% | 80.9% | 75.7% | 9.7 | 33.3% | 31.8% | 28.9% | 2.03 | 14.7 | TE10 |
| Ben Sinnott | TE | 14.9% | 21.6% | 0.0 | TE61 | ||||||||||
| John Bates | TE | 1 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0.5% | 23.4% | 33.8% | 2.0 | 3.0% | 4.5% | 9.1% | 1.82 | 3.0 | TE48 |
| Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | -1.2% | 25.5% | 47.3% | -5.0 | 3.0% | 4.5% | 8.3% | 0.92 | 8.6 | RB37 |
| Austin Ekeler | RB | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | -0.9% | 59.6% | 56.8% | -1.3 | 9.1% | 9.1% | 10.7% | 0.21 | 7.8 | RB41 |
| Jeremy McNichols | RB | 6.4% | 6.8% | -0.1 | RB82 |
Commanders Notes From Week 8:
A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ
Jayden Daniels HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
The game was a mess offensively on the Bears’ side, but on the Commanders’ side, there were plenty of things to like, which passing volume being somewhat condensed. Of course, Terry McLaurin (eight targets, 5-125, 181 air yards – second among all pass-catchers in Week 8) was a huge part of it.
We can’t forget Noah Brown (six targets, 3-73-1), of course, who caught the 52-yard pass at the end of the game. Brown also ran routes on 79% of Jayden Daniels’ dropbacks, a season-high. Zach Ertz (team-leading 11 targets, 7-77) also had a vintage day with a 9.7-yard aDOT and solid production throughout.
Brian Robinson (10-65 rushing; one target, 1-11 receiving) and Austin Ekeler (7-52 rushing; three targets, 2-6 receiving) have both become a pretty potent combo of running backs, both being excellently efficient. Neither did too much in this environment in Week 8, but we’ve been starting Robinson almost universally because of touchdown equity.
Ekeler is creeping up on that status, too, with how he’s taking the big lead on Robinson in snaps and routes, plus the receiving upside.
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