Week 8 Wrap: Eagles-Commanders turns into a fantasy party
Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders
Sam Howell was Sunday’s No. 1 fantasy QB while Jalen Hurts was top five in a matchup that featured a ton of scoring Sunday. The Eagles and Commanders combined for 69 points on a day when no over/unders reached even 47.0 points. Howell was 24/26 for 226 yards (8.7 YPA) with two touchdowns and zero picks (or sacks!) at halftime. He was mostly terrific aside from a bad fourth-quarter pick and took full advantage of the pass-funnel matchup.
Howell entered on pace to shatter the sack record but somehow took just one against a defense among the leaders in the category.
Hurts countered with four touchdown passes of his own and posted a completion percentage over expectation (+15.3) in the 95th percentile. The QB notably finished with season lows in rush attempts (four) and yards (six), including losing a fumble on a QB Push attempt at the goal line. It’s worth monitoring given his knee injury (which was noticeable at some times Sunday).
A.J. Brown was a top-three fantasy wideout in Week 8, when he recorded one of the best catches of the year:
AJ BROWN CONTINUES TO AMAZE.
📺: #PHIvsWAS on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/sBds7uLXan— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023
His monster game could’ve been even bigger, as Brown drew a DPI in the end zone during another near one-handed TD grab in the third quarter. Brown became the first player in NFL history with six straight games of 125+ receiving yards.
DeVonta Smith had his first big game since Week 2, pulling down a huge fourth-down catch in the third quarter that would’ve been overturned, but like Kyle Shanahan in the NFC Championship Game, Ron Rivera neglected to throw the challenge flag. The play led to Brown’s second TD catch of the day despite being double-teamed. Smith would add a huge touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and should be a top-20 WR moving forward.
Brian Robinson encouragingly dominated Washington’s backfield work and got 5.9 YPC against the league’s toughest run defense, but volume remained an issue. Meanwhile, Terry McLaurin saw 12 targets and hauled in a nice touchdown. Scary Terry was close to a second TD when a ball went just off his fingertips in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
Jahan Dotson had his first big game of the season on fantasy benches (or waiver wires), recording career-highs in targets (10), catches (eight) and receiving yards (108) as well as a touchdown. Hopefully, it’s the start of things to come for Dotson, but realize the production required 51 pass attempts by Howell.
D’Andre Swift scored a late touchdown on a fake QB Push play, saving an otherwise quiet fantasy day. The Eagles had just six rushing yards at halftime in a game the teams would combine to total 846 yards.
Julio Jones got in on the action, collecting a fourth-quarter touchdown. That said, he saw just two targets and doesn’t belong on fantasy rosters.
Joey Slye nailed a 61-yard field goal to end the first half, as Washington gave the Eagles real trouble for the second game this season.
Houston Texans @ Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young outplayed C.J. Stroud in the first game ever to feature the top three picks of the previous draft. Young benefitted from the play-caller switch, although he didn’t produce much in the second half while constantly under siege. DeMeco Ryans has Houston playing much better defense.
Chuba Hubbard didn’t have a big game (the Texans have been defending the run well lately), but he acted as Carolina’s clear lead back. Raheem Blackshear had more carries than Miles Sanders.
Adam Thielen saw another 11 targets and made a great catch during a nice play by Young.
Dameon Pierce had a sick run in the third quarter but lost 10 carries to Devin Singletary and a goal-line TD run to Andrew Beck.
Nico Collins and Tank Dell had favorable matchups on paper with Robert Woods out, but Noah Brown led Houston in receiving Sunday. The Texans gave Dell three carries too, but their offense struggled along with Stroud.
The Panthers are last in the league in takeaways but recorded their first fumble recovery of the season Sunday.
Los Angeles Rams @ Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott tossed four touchdowns during his best performance of the season in another absurd Dallas game script. Prescott’s TD pass to Jake Ferguson was especially pretty:
Great angle of Dak Prescott’s TD pass to Jake Ferguson pic.twitter.com/uLhkzz1udU
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 29, 2023
CeeDee Lamb had a 10-9-122-2 line at halftime against a Rams defense that hadn’t allowed a touchdown to a wide receiver since Week 1. Lamb finished with a career-high 12 catches as the top fantasy receiver on Sunday.
Dallas erupted for 43 points, yet Tony Pollard wasn’t a top-30 fantasy back this week. Fantasy managers have no other course but to remain patient, but it’s been frustrating.
Matthew Stafford threw an ugly pick-six to Central Catholic’s finest DaRon Bland (his third defensive score of the year) and injured his thumb hitting a helmet during a two-point attempt late in the second quarter. He’d return to catch a two-point try after halftime but would eventually leave for good late in the third quarter with the score 36-17. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua’s fantasy managers hope the injury isn’t serious.
Darrell Henderson Jr. led LA in receiving yards on just three targets, while Royce Freeman was the team’s leading rusher and punched in a goal-line score.
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
Kirk Cousins was playing well again before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. The loss is obviously crushing news to the fantasy values of Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson.
Addison scored yet again Sunday and is behind only Tyreek Hill in receiving touchdowns per game this season.
Alexander Mattison saw 17 opportunities in a good matchup but continued to disappoint while watching Cam Akers record Minnesota’s first rushing score of the season.
Green Bay’s offense is miserable. Jordan Love was bad again, although he led the Packers in rushing. Jayden Reed led the team in receiving, as Christian Watson managed 4.1 yards per target.
New Orleans Saints @ Indianapolis Colts
Derek Carr and Gardner Minshew were both top-12 fantasy QBs in a fast-paced matchup that totaled 65 points.
Alvin Kamara was a top fantasy back in Week 8, breaking tackles during both his TD catch and later his touchdown run. He had a big game despite seeing a modest (for him) five targets and Taysom Hill running for two touchdowns (including one at the goal line).
Rashid Shaheed somehow had 153 yards on just three targets while running just 15 routes, scoring and also sealing the game with a huge fourth-quarter catch downfield. He’s the epitome of “better in Best Ball.”
Carr missed Chris Olave deep multiple times (and Olave missed another off his helmet) in another game full of what-ifs. These aren’t just “prayer yards” either, as Carr continues to battle inaccuracy issues downfield.
Jonathan Taylor looked great and had 94 rushing yards at halftime but curiously had just one carry for one yard during the second half. He also lost a goal-line score to Zack Moss.
Michael Pittman saw 13 targets and made a TD catch on fourth down.
The Colts’ secondary is a terrific fantasy matchup, and Indy has also allowed an NFL-high 15 rushing touchdowns this season.
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdowns as the Dolphins are now averaging 48 points at home this season. Tagovailoa has 12 touchdown passes over three games in Miami and improved to 6-0 in his career versus Bill Belichick.
Tyreek Hill once again made it look easy during his long TD grab. He’s the first player in the Super Bowl era to have 1,000+ receiving yards in his team's first eight games.
Jaylen Waddle reached 100 receiving yards for the first time this year during easily his best game of the season.
Raheem Mostert was held in check but scored, while Jeff Wilson Jr. showed some juice as Miami’s clear backup. Wilson remains well worth stashing in fantasy leagues, although De’Von Achane is due back soon.
Rhamondre Stevenson had an angry run in the second quarter, but New England had a quiet fantasy day (Kendrick Bourne caught a touchdown but left hurt).
Mac Jones helped Jalen Ramsey record a pick during his return to action.
New York Jets @ New York Giants
Tyrod Taylor, Darren Waller and numerous others left injured (MetLife Stadium strikes again) in a game that saw the Jets allow the fewest passing yards (-9) in NFL history (and nearly lose if not for two missed field goals!). The teams combined to go 4-for-34 on third downs. The Jets promptly lost a fumble during the first snap by the team’s third center of the day in a bizarre game.
Backup QB Tommy DeVito attempted just one pass in the second half (and one more in OT) and finished with a -46.9 CPOE in the 0th percentile (I don’t remember ever seeing that). Hopefully Daniel Jones is ready to return in Week 9 as early signs indicate.
What an effort by Saquon Barkley to get an NFL-high 128 rushing yards against the Jets' defense and with zero help from the Giants' passing “attack.”
Breece Hall took a pass 50 yards to the house, marking the first Jets touchdown in the first quarter this season. Hall was shut down on the ground and committed a drop in OT that cost him yards, but it was another step in the right direction.
Zach Wilson was not good but became the first quarterback since 2000 to win a game with multiple 25+ yard completions within the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter. He also did his job peppering Garrett Wilson with 13 targets.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Travis Etienne had a long TD catch and continues to produce even in tough matchups (the mark of a truly great fantasy back).
Meanwhile, Tank Bigsby lost another fumble on three carries.
Trevor Lawrence continues to play well (aside from a bad pick in the end zone in the second quarter), but without massive fantasy results, as he’s on pace to throw just 19 touchdowns this season.
Kenny Pickett left injured, and Mitch Trubisky threw two picks and a TD after replacing him.
Diontae Johnson saw 11 first-half targets and returned after appearing to suffer an injury. Expect more catches and yards from Johnson, with George Pickens scoring more touchdowns (like he did Sunday) between Pittsburgh’s receivers moving forward. Johnson remains allergic to scoring, as Pickett missed him wide-open in the end zone in the second quarter (the conditions were very wet in Pittsburgh, to be fair).
The Jaguars have won five straight games despite playing just one in Jacksonville.
Atlanta Falcons @ Tennessee Titans
Will Levis was tossing dimes all game and became just the second QB in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes during their first start. He did so while sporting the highest average depth of target (11.5 air yards) among all quarterbacks in Week 8. What a performance that few saw coming.
DeAndre Hopkins was one of the most “due” for touchdown regression receivers in the league, but the shaky QB situation (seemingly) made him a tenuous fantasy start. Instead, he exploded for three scores with the rookie QB now looking like his fantasy savior. Hopkins was the No. 2 fantasy WR this week while recording just four catches.
Desmond Ridder took five sacks and lost yet another fumble on just 12 pass attempts before being replaced by Taylor Heinicke. Ridder would clear a concussion test, so the move appeared to be Arthur Smith’s decision.
Bijan Robinson scored his first NFL rushing touchdown but failed to secure any of his five targets.
The Titans executed a successful fake punt in the first quarter while breaking out their old-school Oilers jerseys and have won six straight games coming out of the bye.
Cleveland Browns @ Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Smith had two TDs but also two interceptions and was lucky Cameron Mitchell dropped a sure pick-six (a theme for Smith this season).
Kenneth Walker got 8.3 YPC but saw just eight carries and lost a goal-line score to Jake Bobo. The usage is eyebrow-raising in a game Seattle was having a ton of success running (Zach Charbonnet got 10.6 YPC).
P.J. Walker threw Cleveland’s first touchdown pass since Week 3 and managed to keep Amari Cooper’s fantasy value afloat despite the tough matchup.
Kareem Hunt scored and led a three-headed committee also featuring Pierre Strong Jr. and Jerome Ford, who played through his ankle injury. The running back timeshare is bad news for fantasy, but at least the Browns have a strong defense and are among the leaders in rush attempts per game.
Baltimore Ravens @ Arizona Cardinals
The Ravens took a step back after a near-perfect game last week, although they still won rather easily. Lamar Jackson and the passing game took a backseat to Gus Edwards, who punched in three scores. Edwards dominated Baltimore’s RB work and finished as fantasy’s No. 1 back on Sunday after being the RB6 last week.
Joshua Dobbs made mistakes but was a top-10 fantasy QB while totaling three touchdowns (one rushing). He led the first opening drive touchdown against Baltimore in 16 games.
Emari Demercado was Arizona’s feature back (20 carries), but the Cardinals have some tougher run defenses over the next few weeks (@Cle, Atl, @Hou).
Trey McBride led all tight ends with 14 targets this week, when he finished behind only Taysom Hill among fantasy scorers at the position. His fourth-quarter touchdown catch came with the help of many teammates (and the refs) in one of the highlights of Week 8.
Odell Beckham Jr. finished with a goose egg on the score sheet but drew a DPI in the end zone in the fourth quarter. He’s done that multiple times this season, with fantasy managers having nothing to show for it.
The Cardinals scored a touchdown with 1:18 left and then kicked a field goal after successfully executing an onside kick to complete an amazing backdoor cover.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
Patrick Mahomes was battling an illness during his first career loss on the road to a divisional opponent (he was 16-0 previously). Give Mahomes a pass given his condition and the weird circumstance of facing the same defense twice in three weeks. Kansas City failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2021 against a Denver defense playing much better of late.
Travis Kelce is averaging 60+ fewer yards per game when Taylor Swift isn’t in attendance.
Russell Wilson threw three touchdowns but had just 114 yards on only 19 attempts. Game script oddly hurt Wilson’s stats in this one.
No Broncos receiver topped 50 yards, but Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams all caught touchdowns. Williams saw a season-high 27 carries after never surpassing 15 in a game all season. His fantasy value continues to soar as he moves into a featured role further removed from multi-ligament knee surgery.
Cincinnati Bengals @ San Francisco 49ers
Joe Burrow looked like a different quarterback coming out of the bye and ripped apart San Francisco’s defense. He set a career-high with 19 straight completions at one point. Burrow hadn’t reached 7.0 YPA during any game this season before getting 8.3 against a 49ers secondary allowing the second-fewest YPA (5.6) in the league. Burrow is officially back.
Ja’Marr Chase dominated (12-10-100-1) an overmatched San Francisco secondary, while Joe Mixon recorded Cincinnati’s second rushing touchdown of the season. The Bengals had their most rush yards in a game this year during the upset.
Christian McCaffrey tied the longest streak ever with a touchdown in his 17th straight game, and he’d later add another TD as a receiver. CMC saw his fewest carries (12) in a game this year (when not leaving injured) but still finished as fantasy’s No. 2 back on Sunday. Game script prevented an even bigger performance from the league’s premier fantasy RB.
Elijah Mitchell saw backup work over Jordan Mason, which is well worth noting in deeper fantasy leagues.
Brock Purdy missed Trent Williams and lost at home for the first time in his career. He entered with just one career pick at home but threw interceptions on back-to-back plays in the second half. Purdy’s would-be third pick was negated by a personal foul penalty (in which the QB took another hard hit to the head), but he promptly lost a fumble on the next play. Purdy threw for 365 yards and got 11.8 YPA while making some great plays, but the turnovers were killers. A performance like this is not entirely unexpected from QBs returning from concussions.
George Kittle had a big second half and finished as fantasy’s No. 3 tight end on Sunday. The targets (11), receptions (nine) and receiving yards (149) were all his most since 2021.
Brandon Aiyuk committed an egregious drop downfield in the second quarter, although the sun may have been a factor. He’s on pace to record 1,500+ receiving yards this season but hasn’t scored since Week 1 (when he did twice).
San Francisco’s defense has been a disappointment under new coordinator Steve Wilks, as the 49ers limp into their bye losers of three straight.
Chicago Bears @ Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert was fantastic while tossing a career-high three touchdowns in the first half. He wasn’t needed much after that, as Chicago allowed more yards before halftime than they did all of its last game.
Austin Ekeler was held to just 29 yards on 15 carries (1.9 YPC) but had a big game receiving, including an early screen he took 39 yards to the house. Ekeler had 100 receiving yards until losing six (and a fumble) on a late fourth-quarter catch with the game out of hand.
Quentin Johnston made some plays while Josh Palmer battled his knee injury.
Donald Parham took advantage of Gerald Everett’s absence and scored an impressive touchdown.
After finishing with an average depth of target in the first percentile last week, Tyson Bagent uncorked a deep ball on the first play that could’ve gone for a touchdown if the refs were watching the game. Darnell Mooney drew a PI on the play but secured the catch and was untouched on his way to the end zone, but the play was blown dead.
Bagent Zero threw a couple of picks Sunday night (and couldn’t connect with a wide-open Velus Jones in the end zone), but he didn’t play as poorly as the final score might indicate.