5 Fantasy Football Takeaways for Week 8 (+ Trade Deadline Impacts)
As you could tell, this weekly series has now shifted from “overreactions” to “takeaways” as we’re almost at the midway point of the regular season. Although this NFL season has been a bit disappointing for fantasy football, with scoring going down by 22% compared to last year, there’s still plenty of things to dive into. As ya’ll know, I will be doing this takeaway article over the course of the 18 weeks of the NFL season, so let’s jump right into it. Also, this week will feature a special section highlighting the different fantasy outlooks for the notable offensive players that were dealt during the trade deadline!
1. JUSTIN FIELDS BREAKOUT IS FINALLY HERE
Isn’t it crazy that Justin Fields is the QB2 from Weeks 5–8? He’s increased his fantasy output every single week during that span and finished most recently as the QB3 in a tough matchup against the Cowboys. Although the Bears may not be good, their QB has sure been good for fantasy. His safe rushing floor is what makes him a stud, as he’s averaged 53 rushing yards/game so far this season. In addition, the Bears just traded for talented Steelers WR Chase Claypool, so Fields has another weapon to throw to. He has a juicy matchup against the Dolphins coming up this week which could be a shootout, so he merits a start in your lineups, and he needs to be rostered everywhere.
2. CMC IS STILL THE CMC WE KNOW
One thing us fantasy football fans were all curious about was how exactly would running back mastermind Kyle Shanahan utilize their new superstar acquisition Christian McCaffrey in the 49ers offense. Well, this week, we found out that they utilized him in every single way possible, literally. CMC had a passing, receiving, and rushing touchdown, and finished as the RB2 on the week. He played 81% of the snaps, meaning he was fully utilized in that workhorse role, so his opportunities is still massive. It’s safe to say that as long no injuries happen, CMC and Austin Ekeler will be competing for the RB1 spot in fantasy this year.
3. TONY POLLARD IS A MUST START WITHOUT ZEKE
I feel like we’ve been saying this for years but people just still don’t listen. At this point in his career, Ezekiel Elliott is not as good as Tony Pollard. Pollard has crazy speed, elusiveness, and pass catching skills, and he showcased it all this week finishing as the RB4 on the week. Even though he only played 53% of the snaps, Pollard is simply too talented to not start without Elliott, as he’s one of the few players in the league that could take a carry to the house. Without Elliott, Pollard is a high end RB1, and moving forward, even with Zeke in the lineup, Pollard deserves to be in your FLEX or RB2 spot depending on how deep your league is.
4. THE DOLPHINS WRS ARE LEAGUE WINNERS
Who knew that Tyreek Hill was going to be leading the league in recieving yards? The man is on a historic pace and is on track to break Calvin Johnson’s single season recieving yards record. Currently the WR1 in fantasy, Hill is the most targeted player in the NFL and gives you a dynamic duo of floor and upside. We all knew that from his time in Kansas City, but in Miami right now, he’s a different breed and is single-handedly winning you weeks. The same could be said about Jaylen Waddle, who was already a star in his rookie year but is ascending to superstar territory. He’s currently 4th in the NFL in recieving yards and is the WR5 in fantasy. We were all concerned that perhaps Waddle would see less targets and become less efficient with the addition of Hill, and even though he has seen less volume, he’s still been amazing.
5. DJ MOORE’S FANTASY COMEBACK SZN STARTS NOW
Many considered DJ Moore to be an afterthought after six straight weeks of mediocre production, but ever since Baker Mayfield got injured, PJ Walker has been the savior to Moore managers. He’s been the WR2 from Weeks 7–8, and has seen double digit targets in both games. Moore and Walker’s chemistry has looked stellar so far, and moving forward, he’s a must start WR2 in fantasy no matter the matchup.
TRADE DEADLINE FANTASY IMPACTS
TJ Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
In a shocking move, the Lions dealt Pro Bowl tight end TJ Hockenson to their division rival Minnesota Vikings. Hockenson is joining a stacked offense with Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, and Adam Thielen. Moving forward, Hockenson is still a TE1 in fantasy, but he doesn’t have a safe floor as the Vikings just don’t throw to the tight end position much. Although he gets an upgrade at QB, Hockenson could be third or fourth at the very best in the pecking order, so there really isn’t a major change in his fantasy outlook. However, for the Lions, this boosts the stock of Amon-Ra St Brown even more, who is now a must start WR1 despite a couple of bad weeks due to injury. As for Jefferson, he’s still a top 3 WR, and for Thielen, he’s still a mid range WR3.
Chase Claypool, WR, Chicago Bears
Chase Claypool’s name started emerging on trade candidate lists as soon as the regular season began, and with the Steelers shipping him to the Bears, he’s an intriguing option. The issue for Claypool will be a lack of passing volume, as Justin Fields has only thrown the ball for a maximum of 27 attempts this season and has averaged only 150 passing yards/game. However, Claypool’s athleticism still brings him massive upside, so he’ll be a FLEX in fantasy at best for now. Of course, this lowers the fantasy stock of Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet as they should no longer be in your lineupes this week at the very least. For the Steelers, George Pickens is now someone you should be starting every week as he’s shown the most chemistry with Kenny Pickett. Pickens is a solid WR3 moving forward. Diontae Johnson is also a WR3 with a upgrade in PPR leagues.
Chase Edmonds, RB, Denver Broncos
The big takeaway from this trade is that you should not be playing any Denver Bronco running back in fantasy. It’s a three headed backfield on a terrible offense, so yeah. Don’t pick up Edmonds, and drop or trade Latavius Murray and Melvin Gordon.
Jeff Wilson, RB, Miami Dolphins
Jeff Wilson reunites with his former offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel in Miami, and the major takeaway here is that Raheem Mostert’s stock will fall a bit due to the history McDaniel has of using multiple running backs in his offense. Mostert is a low end RB2, and Wilson can’t be started in fantasy right now until we see his utilization. For the 49ers, there really isn’t much change other than the fact that you should check to see if Elijah Mitchell is on your waiver wire, since he is now the handcuff to Christian McCaffrey, who has a history of injuries.
Nyheim Hines, RB, Buffalo Bills
The addition of Nyheim Hines continues to bolster the stock of Josh Allen as if it needed anymore reinforcement. For Hines himself, he’s a FLEX option right now due to this pass catching ability, and he’ll likely be filtered in as the third down back. Devin Singletary’s stock is lowered with the addition of Hines as well, as he’s a high end RB3 now with likely fewer targets heading his way. For the Colts, Jonathan Taylor is a low end RB1 despite his super disappointing season, but the good news is now he’ll likely see somewhat of a three down role since Zack Moss, who was also shipped over in the trade, is not a pass catching back. I would look to buy low on Taylor right now and trade someone like Khalil Herbert, Antonio Gibson, or Miles Sanders to get him.
