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Week 8 of the 2019 fantasy football season brought many surprises and unexpected sleepers and busts. Mike Riggall analyzes common overreactions to such performances in order to provide reasonable advice to fantasy owners.
Week 8 didn't offer too many surprises for the most part. There were, however, a few players that registered multiple-touchdown performances which elevated them up the ranks, such as Aaron Jones (2 TD), Tevin Coleman (4 TD), Latavius Murray (2 TD) and Mike Evans (2 TD). For the most part, the players that scored multiple touchdowns and really exploded this week should have been in fantasy lineups anyways, so nobody should have been shocked.
The biggest disappointments of Week 8 include Brandin Cooks who failed to register a catch because he suffered a concussion on the first drive of the game and Corey Davis who failed to take advantage of a great matchup against the Buccaneers. The Detroit Lions were expected to replace the injured Kerryon Johnson with Ty Johnson, but instead, the Lions went with a committee, and Ty Johnson only touched the ball eight times.
At the tight end position, Travis Kelce, Austin Hooper, George Kittle and Evan Engram were all top-seven tight ends on the week, but the top players were Ryan Griffin and Darren Fells who both scored two touchdowns. Like I said earlier, most of the outlier performances came as a result of touchdowns. Last week is now in the rear-view mirror, and now we need to look forward and evaluate how to move forward to Week 9.
Editor's Note: Steer clear of costly draft mistakes with RotoBaller’s expert Fantasy Football Bust analysis. We break down overvalued players, potential letdowns, and risky ADPs to avoid, so you can build a smarter, safer roster.
Ryan Tannehill (QB, TEN)
Week 8 Stats: 21-of-33, 193 yards, 3 TD
Tannehill came through with three touchdowns on the day but he was inefficient, throwing for just 5.8 yards-per-attempt against a Buccaneers secondary that surrenders 7.5 yards-per-attempt on the season.
Bottom Line: Tannehill is an upgrade from Marcus Mariota because he's decisive and will make contested throws. However, he's still capable of having bad games. Tannehill came through for fantasy on Sunday because he faced a struggling secondary, and should only be streamed if he has a favorable matchup.
Chris Conley (WR, JAX)
Week 8 Stats: 7 targets, 4 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD
Heading into Week 8, Dede Westbrook was the Jaguars most-targeted wide receiver. Westbrook, however, went down against the Jets and that vacated both playing time and targets for the other Jaguars receivers, including Chris Conley. Conley proceeded to match a season-high in targets (7) and gained a season-high 103 yards.
Bottom Line: Conley saw an increase in playing time and targets when Dede Westbrook went down. If Westbrook misses time, Conley will be a matchup dependent WR3.
Russell Gage (WR, ATL)
Week 8 Stats: 9 targets, 7 catches, 58 yards
Now that Mohamed Sanu is a New England Patriot, the Falcons have turned to Russell Gage, who was the Falcons clear No. 3 wide receiver in Week 8 playing 59% of the snaps. Coming out of LSU in 2016, Gage was considered a fast receiver with good burst and competitive fire. The knock on Gage during the pre-draft process was that he lacked ideal size for the NFL and he didn't have elite college-production.
Bottom Line: Gage is going to surface from time to time throughout the remainder of the season, but it will be hard to predict when that will happen, because he's the No.4/5 passing target in Atlanta behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Austin Hooper and Devonta Freeman.
Tevin Coleman (RB, SF)
Week 8 Stats: 11 carries, 105 yards, 3 TD, 2 targets, 2 catches, 13 yards, 1 TD
Tevin Coleman exploded against a solid Panthers run defense in Week 8 with four total touchdowns. Coleman looked explosive, displayed good vision and at times, had wide open holes to run through. Matt Breida was a little banged up in this one and it's starting to look pretty clear that Coleman is the clear lead back in San Francisco.
Bottom Line: Coleman had a poor Week 7 showing against Washington but so did all of the offensive players in that game. Coleman will be a solid RB2 option for the rest of the way, but by scoring four touchdowns, this game will likely be his best of the season, if not his career. Have confidence rolling with Coleman the rest of the way, but if you are offered a stud in a trade, consider selling high if you are blown away with an offer.
Latavius Murray (RB, NO)
Week 8 Stats: 21 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD, 12 targets, 9 catches, 55 yards, 1 TD
Latavius Murray has exploded over the last two weeks, touching the ball a total of 62 times, scoring four touchdowns in that span.
Bottom Line: If you have been relying on Murray over the last two weeks and you do not own Alvin Kamara, try to trade Murray to the Kamara owner while his value is high. However, you should make sure to get decent value for Murray in a trade and not simply give him away, because he will have value independent of Kamara even when he returns to action.
Miles Sanders (RB, PHI)
Week 8 Stats: 3 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD, 3 targets, 3 catches, 44 yards
On the season, Miles Sanders has carried the ball 66 times for 294 yards, one touchdown and has added 19 catches for 274 yards and one touchdown in the passing game. Jordan Howard has carried the ball 100 times for 443 yards, five touchdowns and has added nine catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.
Bottom Line: Sanders is not getting a ton of volume which is concerning but he's an explosive athlete that can take any carry to the house. Sanders plays more snaps when the Eagles are behind, so he's more likely to succeed when the Eagles are underdogs.
Devin Singletary (RB, BUF)
Week 8 Stats: 3 carries, 19 yards, 6 targets, 4 catches, 30 yards, 1 TD
Against a tough Eagles Defense, Frank Gore only mustered 34 yards off of nine rushes. The Bills found themselves down for most of the game and turned to Devin Singletary, who offers more explosiveness in the passing game.
Bottom Line: Singletary is a young, explosive rookie running back that should emerge as the season drags on. Frank Gore has been getting it done, but as the season wears on, Gore will wear down while Singletary and his younger legs should emerge. The Bills face the Redskins in Week 9, so Singletary should get plenty of work in the running game as the Bills should dominate.
Duke Johnson (RB, HOU)
Week 8 Stats: 3 carries, 1 yard, 5 targets, 4 catches, 33 yards, 1 TD
With the Texans trailing for much of the game against the Raiders, Duke Johnson only played 37-of-83 snaps, while Carlos Hyde played 43-of-83 snaps. Johnson only has 64 touches on the season compared to 136 touches for Hyde. Johnson has only played 60+% of snaps in three games this season, coming against the Saints, Panthers and Colts, all of which were Texans losses.
Bottom Line: Johnson currently sits as the No. 35 running back on the season in PPR leagues and is best served being used as an RB3 when the Texans are underdogs.
Ryan Griffin (TE, NYJ)
Week 8 Stats: 4 targets, 4 catches, 66 yards, 2 TD
Griffin had his best game of the season in Week 8 and that performance will likely remain his best for the remainder of 2019. Griffin's two-touchdown performance now brings him to 13 catches, 112 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Bottom Line: You cannot count on Ryan Griffin in any format unless you're truly desperate and have no other option. Griffin will disappear completely once Chris Herndon returns to the lineup, so do not chase these points.
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