Week 8 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Diontae Johnson, Terry McLaurin, Tony Pollard, Mark Andrews, Patrick Mahomes

Who should I start or sit for fantasy football in Week 8 of the 2024 season? Andrew's potential fantasy football busts and duds to avoid for Week 8 lineups.

As is customary (for a reason that nobody knows), the NFL schedule-makers grant us a week in the middle of all the byes when no teams take the week off. All 32 teams are in action, and busts options are plentiful.

Defensive matchups and potential game scripts factor into this week's picks, but injuries to a quarterback or supporting cast also tank the value of fantasy football lineup mainstays.

Below are my 10 fantasy football busts, or players that may disappoint, for Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

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Tony Pollard (RB, TEN) at Detroit

There's one startable asset on the Tennessee Titans and it's a terrible matchup for him this week.

With Will Levis injured (shoulder), Mason Rudolph is trending toward another start. It doesn't make any difference. Neither quarterback can effectively move the Tennessee offense.

Titans QB Mason Rudolph expected to start vs. Lions, per coach Brian Callahanhttps://t.co/alkUo1PAb5 pic.twitter.com/3PluUJYzoF

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) October 23, 2024

Tony Pollard has been decent for fantasy football (RB23 on the season) because poor rush defenses were on the schedule. Three of Pollard's next four opponents rank in the top eight for the fewest fantasy points allowed to running backs. The Lions, second-best against the position, are up first.

Running backs who have done well against Detroit (Kenneth Walker III and Aaron Jones) were boosted by good to great quarterback play to set them up to score. Pollard won't have that benefit.

Alexander Mattison (RB, LV) vs. Kansas City

17, 19, 26. Those are the number of touches Alexander Mattison has gotten in his last three games. Zamir White was inactive for the first two, not the third. Mattison has secured the job and put himself on the fantasy radar on volume alone.

Alexander Mattison was the lead back even with Zamir White back

- 69% snaps
- 23 carries, 92 yards
- 20 routes, 3 targets, 3 rec, 31 yards

That is 123 total yards and 15.3 fantasy points

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) October 20, 2024

Do you know who else was a fantasy starter on volume? Jordan Mason (although he is more talented than Mattison). Mason averaged 101.5 rushing yards per game before the matchup against Kansas City last week. He mustered 58 on 14 attempts.

That's been the case for every running back this season. Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, and J.K. Dobbins logged their lowest YPC against the Chiefs. Alvin Kamara had a worse game against Denver but averaged just 2.36 yards per attempt in Arrowhead.

The Chiefs are 10-point road favorites. A stingy defense combined with a negative game script takes Mattison out of starting lineup consideration this week.

Nick Chubb (RB, CLE) vs. Baltimore

Nick Chubb's return to being a fantasy star (if ever) will take time. That was the message in this article last week. The Browns gave Chubb three carries inside the 10-yard line (two inside the five) to get the fan favorite a score in his return.

NICHOLAS JAMAAL CHUBB#CINvsCLE on CBS and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/VB0posVj2H

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 20, 2024

Fantasy managers can't bank on a weekly touchdown and Chubb wasn't good otherwise. He rushed 11 times for 22 yards (2.0 YPC) on 36% of offensive snaps. Pierre Strong Jr. dominated third-down touches. With Jameis Winston YOLO'ing the football downfield this weekend, Chubb will need his production to come on the ground.

The Ravens surrender the fewest yards per carry to running backs this season. Their 362 yards given up on the season ranks second best. The team ahead of them (Kansas City) and three teams right behind them have played six games. Baltimore has played seven. This is a very stout run defense that can be beaten through the air. Chubb is not the Brown to target this week.

Terry McLaurin (WR, WAS) vs. Chicago

Terry McLaurin could be without his quarterback Jayden Daniels (ribs) on Sunday. If that's the case, Marcus Mariota will get the start for the Commanders. McLaurin was solid (six catches for 98 yards) with Mariota under center. That was against the Panthers. The Bears are a different animal.

Chicago allows the seventh-fewest fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. It allows 180 passing yards per game. The Bears are coming off of a bye and starting cornerback Tyrique Stevenson should return to the lineup (TBD statuses on fellow defensive backs Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker).

McLaurin is a low-end WR2 if Daniels plays. Fantasy managers should lower expectations and worry about a bust game if the other Heisman-winning quarterback gets the start.

Diontae Johnson (WR, CAR) at Denver

Update: Diontae Johnson has been ruled out with a rib injury

Diontae Johnson was a sit based on the matchup alone. Then, the Panthers announced they were starting Bryce Young. Johnson's splits with Young and Andy Dalton are drastically different, to say the least.

This wasn't Carolina going back to Young on its own, either. Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident this week, forcing the former first overall pick into the lineup. The coaching staff doesn't have faith in its young signal-caller.

Denver cornerback Pat Surtain II shadowed alpha wide receivers early in the season and he's been outstanding. If there was ever a week for him to continue to do so, it's this one. Johnson has 357 receiving yards this season. No other Panther has more than 180 yards. Shadowing Johnson shuts down the passing game.

Courtland Sutton (WR, DEN) vs. Carolina

Courtland Sutton had zero targets (and subsequently zero fantasy points) against New Orleans last week. The Saints couldn't stop the run. Therefore, Denver kept the football grounded. It totaled 227 rushing yards and averaged 6.87 yards per carry (before QB kneels). Sutton didn't need to be involved to win.

Courtland Sutton on not having a catch in the win against the Saints: “We won. That’s all that matters” pic.twitter.com/eocioTFtRM

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) October 23, 2024

Could the Broncos repeat their strategy? The Carolina secondary isn't good but the run defense is putrid. Two weeks in a row, the Panthers have allowed their opponent to top 200 rushing yards (again, pre-QB kneels for Atlanta).

Javonte Williams averages nearly 2.5 yards per carry more in wins versus losses, while Jaleel McLaughlin is two yards better. Establishing the run game is essential to Denver's success, and it won't be difficult to do that against Carolina's front seven. The Panthers offense will also struggle against Denver's elite defense, giving the Broncos plenty of opportunities to run.

Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs (WR, IND) at Houston

It's pretty simple: Anthony Richardson can't complete short to intermediate passes at a respectable rate. Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, in turn, can't be trusted in fantasy football lineups.

Richardson has a 55.1% true completion percentage. That ranks 35th in the NFL this season (a reminder that there, in fact, are only 32 teams). Even with a clean pocket, he's completing just 51.2% of his attempts. He's completed more than 10 passes once in his four starts.

It’s crazy that Anthony Richardson being healthy is having the same effect on the Colts’ passing game that Tua being hurt is having on the Dolphins’

— Scott Rinear (@MunderDifflinFF) October 20, 2024

His deep pass completion percentage is respectable. Downs has a 5.2 average depth of target. Pittman's is double that (10.8 aDOT) but that ranks 50th at the position. Neither receiver is tasked with attacking the secondary downfield.

Pittman has topped 40 yards once in Richardson's starts (63 yards against Miami). Downs has 22 and three yards in the games he and Richardson were active. Both receivers are ranked outside the top 36 this week.

Baker Mayfield (QB, TB) vs. Atlanta

Fantasy football's QB2 is suddenly without not one, but two elite wide receivers. Mike Evans (hamstring) will be sidelined for a few weeks. Chris Godwin (ankle) is out for the season.

Buccaneers place WR Chris Godwin on IR. pic.twitter.com/13hGQ2snfg

— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2024

Mayfield had 118 passing yards and a touchdown when Evans left the game. From then until the fourth quarter (when the game was a blowout), Mayfield threw for 56 yards and two interceptions. Mayfield had a great game when factoring in garbage-time stats. The outlook isn't as rosy in Week 8.

The leaders of the wide receiver room are now Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard, and Trey Palmer. McMillan and Palmer have a combined 50 receptions in their career. Evans and Godwin total 1,367 catches.

Sunday's matchup against Atlanta is the first rematch of the 2024 season. Three weeks ago, Mayfield threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Evans was on the receiving end of two of them. He's far and away the best red-zone threat on Tampa Bay.

Mayfield could benefit from another high-scoring affair. If Kirk Cousins picks apart the Tampa Bay secondary again, the Buccaneers could find themselves playing catch up. Otherwise, it's tough to envision a game plan that doesn't lean on their trio of talented running backs.

Patrick Mahomes (QB, KC) at Las Vegas

Name recognition will go a long way. Patrick Mahomes, former fantasy football star and back-to-back Super Bowl champion, can't be trusted in starting lineups. There's one Chief who is a lineup lock this week (although Travis Kelce is probably a start) and he wasn't even on the roster to begin the season (that's Kareem Hunt by the way, not the newly acquired DeAndre Hopkins).

Mahomes is the QB25 this season. He leads the league in interceptions and has thrown more picks than touchdowns. The Chiefs call a run play at the ninth-highest rate in the league. They're winning the old-school way: defense and three yards and a cloud of dust.

Running backs averaging 20+ carries per game this year:

Kareem Hunt
<end of list>

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 22, 2024

If Mahomes' name were Bo Nix or Trevor Lawrence (two quarterbacks outscoring him in points per game), he'd be on the waiver wire. But he's not. Therefore, managers will debate whether this will be the week he breaks out.

The Raiders have an average pass defense. Their run defense is worse, and their offense is arguably even worse. Everything about the Raiders matches well with how the Chiefs play this season. They can run with Hunt, shut down the Raiders offense, and still win.

Mark Andrews (TE, BAL) at Cleveland

Welcome back, Mark Andrews?

The question mark isn't a typo. Andrews has scored three touchdowns in his last two games. Waiver claims were spent to add the former All-Pro in leagues where he was dropped.

The truth is that little has changed for his role in the offense. Andrews ran 15 routes against Tampa Bay. His route participation route hovers in the 50-percent range. He's rarely targeted when he runs downfield. The one difference is that he's scored in recent weeks. He's a touchdown-or-bust bet.

Granted, most tight ends this season are touchdown-or-bust. But if you're taking that gamble, do you bet against a defense that hasn't allowed a tight end to score this season? The Browns also allow the fifth-fewest receptions to the position.

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