Top 8 Fantasy Football Takeaways From Week 8 Usage

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Playing time and touches are the backbone of fantasy scoring. 

Chasing one-week box scores can be dangerous. Investing in players who are on the field and getting the football is more reliable.

That’s why we study playing time and usage every week during the season. It can give us a tangible edge in start/sit decisions, waiver moves, and trades.

Here are the top 8 takeaways from Week 8 usage:

1. Does Tyrone Tracy Have RB1 Upside?

Cam Skattebo’s season-ending fractured ankle leaves Tracy in a clear lead role going forward. He played 78% of the Giants’ offensive snaps after Skattebo exited in Week 8, dominating Singletary in opportunities nine to three.

So how should we value Tracy in fantasy now? There are a few different ways to break it down.

We saw Tracy in this role – as the lead back ahead of Singletary – from Week 7 on last year. Over those final 11 games, Tracy:

• Averaged 13.2 carries and 3.5 targets per game
• Ranked 28th among RBs in expected PPR points per game
• Ranked 23rd in actual PPR points per game

How about this season? Skattebo's usage and production can give us more hints.

Skattebo had two games (Weeks 4 and 5) as lead back without Tracy. In those, he:

• Averaged 20.0 carries and 4.5 targets per game
• Ranked fifth in expected points per game
• Ranked 23rd in actual points per game

Then Skattebo spent Weeks 6 and 7 in a slightly less dominant lead role ahead of Tracy. His usage and production in those games:

• Averaged 17.5 carries and 4.0 targets
• Ranked sixth in expected points per game
• Ranked fifth in actual points per game

That’s an exciting ceiling for Tracy, even if he’s not as efficient as Skattebo. 

I’d cautiously treat Tracy as the low-end RB2 he produced as last year for now. But I’d be willing to pay that price to acquire him in a trade. Because his upside climbs into the top-15 at the position in this year’s Jaxson Dart-led offense.

2. Good News/Bad News For TreVeyon Henderson

Good news: Henderson’s snap rate rebounded from a season-low 14% in Week 7.

Bad news: He was still below his snap rate from Weeks 1-7 and registered a season-low 9% route rate. (RB Rhamondre Stevenson played 72% of the snaps and registered a season-high 71% route rate.)

Good news: Henderson's 10 carries were his most since Week 3.

Bad news: Henderson did not see a target for the second straight game.

Good news: Henderson ripped off a season-high 75 rushing yards on 7.5 yards per carry against a Browns defense that entered this game allowing just 3.5 yards per carry to RBs.

Bad news: He lost a fumble inside the 10-yard line in the fourth quarter and didn't play another snap. (The Patriots were up 19 by that point.)

I'd be lying if I said I knew where Henderson's season would go from here. He showed the burst and explosion vs. Cleveland that made him an early-second-round pick this spring. But the Patriots clearly still don't trust him on passing downs, which was supposed to be a key factor for his fantasy value.

Henderson remains a hold who should be on fantasy benches if possible until we see his role grow. If it does, though, it's worth noting that the Patriots have by far the easiest RB schedule from Week 12-17.

3. Don’t Overrate R.J. Harvey’s Big Week 8

I hate to be the wet blanket, but someone's gotta do it: Harvey's big Week 8 was a product of Dallas' pathetic defense, not a boost in usage for the rookie.

His playing time -- both snap and route rate -- was right in line with his averages over his first seven games. His seven carries and 25% carry share were his second-highest marks of the season, but they weren't up significantly from his 19% share and 5.3 carries per game over the first seven. And Harvey's one target vs. the Cowboys matched a season low.

Will the Week 8 production lead to a bigger role for Harvey? Maybe. But backfield leader J.K. Dobbins was just as good against Dallas, even if the fantasy production wasn't as big. He ripped off 111 yards on 7.4 yards per carry, bringing him to 5.3 on the season. Harvey is at 4.5.

I'm betting against Harvey's volume growing in the short term. He remains more of a bench stash than fantasy starter.

4. Jaylen Waddle Is A WR1

The numbers above are nice -- but they understate Waddle's usage and fantasy value going forward. Because they include the Week 7 game against the Browns that was heavily impacted by weather.

Remove that game and Waddle's numbers without Hill jump to:

• 7.7 targets per game
• 24% target share
• 13.6 expected PPR points per game (WR20)
• 19.8 actual PPR points per game (WR6)

QB Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense in general are risk factors for Waddle. But if the situation doesn't combust, Waddle has the talent and opportunity to produce as a top-12 fantasy WR the rest of the way.

5. Are The Bills Limiting James Cook’s Touches?

I'm gonna be a wet blanket again.

Cook is coming off a monster 216-yard, two-TD outing vs. the Panthers. But his snaps and passing-game usage were down for the second straight game.

His carries -- 17 and 19 the last two weeks -- have remained strong. But Cook has gone target-less in two straight, while posting his two lowest route rates of the season.

That all came shortly after OC Joe Brady talked about wanting to "be smart" with Cook's usage to make sure he's still rolling come January and February.

This could be just a two-game blip, of course. And even if Cook continues to cede some snaps and passing-game work, his rushing production should still carry him to RB1 production. But it would make him more susceptible to negative game scripts, which could particularly matter in Week 9 vs. the Chiefs and in Week 17 vs. the Eagles.

6. Aaron Jones Returns To Ugly Committee Backfield

Jones returned from a five-game absence and played a surprisingly big role in Thursday night's game vs. the Chargers. He got the start and wound up seeing much more action than Mason in a game the Vikings trailed throughout.

That was a departure from what we saw over the first two weeks of the season, when Mason led the way. Here's what the usage looked like across those two games:

I'd still expect Mason to lead this backfield in early-down snaps and carries going forward, with Jones controlling passing-game work. That'll make Mason the better fantasy bet in positive game script; Jones when the Vikings play from behind.

But none of it will matter much if this offense doesn't get going with QB J.J. McCarthy. Neither RB found any success against the Chargers. Jones carried five time for 15 yards, while Mason mustered just three yards on his four carries.

The Vikings as a team rank 28th in RB PPR points per game this season.

7. Ladd McConkey Is So Back!

After a slow start to the season, McConkey has come roaring back over the last three weeks and re-established himself as the Chargers' No. 1 WR. Only Ja'Marr Chase has more total targets during that stretch. Only Chase, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Davante Adams have tallied more expected PPR points.

McConkey's efficiency has rebounded, too:

• Weeks 1-5: 62% catch rate, 10.1 yards per catch, 1.11 yards per route
• Weeks 6-8: 65% catch rate, 11.6 yards per catch, 2.14 yards per route

The target competition in L.A. remains stiff, especially with the emergence of TE Oronde Gadsden. But with the Chargers ranking top five in pass attempts per game, pass rate, and neutral pass rate, McConkey should see enough volume to produce as a top-15 fantasy WR the rest of the way.

8. Rashee Rice Unleashed

We wrote last week about Rice's big fantasy outing on limited playing time -- and said his role should grow quickly. That's exactly what happened in Week 8.

Rice was full-go in the win over Washington -- back in essentially the same role he played down the stretch of his rookie season and in three healthy games last year.

Rice averaged 16.4 PPR points over his final eight games of 2023 (~WR13) and 18.3 over the first three of 2024 (~WR8). He's at 24.4 through two games this season, tops among all WRs.

Rice is an easy WR1 going forward, likely a top-six player at the position, and has an outside chance to lead all WRs in fantasy points.

Next Up

Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups: Tyrone Tracy Tops The List

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Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.