The lone bright spot in Sunday night’s loss vs. the Chargers, Bears TE Cole Kmet hauled all 10 targets for a team-leading 79 receiving yards. This is the third time in five games that the former second-round pick has recorded at least 15 or more PPR points. His teammate WR D.J. Moore also had a fine outing, logging 4 catches on 6 targets for 55 yards in the contest. The Bears’ offense has struggled of late without the presence of QB Justin Fields. Should he return for Week 9 vs. the Saints, we’d be more excited to play them in lineups, but each pass-catcher is still a lower-end starter regardless of who’s under center.
The Bears’ running game was unsuccessful on Sunday night vs. the Chargers. Veteran back D’Onta Foreman led the team with 9 carries for 34 yards in the Week 8 contest. Rookie Roschon Johnson didn’t fare much better, accumulating 31 total yards on 9 touches. The only Chicago runner who produced fantasy-relevant numbers was Darrynton Evans. The former Titan caught 3 passes for 22 receiving yards and found the end zone on an 11-yard run late in the second quarter. On top of being a mess, this committee backfield is going up against a stout Saints run defense (13th in run defense DVOA entering this weekend) next Sunday. We’re not keen on starting any of them as more than flex options.
Bears QB Tyson Bagent completed 25 of 37 passes for 232 yards with 0 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 8’s loss vs. the Chargers. The rookie UDFA also added a rushing score on Sunday, raising his overall fantasy output to double-digit scoring. Still, he was not remarkably effective in this contest. Should normal starter Justin Fields (thumb) not be cleared to suit up again, Bagent is nothing more than a desperation superflex league option in Week 9 vs. the Saints.
Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk tallied 5 receptions for 109 yards in Sunday's loss to the Bengals. His 9 targets ranked second on the team, while he accounted for 29.9% of the team's receiving yards. It was Aiyuk's third game of the season with 100+ yards. The 9 targets were his second-most this season. We'll see whether WR Deebo Samuel can get back onto the field after the Week 9 bye and how that affects target shares.
Niners TE George Kittle set season highs in Sunday's loss to the Bengals in targets (11), receptions (9), and receiving yards (149). He drew a target on 35.5% of QB Brock Purdy's pass attempts and accounted for 40.9% of the team's receptions and 40.8% of receiving yardage. Kittle clearly benefited from WR Deebo Samuel missing a second straight game. We'll see about Samuel's status coming out of the Week 9 bye.
The 49ers scored just two TDs in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, and RB Christian McCaffrey accounted for both. He ran the first in from 2 yards out late in the first quarter. McCaffrey then caught a 4-yard TD pass in the middle of the fourth quarter. Overall, he totaled a 12-54 rushing line, plus 6-64 receiving on 7 targets. McCaffrey has averaged 12.7 carries in losses over the past three games after averaging 19.8 in five victories to open the season. RB Elijah Mitchell drew just 3 carries against Cincinnati after 1 against the Browns in Week 7. So it's not as though McCaffrey is ceding more work to teammate. If San Francisco can rebound after the Week 9 bye, McCaffrey's rushing workload would seem in line to rebound as well.
Niners QB Brock Purdy threw for a career-high 365 yards in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, but that didn't stop it from being a rough outing. He hit just 1 TD pass while turning the ball over three times. Purdy threw a pair of INTs and lost a fumble. It's just the second multi-INT game of his career, but they've come over the past two weeks. San Francisco gets a Week 9 bye, then matchups with Jacksonville and Tampa Bay that have been negative for QB scoring, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed. After that, however, come four straight positive matchups for QB scoring.
If you started Bengals WR Tyler Boyd in Week 8, then he rewarded you with a TD. But he also drew just 3 targets despite playing more snaps and running more routes than WR Tee Higgins. Boyd caught all three for 40 yards -- including the TD. Higgins trailed Boyd but closed the playing-time gap vs. their Week 6 roles, before the bye. We'd bet on Higgins moving past Boyd in Week 9, which should be his second straight game off the injury report. Boyd goes back to being a handcuff-level WR ,with a chance to score in any given week.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins posted a merely solid receiving line in Sunday's win over the 49ers. His 5 receptions and 69 yards, though, were each his second-highest marks of the season. His 6 targets ranked second on the team even though Higgins trailed Tyler Boyd for third in snaps and routes among Cincinnati WRs. Higgins' 11.5 yards per target against San Francisco checked in 4.1 higher than in any other game this season. Bet on a much better Higgins the rest of the way, now that he's off the injury report and his QB is healthier.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco rushed only 8 times for 40 yards in Sunday’s blowout loss to Denver. Game flow certainly stung in this one. The Chiefs also struggled in key situations, going 4 for 13 combined on 3rd and 4th downs. They failed to convert any of their three red zone trips into TDs. A healthier Patrick Mahomes (flu) figures to emerge for Week 9. That’ll keep Pacheco in the top-15 mix next week against a beatable Miami run D.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 100 yards and 1 TD on 12 targets in Sunday's win over the 49ers. Even with Tee Higgins off the injury report, Chase claimed 37.5% of the team's targets and accounted for 35.3% of Cincinnati's receiving yards. Chase has rebounded from a quiet first two games to average 13.6 targets, 10 receptions, and 117.2 yards over the past five contests.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw almost as many TD passes as incompletions in Sunday's win over the 49ers. He went 28 of 32 for 283 yards and 3 TDs against a defense that entered the week ranked fifth in pass DVOA. His 134.8 passer rating marked a season high by a wide margin, as did Burrow's 43 rushing yards. The bye undoubtedly helped, even if only by allowing WR Tee Higgins (ribs) to get off the injury report. Burrow and his 7.1% TD rate over the past three games looks like a good weekly bet going forward. Week 9 holds a potential shootout at home vs. Buffalo.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams stayed busy with 27 carries in Week 8. He wasn’t efficient, mustering only 3.1 YPC against a Kansas City unit down LB Nick Bolton. Still, adding 3 targets, Williams easily set a season-high in touches. He even added a receiving score on a designed screen. With his health and role trending up, Williams profiles as a clear RB2 going forward. He’ll face Buffalo after a Week 9 bye.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes hit rock bottom against Denver, managing only 241 passing yards on 38 attempts. Mahomes targeted 11 different Chiefs on Sunday, with Travis Kelce again leading the way (6-58 on 9 targets). Skyy Moore dropped a would-be TD, but Mahomes also threw 2 INTs and lost 1 fumble. The star QB reportedly battled the flu, and he certainly didn’t look close to 100% in this one. Look for a bounce-back in Week 9 vs. Miami.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon ran for 87 yards and a TD on 16 carries (5.4 per rush) in Sunday's win over the 49ers. He added 23 yards on 3 receptions. It marked a season-high in yards per carry for Mixon and just the second time he has reached the end zone this season. The offense racked up a season-high 400 yards despite facing a defense that entered the day ranked sixth in DVOA. With Joe Burrow further removed from his calf injury and WR Tee Higgins off the injury report, this is likely the healthiest Cincinnati's offense has been in 2023. If the Bengals can continue like this, Mixon won't need to be overly efficient to deliver worthwhile fantasy scoring the rest of the way.
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett caught 8 of 11 targets for a team-leading 81 yards and a TD in Week 8’s victory over the Browns. His teammate D.K. Metcalf was not nearly as efficient on his looks, logging just 5 catches on 14 targets for 67 yards. Rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, however, made good use of his opportunities by catching 3 passes for 36 yards and a score in the contest. This trio of WRs combined for 75% of the Seahawks’ targets. It’s pretty clear who QB Geno Smith will look for in Week 9 vs. the Ravens.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III received 8 carries for 66 rushing yards in Week 8’s win vs. the Browns. His teammate Zach Charbonnet siphoned off a decent amount of work and performed well in the contest, totaling 53 rushing yards on 5 carries with 2 catches for 11 yards as a receiver. Unfortunately for both plays, WR Jake Bobo sniped a rushing TD on a 3-yard run on Sunday. Next week, Walker III will have an opportunity to bounce back against the Ravens.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith completed 23 of 37 passes for 254 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 8’s win vs. the Browns. Even had it not been for the pair of turnovers, Smith’s fantasy relevance wouldn’t have been on a week-winning level. He now sits as the QB23 on the season and Week 9’s matchup vs. the Ravens won’t be an easy task for Smith, either. The veteran is nothing more than a superflex starter until further notice.
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson enjoyed a Week 8 breakout with 8 grabs, 108 yards, and 1 score. Sam Howell chucked it 52 times, but Dotson’s target share still finished at an improved 19.2%. Terry McLaurin, meanwhile, led the team in targets (12), while he scored his second TD on the year. Washington’s leaky secondary could force more shootouts going forward. That’s just not a likely outcome next week against the low-scoring Patriots. After that comes a Week 10 date at Seattle.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts delivered a huge fantasy line in Week 8 with 319 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 turnover. Hurts added just 6 rushing yards on 4 attempts – one of which included a fumble at the goal line. We also learned earlier in the day (per insider Jay Glazer) that Hurts has played through a left knee bruise. Perhaps that’ll keep the rush volume low in the short-term. But note that Hurts wasn’t even listed on Philly’s injury report. With a healthy group of pass-catchers, the 25-year-old will retain a top-3 ceiling next week vs. Dallas.
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