After another very up-and-down week for fantasy owners and a lot of disappointing performances, there is a lot to unpack after week eight’s games came to an end.
Week Eight Busts
Number Five: DJ Moore
DJ Moore had an underwhelming week and fantasy owners were rightfully mad. The crucial piece of this offense has had struggles ever since his massive game. Yes, the Bears QB room is absolutely brutal right now with Justin Fields out. Moore was only targeted six times, had four receptions for 55 yards, zero touchdowns, and a total of 9.5 fantasy points. I think it just comes down to the Bears’ new QB. As of right now, Tyson Bagent just doesn’t trust DJ Moore as much as Fields does because nine targets for an elite playmaker is awful. And especially with Fields for sure out, for maybe two more weeks, DJ Moore’s production should be very low considering the little targets he is receiving.
Number Four: Kenneth Walker
After a very strong stretch of games for Walker, he finally hit a wall against the Browns. Walker had only eight attempts for 66 yards and zero touchdowns for a total of 8.0 fantasy points. He is ranked as the seventh-best fantasy running back but he definitely did not play like it. The red zone production was definitely not there either as he was never given a chance in the red zone and that’s where most of these guys get their points. I would expect a bounce-back week from such a quality running back and I definitely would not panic whatsoever. It was just definitely a disappointing week for fantasy owners if you started him as he severely let you down.
Number Three: Puka Nauca
The Rams were just absolutely demolished. They had no chance to move the ball whatsoever. They were always locked up and it didn’t help that Stafford got hurt. So I’m not surprised Puka only had seven targets for three receptions for 43 yards and 7.3 fantasy points. I don’t expect this to be an every-week thing and Stafford’s injury is just a sprained thumb, so it won’t affect Puka at all, considering it may only be a week injury for Stafford. But the big point is that Puka will be fine and you don’t need to panic.
Number Two: Tony Pollard
Pollard had a shocker of a week, especially since they absolutely killed the Rams—you would assume that he would have more fantasy points. He had barely been given the ball in the red zone and he only had 12 attempts for 53 yards for 6.5 points. It was very surprising and if you have Pollard I would be a little worried because Jake Ferguseon and Ceedee Lamb are slowly taking this offense over. Pollard is slowly moving to that third piece. I wouldn’t panic, I think he is a very good solid back and will continue to do well, but this was definitely a frustrating week for Pollard owners.
Number One: Kooper Kupp
It’s not a shocker both of Ram’s wide receivers ended up on this list after the stinker of a week they had against the Cowboys. Once again, they were absolutely locked up right from the beginning and Stafford got hurt. This is why Kupp only amounted to ten targets for four receptions for twenty-one yards and only 6.1 fantasy points. It was a super slow week for Kupp fantasy owners. So again I wouldn’t be all frantic. I mean come on, Koopers Kupp is one of the best wide receivers in football. He will bounce back and I wouldn’t be worried.
Best Performer of the Week: CeeDee Lamb
Lamb went absolutely crazy, he had one of the best fantasy days this year. He had 14 targets for 12 catches, 158 yards, and 2 touchdowns for 41.0 fantasy points. Which absolutely wild, as Lamb is someone who I would be trading to trade for right now. He will only continue to skyrocket. This was kind of like the beginning of AJ Brown’s breakout he had one amazing game and then it took off. Prescott found his guy and I would expect him to get high 20 to low 30 fantasy points games every week now. Lamb will emerge as a top-five fantasy wide receiver by the end of the year.
Player to watch: Gus Edwards
He has emerged as the clear RB1 for the Ravens, and he will only continue to produce that way. He had 19 attempts for 80 yards but 3 touchdowns for 29.4 fantasy points, which is the most intriguing stat. He is a touchdown dog, he gets so many red zone carries and hands off and has a lot of upsides because the Ravens find themselves scoring a lot every game. So, Gus Edwards will almost be guaranteed red zone handoffs every game and most likely he will punch them in for a touchdown. I would snag him off of the waivers right away if he’s out there. He is a rising star in the makings.
After another exciting week, I hope the takes and thoughts that I have provided can help you turn your team around and get it on the right track. The fantasy season is slowly dwindling down and these next couple of weeks are crucial.
