The eighth Sunday of the NFL season featured the New York Jets mercifully earning their first win, while the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers suffered demoralizing blowout losses as part of the AFC dominating the NFC. Four star running backs and one tight end surpassed 30 PPR points, perhaps the most noteworthy option being struggling Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who enjoyed his season-best performance. Ultimately, though, we may remember this week because another star, exciting New York Giants rookie RB Cam Skattebo suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Each Monday, before the current NFL weekend ends, we will identify players available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues worthy of your attention, from standard formats to deeper options. The NFL is a weekly league, and player valuation and roles seldom remain stagnant. It does not matter how you acquire players for your fantasy rosters, just that you acquire them!
Quarterback
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (21% rostered in ESPN leagues): Darnold and five other starting quarterbacks were on their bye in Week 8, and now they return. Darnold hasn't been popular enough in fantasy leagues despite averaging better than 20 PPR points from Weeks 2 through 6, and he may add another 20-point game this Week 9 against the Washington Commanders.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (14.2%): Tagovailoa tallied a season-best 24.2 PPR points in Sunday's big win over the Falcons, featuring touchdown passes to four different players. Tagovailoa isn't having a particularly strong fantasy season -- he cost his managers points in Week 7 and he has scored more than 16 points in only three games. However, the Dolphins face the Baltimore Ravens this Thursday, and the injury-laden Ravens still struggle to defend.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts
Arizona Cardinals starter Kyler Murray (61.2%) hasn't played since Week 5 due to a foot injury, and his fantasy managers would like him to return for the Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys. If Murray does not return, his backup Jacoby Brissett (1.1%) may make sense in deeper formats because of the continued struggles of the overmatched Dallas defense.
We featured Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (25.7%) and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Flacco (36.7%) in this space last week, and there is little reason to stop doing so. McCarthy (ankle) did not play this week, but the Vikings say he will start in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. Flacco played in Week 8, scoring 24.32 PPR points in the loss to the Jets. Don't blame Flacco; he boasts more than 50 PPR points over the past two weeks, and things should continue to go well for him in Week 9 against the Chicago Bears.
Running back
Eric Karabell breaks down Saquon Barkley's big fantasy game vs. the Giants.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants (41.9%): Tracy is having a rough season, but everything changed Sunday when Skattebo suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Eagles. Tracy scored 7.3 PPR points in the loss, but we should expect better as soon as Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers. Tracy totaled more than 1,100 yards from scrimmage last season, with six touchdowns and 10.7 PPR points per game. Perhaps he can produce at a borderline RB2/flex level over the final months of this season. For those in deeper formats, veteran Devin Singletary (1.3%) may matter, too.
Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins (10.6%): Gordon, a popular preseason sleeper, finally reached double-digit PPR points on Sunday against the Falcons, turning 11 touches into 66 yards, and he scored on a 20-yard reception. Star De'Von Achane scored 20.1 PPR points, so there is no concern of a timeshare here, but perhaps Gordon can continue earning more attention. The Oklahoma State product is considerably bigger than Achane, capable of bruising opposing defenders.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts
Several backups enjoyed themselves on Sunday, but it is hard to recommend Bengals veteran Samaje Perine (5.9%), Jets sophomore Isaiah Davis (7.9%) or Eagles' in-season acquisition Tank Bigsby (19.4%). Chase Brown remains Cincinnati's clear starter, and he scored 25.5 PPR points Sunday. Davis topped 100 total yards thanks to a wild fourth-quarter comeback, but the Jets have a clear starter in Breece Hall, and the team is off in Week 9. Similarly, the Eagles head to their bye weekend, but it is noteworthy that Bigsby appears to be next in line should star Barkley (groin) miss time sooner or later.
Tennessee Titans backup Tyjae Spears (36.4%) may not be a true backup any longer. Spears scored 17.2 PPR points, albeit much later, in the blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts, including his first touchdown (in his fourth game). Meanwhile, starter Tony Pollard scored 6.3 PPR points and continues to struggle. Each player earned 12 touches. It's not going to be easy for any Titans to thrive, including Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but Spears at least warrants more attention in fantasy than he currently has.
The Cardinals return from their bye week with little backfield clarity, other than initial starter James Conner is done for the season and Trey Benson (47.6%) is out with a knee injury for a few more weeks. Michael Carter (34.1%) and Bam Knight (18.6%) should handle the volume during the team's Week 9 Monday night game against the Cowboys. Knight earned more touches back in Week 7, so go with him over Carter.
Wide receiver
Liz Loza explains why fantasy managers should consider Malik Washington as a flex option in fantasy.
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (43.5%): Franklin pilfered the awful Cowboys defense for 26.9 PPR points Sunday, though things will not be as easy in Week 9 against the challenging Houston Texans defense (or perhaps any other defense, for that matter!). Still, Franklin boasts 18 targets over the past two weeks, more than the more established Courtland Sutton. We will continue to rank Sutton better, but Franklin is approaching WR4 range, which says something.
Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins (12.4%): Yep, more Dolphins. It doesn't take too much to get fantasy managers excited, especially with a game pending against the struggling Ravens' pass defense. Still, many expected Washington, in his second season from Virginia, to be the main WR beneficiary of the Tyreek Hill knee injury. Washington had a quiet October until Sunday, when he converted a 9-yard touchdown, and we still await him reaching 40 receiving yards in any game, but perhaps that is coming this Thursday.
Pick a healthy Houston Texans WR: Someone -- or several someones -- needed to step up with Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) sidelined Sunday, and Xavier Hutchinson (1.8%), Jayden Higgins (21.7%) and Jaylin Noel (12.7%) did. They combined for 42.6 PPR points, with Hutchinson leading the way. We don't know if Collins will return in Week 9 against a challenging Broncos defense, but it will be hard to recommend any of the fill-ins. Kirk hasn't done much this season, though, so even if Collins has a terrific second half of the season, one or more of these receivers may become relevant. Hutchinson is the least rostered but perhaps in the lead for such an honor.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts
As with Franklin, this is hardly the first time we have mentioned New England Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte (30.1%) in this weekly space. He scored his fifth touchdown in eight games, and despite far fewer targets and receptions than Stefon Diggs, Boutte has more PPR points. It's because of the touchdowns, and while they probably will not continue at this rate, Boutte matters.
We expect many of last week's wide receiver pickups to be parted with, due to the many Week 8 byes who remain rostered in more than 50% of ESPN leagues. Las Vegas Raiders starter Tre Tucker (46%) is an exception, though his excellent season numbers are greatly influenced by his 40.9 PPR points from Week 3. Still, Tucker in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars is a reasonable selection, and we shall see if rookie Jack Bech (3.4%) becomes a factor with Jakobi Meyers trade talk running rampant. Keep an eye on updates on Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua (ankle), for if he sits again then Tutu Atwell (2.1%) may become intriguing in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints.
Tight end
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears (24.1%): Loveland scored a season-best 6.8 PPR points Sunday, which still isn't much, but things are trending in the right direction. The Bears face the Bengals this week, and the Bengals just permitted 39 points to the Jets. Even before Week 8, the Bengals were allowing the most PPR points to tight ends, and then they gave up more on Sunday. Loveland and Bears starter Noah Fant (4.6%) may be the best available tight ends in your league for this week.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts
We've been waiting for the Jets to get rookie Mason Taylor (20.2%) involved on a more consistent basis. He scored his first touchdown Sunday, albeit on a pass from RB Breece Hall, not a quarterback. The Jets are off in Week 9, but Taylor may warrant a bench spot anyway for the final two months. Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Cade Otton (49.9%) also had a productive Week 8, but alas, his team is off in Week 9 as well. Cleveland Browns rookie Harold Fannin Jr. (54.9%) is over the 50% threshold, but -- yet again -- he is on a bye this coming week.
Bye weeks: Do or Do Not Drop?
The Week 8 bye-mageddon is over, and four teams will not play this week. Two of these teams boast solid offenses in the Eagles and Buccaneers. Then there are the Browns and Jets. Keep Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins (shoulder) rostered, but everyone else can go. With the Jets, keep RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson (knee) around.
Things are different with the Eagles and Buccaneers, of course. Keep each QB (Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield), top RBs (Saquon Barkley, Bucky Irving, Rachaad White) and top WRs (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Emeka Egbuka). Eagles TE Dallas Goedert has become a touchdown machine, albeit one with an unsustainable rate based on targets/receptions, but it does make sense to keep him rostered.
Defense
The Los Angeles Chargers (41.4%) shut down the Minnesota Vikings in the Week 8 Thursday night game, with its D/ST scoring 13 PPR points, and they get the lowly Tennessee Titans this weekend. The Chargers sacked Carson Wentz five times and Titans rookie Cam Ward leads the league in times being sacked, so you can see how this one may proceed.
The other L.A. squad, the Los Angeles Rams (35.1%), host the New Orleans Saints. The Saints had some quarterback issues on Sunday, and we do not know who starts Sunday between Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough. The Rams come off their bye week and should enjoy this one.
The Buffalo Bills (44.1%) demolished the Carolina Panthers Sunday, its D/ST unit scoring 18 PPR points, but things get more difficult this week against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Still, the Bills D/ST should be more popular, as the team faces the Browns and Jets during the fantasy playoffs.