Fantasy Football Week 8 Recap: 15 Things You Need To Know

Wow, that was something! Week 8 started off a little sleepy with the third and final London game of the year getting our mornings going early. The early slate of games then woke everyone up with a veritable mountain of points being scored. There were so many notable fantasy performances, I could easily include dozens here. Don’t worry, I will employ a little self-control. Let’s get to it.

Bright Stars

A.J. Brown got over on the Steelers early and often. Barely over two minutes had elapsed in the second quarter when Brown hauled in the second of his three touchdowns with a lovely over-the-shoulder catch on a well-placed throw from quarterback Jalen Hurts. Brown finished with 156 receiving yards and three touchdowns on six receptions.

Jaylen Waddle waddled in the end zone twice on Sunday. The second-year wideout hauled in eight of nine targets for 106 yards and a pair of receiving scores. Teammate Tyreek Hill caught 12 passes for 188 yards as the Dolphins emerged victorious in Detroit.

Alvin Kamara showed up in a big way on Sunday. Facing the struggling Raiders’ defense, Kamara found the end zone for the first time this season. He then proceeded to find it again and again. Carrying 18 times, Kamara rushed his way to 62 yards and a score. He added 10 receptions for 96 yards and two more touchdowns.

Derrick Henry ran all over the Houston Texans. With rookie quarterback Malik Willis making his first career start, the Titans clearly planned to place the game in Henry’s hands. He carried an outrageous 32 times for 219 yards and two rushing touchdowns. All hail the king!

Christian McCaffrey has arrived in San Francisco. Following the blockbuster trade last week, McCaffrey had very little time to practice. Given a full week of preparation, McCaffrey became just the fourth player since the merger to have a rushing, receiving, and passing touchdown in the same game.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey just became the first player since 2005 to throw a TD pass, rush for a TD and catch a TD in the same.

Absolute game-changer.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 30, 2022

Dim Stars

Davante Adams was eliminated from the stat sheet. Against the Saints, Adams caught just one pass for three yards. He had a rush attempt that lost a yard. He did see five targets on the day, but the Raiders were shut out in the Big Easy.

Najee Harris turned in another disappointing performance. Harris rushed the ball only eight times for 32 yards against Philadelphia. It was the first game that Harris did not receive double-digit carries. He did catch all six of his targets in the passing game, adding 22 yards to salvage a modest result in PPR scoring.

Courtland Sutton continued to struggle as the Broncos win in London. With only four targets on the day, Sutton was not involved in the offense. He managed to catch just one pass for 13 yards. Over his last three contests, Sutton has recorded six catches for 50 yards.

Jonathan Taylor fails to score again. His only touchdown of the year came in Week 1. That was also the only game where he rushed for more than 100 yards. As the first overall pick in many fantasy drafts, Taylor has been quite a letdown this season. He lost his second fumble of the year against Washington and totaled just 76 yards on the ground. Taylor also briefly left the game after re-injuring his ankle.

Rising Stars?

D'Onta Foreman looks at home leading the Panthers’ backfield. In the second game post-McCaffrey, Foreman earned the lion’s share of the workload with teammate Chuba Hubbard out with an injury. Fore toted the rock 26 times for 118 yards. He also crossed the goal line three times. Foreman appears to be a reliable option moving forward.

Tony Pollard made good with his largest workload of the season. Serving as the team’s featured back in the absence of Ezekiel Elliott, Pollard saw a season-high in carries. He took advantage by converting them into 131 rushing yards and three trips to the end zone. With a bye week to come, Pollard’s run as the lead back may be short-lived.

Kyle Pitts had his best game of the season. Catching five passes for just the second time this year, Pitts also scored his second touchdown on Sunday. His 80 receiving yards led the team. Pitts was not supposed to be in this category, yet underwhelming production had many fantasy managers relegating him to the bench. Pitts has scored twice in the last three games.

Injury Concerns

Irv Smith Jr. suffered an ankle injury against Arizona on Sunday. Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Smith will undergo an MRI on Monday.

DeVante Parker left the game after injuring his knee. Parker exited the divisional matchup with the Jets after being targeted on the first play of the game. He did not return to the contest.

Cooper Kupp injured his ankle late in the fourth quarter. Kupp left the field after appearing to have his ankle rolled over by an opposing player. His ankle was wrapped following the game and he was reportedly walking with a limp. Kupp was optimistic speaking with reporters after the game.

Sean McVay said it was Cooper Kupp's ankle that was injured on the final play. He's not sure of the severity he said he's "kicking himself" for not running the ball there and needlessly injuring his star receiver. #RamsHouse

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) October 30, 2022