Week 8 is upon us. Reminder: Friends and family come and go, but fantasy football championship banners hang forever.

This brings us to today's goal: 10 mostly fantasy-relevant things to know ahead of Week 8 that ideally will help make you both a better fantasy manager and overall person.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

1. Show Spencer Rattler some respect

This is probably bad timing because Rattler just turned the ball over four times against the Bears … BUT HEAR ME OUT.

The 2024 fifth-round pick was largely considered short-term cannon fodder after the new Saints brass went with Tyler Shough in Round 2 this past April, but then something funny happened: Rattler started to look a bit like the high-end QB prospect he was, well, most of his life before losing his job at Oklahoma to Caleb Williams.

Spencer Rattler among 34 QBs with 100+ dropbacks:

• EPA per dropback: +0.03 (No. 24)
• Completion rate over expected: +2.1% (No. 15)
• Passer rating: 88.4 (No. 23)
• Yards per attempt: 6.2 (No. 27)
• PFF pass grade: 68.3 (No. 17)

I get those ranks aren't exactly the stuff of a world-beater, but that EPA number is better than the last four QBs selected first overall for crying out loud! Rattler belongs, and he's not doing so in a cowardly fashion: The second-year QB's 4.3% big-time throw rate ranks 14th — ahead of the last three MVP winners — and his 8.2-yard average target depth ranks a respectable 15th, demonstrating the reality that we're not looking at a Checkdown Charlie here.

Enough numbers for you? Fair. Watch the film!

Maybe Rattler hasn't done enough to, you know, win a bunch of football games (he's 1-12 as a starter, not great!), but he has helped enable Chris Olave (WR17 in PPR points per game) and Rashid Shaheed (WR37) to consistent production in a manner that Derek Carr never quite did. Hell, Juwan Johnson (TE17) has exceeded expectations as well this season. Both first-year head coach Kellen Moore and Rattler deserve credit for getting this passing game to look average as opposed to yikes like most expected.

Up next is a matchup with Vita Vea and a Bucs defense that has been quite a bit better against the run (4th in EPA) than the pass (20th). Losing C Erik McCoy (biceps) won't help matters, and high-end fantasy production from Rattler is unlikely as long as the Saints continue to work as one of the league's most run-heavy offenses, but hey: Suddenly there's at least some level of optimism inside an offense that was fully expected to function as one of the league's worst overall units a few short months ago.

2. What the hell is going on with Saquon Barkley?

One of the best RBs alive is averaging the second-fewest yards per carry in the NFL at the moment and has finished with 60 or fewer rushing yards in all but one game this season. Saquon Barkley has largely ridden the struggle bus all year long, averaging a brutal (for him) 13.5 PPR points per game–a mark which trails NPCs like D'Andre Swift, Jaylen Warren, and Rico Dowdle, among others.

Possible curse-related explanations include:

• The Madden cover curse.
• The reigning fantasy RB1 curse–err wait, that was actually Jahmyr Gibbs last season, so nevermind. Wait, every top-five fantasy RB on average has gone on to produce worse numbers the following season? You don't say!
• The "curse of 370 touches" that sure doesn't seem to be slowing down Kyren Williams … and Bijan Robinson finished last season with 365 combined carries and receptions … but yeah, maybe that's it!

Drake and Josh'ing around aside: Maybe last season's epic Super Bowl run and gargantuan touch count really has played a factor in Barkley's slow start, but I struggle to think that things would simply be going worlds better if the Eagles had simply lost to the Rams in last year's Divisional Round and prevented Barkley from clearing 400 carries. We've still seen plenty of flashes of Barkley's trademark elusiveness, but at the end of the day he's gone 113 carries without a rush of 20-plus yards after racking up a league-high 21 last season.

So what the hell is going on with Saquon Barkley? Well, I'd venture to guess it has something to do with the Eagles' offensive line going from elite to … not great.

Eagles RB rush yards before contact per carry:

• 2021: 1.9 (1st)
• 2022: 1.8 (4th)
• 2023: 1.9 (1st)
• 2024: 2.3 (1st)
• 2025: 1.1 (21st)

Losing Mekhi Becton this offseason didn't help, but the larger issue has been injuries and meh performances from a group that PFF dubbed the best unit in the NFL prior to the season.

• LG Landon Dickerson: Missed essentially two games with an ankle injury.
• C Cam Jurgens: Suffered a knee injury in Week 7.
• RG Tyler Steen: Grades out as just PFF's 41st-ranked guard in run blocking this season.
• RT Lane Johnson: Was knocked out early of two games with a stinger and shoulder injuries.

Certainly the team's mostly unimaginative playcalling as well as the up-and-down pass-game efficiency hasn't helped matters, either. As is the case with most things in the NFL: You can't simply point the finger at one individual when attempting to assess why things have gone wrong.

Now for the "whatever the first price place is in your fantasy league"-dollar question: Can Barkley and company turn this ship around and get back to partying like it's 2024?

I'm optimistic, especially considering the winnable upcoming schedule and potential for all parties involved to get just a bit healthier during the team's Week 9 bye.

• Week 8: Giants (19th in RB rush yards allowed before contact per carry
• Week 9: Bye
• Week 10: Packers (4th)
• Week 11: Lions (30th)
• Week 12: Cowboys (25th)
• Week 13: Bears (32nd)
• Week 14: Chargers (21st)

Barkley is a "down with the ship" sort of fantasy player who is obviously going to be started no matter what every single week; just realize his lack of early-season success doesn't mean better days can't and won't be ahead–particularly if Jalen Hurts and the passing game continue shredding and help reduce Saquon's carries against 8+ man boxes (33%, 7th highest among qualified RBs).

3. Who have been the biggest fantasy busts at each position through seven weeks?

Good question! Based on preseason ADP vs. rank in PPR points per game among the top-36 RB/WR and top-15 QB/TE while excluding obvious injury-induced situations (feel free to click the positional hyperlinks for bigger tables) …

QB: Kyler Murray. The QB11 in preseason ADP ranks as just the QB22 in fantasy points per game. Murray has finished as exactly the QB16 in four of five weeks this season which is 1.) Weird, and 2.) Bad. But yeah: Career-worst numbers nearly across the board as a passer have been combined with good-not-great rushing upside despite preseason proclamations that he was going to get back to doing more on the ground (funny how that offseason storyline never seems to work out). Things have been made even worse recently with the passing game looking far more functional with Jacoby Brissett under center. Not great! 

Honorable mention: Jayden Daniels.

RB: Kaleb Johnson. Carrying top-30 preseason ADP and working outside of fantasy's top-90 performers at the position is no bueno. Johnson has only gotten 14 touches this season … which is the entire problem! Early-season special teams gaffes didn't help matters, and Jaylen Warren/Kenneth Gainwell deserve credit for largely making the most of their opportunities. Either way: The Steelers' third-round rookie hasn't come close to living up to the hype that many expected following his electric junior season at Iowa. 

Honorable mention: TreVeyon Henderson, Chase Brown, and Isiah Pacheco.

WR: Jerry Jeudy. The preseason ADP WR36 has worked as the position's 70th-highest scorer through seven weeks and sits atop two (not good) leaderboards at the moment: Overall, Jeudy has an NFL-high 52 targets without a receiving TD; Stefon Diggs (44) and Jakobi Meyers (43) are the only other players even close. Additionally, Jeudy (still) is the only player with a passer rating when targeted BELOW 39.6. In other words, about what a QB receives from simply spiking the football into the ground. Otherwise, the Browns' No. 1 WR is having a great year. 

Honorable mention: Calvin Ridley, Brian Thomas Jr., and Jameson Williams.

TE: Colston Loveland. The preseason ADP TE14 is just the TE50 after nearly two months of action. Injuries have played a bit of a role here, but the larger issue has been Cole Kmet failing to go away as quickly as fantasy managers would have preferred. The situation has played out very similarly to the Dalton Kincaid-Dawson Knox dynamic in Buffalo. Perhaps a recent back injury to Kmet is what Loveland needs to get going moving forward, but for now it's hard not to be disappointed with the 2025 NFL Draft's 10th overall pick having just 78-scoreless yards during his first five games. 

Honorable mention: TJ Hockenson, Evan Engram, and Mark Andrews.

4. What's our trust level for the league's various backups-turned-starting QBs?

There could be upwards of nine backups starting in place of injured starters in Week 8. Not great, Bob, but let's quickly break down each's performance in recent games/years to get an idea of what to expect from their respective passing attacks this week.

Vikings QB Carson Wentz: Dealing with a left shoulder injury while JJ McCarthy continues to tend to his high ankle sprain. Wentz diced up the Bengals and did a decent job battling back against the Steelers and Browns, but it's tough to exactly call him "good." Clearly Kevin Stefanski feels better about throwing the football with him under center, so continuing to get Wentz at QB would be good news for the potential volume ceilings for all pass-catchers involved.

Vikings dropback rate over expected:

• Weeks 1-2 (McCarthy): -9% (31st)
• Weeks 3-7 (Wentz): +4% (4th)

Ravens QB Cooper Rush/Tyler Huntley: Here's to hoping Lamar Jackson (hamstring) returns to action and makes this a moot point. If not? Ugh. Rush is one of just six QBs averaging south of six yards per attempt this season, while former Pro Bowl QB Tyler Huntley has been on three teams in the last calendar year for a reason. The only Raven who fantasy managers can start with any level of confidence should Jackson remain sidelined is Mr. Derrick Henry (who has a pretty awesome remaining schedule by the way).

Jets QB Tyrod Taylor: Is Taylor a better thrower of the football than Justin Fields? Yes. Is Taylor dead last in the NFL in adjusted net yards per pass attempt? Also yes. Does any of this really matter when your top-two WRs at the moment are Allen Lazard and Josh Reynolds? Also, also, yes. That's the main problem here: Expecting any QB, let alone two objectively bad ones, to lead this offense to anything resembling high-end success just doesn't seem realistic. The Bengals defense is indeed atrocious, but Breece Hall remains the only Jets player to feel even somewhat good about starting in fantasy land as long as Garrett Wilson (knee) remains sidelined.

Bengals QB Joe Flacco: Okay, now for some positivity! Mr. Elite has posted 219-2-0 and 342-3-0 passing lines in two starts for the Bengals, racking up a whopping 92 pass attempts along the way. That's really the key here: Don't expect Flacco to flirt with anything resembling high-end efficiency, but there are plenty of targets to go around for both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to work as ~85-90% of what we usually get with Joe Burrow. The Bengals' +5% dropback rate over expected is tied for the league's highest mark with Flacco under center.

Panthers QB Andy Dalton: Tentatively expected to start with Bryce Young (ankle) banged up. The matchup isn't wonderful against a Bills defense that has allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing QBs, but we don't need to expect a massive dropoff in terms of quality of targets to Tetarioa McMillan. After all, Dalton has been better than Young in virtually every passing efficiency metric over the last three seasons in the same offense. That said: The bar hasn't been high (that's not a short joke, I swear), and Dalton still ranks well outside the league's top-30 QBs in yards per attempt (6.4), passer rating (85.9), and success rate (41.7%) during this span.

49ers QB Mac Jones: We could see Brock Purdy (toe) back this week, but Kyle Shanahan didn't sound too sure about that on Monday. While the Falcons' league-leading defense in pass yards allowed per game did shut down Mac and company on Sunday night, give the ex-Patriot/Jaguar credit for posting more-than-solid 279-3-0, 284-1-1, 342-2-0, and 347-0-2 passing lines in his previous four starts. Does a lot of that success deserve to go to Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey? Sure, but they aren't exactly going anywhere ahead of Sunday's date with the Texans.

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins: We shouldn't assume Michael Penix (foot/ankle, day-to-day) will miss Sunday's smash spot against the Dolphins' abysmal pass defense, but it does seem at least possible. Enter: Captain Kirk, who managed to put up some fantasy-friendly (509-4-1, 276-4-0, and 222-3-0 )performances last season prior to flaming out and ultimately being benched. I think it's reasonable to feel better about Cousins than just about anyone other than Joe Flacco and Mac Jones on this list, and it might be warranted to actively prefer the 37-year-old veteran based on the difference in matchups.

Commanders QB Marcus Mariota: Has posted QB9, QB6, QB6, and QB19 fantasy finishes in his four extended appearances over the last two seasons largely thanks to a still-high rushing floor. Now, expecting fireworks at Arrowhead on Monday night if the Commanders remain without their top-two WRs doesn't seem smart, but then again the artist formerly known as TyGod is the only other signal-caller in this group capable of offering this sort of upside on the ground.

Browns QB Dillon Gabriel: Averaging a league-low 5.1 yards per attempt, takes too many sacks, has one completion thrown 20-plus yards downfield, and is a complete zero as a rushing threat. Otherwise, the Browns really might have something here!

5. What have been the biggest performance discrepancies between RB1s and RB2s on the same team?

Yes, this idea was 100% inspired to create additional Rico Dowdle and Kenneth Walker propaganda. I'm not hiding from that. It's my article. Sue me. 

The following chart denotes every team's RB1 and RB2 (in terms of rush attempts) along with their yards per carry this season. This is obviously a flawed metric that doesn't totally encompass everything that goes into an RB doing their job, but then again, what stat is perfect? Ultimately, these RBs are running behind the same offensive lines and working with the same play-caller and QB, ya know?

So yeah: Carolina and Seattle boast two of the top-nine biggest discrepancies in performance, yet continue to largely plan on splitting things up nearly right down the middle. Both are winning football games, so it's tough to assume the involved coaches are going to all of a sudden reverse course–but it'd be a lot cooler if they did!

Speaking of RB usage…

6. Week 7 RB Report: That Bijan Robinson guy is pretty, pretty, pretty good

Workhorse alert: Eight teams featured one single RB on at least 70% of their offense's snaps in Week 7: Rachaad White (91%), Bijan Robinson (88%), Jonathan Taylor (86%), Alvin Kamara (85%), Saquon Barkley (78%), Rhamondre Stevenson (77%), Jordan Mason (76%), and Christian McCaffrey (74%). All should be auto starts in pretty much fantasy lineups of all shapes and sizes with the only real exceptions being Stevenson and Kamara due to their respective tough matchups and meh efficiency this season, as well as Mason *if* Aaron Jones (hamstring, IR) manages to return to action. Even then, I typically let a workhorse RB's volume win as the tiebreaker over WR3 types in close start/sit decisions.

Bijan is special, man: Notice the Falcons RB snap percentage being well north of 100%? That's because Bijan Robinson has made a habit of playing part-time WR in recent weeks, posting snap counts of 13, 21, and 19 in the slot/out wide. Clearly the move is warranted: Robinson has taken his receiving ability to another level through seven weeks and only trails CMC in total receiving yards at the position. Oh yeah, Bijan also remains quite great at the whole "breaking tackles and picking up yards after contact" thing. In fact, he leads all RBs in both on a per-carry basis!

Still a bell-cow, wouldn't sweat it: RBs who didn't quite rack up a near every-down role in terms of snaps, but continued to dominate their backfield's overall touches and should be continued to be relied on in fantasy lineups of all shapes and sizes include: Javonte Williams (the RB7 on the season!), Jaylen Warren (although we have seen this backfield rotation ebb and flow a bit this season), Quinshon Judkins (but it's too bad he can't face Miami every week), Kimani Vidal (especially with Hassan Haskins dealing with a hamstring injury), Chase Brown (thank you, Joe Flacco!), Cam Skattebo (RB10 on the season!), Josh Jacobs (24 TDs in 24 games with the Packers), Jahmyr Gibbs (he's fast), De'Von Achane (but it'd be a lot cooler if this offense wasn't on the verge of becoming a complete dumpster fire), Breece Hall (see Achane), and D'Andre Swift (RB11 on the season!).

Back from bye: Derrick Henry and James Cook are back from bye. Obviously you're starting both regardless of the matchup, but man, I LOVE the idea of buying low-ish on Derrick Henry if at all possible. The 1-5 Ravens have no choice but to keep their foot on the gas moving forward, and the schedule gods have done them some serious second-half favors. Even the tougher on-paper upcoming matchups should be games that feature the Ravens as big-time favorites:

• Week 8: Bears (26th in PPR points per game allowed to RBs)
• Week 9: Dolphins (28th)
• Week 10: Vikings (23rd)
• Week 11: Browns (2nd)
• Week 12: Jets (15th)
• Week 13: Bengals (32nd)
• Week 14: Steelers (16th)
• Week 15: Bengals (32nd)

Muddled committees are so lame: And the Commanders, Panthers, Seahawks, Titans, and Texans largely continue to insist on deploying just that. Sad! We shouldn't necessarily expect any of these situations to immediately change–accordingly none of the involved lead backs in Bill Croskey-Merritt (RB22), Rico Dowdle (RB24), Tony Pollard (RB26), and Woody Marks (RB25) cracked the position's top-20 in my Week 8 rankings despite six teams being on bye.

What's going on in Kansas City?: On the one hand, the Chiefs' rookie RB has flashed some explosive ability and deserves credit for setting season-high marks in receptions (5) and receiving yards (42) in Week 7. On the other hand, I'd caution against putting too much stock into Brashard Smith's overall usage numbers considering Kareem Hunt appeared to suffer a lower-body injury on the first drive, briefly returned on the second drive, and then didn't play the rest of the game. Note that 11 of Smith's 14 carries came in the 4th quarter with Patrick Mahomes out of the game. There's certainly upside here if Hunt's injury winds up being serious and the Chiefs trust Smith to carry a bigger load; just realize I'm cautious in expecting the latter scenario to come to a Jerick McKinnon-esque fruition with Smith very much being used as a pure gadget this season, as evidenced by his *zero* pass blocking snaps and extreme usage in the slot or out wide (31 snaps) compared to as a true RB (48).

TD dependent early-down grinders: Feature David Montgomery and JK Dobbins, who simply don't have a high enough touch floor to be overly relied on during any given week. That said: Dobbins is in a pretty damn awesome spot as a home favorite against a Cowboys defense that ranks 29th in PPR points per game allowed to opposing RBs this season. He's a matchup-based RB2 who warrants the nod in close start/sit decisions.

7. Two key Week 8 ranking questions and answers

I'll be publishing an early rankings column midday Monday throughout the season that gives my top-12 QB/TE and top-24 RB//WR alongside some honorable mention picks while also answering a handful of questions regarding some of the week's biggest storylines. You can read the full Week 8 piece here, but I also wanted to highlight the three biggest questions and answers I had.

*Law and Order Music*

These are their stories.

Who were this season's best late-round RB picks?

The below chart denotes the difference in consensus preseason ADP from Yahoo, ESPN, and Sleeper vs. current RB ranks in PPR points per game. Note that I drew the line for inclusion at the top-36 preseason ADP RBs, so Rico Dowdle isn't listed.

Shoutout to Javonte Williams for emerging as THE best late-round RB of the season through seven weeks, while rookies Quinshon Judkins and Cam Skattebo have also offered a particularly awesome bang for their buck.

On the other side of things, yikes, Kaleb Johnson and TreVeyon Henderson. The reality that neither can even earn a consistent handful of touches per week has been the most surprising part of their respective brutal starts. A similar sentiment is true for RJ Harvey, while guys like Chase Brown, Isiah Pacheco, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Alvin Kamara have largely had the volume we expected, but unfortunately just haven't managed to get much going with it (yet!).

Is this Oronde Gadsden fella for real?

It sure looks like it! I mean, just look at this play: A great route to draw a defensive holding penalty, strong hands to pluck the ball out in a fairly contested situation, and enough size and athleticism to break multiple tackles while running away from several finely tuned athletic machines.

Not only has the rookie flashed in a major way this season, but his weekly route participation has reached starter/TE1-worthy levels at this point.

Gadsden was highlighted on THE Fantasy Life Show last week as the prime TE option to pick up if you had a long-term need at the position, but even that proclamation undersold what the man already is: A full-time baller in a good-to-great passing game that is happy to throw the football at a high volume. Go get him on waivers if you haven't already. There's enough WR competition at play to make it tough to immediately assume weekly upside TE1 heights in fantasy land; just realize the rookie still profiles as the sort of baller capable of making more with less–and there's MASSIVE boom potential down the road on occasions when Justin Herbert is without one of his top-three WRs.

8. The DST corner: Go get the Falcons

Weekly disclaimer: Continue rolling with the Patriots DST if you were lucky enough to snag them weeks ago: They're currently the DST3 on the season with another smash spot against the Browns up next. Additionally, units like the Texans and Broncos are elite enough in real life to simply ride with, regardless of the matchup.

Otherwise, I'm looking at the following three defenses as priority streaming options in Week 8 (rostership percentages as of Tuesday):

• Falcons DST vs. Dolphins (rostered in 19% of ESPN leagues): This top-five defense in Havoc deserves credit for holding the Bills (14 points) and 49ers (20) largely in check during the last two weeks. Up next is Tua Tagovailoa, who is playing worse than ever on his way to tying for the league lead in interceptions. The Dolphins sure seem like a strong candidate to completely implode if they haven't already.
• Bears DST vs. Ravens IF Lamar is out (rostered in 17% of ESPN leagues): Credit to the Bears for leading the league with 16 takeaways! They also held the high-flying Cowboys to just 14 points in Week 3. But yeah: For the love of God do NOT play this group if Lamar Jackson (hamstring) is healthy enough to suit up, but otherwise? Wheels up against a Baltimore offense with six turnovers in two games without the two-time MVP under center.
• Bills vs. Panthers (rostered in 38% of ESPN leagues): This rostership percentage is only as low as it is because Buffalo is coming off a bye. While Andy Dalton could be competent, he did throw six interceptions in five starts last season, and the Bills should be a bit healthier on defense after having a full week to rest up. Carolina currently sits as one of nine teams implied to score under 20 points this week.

9. Subjectively ranking every game from an entertainment perspective

Bad football will always be better than no football. That said: We obviously are more excited for certain games over others, so every week I'll take a few minutes to rank the upcoming matchups due to subjective, at times stupid and silly reasons.

1. PIT-GB: A Sunday night battle between the current kings of the AFC and NFC North. Oh yeah, and there's that whole Aaron Rodgers revenge game thing going on too.
2. DEN-DAL: The two best offenses in the NFL might as well be the Cowboys and whoever is playing the Cowboys. The result: Tons of points, tons of yards, and tons of fun … for everyone other than Cowboys fans.
3. PHI-NYG: You know the Eagles are looking for revenge after getting punked by Jaxson Dart and company two short weeks ago. We could see fireworks in Philly should the Eagles' pass-happy ways continue against a Giants offense that has scored 66 points over the last two weeks.
4. KC-WSH: No Jayden Daniels (hamstring) in this one. Still, good news: Patrick Mahomes and company are fun to watch again! The 2025 Chiefs have already scored 28-plus points as many times (4) as they did all of last season!
5. BAL-CHI: Please be healthy Lamar Jackson (hamstring). But hey, at least Caleb Williams and company are making some cool things happen. Nobody is averaging more big plays per game than Ben Johnson's Bears this season.
6. LAC-MIN: I'm a bit worried about Justin Herbert's ability to stay upright against the 2025 edition of the Purple People Eaters. Still, Thursday night football is usually fun either way–especially when it includes Justin Jefferson.
7. CAR-BUF: Josh Allen is one of the most entertaining football players alive and accordingly I refuse to rank him any lower than seventh during any given week. Rules are rules.
8. NO-TB: Upset alert for the banged-up Buccaneers in the Superdome? Probably not, but you could imagine.
9. NE-CLE: This is about the point where we have fun teams matched up with not fun teams (with all due respect to Quinshon Judkins).
10. CIN-NYJ: Joe Flacco revenge game, baby!
11. SF-HOU: A masterclass bounce-back performance from George Kittle seems inevitable.
12. IND-TEN: Watching the 14-point favorite Colts do their thing should at least be fun.
13. ATL-MIA: Just here for Bijan Robinson and a potential implosion from Mike McDaniel and company.

10. Three Bold Calls for Week 8

And I'm talking BOLD. No predicting Bijan Robinson to have a big game, or Jaxon Smith-Njigba to have 100 yards: We're dumpster diving here in the pursuit of glory, but I swear there's legit reasoning to the madness (usually in the form of my weekly mismatch charts):

1. Kyle Pitts goes OFF, hangs a 7-110-1 receiving line on the Dolphins. There's a bit of uncertainty surrounding Michael Penix (foot), but getting Kirk Cousins under center wouldn't be THAT huge of a problem for these pass-catchers — particularly against the Dolphins' rather brutal pass defense. Pitts has arguably been playing the best ball of his career this season; I like his chances of putting up a boom game against the league's 10th-worst defense in PPR points per game allowed to opposing TEs.

2. Jets RB Isaiah Davis records a top-24 finish. Davis is low key a pretty great bench stash in fantasy land at the moment due to his injury-contingent handcuff upside and potential for Breece Hall (day-to-day) to be traded. Beggars can't be choosers during bye-mageddon, and the Bengals defense ranks dead ass last in PPR points per game allowed to opposing RBs this season.

3. Alec Pierce goes for 130 yards and scores a 50+ yard TD. The Colts' field-stretching maestro is set up well against a Titans defense that will likely be without No. 1 CB L'Jarius Sneed (quad). It's not like they were doing too hot even with Sneed: Only the Cowboys have allowed a higher EPA per dropback and more yards per attempt on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield to opposing WRs than the Titans this season. Pierce easily leads the Colts in deep ball targets (8) despite missing two games; I like the modern era's "White Lightning" to show up in a big way this week.

Last week: Tee Higgins (6-96-1) did indeed catch his stride, Bill Croskey-Merritt (13-33-0) did not in fact ball the hell out, and JK Dobbins (14-81-0) didn't exactly crush the Giants at Mile High. As always: We will watch the film and get better.

Thank you all for reading and best of luck in Week 8 and beyond!