Offenses to Upgrade and Downgrade

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Bleacher Nation Fantasy:

Removing one link can break a chain. Adding it back can make it shine like Justin Jefferson’s bling. That’s the theme for Week 8 in the NFL.

It already started on Thursday night. The return of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua made the Rams offense strong and bolstered Matthew Stafford, who passed four four touchdowns after only three in the first six games.

The biggest link in the Dolphins’ chain is back. Tua Tagovailoa has cleared concussion protocol and is back after missing four games. It’s a massive upgrade for the offense, especially Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins scored 40 points in the games without Tagovailoa.

Deshaun Watson was the weak link for the Browns’ offense and he is out for the season with a torn Achilles. Jameis Winston will start for Cleveland and is an upgrade for the offense.

The chain for the Panthers is broken. Bryce Young is back at quarterback with Andy Dalton out with a thumb injury. Young passed for 161 yards and 84 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions in his two starts this season and will face a tough Denver defense on the road without Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen. It also makes Chuba Hubbard a risky start.

Baker Mayfield went from one of the top fantasy quarterbacks to a risky one against the Falcons this week. Chris Godwin is out for the season and Mike Evans will miss several weeks with a hamstring injury. The landscape changes daily and you can stay up to date with our latest rankings.

What else is in today’s newsletter?

Week 8 Roundtable: What’s Going On In New Orleans?
Watercooler: A Halloween Twist …

Week 8 Expert Roundtable: The State of The Saints …

by Cooterdoodle

In this week’s roundtable, I bring in DLF’s Peter Howard (aka @pahowdy); Fantasy Life’s Jake Trowbridge; and my very own home league commissioner, Robert Fairley.

Let’s get into it:

The New Orleans Saints officially took their fifth consecutive loss in Week 7 after being defeated by Sean Payton’s Broncos. (ew)
As Fantasy Life’s resident Saint fan, I don’t want to overreact here … But I’m starting to think that the Saints will never EVER win another game AS LONG AS I LIVE!

Oh, right. So my questions:

Is there any hope for this offense moving forward in 2024?

Jake: I stand before you now to proclaim loudly and in all caps: I STILL BELIEVE IN CHRIS OLAVE. I know we’re all grieving the loss of Shaheed – admittedly, some of us more than others—but the silver lining is that it should cement Olave’s place atop the receiver pecking order once and for all. Guys like Bub Means (92% route participation in Week 7) and Mason Tipton are interesting side pieces for the Saints to utilize, but Olave should be the main dish. (And Derek Carr will just have to deal with it when he gets back.)

Pahowdy: From a football perspective? No idea. I doubt it heavily. But I’m just a fantasy player, not a coach. For the purpose of our Fantasy Life, Alvin Kamara is still an every-week start.

About 10 players a year score double-digit points over baseline (or for simplicity, over 19 PPG in PPR as a non-QB). While we have about 12 players right now at that mark, I think Alvin Kamara’s RB9 weighted opportunity rating (plus him just generally being the best player the Saints have at any given moment) should keep him very effective week to week.

From a dynasty perspective, I’d caution that Rashid Shaheed was the best player of a poor group. Shaheed’s “stock” is likely exaggerated in dynasty. The Saints roster needs work and that’s going to muddy the waters on his value and performance over time as the team adds new weapons and plays with the QB position leading to more downward value spikes for the 26-year-old. This is not a great year to “buy in” to the breakouts at the WR position, as it feels more like 2015-2017 than 2014.

Rob: Is there any hope? Yes, in fantasy football terms. It’s not every day that your team gets decimated by 30+ injuries on your roster. Alvin Kamara is still a focal point of this offense and will continue to be utilized in all game scripts. When healthy, Derek Carr could lead the Saints into a more capable unit under Klint Kubiak (see Weeks 1 & 2). And I still want to make room for Taysom Hill and his delicious TE eligibility in a season where finding a reliable every-week TE is a nightmare. Also, keep an eye on Mason Tipton to continue his deep route role in the replacement of Shaheed (miss you so much, rn). That should open the offense … as long as someone can get the ball in his general vicinity.

Click here for all our Week 8 sortable expert rankings!

FOLLOW-UP! Should we just start streaming defenses against New Orleans until further notice?

Rob: I would stream some defenses (not the Panthers!) against the Saints. Just don’t spend all of your FAAB on a DEF like some people in our home league do! (Cooterdoodle says: This is a personal attack. To be clear, I’d overpay and blow my FAAB on Denver’s D again if I had to. NO REGRETS!)

Jake: If you want to stream defenses against New Orleans while Spencer Rattler remains under center, I’ve got no beef with that.

More Questions Ahead Of Week 8

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