Week 8 Fantasy Football Takeaways: Trey McBride Leads National TE Day

We're still processing everything we saw yesterday, but thankfully Peter Overzet is here with his Week 8 fantasy football takeaways:

It's time for Pete's Pick 6—my weekly recap column where I round up six things–the good, the bad, and the ugly–that caught my eye on the Sunday main slate.

Let's dive in …

Takeaway #1: National Tight End Day does not disappoint

I'm still not sure why it exists and I'm very sure I didn't need to hear it mentioned a million times while watching RedZone, but everyone's favorite fake football holiday lived up to its name yesterday.

And this isn't being hyperbolic or stretching the truth for the sake of a convenient narrative. It was by far the highest-scoring week of the season for TEs with 16 total TDs.

Take a look at some of these stat lines:

The death of the TE position appears to have been greatly overstated, though I'm a little worried about things returning to the status quo without the special occasion next week.

Petition to change it to National Tight End Year?

Takeaway #2: The post-bye rookie bump, starring Ladd McConkey

You can't really blame Chargers rookie WR Ladd McConkey for a slow start this season. He plays in an offense that likes to pretend that throwing the football is a federal crime.

But nothing could hold him back in Week 8 vs. the Saints as he turned just six targets into 111 yards and 2 TDs for nearly 30 PPR points. This monster 60-yard TD play showcased Ladd's versatile skill set–great ball tracking and elite speed/agility in the open field after the catch. Wow, I somehow wrote that description without using one of these crutches. Shout out to me!

There will be some inconsistency with Ladd's fantasy production going forward–that's just a harsh reality when you play in a low-volume passing offense–but it's hard not to be excited about a second-half breakout.

Takeaway #3: The tush push is alive & well

There was some concern (hope?) that the tush push wouldn't be as effective for the Eagles in 2024 with Jason Kelce retired.

Unfortunately for both Philly haters and Saquon Barkley managers that is definitely not the case. Hurts scored three rushing TDs on Sunday, two of which came via the pushy of his tushy.

Barkley, unsurprisingly, didn't score a rushing TD (although he did get two cracks at it inside the 5). Barkley is still a Top 5 back, but it'll be impossible for him to go full supernova for as long as the league is permitting the Eagles to scrum their way into the redzone.

As for Hurts, he finished as the No. 1 overall QB on the week thanks largely to the aforementioned rushing production, but he also connected with DeVonta Smith for a bomb and completed 12 straight passes to end the game.

And if you are worried about this being a flash in the pan Philadelphia, they get a home date with a bankrupt Jags franchise next week. Here's to hoping some of the TDs come from more than a few inches out.

Takeaway #4: The Lions are maddeningly good

The Lions absolutely clobbered the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. They dropped 52 total points. Surely this means monster fantasy outings for all of our favorite players, right? Right?!

Not exactly. Sure, all of the key names on the offense scored TDs, but the Lions were simply too good for any one player to put up a monster outing.

Jared Goff threw three TDs (one to Brock Wright, blah), but only 83 yards. Um, what? He even got vultured on the TD pass to Laporta, which came via a David Montgomery toss on a trick play.

Along with Wright, Kalif Raymond really yucked our fantasy yums by stealing two of those precious TDs (one punt return TD, one TD reception).

I know we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but it's impossible not to be frustrated that the Lions are simply too good for fantasy purposes.

It's like some communist warship, mercilessly devouring its opponents while spreading out the scoring production evenly across the enterprise.

Congrats, Lions fans. Now off to the best start (6-1) since 1956, I'm sure you are having the time of your life. But in fantasy land, we demand a little less perfection so we can enjoy some more fantasy points. Please and thank you.

Takeaway #5: You can't spell Winston without W

We've begged all season for a Jameis Winston takeover in Cleveland and our prayers were finally answered in Week 8.

In his first start, he led the Browns to an impressive 29-24 win over the Ravens while throwing for 334 yards and 3 TDs. Cedric Tillman, who might end up as the waiver wire pick-up of the year, posted 7-99-2. The two connected for the game-winning TD on a sick deep shot with a minute left in the game.

In his post-game interview, the always-likable Winston started quoting Eminem lyrics.

Part of me wants to use this as an opportunity to go in on the dumbass Browns for subjecting us to seven weeks of brutal Deshaun Watson play when this alternative was right under your nose, but I'm just going to be the bigger man today, and just relish the fact that we got Winston going forward.

Takeaway #6: Anthony Richardson is broken

It was certainly not "National Anthony Richardson Day" on Sunday. The Colts narrowly lost to the Texans on Sunday and AR15 had an extremely rough outing.

He completed only 10 of 32 passes, took five sacks, and threw one INT. He now ranks 222nd in completion rate out of 225 qualifying QBs since the year 2000. Do not look at the names surrounding him on this list if you don't want to vomit.

But that's not even the most concerning thing about his performance yesterday. He checked himself out of the game at one point in the third quarter because he was "tired." C'mon dude. I don't care if it is due to a lack of conditioning or if it's an effort thing, but that can't be happening.

If I'm being charitable, I'm still willing to view Richardson as a project. He came into the league as an extremely raw prospect who everyone acknowledged would take time to develop. But when you are checking yourself out of the game it makes me not want to be as charitable about the struggles.

Richardson is broken right now, but he can still be fixed … provided he actually starts trying.

Players Mentioned in this Article