Fantasy Questions Week 8. The 10 Biggest Fantasy Questions for the Week.

Week 8 is here and there are zero teams on bye for some strange reason.

Officially halfway through most fantasy football regular season: There’s never been a more important time to ignore your family and friends in an effort to chase championship glory.

What follows are my 10 biggest questions ahead of this week’s action along with a bunch of other shit that I just so happened to find cool for one reason or another.

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

1. What should fantasy managers make of this evolving Bears backfield?

A lot will depend on Roschon Johnson’s (concussion) final status, but the rookie is at least progressing through the protocol and kicked off the week with a limited practice.

Still, it’s tough to believe Johnson will fully kick D’Onta Foreman to the curb considering just how good the 27-year-old veteran has played this season:

• Yards per carry: 4.8 (No. 11 among 53 qualified RBs)
• Yards after contact per carry: 3.4 (No. 9)
• Missed tackles forced per carry: 0.26 (tied for No. 10)
• Explosive rush rate (10+ yards): 13.9% (No. 8)

Foreman’s gaudy YAC numbers also aren’t the result of a few outlier runs: He’s gained at least two yards after contact on a whopping 72% of his carries this season — the eighth-highest mark in the NFL.

Yes, Johnson worked ahead of Foreman behind Khalil Herbert (knee, IR) in Weeks 1 to 4. Also yes, that role never produced more than 11 touches in a single game, and things were actually moving heavily in favor of Herbert before the injuries.

The Bears haven’t really featured their RBs in specific pass-or-run down roles this season. It’s tough to see either Foreman or Johnson demanding too heavy of a role with both active, while fantasy managers also can’t discount the potential for Darrynton Evans to stay involved.

Ultimately, I’m cool with giving Foreman the Week 8 nod as the expected touch leader even if Johnson manages to return, but that role certainly isn’t guaranteed to produce fireworks inside of a Bears offense implied to score just 19 points. None of these backs need to be in starting lineups, particularly in a likely trailing game-script if the Bears’ status as 8.5-point underdogs is any indication of how this Sunday night showdown with the Chargers will go.

2. What truths can we cling to inside the Arthur Smith experience?

Smith’s explanation of Bijan Robinson’s Week 7 absence provided more additional questions than answers, but the electric rookie RB is at least practicing and seemingly set to reassume his role as the backfield’s 1A option.

Maybe? Who knows. This offense is hilariously balanced at both RB and TE, while it’s still a struggle for Drake London to see eight-plus targets more weeks than not.

Annoying fantasy usage notes aside: This offense has shown plenty of ability, posting top-12 marks in explosive run- and pass-play alike. Sixteenth in successful play rate (34.2%), Atlanta has done some legit good things despite their lowly rankings in EPA per play (-0.112, No. 24) and points per game (16.4, No. 29).

The larger issue here: Desmond Ridder’s inability to take care of the football in recent weeks.

Tied for “first” with 15 turnover-worthy plays already this season (PFF), Ridder finds himself as one of just 10 players at the position who have thrown an interception, taken a sack and/or fumbled on 10% of their dropbacks this season:

• Daniel Jones (18.8%)
• Justin Field (15.7%)
• Sam Howell (15.6%)
• Ryan Tannehill (14.1%)
• Deshaun Watson (12.7%)
• Zach Wilson (12.2%)
• Ridder (11.9%)
• Gardner Minshew (11.5%)
• Russell Wilson (11%)
• Bryce Young (10.6%)

Not exactly great company — especially when Ridder is only being asked to operate the league’s most run-heavy offense in pass rate over expectation.

As The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak pointed out: The Falcons are fifth in offensive EPA lost to turnovers. This group could truly be lethal if Ridder can find a way to be more careful with the football; just realize that’s hardly a given to happen.

Side note: Remember when the Falcons and the rest of the NFL seemed to have a real chance to acquire Lamar Jackson, and they all essentially declined? Good times.

Fantasy managers should continue to prepare to be underwhelmed by Robinson, London and Kyle Pitts (who is unironically being outscored by Jonnu Smith this season) … unless this upcoming soft schedule finally yields something resembling high-end efficiency out of Ridder.

• Week 8 at Titans: +0.122 (No. 29)
• Week 9 vs. Vikings: +0.034 (No. 22)
• Week 10 at Cardinals: +0.163 (No. 30)

Of course, we can’t guarantee that Arthur Smith will start directing the football to who we want, but it’d make sense if this group as a whole starts gelling a bit more thanks to this smashable schedule.

3. Will Kenny Pickett and company ever supply some true booms?

Well, they kind of have during the final 15 minutes of action this season.

Seriously: Pickett has gone from objectively one of the league’s worst QBs during the first 45 minutes of games, to honestly one of the best during the final quarter of action.

Among 34 qualified QBs…

Note that Pickett didn’t throw any fourth quarter TDs in the Steelers’ two blowout losses to the Texans (30-6) and 49ers (30-7), meaning his late-game success hasn’t simply been the result of meaningless garbage time production.

We’ve established the Steelers are capable of moving the ball efficiently through the air during the final 15 minutes of football, so why is everything so hard to start the game?

A few factors certainly haven’t helped:

• Play-action: The Steelers have ranked 31st, 29th and 30th in play-action rate with Matt Canada calling plays. The latter figure comes in spite of Pickett posting top-six numbers in both adjusted completion rate (84%) and passer rating (123.6) on play-action passes this season.
• Pressure: Only the Bears (46.4%) and Giants (45.3%) have allowed a higher pressure rate than the Steelers (43.1%) this season. Sometimes pressure is more of an indictment on the QB than the offensive line, but the Steelers have also allowed a top-eight mark in pressure under 2.5 seconds, while Pickett deserves a little credit for only ranking 19th in percentage of pressures to result in a sack (17.8%).

Similar to Atlanta: Things are extra frustrating here because even something close to average QB play could open up bunches of reliable fantasy options. George Pickens and Diontae Johnson are both in the WR2 conversation anyway, but their respective roles and talent have WR1-level upside in a higher-efficiency passing game.

A similar sentiment is true for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren: It’s not their fault that the Steelers have just two total RB rush attempts inside the five-yard line this season — tied for the second-lowest mark in the NFL.

Ultimately, only the Texans and Giants have scored fewer TDs than the Steelers since Matt Canada took over as offensive coordinator in 2021. Reasonable enough matchups ahead against the Jaguars, Titans and Packers might not be enough to take this offense from bad to decent, but it can’t hurt!

4. Does Jordan Addison suddenly deserve weekly must-start treatment?

It certainly seems like a good idea. The rookie has now posted 6-64-1, 3-28-1 and 7-123-2 receiving lines since his Week 4 goose-egg, with the latter performance somehow being even more impressive than the numbers indicate considering he was close to scoring two ADDITIONAL times.

The 2023 NFL Draft’s 23rd overall pick is on pace to catch 70 passes for 971 yards and 15 (!) TDs – and those numbers could ultimately look small if he continues to be featured as the passing game’s No. 1 option in the absence of Justin Jefferson (hamstring, IR).

Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates his touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, Addison has earned a whopping 38% of the offense's air yards over the past two weeks — a mark not too far off from what Jefferson (41.4%, 10th) put forward during the first five weeks of the season.

Addison, for a lack of a better word, is good.

Addison actually has fewer targets than T.J. Hockenson (19 vs. 15) over the past two weeks, and K.J. Osborn (11) will stay involved as well; just realize you had better have a DAMN good reason to put this ascending talent anywhere near your fantasy bench as the No. 1 WR of an offense that ranks among the league’s top-three units in passing yards and TDs through seven weeks.

Overall, the rookie is my WR14 on the week and the WR18 in the Fantasy Life consensus rankings.

5. Are these talented second-year WRs going to turn things around down the stretch?

Some of the season’s biggest underperformers in terms of rank in PPR points per game compared to preseason ADP come from the WR position’s crop of second-year talents:

• Jets WR Garrett Wilson: Preseason ADP: WR9. PPR points per game rank: WR24
• Saints WR Chris Olave: WR12. WR26
• Falcons WR Drake London: WR26. WR37
• Commanders WR Jahan Dotson: WR35. WR71
• Chiefs WR Skyy Moore: WR48. WR86

And this doesn’t even include guys like Christian Watson, Treylon Burks and Jameson Williams, who haven’t really had the opportunity to boom or bust due to injuries/suspension.

George Pickens and Romeo Doubs are pretty much the only second-year wide-outs who have balled out in a meaningful way for most of 2023 — what gives!

Well, none of the top-four receivers have exactly been blessed with anything resembling decent QB play, while the latter is stuck in a freewheeling rotation that regularly features as many as six different Chiefs WRs during the course of any given week.

Out of all these underperformers, I lean strongest toward Olave finding a meaningful way to break out down the stretch:

• He’s racked up an NFL-high 632 unrealized air yards this season, which is just a fancy way of saying the Ohio State product has failed to capitalize on more fantasy-friendly opportunities than anyone in the league.
• Most of this has been on Derek Carr: The Saints boast the league’s sixth-lowest rate of catchable deep passes.
• Perhaps three straight winnable matchups against the Colts, Bears and Vikings will be just what the doctor ordered to get Olave on track.

6. Is Calvin Ridley really a must-start fantasy WR?

Let’s zoom out for a second and simply look at Ridley’s 2023 season as a whole without overly weighting last Thursday Night’s brutal 1-5-0 performance:

• Ridley is on pace to catch 66 passes for 894 yards and five TDs
• Each of Christian Kirk (55 targets), Evan Engram (51) and Ridley (48) are viable to work as Trevor Lawrence’s No. 1 pass-game option during any given week.
• Ridley has demonstrated a ceiling with 7-122-0 and 8-101-1 performances to his name through seven weeks of action.

Not exactly the consistent WR1 goodness that some thought was on the table after watching the ex-Falcons talent go through that one ladder drill really fast back in August, but also not someone who exactly deserves to be hitting the waiver wire.

I get it: Ridley’s performance has been disappointing and he legitimately deserves to be ranked as the No. 2 WR inside his own offense at this point. That said, Ridley's average of 11 PPR points per game is right there with fellow good, not great, fantasy options like DeVonta Smith (11.8), Tyler Lockett (11.7), Amari Cooper (11.5) and DeAndre Hopkins (10.8).

It’s hardly a guarantee that all of those one-time baller WRs truly get back to posting big-time numbers anytime soon in 2023; just realize Ridley’s overall production hasn’t been as “holy SHIT” bad as social media during a primetime stinker would make you believe.

While betting heavily against T.J. Watt and company is never a great idea, Ridley and Kirk are set up well against a Steelers secondary that has allowed the third-most PPR points per game to opposing WRs this season. Fire up both Kirk (consensus rank: WR18.3) and Ridley (WR29.5) as recommended starts in leagues of most shapes and sizes ahead of this smashable spot.

7. What is the answer in this Broncos backfield?

Well, the utilization over the past two weeks with all three parties healthy seemingly points in the favor of Javonte Williams:

It'd be a lot cooler if Williams had a more dominant snap share, but things at least trended towards him being the TRUE bell-cow option in Week 7 after all three parties were fairly evenly involved in Week 6.

On the one hand, Williams has an NFL-high 77 touches without a TD this season — nobody else is over 50.

On the other, the third-year talent has played his best football over the past two weeks, passing the eye test on his way to posting elite marks in yards per carry (5.4 in Weeks 6-7 vs. 3.6 in Weeks 1-4), yards after contact per carry (4.5 vs. 2.3) and missed tackles forced per carry (0.36 vs. 0.13).

This Broncos offense isn't exactly a gold mine for fantasy goodness, but their standing as the league's 19th-ranked scoring offense is at least quite a bit better than last year's dead-last finish. Williams is a consensus top-32 RB in the Fantasy Life rankings and stands as a recommended FLEX option in standard and half-PPR formats especially.

Last thing: Shoutout to Jaleel McLaughlin for putting together some of the best per-carry numbers of any RB in the NFL this season. Literally only De’Von Achane has been more efficient when looking at yards after contact and missed tackles forced per carry:

Of course, McLaughlin doesn’t have the sort of requisite volume to necessitate starting treatment in fantasy land, but you could imagine what it’d be like if he did (side note: Add Tyjae Spears to your fantasy bench if at all possible. Cool? Cool).

8. Has the NFL figured out Jordan Love and the Packers?

Things certainly haven’t been going great, particularly in the first half: Green Bay has scored a total of *six* points during the first 30 minutes of action over their last four games.

Credit to Jordan Love and company for usually proving capable of staging a comeback and making things interesting late; just realize it'd be a lot cooler if this offense could sustain some level of consistency throughout four consecutive quarters of action.

Of course, it is hard to maintain offensive consistency when Love has functioned as arguably the single-most inaccurate passer in football:

• Completion percentage over expected: -5.3% (No. 32)
• Adjusted completion rate: 65% (No. 33)
• Raw completion rate: 57.5 (No. 33)

The context of Love boasting the league’s second-highest average target depth (9.8 yards) matters, but still: This offense would suddenly look a helluva lot more lethal if their fourth-year QB could most consistently make the sort of layup throws that have been missing from this offense for most of the season.

Don’t get it twisted: Love has displayed some real highs this season (especially early on). His arm talent and athleticism force defenses to account for virtually every square inch of the field for better and (at this point mostly) worse.

In fantasy land, Love’s penchant for taking off and running has been very valuable and one of the main reasons why he’s work as the QB8 in fantasy point per game through seven weeks: His average of 4.2 fantasy points per game from purely rushing production is the 10th-highest mark among all QBs to play at least five games this season.

Up next is a Vikings defense that has blitzed on a league-high 63.3% of their opponent's dropbacks. While Love actually boasts top-12 marks in PFF pass grade and passer rating against the blitz this season, it wouldn’t be surprising if life in this offense continues to present more struggle than joy in the near term.

9. Is Darrell Henderson really the new lead RB in Los Angeles?

Maybe! He certainly dominated usage and made the sort of plays that should lead to even more playing time down the road.

Of course, there is the reality that Royce Freeman (12-66-0) made more out of his rush attempts than Henderson (18-61-1).

After the game head coach Sean McVay said that he was pleased with both Henderson and Freeman, noting “You can expect to see, I would imagine, a similar deal (this week), and then we'll see how Myles (Gaskin) and Zach (Evans) fit into that equation."

Ultimately, McVay is one of few coaches in the NFL who has been willing to feature *one* true workhorse RB over the years. Whether it be Todd Gurley, C.J. Anderson, Cam Akers, Kyren Williams or even Henderson himself: Identifying the Rams lead RB has been one of the more consistent paths to obtaining high-end fantasy production out there over the years.

While Micah Parsons and company are absolutely no joke, this Cowboys defense hasn’t been all that lethal against opposing rushing attacks this season:

• Yards per carry allowed: 4.2 (No. 19)
• Yards before contact per carry allowed: 1.6 (No. 27)
• Successful run play rate allowed: 30.9% (No. 22)

Don’t expect Henderson to post Kyren-esque RB1 production; this passing attack is far too condensed around Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua to expect that. Still, Henderson projects for 15-plus combined carries and targets in the near term — a role worthy of low-end RB2 treatment regardless of the matchup.

You can target Henderson on Underdog in Week 8 and get a 100% deposit match of up to $500 when you sign up below with promo code LIFE!

10. What are your three bold calls for Week 8?

Every week I put together matchup-specific charts to help determine the week’s biggest advantages by combining offensive and defensive rates in explosive plays, pressure, yards before contact, passing yards per dropback and EPA. This provides singular metrics to help quantity advantages on both sides of the ball instead of always having to go, “Offense ranks x, defense ranks y.”

The following three players might have a red flag or two in their Week 8 projection — that’s why they aren’t ranked as sure-thing top-12 options at their position — but I believe there’s enough of an edge in the matchup to warrant enhanced optimism:

1. Emari Demarcado posts a top-12 PPR finish. The Cardinals lead the league in yards before contact per carry and are facing a Ravens defense that has allowed the eighth-highest rate in that metric — producing the second-biggest projected offensive advantage on the ground of Week 8. Demarcado posted an elite 79% snap rate in Week 7 and could (again) push for 20 combined carries and targets.
2. C.J. Stroud goes nuts, throws for 300-plus yards and four TDs. Only Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa have better matchups in terms of combined pass yards per dropback. Getting a healthy Tank Dell (concussion) back only helps against a defense that has allowed 37 or more points in three of their last four games.
3. The Rams score 10 or fewer points, as the offensive line is completely overwhelmed at the line of scrimmage. Nobody is projected to deal with more pressure than Mathew Stafford this week. Slowing down Micah Parsons and company is never easy, and this Rams o-line has allowed a top-10 fastest time-to-pressure rate this season. Stafford ranks 33rd among 36 qualified QBs in adjusted completion rate (54%) when under pressure this season.

Other Week 8 Nuggets

Not everything deserves multiple paragraphs of attention. We got lives to live and dogs to throw tennis balls to, ya know? That said: There are still TONS of other nuggets that I found interesting while reviewing Week 7 and researching Week 8. Here they are in no particular order.

• I wrote about how elderly WRs are dominating like never before and it’s like none of you even care.
   
• Seahawks QB Geno Smith ranks first in Next-Gen Stats completion percentage above expectation (+6.5%) just one season after ranking … first (+6.5%). He’s made some ridiculous tight-window throws this season while typically playing better than the box score indicates.
   
• Nobody has more targets without a receiving TD this season than Jaguars TE Evan Engram (51). Sheesh
   
• Chargers QB Justin Herbert ranks dead last in adjusted completion rate (64.7%) over the last month of football. He’s missed Keenan Allen for not one, not two, but three massive potential gains along the way.
   
• The status of Giants QB Daniel Jones (neck) remains up in the air. Either way: Shoutout to Tyrod Taylor for posting the league’s highest big-time throw rate (PFF) in Jones’ absence — the 34-year-old veteran has made a TON of great throws over the past two weeks.

• Raiders Daniel Carlson had tried out a new onside kick method last week, hilariously (yet unsuccessfully) blasting the kick right off the noggin of Bears RB Travis Homer. I’d like to think he picked Homer after evaluating all of his options in a Waterboy kicker-esque fashion.
   
• Rams WR Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua each have exactly 28 targets in three games together this season. The two fantasy WR1s continue to live up to the Spiderman meme; both remain rock-solid top-12 options ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Trevon Diggs-less Cowboys secondary.
   
• Buccaneers country, Let’s Bake: Mike Evans is on pace for the second-most receiving yards of his career (1,326) and the third-most if you want to be a dick and criticize him for getting to play 17 games. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
   
• Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers has out-scored Davante Adams in PPR points (105.5 vs. 96.4) in six games together this season. Both are top-16 options at the position on a per-game basis despite very little stability under center; a return to Jimmy Garoppolo would be appreciated against a Lions defense that had little answer for the Ravens in Week 7.
   
• It hasn’t been pretty, easy, or particularly fun, but Giants TE Darren Waller has scored the position’s fifth-most fantasy points both overall and on a per-game basis after seven weeks of action.
   
• Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy hasn’t gotten much love this season, but this route was objectively dope.

• Wondering who the top-five fantasy TEs would be if Joe Biden issued an executive order mandating that every team’s TE room is now considered to be the same person? Well, the Chiefs (175 PPR points) unsurprisingly remain the “TE1” in total fantasy points scored, but they’re followed by the Falcons (137.4), Vikings (126.1), Patriots (122.5) and Lions (107.7). If only Jonnu Smith (TE12) and Kyle Pitts (TE13) were one person.
   
• Lamar Jackson is making another LaMVP campaign (sorry) coming off his best performance of the season. On pace to run for 882 yards and pass for 3,910: Jackson IS the system currently generating the 10th-most points per game in the NFL. Shoutout to Todd Monken and the team’s new WRs for helping this passing game average a whopping seven net yards per pass attempt — more than anyone other than the Dolphins (8.7), 49ers (7.8), Chiefs (7.2) and Bills (7).
   
• Are the Eagles the league’s very best offense at converting goal-line rush attempts into TDs? Well, they are converting carries inside the five-yard line into scores at a 67% clip (tied for the league’s sixth-highest mark) and rank fourth in first down/TD percentage (86.2%) when rushing the ball with just one yard to go. All in all, pretty damn good!
   
• You know who else is pretty damn good? Eagles WR A.J. Brown, who has gained at least 125 yards in five consecutive games while already racking up as many receptions (52) in seven games as he had in 16 contests as a rookie. Overall, AJB is pacing for an absurd 126-1965-7 receiving line. Maybe just save some for DeVonta Smith, man?
   
• Commanders QB Sam Howell has taken at least four sacks in every game this season and is currently on pace to be tackled behind the line of scrimmage on a league-record 97 times. These haven’t ALL been Howell’s fault, but his standing as the league’s worst QB in preventing pressures from turning into sacks is still damning.

• Commanders WR Terry McLaurin vs. Eagles CB Darius Slay is one of the best on-paper WR-CB matchups of the week. McLaurin has won the shadow date recently with 6-102-0, 8-128-0 and 8-86-0 receiving lines in their last three showdowns; either way, get your popcorn ready for this one.
   
• Colts WR Josh Downs was Fantasy Life’s waiver wire add of the week! The rookie slot receiver has now posted 5-125-1, 5-21-1 and 6-97-0 receiving lines in his past three games while emerging as the clear-cut No. 2 pass-game option behind only Michael Pittman. Don’t expect success to come easy against the Saints, but volume-induced WR3 goodness is possible here.
   
• Texans WR Nico Collins has impressed in general this season — but especially after the catch. Overall, the third-year receiver is tied with Deebo Samuel for the most yards after the catch per reception above expectation this season (Next-Gen Stats).

• Panthers WR Adam Thielen is on pace to rack up a career-high 167 targets, in this economy no less! Shoutout to the veteran for racking up a league-high 49 receptions without a drop through seven weeks of action.
   
• The Dolphins have absolutely cruised against the Chargers (36 points), Broncos (70, lol), Giants (31) and Panthers (42), but didn't manage to crack 24 points against their objectively tougher opponents in the Patriots (24), Bills (20) and Eagles (17). Those were each road games as well; just realize Tua Tagovailoa and company haven’t exactly put their best foot forward in their big-time matchups this year.
   
• Nobody has more games with 300-plus passing yards than Kirk Cousins (4) this season. You like that?!
   
• ESPN recently released some cool analytics including “Open Score,” which has dubbed 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk as the champion of the separation-themed metric. This makes sense: The man knows how to run routes.
   
• If Browns RB Nick Chubb is the league’s most-pure runner — who is the most impure? I don’t mean this as necessarily a negative, but what RB runs with the least nuance while regularly displaying tunnel vision? My pick: Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco, who generally runs like the ground is his mortal enemy.
   
• That said: Shoutout Pacheco for racking up a league-best 123 combined carries and targets without a single fumble or drop this season. Only Dameon Pierce (109), Derrick Henry (109) and Tyler Allgeier (108) are also in triple digits.
   
• Only Chris Olave (632) has more unrealized air yards than Marquise Brown (488) this season. Friendly reminder that only Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson had more PPR points than Brown before he broke his foot in Week 6 last season. Top-20 in ESPN’s Open Score and facing less target competition than almost any other No. 1 WR out there, don’t be surprised if the artist known as Hollywood booms in a MAJOR way down the stretch.
   
• Get ready for another week of the Tyson Bagent AKA T-Bag experience with Justin Fields (right thumb) still not ready to return to action. Credit to T-Bag for getting the W last week, but he ranks dead last in average target depth (4.6) among 40 qualified QBs this season. The undrafted rookie will most likely need to take the training wheels off on Sunday night if the Bears hope to keep up with Justin Herbert and company.
   
• Since joining the Lions in 2021, Jared Goff has thrown 43 TDs against just 11 interceptions while posting great marks in adjusted net yards per attempt (8.08) and completion rate (68.7%) … in 20 games at home. On the road in 18 games? Sixteen TDs, 11 interceptions, 6.7 adjusted net yards per attempt and a 63.9% completion rate. The Lions face Maxx Crosby and the Raiders from the friendly confines of Ford Field on Monday night. Adjust the ranks accordingly.
   
• Colts RB Zack Moss continues to hold the edge over Jonathan Taylor in terms of raw yards per carry (4.6 vs. 3.5) this season, but the latter back easily put forward his best performance of the season on the ground in Week 7. It’d make sense if this gap widens in future weeks; JT is a recommended upside RB2 this week even in a tough matchup against the Saints’ third-ranked defense in limiting PPR points to opposing RBs.
   
• Vikings RB Cam Akers made a meaningful push in utilization in Week 7 — and for good reason. While neither Akers nor Alexander Mattison have been great on the ground this season, the former back holds massive leads in PFF receiving grade (No. 3 RB vs. No. 75) and PFF pass block grade (No. 14 vs. No. 36). Don’t be surprised if the changing of the guard continues or at least leads to a more evenly split two-RB committee in future weeks.
   
• Many have dubbed Steelers RB Najee Harris as the central problem in the team’s poor run game, but the ole numbers don’t back that up. Overall, Harris has Warren beat in yards after contact per carry (3 vs. 2.6) while both backs are averaging the same amount of yards per carry (3.9) — and their difference in carries vs. eight-plus defenders in the box is negligible (19.5% vs. 17.5%).
   
• 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has gone 47 consecutive non-injured/traded games with 100+ yards and/or a TD. Note that the Saints game from 2022 featured CMC dealing with knee irritation, so it doesn’t count. Look it up.
   
• Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez got increased run last week and (sadly) profiles as the next man up on early downs should anything happen to Brian Robinson. There are worse bench stashes in DEEP fantasy formats.
   
• Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne remains a PPR-maven and recommended FLEX play for as long as JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) remains sidelined. He’s set up well this week with Mac Jones likely facing plenty of trailing game script against a Dolphins defense that has allowed the ninth-most PPR points per game to opposing WRs this season.