Last week, we learned a lot about quarterbacks, and I like to think that we learn a lot about running backs every week, which is why I write the Running Back Roundup. But Week 8 was a particularly intriguing week for young, talented wide receivers.
Some, like Kenny Golladay and Martavis Bryant, were completely missing in action. Others, like D.J. Moore, finally got a chance to shine. Then there are Courtland Sutton and Keke Coutee, who may soon be asked to step up for their teams. But before we get to the receivers, let’s begin with the latest accomplishments of one of the greatest running backs of all time.
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Adrian Peterson is a 33-year-old RB1
Running backs have notoriously short shelf lives, but Peterson has proven time and time again that the standard rules simply don’t apply to him. Two years removed from his last 1,000-yard rushing season, Peterson is on track to blow past that number with ease in 2018. He’s currently fifth in the league in rushing and has impressively rushed for over 95 yards in five of his seven games.
Operating as a bell-cow back in a run-first offense, Peterson has 50 carries over the last two weeks, and his 4.6 yards per carry is vintage AD — the highest mark he’s posted since 2012. Add it all up, and you have a player who has made it all the way back to RB1 status in fantasy football. Remarkable.
The Lions have forgotten about Kenny Golladay
The Lions have already frustrated fantasy owners by underutilizing talented rookie RB Kerryon Johnson, and now you can add Golladay to the list of gripes as well. Golladay looked like Detroit’s most dangerous receiver through the first five games of the season, averaging 86 yards per game and scoring three times. But Matthew Stafford has hardly looked Golladay’s way over the last two weeks, targeting him a grand total of three times. Coming into Sunday’s game, it seemed like Golladay’s quiet Week 7 had occurred because Stafford threw just 22 passes. But then Golladay was the intended target on just one of Stafford’s 40 passes on Sunday, so that excuse is now out the window.
Golladay’s talent has never been in question, but a lack of volume was a legitimate concern for his fantasy owners coming into the season. It seemed like he had put that concern to bed, but the Lions have shown a major deference to veterans, and Marvin Jones and Golden Tate are accomplished receivers in their own right. Until Golladay sees more regular targets, he’ll be more of a WR3 than a WR2.
Courtland Sutton is ready for a bigger role, and he just might get it
Like Golladay, Sutton is a talented wide receiver who is currently third in line for targets on a balanced offense, which hasn’t resulted in reliable week-to-week fantasy value. Sutton has yet to catch more than three passes in a game this season, but he did lead the Broncos in receiving in Week 8, which could be a sign of things to come.
Trade rumors are swirling around both of Denver’s veteran receivers, with other teams more eager to acquire Emmanuel Sanders and the Broncos’ brass more eager to deal away Demaryius Thomas. Listed at 6’4″ and 216 pounds, Sutton is a more suitable replacement for Thomas than Sanders, but he should see a major uptick in targets if either one of the veteran wideouts is dealt.
Sutton was already a must-own player in dynasty formats, but he’s now an intriguing stash in redraft formats as well. He is a dicey WR3 at the moment, but he could emerge as a weekly WR2 by Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
D.J. Moore just became interesting in fantasy leagues
Moore is another intriguing rookie who is deserving of more opportunities to produce. He got his chance in Week 8 with Torrey Smith out, and delivered 129 total yards on seven touches (five catches and two rushes). Devin Funchess remains the number one receiver in Carolina, but the second receiver spot is essentially up-for-grabs and Moore made a strong case on Sunday.
This is not nearly as fantasy-friendly a situation as Sutton could inherit, however. The Panthers are a low-volume passing attack, and Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey are two of the most highly-targeted players at their respective positions, meaning Moore would at best be the fourth option in the passing game. Still, Moore was a first round pick for a reason, and his big-play ability could make him a WR3/flex consideration if he can remain ahead of Smith, Jarius Wright, and Curtis Samuel in the wide receiver pecking order.
Keke Coutee should be added in all fantasy leagues
Yet another exciting receiver moving up his team’s depth chart is Coutee, who is set to benefit from the unfortunate news that Will Fuller suffered a season-ending knee injury. Coutee is dealing with a hamstring injury himself and is not a sure bet to play next week, but as the second option in a high-powered passing attack, he needs to be added in all fantasy leagues regardless.
Coutee, who is best utilized as a slot receiver, isn’t a direct replacement for Fuller, the Texans’ designated deep threat. But with journeyman Sammie Coates looking like the best in-house option to handle Fuller’s role, it is likely that the Texans adjust their offense to send more targets Coutee’s way. Barring a move at the trade deadline for a big name, Coutee should be a weekly WR3 with a realistic shot at WR2 value.
Martavis Bryant was hyped — and then completely ignored
In the wake of the Amari Cooper trade, Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson suggested that Bryant would be given a chance to step up, but that certainly didn’t happen in Week 8. Derek Carr dropped back to pass 28 times against Indianapolis, on his way to just his second multi-touchdown game of the season. But not one of those 28 pass attempts went in Bryant’s direction.
Olson did hint that Bryant has more work to do to learn the offensive system, so perhaps his involvement will increase as the season goes along. But we are now halfway through the fantasy season, and most fantasy owners can’t afford to take a patient approach with Bryant, even though he’s a talented player. It made plenty of sense to pick up Bryant ahead of Week 8, and it makes plenty of sense to send him back to the waiver wire now.
Jameis Winston is an interception machine, and “Fitzmagic” is the only cure
Winston was benched in Week 8’s loss to the Bengals, and rightfully so. He threw four interceptions against Cincinnati and has now thrown a whopping 10 picks in just three-and-a-half games of action.
Ryan Fitzpatrick stepped in for Winston and brought the Bucs all the way back to tie the game with one minute remaining. Tampa Bay ultimately lost the game on a last-second field goal, but Fitzpatrick once again made a strong case that he is a better option than the team’s chosen franchise QB, Winston.
The Tampa Bay QB situation is an example of the great divide between fantasy and reality. Whoever is starting at QB for the Bucs will have plenty of fantasy value because of the likelihood of high yardage and touchdown totals — even though multiple interceptions could be part of the package. But when it comes to winning games, interceptions are a killer, and Winston is simply throwing too many of them to hold onto the starting job for long.
It remains to be seen what Dirk Koetter decides to do, but unless we learn that Winston is keeping the job, Fitzpatrick is an advisable add for anyone needing quarterback help. If given the chance, he’ll instantly vault back into weekly QB1 status.
We’ll need to watch the injury reports on A.J. Green and Tyreek Hill
Besides Will Fuller’s torn ACL, we seem to have mostly avoided catastrophic injuries in Week 8. But two of fantasy football’s top wide receivers did suffer injuries that will be worth watching over the next week.
Green, who has over 100 yards or a touchdown in six of his eight games this season, was forced to exit the game against Tampa Bay late with an apparent turf toe injury. The bye week comes at a good time for Green’s fantasy owners, but this is an injury that has the potential to cause him to miss time after the bye, depending on the severity. With John Ross also banged up, Green’s absence would likely mean more opportunities for Alex Erickson, but the biggest fantasy ramification would probably be that it would hurt the entire Cincinnati offense.
Tyreek Hill, meanwhile, strained his groin in the Chiefs’ victory over the Broncos. The injury doesn’t sound overly serious, but it is possible it costs him a couple games, in which case Sammy Watkins and Chris Conley could see additional targets. Hill’s absence could put Watkins on the WR2 radar.
Larry Fitzgerald matters in fantasy again
Adrian Peterson may not be the only superstar of the past who could be having a career renaissance. Fitzgerald, who has failed to top 40 yards in six straight games and had been cast to the waiver wire in many fantasy leagues, came alive in a big way on Sunday with eight catches for 102 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion.
Normally we wouldn’t want to overreact to one big game, even for a player of Fitzgerald’s ilk, but this big game happened to coincide with the first game of new Cardinals offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich’s tenure. Fitzgerald was peppered with 12 targets against the 49ers — the first time he’s seen double-digit targets since Week 1 — and it seems safe to assume that Leftwich, a Bruce Arians disciple, had something to do with it.
Fitzgerald is a 35-year-old receiver playing in a low-yield offense, so we shouldn’t get carried away here. But the simple fact that he could realistically see double-digit targets in any given week puts Fitzgerald firmly back on the WR3 radar.
The Browns finally pulled the plug on Hue Jackson!
After winning a total of one game in his first two seasons as the Browns’ head coach, Jackson was bafflingly brought back in 2018. It predictably didn’t go well. The Browns have just two wins this season, despite a significantly improved roster and at times significantly improved play. Cleveland blew four winnable games before being more thoroughly beaten by the Steelers on Sunday. As such, the Cleveland Browns decided it was now time to give both Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley the axe.
Jackson’s and Haley’s firings probably won’t be a cure-all for the Browns’ offensive woes, but it certainly won’t hurt. There are still plenty of reasons for optimism about the long-term outlooks of Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, and Nick Chubb, and perhaps a change in the locker room can help Cleveland’s skill position players play with more confidence.
This offense has badly underachieved thus far, but it has great matchups over the next four games. With Jackson finally out of the picture, I would be more interested in buying pieces of this offense than selling them.
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Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.