Fantasy football will turn you into an angry, bitter soul if you let it. Most of us derive more pain from the losses than pleasure from the wins. Some of us feel hatred toward the players, coaches or officials we hold responsible for our fantasy failings.
It’s no way to live.
Fantasy football is, after all, a game. Yes, there’s money and pride at stake. But this is supposed to be fun, dammit. The sport of football is enjoyable, so let’s have fun with it.
I’m trying not to dwell on the negative and to find joy in the NFL and fantasy seasons. For instance, I’m doing my best to appreciate that …
- The Dolphins are averaging nearly 35 points per game and are nearly as fun to watch as the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams.
- Fifth-round rookie Puka Nacua, who has 4.6 speed and never had a 1,000-yard season in college, is blossoming into an NFL superstar.
- Adam Thielen drank deeply from the Fountain of Youth and is pacing for a career-best season at age 33.
- Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are giving us the pleasure of watching one of the two greatest QB-TE combos of all time. (Hat tip, Tom Brady/Rob Gronkowski.)
- With more than 125 receiving yards in five consecutive games, A.J. Brown has turned into an uncoverable force of nature.
- Christian McCaffrey is on pace to score 27 touchdowns.
- Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, two future Hall of Famers, are at the height of their powers and wrecking offenses on a weekly basis.
These things are cool regardless of whether you have any of these guys on your fantasy team(s). Savor it. This is the stuff you’ll be telling your football-loving grandkids about someday.
Don’t let Arthur Smith or anyone else steal your football joy.
As always, feel free to use these tiered rankings as a tiebreaker for your difficult lineup decisions. Beneath the tiers, I’ll offer a few brief thoughts on some of the borderline start/sit guys and some other interesting cases. Here are a few notable players this week.
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
- Waiver Wire Picks
Check out the rest of our fantasy football content
Fitz’s Fantasy Football Week 8 Tiers & Rankings
I briefly mentioned Adam Thielen in the introduction. Would you mind if I discussed him for another minute, even though he’s an obvious must-start at this point? I just find it so remarkable that I’m ranking Thielen WR10 in a week where there are no teams on bye. Thielen ranks seventh in the league with 49 receptions, and four of the six players who have more receptions than Thielen have played an extra game because they haven’t had their byes yet. Thielen is averaging 8.2 catches per game. He’s 33 years old, and I assumed he was nearly done after his efficiency numbers started getting progressively worse each year at the end of his tenure with the Vikings. Bravo, Mr. Thielen. Bravo.
In the three games since Chargers WR Mike Williams went on injured reserve, Joshua Palmer has posted stat lines of 3-77-0, 4-60-0 and 5-133-0. Those numbers don’t do Palmer full justice, as he’s had some big gains nullified by penalty during that stretch. Palmer is averaging 10.1 yards per target this season, which probably isn’t sustainable, but it speaks to how well he’s been playing. Palmer has a pleasing Week 8 matchup against a Bears pass defense that ranks 30th in DVOA. But I have Palmer ranked as a low-end WR3 because (1) Chargers WR Keenan Allen remains one of the biggest target hogs in the league, (2) Palmer hasn’t drawn more than eight targets in any game this season, and (3) Herbert has thrown only four TD passes in the three games since Williams went on IR.
Josh Downs had a season-high 125 receiving yards for the Colts last week, and the rookie from North Carolina has now scored touchdowns in two straight games. This week, the Colts play the Saints, who have a nice pair of outside cornerbacks in Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo. But their slot corner, Alontae Taylor, who’s going to be tasked with covering Downs, is giving up 0.39 fantasy points per route run into his coverage. PFF has Taylor 100th out of the 115 cornerbacks they’ve graded. This could be another nice week for Downs, who’s shown excellent chemistry with Colts QB Gardner Minshew.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio