The eye-catching fantasy football performances began Thursday night, with two young pass-catchers turning heads. One of the teased pass-catchers and another young tight end had performances that might have a lasting impact at the position.
In a week filled with many quarterback happenings, a rookie had a brilliant performance. Carolina had their first win of the season, but did anything change with their new play-caller? Finally, a second-year quarterback did something this week he’s never done before. Here are all of my takeaways for the week. Below we dive into a few notable players.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Week 8 Takeaways
A No. 3 Wideout Emerged for the Bills
Khalil Shakir had a career-best game on Thursday night. The second-year pro had career highs for targets (six), receptions (six) and receiving yards (92) against the Buccaneers in Week 8. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Shakir ran a season-high 33 routes as well.
Since Week 7, Shakir is fourth on the Bills in routes (53). Before his stellar showing in Week 8, he had an encouraging performance in Week 7, securing all four of his targets for 35 receiving yards on 20 routes.
Dawson Knox was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) last week and will miss at least three more games. Buffalo used more three-wideout sets last week than in previous contests, and Shakir thrived in the slot with the enhanced role. He’s a priority waiver addition this week.
Youth is Raising the Tide for Tight Ends
Dalton Kincaid was also sensational on Thursday night. He ran 39 routes on 40 passing snaps and had seven targets, five receptions, 65 receiving yards and one touchdown reception. Of note, per PFF, Kincaid played a season-high 13 passing snaps aligned inline.
First, Kincaid’s unchallenged spot atop Buffalo’s depth chart, as long as Knox is out, is the most crucial development for the rookie. However, second, more snaps inline could allow him to have more favorable matchups against linebackers. Kincaid had 13 receptions, 140 receiving yards and one touchdown in the previous two weeks. He’s now cemented firmly inside the top 10 fantasy options at tight end.
Trey McBride‘s stock is also skyrocketing. The second-year tight end had 14 targets, 10 receptions, 95 receiving yards and one touchdown against the Ravens. Per PFF, McBride ran 36 routes, and Geoff Swaim and Elijah Higgins combined for only 11. McBride benefited immensely from Zach Ertz being placed on the IR, and he’s a starting option in fantasy leagues as shallow as 12-team formats.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.