Team of the Week
QB: Jordan Love, GB
In a battle between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last night, it was Love that ended up starring by completing 29-of-37 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-25 victory. Green Bay getting Christian Watson back helped elevate the entire offense, and Love will look to stay hot next week at home versus Carolina.
RB: Jonathan Taylor, IND
Taylor destroying the Titans felt like a forgone conclusion, and he only needed 14 touches to total a season-high 36.4 fantasy points—rushing 12 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns while adding two receptions for 21 yards and another score. Look for another high-end RB1 finish next week in Pittsburgh.
RB: James Cook III, BUF
The Bills wanted to make sure Cook was involved coming out of the bye, and he made quick work of the Panthers with 19 carries for 216 yards and two touchdowns to get the Buffalo offense back on track. The two scores for Cook were a combined 85 yards, and he’s now averaging 6.0 yards per carry on the season.
WR: Troy Franklin, DEN
After seeing 10 targets last week that only resulted in a modest 3/19/1 line, the Broncos went back to Franklin again on Sunday—and he had a career day with six receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. There was even another deep ball that Franklin didn’t seem to quite track that could have been a touchdown, but his arrow is pointing up catching passes from Bo Nix.
WR: Michael Pittman Jr., IND
Pittman has been extremely steady for the Indy offense this season, and this week was no different with an 8/95/1 line on nine targets to give him 19.5 fantasy points. A dialed-in Daniel Jones has Pittman up to six touchdowns on the season, and he’ll remain a strong play next week with Pittsburgh struggling in coverage recently.
TE: Tucker Kraft, GB
Kraft celebrated National Tight Ends Day with a monster performance on Sunday Night Football, and the Steelers had zero answers for him—particularly after the catch—with seven receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Now the overall TE1 on the season, Kraft has gone for lines of 6/124/1, 5/58/1, and 7/143/2 in three games with more than five targets.
FLEX: Breece Hall, NYJ
Hall ran through Cincinnati with 18 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback win yesterday, and it was capped off with a four-yard passing touchdown where he accurately gave tight end Mason Taylor a chance in contested coverage. Real-life trade rumors have swirled around Hall, and it’s worth pointing out that he’ll get a couple of tough games (v CLE, @ NE) following a Week 9 bye if he remains in New York.
D/ST: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs bounced back in a huge way after a disappointing loss to the Lions—and it was led by the defense forcing four turnovers (highlighted by a pick-six by Anthony Nelson) and recording five sacks while holding the Saints to three points. It could have been an even bigger game if not for the whistle apparently being blown on another would-be touchdown, and the 25.0 fantasy points was the second-best of the season for any D/ST unit.
K: Chris Boswell, PIT
Boswell showed why he’s an elite kicker on Sunday night, as he easily nailed three field goals of 50+ yards to reach 20.0 fantasy points. Mike Tomlin often opting for points is a bonus for Boswell’s outlook, and Colts-Steelers should feature plenty of scoring in Week 9.
Surprise of the Week: Samaje Perine
A few options could have been chosen here, but Perine turned 10 touches into 100 total yards and a touchdown with both him and Chase Brown cutting through the Jets despite a 39-38 loss. Perine has seen increased involvement in three games with Joe Flacco at quarterback (likely due to his excellent in pass protection), so the veteran should have some FLEX appeal next week versus the Bears.
Disappointment of the Week: Jake Ferguson
There were a few choices here as well, but Ferguson entered the week with the fourth-most receptions in the league (51) and was held without a catch on National Tight Ends Day—so he is the choice. Fantasy owners should bank on him having a much better outing next Monday night versus Arizona.
Rookie of the Week: RJ Harvey
Harvey scored twice on his first three carries yesterday, and he ended up with three total touchdowns in what was a breakout performance for him. J.K. Dobbins is the no-doubt lead back for Denver, but Harvey also caught a touchdown in last week’s comeback and has seemed to find a groove when given more carries—so his value as a bench piece should be increased for down the stretch.
Week 8 MVP: Jonathan Taylor
Taylor is the easy fantasy MVP through eight weeks, and yesterday was a season-best performance—marking the fourth time he’s scored three touchdowns and reached 30.0+ fantasy points in eight outings this season. Now averaging 25.5 fantasy points per game on the year, Taylor is a legitimate real-life NFL MVP candidate and will try to get the Colts to 8-1 next week in Pittsburgh.