Byes – Pittsburgh, San Francisco

Truths

“Better to get hurt by the truth, than comforted with a lie.” - Khaled Hosseinie

1) Anthony Richardson is “Charmin Soft.”

Asking out of a game because as he put it, “I was tired, ain’t gonna lie… so I told Shane (Steichen) I needed a break right there” is mentally weak. Add in his 44.4% completion rate to that of veteran backup Joe Flacco’s 65.7% rate and if the team had not invested a first-round pick in “AR” he’d be permanently riding the bench. Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and rookie Adonai Mitchell all have lower fantasy value when Richardson is under center. Fact.

2) It is going to be hard to start C.J. Stroud until Nico Collins returns.

True. The latest injury to Stefon Diggs on top of the one to Collins leaves the second-year quarterback with a very weak wide receiver room. Stroud used running back Joe Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz (six targets each) more than wideouts Tank Dell and John Metchie (four each). Collins, who led the league in receiving yards at the time of his hamstring injury, could be back in time for a Week 10 matchup with the Lions, but Stroud will likely struggle at the New York Jets this weekend.

3) The squeaky wheel DOES get the grease.

Since sitting out Week 5 because he was dissatisfied with his usage, the Packers’ Romeo Doubs has averaged 15.8 FPts/G and 6.7 targets over the last three games. Green Bay’s “other” receivers have been seen their production drop over the same span. Jayden Reed (8.4 FPts/G, 4.3 targets), Christian Watson (8.1, 4.0) and Dontayvion Wicks (6.3, 3.7) have not been fantasy-worthy during this three-game stretch. Even tight end Tucker Kraft has only seen 11 targets in the last three, though he’s made great use of them, averaging 10.9 FPts/G.

4) Saints DT Nathan Shepherd should be suspended for his attempts to injure Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert in Week 8.

For those who haven’t seen the play, Shepherd was on the ground and holding Herbert’s leg after the quarterback had released the ball and rolled up on him twisting the leg at the same time. This is the same team which took a cheap shot at Eagles’ wideout DeVonta Smith in Week 3 and has been known to take cheap shots for a decade… since the days of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ “knockout bounties.” If the league is serious about player safety, they must take action. It’s hard enough to keep our fantasy players healthy in this collision sport without dirty play adding to the mix.

5) If you stayed loyal to Courtland Sutton, even after his healthy zero-target game in Week 7, you were rewarded.

Sean Peyton and rookie quarterback predictably made up for their oversight in Week 7 by targeting Sutton 11 times in Week 8. He caught eight balls for 100 yards and only a late-game fumble near the goal line prevented him from reaching the end zone and turning it into a monster day. Sutton still leads the team in targets (58), yards (377) and touchdowns. Week 7 was just a fluke. As long as Nix keeps throwing more than 32 passes per game, Sutton should continue to be low-end fantasy-worthy.

Lies

“A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.”- William Blake

1) The return of Tua Tagovailoa to the lineup will cure what ails Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Temporarily false. The Miami offense produced its highest point total of the season, but it was the running game which saw the most improvement. The enhanced threat of Hill and Waddle opened up the game for De’Von Achane (97 yards rushing and 147 combined yards and a score) and Raheem Mostert (two rushing touchdowns) more than it helped Hill (6-72-0) or Waddle (4-45-0). It might be more of the same in Week 9 where they face the Bills - who rank sixth in WR fantasy points allowed (27.2) and 27th in RB fantasy points allowed (26.5). Eventually, Hill and Waddle will reward those who are patient.

2) Raise your hand if you had Ladd McConkey, Cedric Tillman and Calvin Ridley finishing top-five among all wide receivers in Week 8.

Put your hands down, I don’t believe you. No one could have foreseen Ridley two weeks after his infamous 0-for-8 performance against Indianapolis. At least rookie McConkey (6.4 targets-per-game) has been a consistent asset for Herbert, but it was his first game of 68 receiving yards or more this season. The only predictable one of the trio was Tillman, who led the team in targets, catches and yards in Week 7 following the trade of Amari Cooper. Tillman stayed hot with a 7-99-2 performance, including the game-winner, against the tough Baltimore Ravens. Thank you Jameis Winston. He’ll face the No.1 ranked team versus opposing wide receivers in the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, so it could be a challenge for him to continue his high-level of production.

3) Amari Cooper going from Deshaun Watson to Josh Allen will make him a star again.

False. Yes, Cooper began his Bills’ career with a bang (4-66-1), but in his second game we saw the reality of the Buffalo wide receiver room. Khalil Shakir received 10 targets (9-107-0) and rookie Keon Coleman has become the force Buffalo hoped for when they drafted him with the first pick of the second round. Coleman has seen seven targets in each of the last two games and produced 34.5 fantasy points (9-195-1). Cooper is going to be in a three-way share each week making him an inconsistent fantasy value.

4) Based on FPts/G, Derrick Henry is the top running back in 2024.

Surprisingly false. Henry does lead in overall fantasy points scored, but Mixon is No.1 in fantasy points per game averaging 22.4 to 21.9 for Henry. Mixon should continue his strong play in Week 9 given the Texans lack of receiving talent due to injury (Diggs – knee, Collins – hamstring). Mixon has seen a resurgence after seven years in Cincinnati and so far his production is the best of his career (2021 – 18.1 FPts/G). We are excited about the rest of the season based on his usage rate of 23.2 touches-per game, which is elite.

5) Baker Mayfield will suffer without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

That didn’t happen in Week 8, his first without the star duo, when he produced 29.6 fantasy points. It did take him 50 passing attempts to put up those points which is a bit concerning, but he had no trouble finding open receivers. Tight end Cade Otton led the pass catchers with 10 targets, rookie Jalen McMillan saw seven targets and the running backs were targeted 14 times against Atlanta. Mayfield has a tough couple of assignments the next two games - Week 9 against the two-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs and then San Francisco in Week 10 before a bye.