Byes: Cleveland, New York Jets, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay

Truths

“Power tempts even the best of men to take liberties with the truth.” – Joseph Sobran

1) Sometimes this game is simply unpredictable.

True. From Week 5 through Week 7 the Miami Dolphins defense allowed Rico Dowdle 206 yards and 32.4 fantasy points, Kimani Vidal 124 yards and 22.8 points, then Quinshon Judkins 84 yards, three scores and 26.4 fantasy points... so obviously elite running back Bijan Robinson rushed for 25 yards and 7.8 fantasy points. The Atlanta Falcons get shut out 30-0 by Carolina, get dominated by a weak Miami team, but beat Buffalo. Can someone pass me the bottle of Tylenol, I'm getting a headache?

2) The improved play of Daniel Jones is an indictment of the New York Giants upper management.

In six seasons for New York, he averaged 64.1 completion percentage, 208.3 passing yards per game and a 70-47 touchdown-interception rate. Under Head Coach Shane Steichen in Indianapolis, he has a 71.2 completion percentage, averaging 257.8 ypg and a 13-3 TD-INT rate. Jones currently ranks eighth among QBs averaging 23.5 FPts/G. Let me remind you Steichen was the OC in Philadelphia when Jalen Hurts took over from Carson Wentz and became a fantasy star too.

3) We don't care about Joe Mixon and Nick Chubb anymore... we have Woody Marks.

We are almost there. Marks is getting all the quality receiving work these days, but Chubb is still getting too many rushing attempts as the "nominal" starter. However, by playoff time, Marks should be the primary rusher and receiver, so if you can make a reasonable trade for him, I think he's going to pay off handsomely.

4) Notice how the Keon Coleman hype after Week 1 has completely disappeared?

True and the Bills are still seeking a WR1. Coleman cranked out 25.2 fantasy points during the opening weekend (8-112-1) and has been mostly silent since. From Week 2 through Week 8 the 2024 early second-round pick from Florida State (No.33 overall) has averaged 6.8 FPts/G with one double-digit total. Over his 20 NFL games he's averaging just 8.8 FPts/G and that's with an elite quarterback under center (Josh Allen). The Bills have a bunch of No.2 receivers on their roster, but need that elite guy. Too bad Stefon Diggs couldn't work out his differences with the team. He was something special from 2020-23. I guess dynasty owners can hope for the "Year-Three Breakout" from Coleman.

5) The Caleb Williams we were excited about after his first three games this season has disappeared from sight.

Unfortunately, true. Williams averaged 26.5 FPts/G for the first trio of contests, but since then he's averaged a paltry 15.9 FPts/G and it's not due to the competition. Since Week 4 he faced Las Vegas, Washington, New Orleans and Baltimore. Those teams rank; 19th, 27th, 17th and 29th in opposing QB fantasy points allowed, respectively. His statistical crash has hurt Rome Odunze the most (20.9 FPts to 11.4 FPts/G).

Lies

“The fact that a great many people believe something, is no guarantee of its truth.” – W. Somerset Maugham (1943).

1) Chase Brown has returned to form.

I think it's more that the addition of Joe Flacco has forced opponents to play differently than when Jake Browning was under center. The 18-year veteran is getting the team in the right play based on what he's seeing on the field and that in turn allows a mediocre line to block better. Notice how both Brown and backup Samaje Perine are equally improved of late. Brown has averaged 7.9 ypc the past two games versus 2.7 ypc over the first six games. Perine has averaged 7.8 since Week 7 and 4.5 over the first six weeks. It's not Brown... it's a team improvement.

2) The fall of Baker Mayfield from 2024 MVP candidate to 2025 mediocrity has been swift, but not his fault.

I'm giving him a pass for 2025 missing both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. His TD-INT ratio is still great 13-2, but he's throwing for 25 less yards-per-game and he's yet to rush for a touchdown this season. His 20.5 FPts/G is down 5.7 FPts/G from a year ago and with such high expectations heading into the season, his current 15th-ranked is disappointing. Nonetheless, if he can get Evans, Godwin and Emeka Egbuka on the field at the same time (along with running back Bucky Irving), he can still produce elite numbers.

4) Is it possible the league is intentionally missing calls on the "Tush Push" to eliminate the play at the next owners meeting?

Probably not, but how else do you explain the obvious missed calls all season? This week's edition of screwing up the call goes to the officials in the Eagles-Giants game. Even as a devoted Eagles fan, I assure you Jalen Hurts fumbled the ball on the Tush Push when he reached out to get the first down and the ball was knocked out of his hands. He was still moving forward and the play should not have been whistled dead.

5) Trade them all!

I'm talking about many fantasy owners first thoughts after some ugly production in Week 8, particularly when lineups were short-handed due to six teams being on bye and we needed them the most.

For instance, how, on "Tight End Day," can the position leader Jake Ferguson produce a goose egg? Knowing that Denver's All-Pro Patrick Surtain II would reduce one of the Dallas' two great wide receiving options, it seems criminal that Ferguson saw just one target and even backup tight end Luke Schoonmaker saw three. No, we don't panic trade, certainly not at their low point of the season. Remember, its "buy low, sell high" not sell low. We note the stars below and their struggles, evaluate whether it's a one-week blip or a upcoming trend and go on.