Fantasy Roundup: Week 8

Another week closer to the Super Bowl and another week of games. In a league already plagued by injuries, Cam Skattebo joins the list after a nasty tackle left him with an ankle injury. Around the league, many teams are continuing their dominance as the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield beat the Saints, Drake Maye and the Patriots overwhelmed the Browns, and Daniel Jones and the Colts won against the Titans. Meanwhile, teams like the Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa or the Texans under C.J. Stroud proved that they still have some fight in them. Finally, the Jets have their first win, so all teams have at least one win! For full team rosters, see Week 0’s issue. 

First and Lowell (4-3) vs Bring it Home (4-3): 121.72-122.12

Top performers: Saquon Barkley (33.4) | James Cook III (33.6)

Underperformers: Dak Prescott (6.62) | Deebo Samuel

The Inn-Zone (3-4) vs The Ball Currier (3-4): 111.38-103.76

Top performers: Ladd McConkey (20.8) | Zay Flowers (14.1)

Underperformers: Steelers D/ST (-8.0) | Chuba Hubbard (9.4)

Pfirst Down (5-2) vs Kirkland Cousins (2-5): 178.22-126.98

Top performers: Breece Hall (32.86) | Travis Kelce (21.9)

Underperformers: Christian McCaffrey (9.8) | Stefon Diggs (10.4)

Standout Games:

Jets @ Bengals: 39-38

Immediately, the Bengals appeared poised for a strong offensive display, scoring on their first two possessions. While Justin Fields and the Jets were able to respond with a field goal, the Bengals refused to take their foot off the gas, scoring another touchdown. With five minutes remaining in the first half, the Bengals’ defense began to show its weaknesses as two defenders missed a tackle and collided with each other, resulting in an extra five yards gained. The Jets would then score a passing touchdown shortly after. The Bengals’ offense continued to look powerful as Chase Brown scored a touchdown. 

Entering the fourth quarter, the Bengals led 31-16 on account of the Jets’ awful rushing defense. However, the Jets showed that the Bengals couldn’t handle the running game either after a rushing touchdown by Breece Hall, followed by a scrambling Justin Fields on the two-point conversion. The Bengals responded immediately with a second Brown touchdown, but the Jets refused to quit, scoring another touchdown and a two-point conversion to trail 32-38. 

The Bengals would turn the ball over on downs on their final drive of the week. With two minutes remaining in the game, the Jets handed the ball to running back Breece Hall, who threw a four-yard lob for the game-winning touchdown.

Packers @ Steelers: 35-25

Coming off a devastating loss to the Bengals last week, Aaron Rodgers’ first-ever game against Green Bay needed to go well to get back on track. However, Rodgers and the Steelers started slow, only able to put up field goals. The Packers were barely better with a singular touchdown in the first half and no field goals. Tight end Tucker Kraft played great, but the Packers just could not convert on third down. Finally, at the very end of the first half, Rogers connected with D.K. Metcalf for a touchdown to put the Steelers up 16-7. 

In the second half, a huge 59-yard pass between Jordan Love and Kraft set the Packers up for their second touchdown of the night. The Packers would score another touchdown to take the lead and never let it go. A pair of field goals and a recovered fumble by the Packers ensured that a Steelers touchdown on their last drive was inconsequential. While Rodgers’ return to Green Bay was disappointing, the blame cannot be put on the quarterback. The Steelers’ defense let up 35 points, and their receiving corps leaves a lot to be desired.

Looking Ahead:

The Browns, Jets, Eagles, and Buccaneers will have their bye week. While these teams rest, fans can look out for the Chiefs-Bills game (KC -1.5) and the Cardinals-Cowboys matchup (DAL -2.5). Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have had an awkward season, starting out slow but are beginning to pick up steam. With a win against Buffalo, the Chiefs can cement themselves as true contenders this season. On the flip side, the Bills started strong, but back-to-back losses against the Patriots and then the Falcons would cause their perceived strength to fall. Picking up this win will certainly put the Bills back on track for a Super Bowl appearance. 

As for the other game, both the Cardinals and Cowboys have losing records so far. Arizona is on a 5-game losing streak, but they are consistently scoring well; it’s their defense that is the biggest contributor to their losses. Similarly, Dallas has been unable to find defensive consistency, while Dak and the offense attempt to make up for the point deficiencies. This game will certainly be an outstanding display of offensive prowess.

In terms of some players you should look out for, Jahmyr Gibbs and D’Andre Swift should be at the top of the list. Jahmyr and the Lions play the Vikings, a team against which Gibbs had three touchdowns on 23 carries. As for Swift, the running back and the Bears face the Bengals, who just allowed the Jets, of all teams, to rush for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Swift has scored a touchdown in his last four games, so he should be comfortable against the Bengals.

As for some games you would be excused for forgetting, the Vikings-Lions game (DET -9.5) seems quite one-sided. The teams have already matched up this season, with the Lions easily taking the win. Since then, the Vikings have failed to display a consistent offense, and with injuries still plaguing the team, it is unlikely that they will be a considerable hurdle for Detroit.

Similarly, the Jaguars-Raiders game (JAX -3.5) is skewed toward the Jaguars. The Raiders under Geno Smith have been horrendous as Smith looks like a different (and worse) player than when he was in Seattle. While Jacksonville is far from being true Super Bowl contenders, they are much better than the Raiders.

Tyler Dang ’28 (tylerdang@college.harvard.edu) hates that the Titans are now tied for the worst record.