Week 8 marks the halfway point of the fantasy football season. This season had been filled with lots of surprise performances, both good and bad. Week 8 was no different. Let’s dive into who were the biggest winners and losers of the week.
Winner: AJ Brown (WR -Titans)
AJ Brown is finally playing like the top 10 fantasy wide receiver fantasy football owners drafted his as. Brown pulled in 10 catches for 155 yards and a score in the Titans overtime win this Sunday. With Julio Jones’ health a concern and Derrick Henry out for the season, Brown will be the focal point of the Titans’ offense the rest of the way. Even though opposing defenses will be keying in on Brown, he’s a WR1 the rest of the way.
Loser: Kyler Murray (QB – Cardinals)
Murray performed poorly under the bright lights against a depleted Packers’ defense. Murray didn’t throw a touchdown but threw two interceptions including one to end the game. The Cardinals reached the red zone four times, but Kyler wasn’t able to find the endzone for the first time this season. Murray has a good opportunity to bounce back against a mediocre 49ers defense.
Winner: Michael Pittman Jr. (WR – Colts)
Pittman Jr. continues to establish himself as the top guy in Indianapolis and one of the best young receivers in football. Pittman Jr. had a season-high in targets, receptions, and touchdowns against Tennessee. He caught touchdowns on Indy’s first two drives on his way to 30 fantasy points in PPR scoring. With an easy schedule ahead, Pittman Jr. is a must-start the rest of the season.
Loser: Justin Jefferson (WR – Vikings)
Jefferson failed to get much going on a night where the Vikings’ offense struggled as a whole. He received only four targets and pulled in two of those for a measly 21 yards. This performance is an anomaly for Jefferson as this is his first game under 60 yards. What’s disappointing is the fact that Jefferson has only reached the endzone three times this season (compared to the six for his counterpart Adam Theilen). Fantasy football owners will hope that number increases over the second half of the season.
Winner: Mike White (QB – Jets)
The most surprising fantasy performance of the week goes to White. White passed for 405!! yards and three scores in an upset win versus the Bengals. Don’t forget that he caught a two-point conversion too. White had two interceptions but otherwise showed fantastic accuracy in his first career start. White is slated to start against the Colts on Thursday night, but I’m not sure he’s worth a fantasy start until we another good start out of him.
Loser: Antonio Gibson (RB – Football Team)
Gibson owners should be worried. JD McKissic continues to have a larger and larger role in the offense while Gibson’s role has diminished. Over the past three weeks, McKissic has had more snaps and fantasy points than Gibson. McKissic is a threat in the passing game, unlike Gibson, which has resulted in more playing time as the Football Team is usually trailing. I’d start McKissic over Gibson, especially in PPR formats
More Winners
Michael Carter (RB – Jets)
Justin Fields (QB – Bears)
Cooper Kupp (WR – Rams)
More Losers
Mike Williams (WR – Chargers)
Nick Chubb (RB – Browns)
Travis Kelce (TE – Chiefs)
