FFB Week 8 - TWELVE TAKEAWAYS

Hello again to all my loyal readers, I bid you good day. A special "go to hell" to all the haters out there, here's a message only for the anti-Claxxers out there:

We're back again with the immediate fantasy/NFL takeaways that my brain produces. There's twelve in total, and I hope you enjoy reading them. 

1. Joe Burrow is back to auto-start status. It took longer than anticipated and he's still just QB23, but this is where Burrow comes on strong. The Bengals are 4-3, Burrow and Higgins are both healthy, and the offense is humming once again. He was 28/32 for 283 yards and 3 TDs to go with 6 rushes for 43 yards on Sunday - his best fantasy performance dating back to week 13 of last season. I said earlier in the season that he wasn't startable until he was healthy. Well... he's healthy now, so start him.

2. Kirk Cousins is done for the year... or is he? Pick up the phone and call Aaron Rodgers. Whatever holistic witchcraft mojo Rodgers has been partaking in for the last two months has apparently worked. Maybe Kirk can subscribe to the same treatment. Either way, the QB6 is out and if you're needing to replace him, check the waivers below 👇

3. Jahmyr Gibbs finally got full-time reps and showed what he's capable of. THAT'S why I had him ranked as RB9 heading into the season. THAT'S why they drafted him 12th overall. I was under the impression that he'd be getting this type of volume from the jump, but I was wrong on that. Fantasy owners have had to be patient with him this year, but his talent is undeniable. He's certainly looked like a top-10 fantasy option these last two weeks, going for 126 and 189 all purpose yards, respectively, with a touchdown in both games. He's currently RB19 averaging 5.25 ypc heading into the Lions week 9 bye. 

4. AJ Brown is getting freak nasty right in front of our eyes. WR2 only behind Tyreek Hill...

5. 
6. Davante Adams is in hell. Widely considered to be a top-5 WR coming into 2023, he's just WR14 (thanks to one massive output in week 3 that's skewed his ranking when he went for 35.7 points). It's been spotty at best for Adams and the QB play has been inconsistent enough to give owners some hesitation. After being overthrown a pair of times last night, he was left at a loss for words only 1 making catch on 7 targets. He wants a trade, but the Raiders say "not a chance in hell". Prayers for Davante who is in purgatory. 

7. I was right about the Jags offense... kind of. Trevor Lawrence is just QB14, he hasn't exactly lived up to the hype just yet, but he hasn't had to. His supporting cast has been out of this world, namely Travis Etienne who continued his reign of terror with 149 more all purpose yards and a receiving TD on Sunday. Lawrence has been able to lean on guys like Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Evan Engram in intermittent shifts and they added help on the offensive line at the trade deadline, acquiring Ezra Cleveland from the Vikings. It wasn't pretty over Pittsburgh on Sunday but they've now won 5 straight and it doesn't feel like Lawrence has truly hit his stride yet.

8. I was right about Gus Edwards... kind of. Back in week 1 when JK Dobbins went down for the year, I said to spend extravagantly on Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, in that order. It took 6-7 weeks, but Gus Edwards is paying dividends to those of you that picked him up and/or drafted him as a handcuff. On Sunday, he blew up for 19 carries, 80 yards, and 3 touchdowns. I'm not sure we get that type of red zone luck moving forward, but he's RB17, trending upward, and they didn't add a RB at the trade deadline.   

9. One of the all-time slickest throws I've ever seen was made by Lamar Jackson this week. Absolute wizardry with the patience, body control and velocity on this throw.

10. You can still comfortably #DropKylePitts. His usage is unfortunate, but it's time. It's getting comical at this point.

11. Patrick Mahomes has been a fantasy disappointment thus far. The Chiefs struggled mightily this week and Patrick Mahomes was a bit peckish, but this is fantasy football and we don't care about his wellbeing. Take a Z-pak and get back out there, if you ask me. In all seriousness, he had his worst fantasy performance of his career on Sunday, just throwing for 241 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs. He was insanely good last week putting up 33.54 points, but he's only topped 20 fantasy points two other times. Is the loss of Eric Bienemy that costly? Is Matt Nagy somehow making Patrick Mahomes worse? These are all open-ended questions, I think the answer is a  resounding "no" across the board, and I like to think Mahomes will bounce back when he's not having hot diarrhea and fighting the flu, but Sunday was alarming. 

12. Jordan Addison is currently 16 to 1 odds for rookie of the year. I know Puka Nacua's been great, but Jordan Addison has been absolutely tearing it up over the past 4 weeks, WR4 in that stretch and WR10 on the season. Sure, Puka is currently WR4 on the season, a true diamond in the rough as a rookie, but I think he slows down a bit, especially with Stafford's health in question. I won't pretend to be a stellar gambling mind and I won't tell anyone what to do, but I'll be throwing some petty cash on Addison for ROTY given his current odds. 

Week 8 Win The Waiver Wire sponsored by Applebees:

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(These are in no particular order, pick who you like/need/is available and go WIN THE WAIVER WIRE!)

  • Will Levis - Why not? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, there were some shoddy throws and his receivers did him a few favors on Sunday, but I'm told the ceiling is Josh Allen and the floor is somewhere around Gardner Minshew. He's mobile enough to run and has a big arm, if you're in a bind at least he's throwing passes to DeAndre Hopkins who still has some gas in the tank. 
  • Joshua Dobbs - Former Vol, astronaut, starting QB for the Vikings. Kirk's demise gives way for Dobbs to shine in Minnesota and once Justin Jefferson is back, he's gonna thrive in that offense with those weapons. Reminder that he's currently QB12 and might just be hanging around on the waiver wire in your league. His rushing ability (47 carries, 258 yards, 3 TDs so far) makes him worth the investment in any format.  
  • Cam Akers - The timeshare in Minnesota continues, but Akers scored a TD this week and Mattison hasn't looked any better. Kirk Cousins is out for the year with a blown tire and Joshua Dobbs gives them a little spark, Akers is well worth the pickup and I think he eventually takes over lead back duties. 
  • Darrell Henderson Jr. - 15 more touches this week, including 3 catches for 54 yards. The Rams offense is a mess if Matthew Stafford lands on the IR, and this hurts his value a bit but he appears to be the primary go-to in that backfield.  
  • Chuba Hubbard - He's officially more or less beat out Miles Sanders and if he's still out there he could give you 15-20 quality touches in another offense with nowhere to go but up. 
  • Demario Douglas - The Patriots are actually almost out of receivers. This rookie is worth a shot now that Kendrick Bourne is out for the year with only Davante Parker and Juju Smith-Schuster to compete for targets. 
  • Jonathan Mingo - Hate to recommend double Panthers here, but Mingo is the fallback if defenses (wisely) blanket Adam Thielen. In the Panthers' last three games he's been on the field for no less than 86% of their plays, and the targets will continue to increase as Bryce Young settles in. 
  • Quentin Johnston - It took him long enough, but I think we saw Johnston finally get comfortable as an NFL wide receiver this week. Yeah, Josh Palmer is still there, but Johnston is a physical freak and his upside is higher than Palmer's. 
  • Trey McBride - If he's still there, he's gotta be rostered. Ertz on IR and he had a massive week in his first action as starter (14 targets, 10 catches, 95 yards and a TD). The position is so top-heavy/thin that his one big game as a starter already has him inside the top-20. Scoop him up if you're treading water at TE. 
  • Taysom Hill - This feels weird to include him, but he's currently TE10 in half-PPR formats. The Saints have a tendency to forget that he's on their roster and not utilize him, but he almost always gives them a spark and his hands are on the ball a lot in the red zone. 
As always, find me on Twitter at @Clax_TN for additional expert advice and insight. Thanks for reading! 

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