Fantasy Football Sunday Recap: Week 8
Blowouts, breakout performances, and a last-second hail mary all highlighted week 8. Jameis Winston gave football fans a vintage performance, Jahmyr Gibbs put up one of the better-rushing games of the season and Jalen Hurts registered three rushing TDs. Let’s take a look at the week 8 results and storylines from the Sunday slate. The following fantasy point total mentions refer to a 4-point passing TD, standard PPR format.
Patriots 25 Jets 22
- In a battle to stay out of the basement of the AFC East, the Patriots used pure grit to prevail. Rhamondre Stevenson (21.5 PTS) gave New England two of their three touchdowns. Garrett Wilson (16.3 PTS) managed to tally a game-high 113 yards, his third 100-yard game in the last four weeks. Despite being outgained by almost 100 yards, and losing quarterback Drake Maye mid-game, the Patriots got their first victory since week 1.
Eagles 37 Bengals 17
- Jalen Hurts (35.14 PTS) stole the show, running for three touchdowns and giving both fantasy owners and Eagles fans plenty to cheer about. DeVonta Smith (20.5 PTS) dazzled in the pass-catching department, serving as a bright spot on an offense that put up 397 yards by the game’s end. Ja’Marr Chase (20.4 PTS) was the main contributor for the Bengals, but Philadelphia was far too much to handle from wire to wire.
Packers 30 Jaguars 27
- For the second consecutive week, newly acquired kicker Brandon McManus drilled a game-winning field goal as time expired. Green Bay battled through adversity, as star quarterback Jordan Love went down with an injury and couldn’t finish out the game. Josh Jacobs (25.5 PTS) dominated, serving as the bell cow when the Packers needed to lean on the run in Love’s absence. Brian Thomas Jr. (15.0 PTS) was the lead receiver for Jacksonville, as he caught one of Trevor Lawrence’s two passing touchdowns.
Lions 52 Titans 14
- In one of the weirdest statistical games in NFL history, the Lions defied the odds and scored more than any other team in the week 8 Sunday slate. One quick glance at the team stat sheet would lead many to believe Tennessee pulled off the upset. The Titans had 416 yards to Detroit’s 225, 5.9 yards per play to Detroit’s 4.8 and won the time of possession battle by 10 minutes. Instead, Jahmyr Gibbs (20.3 PTS) and the Lions improved to 6-1.
Cardinals 28 Dolphins 27
- After starting the season out at 1-3, the Cardinals have quickly righted the ship with three wins in their last four tries. Kyler Murray (22.18 PTS) tossed for over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Arizona. Tua Tagovailoa (14.66 PTS) returned to action, reviving the Miami passing offense with 234 yards and a score through the air. Despite Tua’s comeback, the Dolphins now find themselves in a deep hole at 2-5.
Browns 29 Ravens 24
- Unwavering. That’s the word Jameis Winston (23.56 PTS) used both before and after his Browns pulled off a stunner over the streaking Ravens. This was Cleveland’s second win all year. Winston took a liking to targeting Cedric Tillman (28.9 PTS) nine times, and two of his three touchdown passes went to Tillman as well. The Browns had the edge in yards, plays and time of possession with one of their best offensive performances of the season.
Texans 23 Colts 20
- Despite Anthony Richardson’s 2-for-15 start, the Colts hung in and kept this AFC South clash competitive. Jonathan Taylor (18.7 PTS) had another remarkable game, averaging greater than five yards per carry with a touchdown for good measure. On the other end, the Texans relied heavily on their passing attack. C.J. Stroud (12.4 PTS) bounced back from last week’s blunder with 285 passing yards and a touchdown to Tank Dell. Houston holds a two game lead in the division as the only team above .500.
Chargers 26 Saints 8
- Just when you think you’ve seen everything, the score of this game was Chargers, 3, Saints 2 in the second quarter. The Chargers are going to prioritize the run; this was expected following the acquisition of former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. However, Ladd McConkey (29.1 PTS) led one of the better passing performances from this offense all year. Justin Herbert aso put up a season-high 24.06 fantasy points. New Orleans struggled mightily, due in large part to their 66 penalty yards.
Bills 31 Seahawks 10
- With no one else in the division at better than 2-5, there’s a real chance that the Bills (6-2) are crowned AFC East champions by the end of November. Josh Allen (19.82 PTS) threw his first pick of the season, but he still did more than enough to give Buffalo a convincing victory. James Cook (28.3 PTS) surpassed 25 fantasy points for the second time this season, as the Bills rushed for 164 yards to the Seahawks’ 32. Buffalo already holds a 3.5 game lead in the division and is showing no signs of giving it up.
Commanders 18 Bears 15
- In a game where Tyrique Stevenson and Terry McLaurin were going back and forth all night, Stevenson was caught taunting the crowd mid-play before tipping the game-winning hail mary pass into the waiting arms of Noah Brown. Jayden Daniels (22.24 PTS) decisively won the battle between rookie quarterbacks, throwing for 326 yards and the game-winning score. McLaurin (17.5 PTS) led all receivers with 125 yards, and the Commanders improved to 6-2 just a year removed from their 4-13 campaign.
Broncos 28 Panthers 14
- Three rookie quarterbacks got a win this week, but nobody filled the stat sheet better than Bo Nix. Nix (29.76 PTS) set a career-high in passing yards (284) and touchdowns (3) to lead Denver to another convincing win. While neither team ran the ball very efficiently, Courtland Sutton (16.0 PTS) cracked 100 receiving yards as Nix’s primary target. Denver now sits two games above .500 with upcoming games against the Ravens (5-3) and Chief (7-0) looming.
Chiefs 27 Raiders 20
- The Chiefs are still undefeated, and their offense looked much more promising against an AFC West rival this week. Travis Kelce (25.0 PTS) celebrated national tight ends day accordingly, setting season-highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (90). He also caught his first touchdown of the season. Xavier Worthy (13.7 PTS) caught the other receiving touchdown on the day, as Kansas City marched to 7-0 through eight weeks of play.
49ers 30 Cowboys 24
- In a chance for a “get right game” between two squads that have fallen short of expectations thus far, the 49ers used 459 yards and two defensive turnovers to prevail. George Kittle (24.8 PTS) logged 128 receiving yards and a touchdown. Ceedee Lamb (39.6 PTS) had a remarkable day at the office and has himself in the early offensive player of the year talks. The Cowboys even had a 10-6 lead heading into the locker room. However, San Francisco never trailed after taking the reins early on in the second half.
With week 8 giving us a greater idea of the 2024 data, look out for patterns and new storylines that continue to accumulate. Some of the best performers of this season may even be a free agent in most leagues. Stay tuned for our week 9 recap next Monday.
