Wide Receiver

Stefon Diggs

Averaging only 33 yards for the past two games, Stefon Diggs came back to life against the New Orleans Saints with a 10-119-1 statline, meaning he had 10 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. After two weeks of a combined total 11 receptions, Stefon Diggs caught 10 of balls thrown his way against conference rival Saints. Scoring 27.9 points in PPR and 17.9 in Standard, this is Diggs seconds most points scored this season. Going on into week 9, Stefon Diggs is a safe play against the Detroit Lions. Although they are 7th in Receiving Defense, they have allowed a total of 15 TD throughout the first 8 games of the season, and teams average 245.9 receiving yards against the Lions. Stefon Diggs is beginning to find more action as teams are starting to place more emphasis on defending Adam Thielen, who lines up along Diggs. As long as defenses are focused on trying to guard both Diggs and Thielen, they will have no problem putting up points. However, there is skepticism on the targets that Diggs will receive in the future because of his inconsistency in the weeks before.

Nevertheless, John Tondora ‘20 stated that “He may not always get 20+ points, but when he does it is a complete game changer and he can help you win your game”. Not starting Diggs would be a huge mistake, and he should always be started as a high end WR2 or low end WR1.

Sammy Watkins

Sammy Watkins had another blowout game this week against the Denver Broncos, taking over the Chiefs wide receiving as the most targeted player this week. With a statline of 8-107-2, Watkins scored 30.7 points in PPR and 22.7 in Standard, his highest scoring game of the season. In addition, with Tyreek Hill’s absence in the offense due to his knee injury, it is projected that Watkins will continue to have big games as Mahomes’ only consistent wide receiver. He provides the skill for the deep threat as well as checkdowns and screens. Because the date Tyreek Hill will return is not determined, Watkins is a good play with Mahomes for the rest of the season. Against the Cleveland Browns, you can expect Watkins to have another blowout game. The Browns have let up 2319 receiving yards this season and 11 touchdowns through 8 games. Receivers have averaged 289.9 yards per game against the Browns, and as Mahomes only target besides Kelce, Watkins is bound to have a great game.  

Running Back

James Conner

James Conner had a day against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, possibly his final week as the starter for the Steelers. As Le’veon Bell continues to fail to show up at practice, Conner continues to show his value to the team as the starting running back. Compared to Bell’s first 8 games of last season, Conner has 24 more yards from scrimmage as well as 5 more TDs. Conner finished the divisional game with 24 carries for 146 rushing yards and 2 TDs and 5 receptions for 66 yards receiving. Scoring 38.2 points in PPR and 32.2 in Standard, this was Conner’s highest scoring game this season. Furthermore, according an interview from Mike Pouncey, the Steelers starting center, and Ben Roethlisberger, they have no idea what will happen once and when Bell comes back, and are focusing on the current games ahead. Rumors have it that Bell will return to the Steelers after the trade deadline, after it is certain that the Steelers cannot trade him away. Going into week 9, James Conner is a must start in all leagues against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are 14th in Rushing Defense and have let up 785 yards on the ground and 5 TDs. Owners of James Conner should not be discouraged by the Ravens defense as Chris Carson, the running back of the Seattle Seahawks, rushed 25 times for 105 yards and 1 TD and caught 2 passes for 19 yards.

Marlon Mack

Coming back after his injury in week 5 Marlon Mack has been a major source of production in the Colts offense. His workload has been insane the past two games, with 19 rushes for 126 yards and a TD as well as 2 receptions for 33 yards and a TD against the Bills. Buffalo is ranked 13 in rushing defense and has allowed only 775 yards. Mack continued to prove and cement his talent and productiveness in a shootout game against the Raiders with 25 rushes for 132 yards and 2 TDs and 2 receptions for 17 yards. Scoring 31.9 points in PPR and 29.9 in Standard in week 7 and 28.9 points in PPR and 26.9 in Standard establishes the fact that Mack can be considered an RB1 for the rest of the season.

As the team’s dominant running back as well as T.Y. Hilton coming off of an injury, the Colts will continue to feed Mack, and Nihal Kurki ‘20 claims that “Marlon Mack is a stud and his production will most likely be high for the rest of the season”. At this point of the season Marlon Mack’s price is the highest and it may be a good idea to trade him away at a high price. However, the rest of the Colt’s schedule is fairly easy for running backs and Marlon Mack will be a top 10 running back for the rest of the season.

Tight End

Travis Kelce

Another big game for Travis Kelce, although not his biggest, in week 8 with a statline of 6-79-1. Kelce is the most consistent TE in the NFL besides Zach Ertz, and continues to score steady points. Scoring 19.9 points in PPR and 13.9 in Standard, Kelce had his third highest scoring game of the season against the Denver Broncos, where opposing TEs are averaging 13 points a game. With Tyreek Hill out with a knee injury, Travis Kelce undoubtedly becomes Mahomes favorite and most threatening target.

Overall, many players went off in Week 8, but the players mentioned above are a few that played beyond their expectations or played exceptionally well. In addition to their high level of plays, many of these players have injured players on their teams, allowing them to receive more targets and attention on the field. Obviously, there may be predictions for Week 9 that aren’t true, and these players may be harmed by injuries as well. At this point in the season with the trade deadline so close, it would be wise to trade away Marlon Mack and Sammy Watkins at a high price when their production is still high and earning a great deal of fantasy points. Even James Conner, who has scored the most fantasy points in the past four week, can be traded away at a high price due to the inevitable return of Le’veon Bell, which is most likely after the trade deadline. Furthermore, do not expect these players to score as high as they did again, as these games were some of the players’ best. Be cautious towards Sammy Watkins, especially because his season has been a roller coaster ride of high scores and low scores, and also because his performance completely depends on the condition of Tyreek Hill. Week 9 will hopefully bring more interesting news and more players to discuss and talk about, and I wish everyone good luck in their games.