Rookie QB Emergence:
Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams faced off for the first time in week 8. Each of these QBs have shown promise early into their careers through their passing abilities and also in the running game.
Daniels is having a rookie C.J. Stroud level season so far, he is fantasy QB3 on the season and has now led the Commanders to their first 6-2 start since 2008 with the last second win over Caleb. Already throwing for 1,700 yards and 7 TDs while adding 500 more yards and 4 TDs on the ground, Daniels has proven himself to be a dominant force.
Williams struggled in this game and has been very boom or bust. Even with only completing 10/24 passes for 131 yards and 0 TDs, they only lost on a last second hail mary. He will have to work on being more consistent in the back half of the season, finding himself as the QB21 but also provides a high weekly ceiling that was seen in his 4 TD, 36 fantasy point performance in week 7.
Bo Nix and Drake Maye have also had strong starts to their professional careers after being drafted in the first round this year along with Caleb and Daniels.
Nix is QB9 and coming off his best statistical passing game of the year, throwing 3 TDs and 284 yards (career highs), to go along with a rushing TD for his fourth on the year. This led them to a 28-14 win over the Panthers and Broncos improved to 5-3 for the first time since the year after Peyton Manning retired.
Maye was the only first round QB to sit behind a veteran, but got his first start in week 6 against the Texans. He made two full starts before suffering a concussion in his third start, still providing 11 fantasy points and a 17 yard rushing TD. In the two full starts, he had very similar performances. They lost both games, but he threw for a total of 519 yards and 5 TDs, good for 50 fantasy points in a 6 point per passing TD format. One key to watch here will be Mayes ability to protect the ball going forward and get wins. After turning it over three times in his first start, he has not given it away since but will return looking to get his first NFL win.
RBs Producing at High Rates
Saquon Barkley signing with the Eagles this offseason has been a very mutually beneficial agreement for both sides. The Eagle’s elite run game has been a key factor in their 5-2 start, ranking second behind the Ravens in rushing yards per game. Currently PPR RB3 on the season in total points and points per game, Saquon is a full-fledged workhorse back playing 75% of the offensive snaps.
J.K. Dobbins has now returned from two major and one minor knee surgeries, this time with the Chargers. His teammate Gus Edwards, saw limited usage before going down with an injury in week 4 and is still yet to return. Dobbins has since seen his workload increase, seeing a season high 83% snap share in week 8 and a season high 27 touches in week 6. Averaging 15 PPR points per game, Dobbins is the RB18 and tenth leading rushing in the NFL through week 8.
Bucky Irving has played a key role in the Buccaneers early season success. Currently, he is the PPR RB26 after rushing for 395 yards and adding 164 yards through the air on 22 catches. He ranks 10th in missed tackles, averages 5.2 yards per carry and has earned a sizable enough role to become fantasy relevant.
Tyrone Tracy Jr saw 23 of the 28 touches out of the Giants backfield on Monday night and is a must add if still on waivers. He totaled 145 yards on the ground against a stout Steelers defense, who are only allowing 90 rushing yards a game this year. Singletary was off the injury report last week and it looks as if Tracy has taken over this backfield if he can stay healthy himself.
Rookie Receivers Dominating
Marvin Harrison Jr was drafted fourth to the Cardinals, making him the highest drafted WR since Ja’Marr Chase went fifth to the Bengals in 2021. While not having a rookie season like Chase yet, he has provided solid production and is WR18 despite two weeks with <1.4 points in PPR. He is in an eight way tie for fourth in receiving TDs (4), to go along with 411 yards. Harrison hauled in 111 of these yards last week, posting 23 PPR points and will continue to increase his role even more as the season progresses.
Malik Nabers was another high draft pick, going sixth to the Giants. He was about a round cheaper than Harrison in fantasy drafts this year and has since outproduced him. After missing two games Nabers returned and is since the WR12 in PPR, averaging 19 points per game. He ranks 17th in receiving yards and is the youngest WR to have a multi-TD game.
Brian Thomas Jr got taken 23rd by the Jaguars and had an ADP of 122 this season. This will certainly never happen again, Thomas is the WR7 in PPR formats and averaging 15.5 points per game. Christian Kirk suffered a season ending injury in week 8 and it will be interesting to see how Thomas performs in his absence. He has been on pace to break the Jaguars franchise rookie receiving yard record and will be garnering more targets to do so in the back half with no Kirk.
Brock Bowers went 13th to the Raiders. As a rookie TE, Bowers is leading the entire NFL in receptions. There has not been a TE to lead the league in receptions for a season since Tony Gonzalez in 2004. The Raiders second TE Michael Mayer will be returning from his week 3 injury soon, but Davante Adams has been dealt to the Jets and Jakobi Meyers is reportedly on the trade block. Proving that it is a real possibility that Bowers could lead the league in receptions this year. Bowers is TE2 with 112 points in PPR, achieving this with only one TD reception and constant QB changes. The Raiders rank middle of the pack at 15 in redzone percentage, only scoring TDs on 57% of their trips. If they can find a way to get Bowers in the endzone more, there is potential for even higher weekly upside.
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