Week 8 Preview + The UNCtion

The season has been flying by, and Rashee Rice’s suspension has came and gone faster than he drives. After this week we’ll be officially halfway through leagues with a 14 week regular season, and every decision is starting to count. Let’s hit the Detour.

🔮 Traffic Forecast

With every passing week trends become more and more convincing, as new player outlooks take shape. Here’s what I’m watching for some guys still unproven, for better or worse. ⬇️ 

🐻 Swift Changes in Chicago

The RB room in the Windy City may be blowing a different direction coming out of the bye. With a new head coach and new weapons at nearly every spot, we knew this offense wouldn’t truly take shape at least until after the bye. With a new distribution of opportunity at running back this past week, it’s time to take a good look this week at where the ball is going.

• D’Andre Swift - The veteran presence getting it done in his second stint with Ben Johnson

  • Monangai’s steep uptick in touches this week has many assuming that Swift is a candidate to be unseated, but the truth is that he too saw his highest rush count of the year. Positive game script, weak opposition, and windy conditions shouldn’t be ignored, but this was a one score game until about 6 minutes were left, so this is a trend worth monitoring and acting on quickly. Swift looked solid against New Orleans and finished with his second straight game with 100 yards and a TD, but just how confident should we be?

  • Dynasty Take: Swift’s early year tape was a subject of ridicule across the league, and his often short tenure’s with teams does speak to his perceived ceiling by coaches, but he has looked solid coming out of the bye. I think he continues as a featured piece in this offense for the remaining year and a half on his contract, and as this offense continues to build week over week, I think he maintains a solid floor with potential to turn in top 15 weekly performances, even against better defenses.

     

• Kyle Monangai- The 7th round rookie is starting to see the field a whole lot more

  • Monangai’s workload in Week 6 looked pretty identical to his pre-bye action before a 13 carry, 3 target game this last week. Do these things happen to backup running backs every once in a while? Yes, but this didn’t appear to be a situational anomaly. Swift got the reps on the first drive, but every touch on the second? Right to Monangai. Ben Johnson clearly likes his complimentary running backs, and while I’d never expect 2024 David Montgomery performances out of Monangai week in and week out, this looks like he’s on his way to flexability. Monangai saw three of the four running back targets and the only goal line rep of the bunch. We need to keep an eye out.

  • Dynasty Take: The likelihood of a Day 3 running back, and a late one at that, turning into a year over year fantasy producer is low, but clearly amongst the current roster at least, this coaching staff feels he has stuff to offer. I don’t think there’s a play call the Bears could dial up where Swift is the obvious choice to be the back, which makes me feel pretty safe in Monangai continuing to produce down the stretch. The floor and ceiling are slightly lower than those of Swift, but as we get to the heavy hitting bye weeks and injuries pile up across the league, I’m fine with him in my rotation.

✈️ Cleared for Take-Off?

Justin Fields has been benched and brutally slandered by Jets owner Woody Johnson in public, but it is officially Tyrod Taylor season in New York. How does this effect the offense?

• Garrett Wilson – Reason to believe in the Jets’ Ol’ Faithful

  • Wilson will try to return this week from a knee injury that has held him out of last week’s game, but even if he doesn’t, his outlook is better going forward. Wilson was surprisingly immune to the Justin Fields effect, but by a hair his highest reception total and best fantasy performance came the one week Tyrod Taylor started. The passing offense will be much more routine with the veteran Taylor under center, and there’s no reason to believe the obvious number one option shouldn’t benefit.

  • Dynasty Take: Wilson is no spring chicken, but has proven to be as quarterback proof as ever this year, with only up to go as far as quarterback talent is concerned. I like adding him on roster’s in any stage of building, but with matchups against Cincinatti and Baltimore coming up and Miami and New Orleans in the fantasy playoffs, I’d be excited as a contender.

• Mason Taylor – The rookie tight end is becoming integral

  • Recent draft classes had some of us forgetting that rookie tight ends usually take time to come into their own, but with Taylor slotting into an offense in dire need of pass catchers, his time came early whether he liked it or not. It’s worth noting his first game being truly involved came during Taylor’s Week 3 start, though it was sustained through Fields’ brief stint back on top. With reason to believe the de facto number two option will be relied on heavily down the stretch, things are certainly looking interesting.

  • Dynasty Take: Not only does Taylor face the same bottom tier defenses as mentioned with Wilson, but he sees similar opportunities too. His rest of season outlook is really strong, and going forward either a rookie quarterback or journeyman veteran will probably take the reigns in years ahead. Both of these types are by and large very tight end friendly. I’m grabbing Taylor where I can.

• Tyrod Taylor – The well-traveled signal caller gears up for his next stint

  • Taylor isn’t going to knock anyone’s socks off, but he had 15 points in his one start this year. His ability to be decisive while also possessing deep ball ability and rushing upside should serve him well enough to not only keep this job through the year’s end, but also be fantasy relevant as well.

  • Dynasty Take: Taylor is not long for this job, or really this league, but for this year I see no reason to be all that upset having him as your QB3 on a contending roster. His rushing tendencies and seasoned field vision make him a safe option to get some yards and a score or two every week, especially in game scripts the Jets are all too used to where the defense is protecting a big lead. If you’re a team in need with very little to spend, he might be the best bargain out there.

-- Dynasty Detour Ryan

🔴 A Trip to the Retirement Home

It may be a little late in the season to grab the early bird special, but it’s the perfect time to add these players in the sunset of their careers to your contending rosters  

These guys have shown that while the end is near, they should at minimum weather the rest of the season just fine. At their current prices, everything else after is just free production.

QB - Matthew Stafford

Stafford is currently the 5th ranked QB in fantasy football and is coming off of three top 5 finishes in the last four weeks going into the bye. After an offseason for Puka Nacua to get healthy and with the addition of Davante Adams, this offense has exploded, culminating in a 5 TD performance across the pond. If you are in need of grabbing a QB, this offensive production seems sustainable. Neither the pass rate of the offense has changed, nor the efficiency. The run game has been where the real struggle has existed, so expect Stafford to continue to ball out, do not be afraid to grab him for a late pick or prospect to help you, especially if you are reeling from a Lamar or Joe Burrow injury.

RB - Alvin Kamara

Coming off of a week where he saw over 80% of the snap share, Kamara is poised to continue to roll along with a relatively anemic Saints offense. With Kendre Miller’s injury, there is really no contest for his touches. The question is, just how efficient can he be? He is having a career low in rushing efficiency, but Kamara has always been a beneficiary of check downs/receptions buoying his fantasy production. With Rattler, Kamara has seen at least 3 targets in 5/7 games so far. In terms of pure volume, he is still up there among running backs in the league and worth being pursued, especially with Tampa Bay on the schedule twice as well as Miami, Tennessee, and the Jets. See if a late 2nd could land you what could be a championship winning flex piece.

RB - Aaron Jones

While injured over the front half of this season, Aaron Jones should be coming back within the next couple weeks. A hamstring injury, especially for a running back, can always be worrisome, especially when they are 30+. However, Jones clearly had an obvious role in the Vikings gameplan this year, which has been completely taken over by Jordan Mason in his absence. I see a committee share when he returns, but Jones has historically been great in a committee. I know y’all remember the “Free Aaron Jones movement”. I would be happy to give up a late pick to add a back who will get to see all of the NFC East run defenses down the stretch of the season

WR - Stefon Diggs

I am warning you right now, this is your last chance to grab Stefon Diggs. Drake Maye is on another planet right now and will continue to feed the steady hands of Diggs as the opponents start to get tougher over the next couple of weeks. The Patriots have been able to lean more heavily on the run game in easy wins the last couple weeks, but when times get tough, Maye looks for Diggs. He has seen at least 7 targets in 4/7 games, but has yet to secure a touchdown as a Patriot. I just do not see that trend continuing all season. Diggs was turned to as the go to target when they needed big completions against the Bills and coming out of the half when they needed to get going versus the Titans. As these games become more consequential, look for some heavy target totals for Diggs. Buy low for a late 2nd or so.

WR - Keenan Allen

I did not see this coming. I will happily admit that, but I am not going to ignore it. Even with the Quentin Johnston breakout, Ladd McConkey coming off a great rookie year, and some dude named Orande Gadsden coming out of nowhere, Keenan still leads the Chargers in targets, seeing at least 7 per game every single week of the season so far. This production is absurd, and with the state of the Chargers run game, that high volume air attack needs to be firing on all cylinders. I did not think a Harbaugh led team would support so many receiving targets, but Allen has shown the ability to still be a major target and huge favorite for Herbert in the end zone.

TE - George Kittle

Go and get George Kittle. Now. All of these young tight ends have been stealing headlines like Tyler Warren, Trey McBride, Jake Ferguson, etc., but George Kittle was listed as TE2 orTE3 for a majority of redraft leagues headed into the season. And I do not think the outlook should be changed that much in terms of production. Kittle will be a focal point of this passing attack and is in the perfect position for someone to swoop in and buy low on the TE. Coming off of an injury and a 0 reception week, other managers might be frustrated enough to dump him off. Considering the Niners only offense has basically been McCaffrey (except for some weird Kendrick Bourne time). While out, TE’s were targeted at a rate of a little over 7 times a game and had 4 total touchdowns. If Tonges and Farrell can do that, I have full faith the all-pro tight end will bounce back, especially since he is signed to the team for another 4 years.

-- Dynasty Detour John

We’re officially in the swing of things, so be sure you follow us for all the must see events and reactions of every week. Follow us @dynastydetour on Instagram and X/Twitter to get our reactions and opinions in between write-ups, as well as email us with any questions at [email protected]. See you out on the road 🚘️.