Fantasy Football Saturday Mailbag for Week 8 (Fantasy Football)
Good morning, FootClan, and welcome to Week 8 of The Fantasy Footballers’ Saturday Morning Mailbag! As is the case every Saturday morning, I am here to select a few of your questions from The Fantasy Footballers’ Discord server and answer some of the hot topics that didn’t quite make it to that week’s edition of The Footcast. The Ballers’ Discord is home to the biggest and best online fantasy football community in the world, and is your go-to if you are looking to talk about all things fantasy football. Head over today and get involved with thousands of members across dozens of dedicated channels for start/sit questions, trade advice, and waiver wire insights, as well as exclusive areas that are only available to members of the FootClan.
Savor it, FootClan, for the first time in almost a month there are no international games. Don’t get too cozy, however; the Bengals and the Falcons will square off in the magnificent Bernabeu – home of Real Madrid – next Sunday morning as the National Football League says “hola!” to España! Before that, however, there is the small matter of Week 8 to deal with, and with the 49ers, Giants, Saints, and Texans all on bye, we are missing some big fantasy contributors – so getting those roster decisions spot on is even more crucial than ever. We will be talking handcuffs, potential trade candidates, Nico Collins’ outlook (spoiler: I’m all in), and much more. As usual, we have got a lot to cover…so let’s dive right in!
Question #1 – Season-long Strategy (Hot Handcuff Edition)
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Holla Ballers! If you are sitting 6-1 and have Kenneth Walker, should you be stashing Emmett Johnson if he’s sitting on waivers? – Strib Clubz & Coker headz
Answer: If you are fortunate enough to have a record of 6-1 (or better), chances are you have likely got one eye on the fantasy playoffs already, and are starting to think about how to ensure your squad is in the best possible shape in order to get your hands on a #FootClanTitle. First things first…having Ken Bone Walker will certainly help, but what if the unthinkable were to happen and KW3 goes down to injury or misses time for any reason…is it better to have the next man up in Kansas, or should your bench spots be utilized for more established potential replacement options?
Depending on the size of your league, rostering current starting-caliber RBs may not be feasible. In 14-team leagues – or smaller leagues with deeper benches – a lot of de facto backups will have already been scooped up; but in standard 12-team setups or smaller…there is a good chance some of the more valuable RB handcuffs are still lingering on the waiver wire.
Let’s focus on the man in question – Kenneth Walker. The former Seahawk has been a man possessed since finding a new home in the Midwest. Through the Chiefs’ first five games of the season, Ken Bone was on a 17-game pace of 2,261 rushing yards and over 20 TDs. That would be 156 yards more than the current all-time single-season record held by Eric Dickerson (the 20 TDs would only rank T-10th…get it together KW3). His 120 carries so far this year rank fifth amongst all RBs, and factoring in his receiving work, he is on pace for over 400 total touches…an absolutely sustainable workload for a guy who has only played one full season since joining the league in 2022 and in his five seasons in Seattle never had more than 263 total opportunities…not. It is as simple as this – if you are a Walker manager, you must roster Emmet Johnson. Will the rookie out of Nebraska be anywhere near as good as Walker…of course not – but with absolutely nobody behind him on the depth chart, Johnson would immediately inherit a bell-cow role on a playoff-bound franchise that seems intent on running the ball early and often.
Rostering high-value handcuffs at this stage in the season can be a high cost/high reward strategy – after all, we are only seven weeks in and less than one-third of teams have had their bye…so taking up bench spots with players you know don’t hold a lot of value without an injury in front of them can be detrimental to your team’s weekly upside. There are only a handful of backups I would consider throwing on my bench in shallower leagues, and in some cases, only if I have the starter already on my team. At this stage of the season – and only if my bench can hold them – I would be adding Mike Washington, Brian Robinson, and Kaelon Black…and that is about it. Everyone else, I’m willing to take the risk that my existing depth is probably already a better option.
Question #2 – Season-long Strategy (Trade Deadline Special)
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Guten Tag! Felix from Austria here. With the NFL trade deadline getting closer. Which players are you looking to acquire, hoping that they will go to a better situation? – enzi97
Answer: Bonjour Felix, and danke schön for the excellent question. There are only 10 full days left until the NFL trade deadline, and if the whispers in the bushes are to be believed…it’s going to be a spicy week ahead!
Let’s start with the biggest and most obvious names out there, and right now, they both currently play for the same team. The Indianapolis Colts are in freefall, and the fantasy football rumor mill is working overtime linking two of their star offensive players with moves away from Lucas Oil Stadium. Josh Downs has officially requested a trade, with the want-away WR informing the Colts front office of his desire to find a new home on Thursday morning. Now, just because Downs wants to leave, that doesn’t necessarily mean he will…but with the 2-5 Colts looking increasingly likely to write off this season as lost, there is a relatively high probability we see the former third-round pick in a new uniform relatively soon. Downs was a serious My Guys consideration for many at Ballers HQ, but it just hasn’t worked out this year for a number of reasons *cough* Daniel Jones *cough*. The talent is there, however, so hopefully we see it on a new team as we head into the winter months.
Of course, the other big name potentially heading for the exit door in Indiana is the current RB4 on the year – Mr. Jonathan Taylor. Heading into the week, Taylor had scored more rushing TDs on the year than any other RB not named Christian McCaffrey and is on a 17-game pace of almost 1,900-all-purpose yards…he is a beast. Unlike Downs, JT has not requested a trade and was quoted on Thursday afternoon as saying he was “always proud to wear the horseshoe, proud to be here”. Despite Taylor’s public proclamation of being content, his future will undoubtedly be decided by the size of the offers being made to the Colts from potential suitors…and there are rumored to be plenty of them. Seattle, New Orleans, Denver, Minnesota, Washington, and New York are all being bandied about as potential landing spots for Taylor, so right now it is almost impossible to gauge the impact his arrival in any of these cities may have on his fantasy value. There is one certainty, however: if JT does leave Indianapolis, seventh-round rookie pick Seth McGowan will become the hottest pickup of the season so far. I wrote about McGowan as a stash in this week’s Waiver Wire article, and there is a good chance he may already be gone…but he is worth a cursory add as we edge closer to a potential exit for Taylor.
Other names I am keeping a lookout for are Brian Thomas Jr. (oh, how the mighty have fallen), who seems surplus to requirements in Jacksonville, and Cowboys’ WR George Pickens, who is currently playing on the franchise tag. At 3-4, Dallas are very much in the mix, but if Jerry and George cannot shake hands on a long-term deal, the Cowboys may want to get what they can for Pickens rather than let him walk for free in the off-season. Also, keep an eye on the Eagles…they too are looking like throwing in the towel and preparing for 2027, and if that is the case, we may see Saquon Barkley or DeVonta Smith potentially applying their trade somewhere else in the coming weeks.
Just remember, when a notable player is traded (and it will happen), keep things in context. We all remember the excitement surrounding Amari Cooper’s move to Buffalo…and look how that turned out.
Question #3 – Season-long Strategy (Nico Collins Please Bounce Back Edition)
What’s your level of concern for Nico Collins? With C.J. Stroud now having more receiving options and starting to spread the ball around, I’m nervous – CinnAmon Toast Crunch
Answer: There is an argument to be made that the Houston Texans have one of the most complete WR rooms in the National Football League. C.J. Stroud has been gifted with an array of talent to make use of, and with so many serviceable pass-catching options at his disposal, there are naturally going to be some down weeks for even the most elite-level talents on this roster…all that said, it has been an incredibly frustrating October for managers starting Nico Collins.
After returning in Week 4 from a hamstring injury that saw the six-year veteran miss the Texans’ losses against Cincinnati and Indianapolis, Collins picked back up right where he left off…scoring double-digit fantasy points and finishing inside the top-10 at the position. Nico’s 7 receptions for 118 yards and two TDs were enough to see him end Week 4 as the overall WR3 behind only Tetairoa McMillan and CeeDee Lamb…both of whom saw twice as many targets – things were looking peachy.
Since then, however, things have taken a potentially worrying turn for Collins, with his role in this offense – and his fantasy output – gradually shrinking week on week. On his return from injury, the former Michigan Wolverine slotted straight back into a 31% team target share, seeing 40% of passes thrown to wideouts by C.J. Stroud. Fast forward to Week 7 and those numbers have shrunk to 18% and 25% respectively, with Collins seeing only five targets in the home defeat to the New York Giants last Sunday.
Not only is Nico’s share of the pie decreasing, the entire Texans’ offense is suffering from shrinkage with the Family Sized serving of 78 offensive snaps and 60 passing plays of Week 2 being reduced to a Personal Pizza of only 54 total plays and 29 passing attempts against the G Men. Collins six yards was his lowest receiving mark in any game he has played over 65% of snaps – at least when he only had 17-yards against Miami in 2024 he had the decent to score two TDs in the process.
The saving grace for anyone with Nico on their roster is this – Houston’s run game is bad…like, really bad. Only the Raiders, Bengals, and pre-Josh Jacobs Packers have run the ball less efficiently than the Texans, and with David Montgomery currently suffering from a groin injury…the team is relying on Woody Marks to carry the rock. So, it is fairly safe to assume that those passing attempts will start to creep back up in the coming weeks, and with the team having the second-best strength of schedule rest-of-season at the WR position, better days are ahead for all pass-catchers on this team.
With Marvin Harrison Jr. now on board, and Tank Dell back in the mix (welcome back, Tank!), there will still be plenty of competition for targets…but Nico is sneakily efficient with the work that he does get – after all, this is a guy who is the current WR25 on only 35 targets, half as many as Michael Wilson, who sits one spot behind him on the year. With Jaylin Noel set to miss the rest of the season and the tasty-looking schedule, better days are ahead for Nico. Keep the faith and enjoy the second half of the season.
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It’s time for Rapid Round…
Yo yo yo! How are we feeling about Jaxson Dart in dynasty? – Blue Medical Tent
Answer: Double-Nines has waltzed into the Big Apple and shown just why he was drafted with the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft – a level of quality, tinged with uncertainty and nervousness…he was the fifth QB taken two years ago after all. My panic levels are barely registering; Jaxson Dart has shown he is the preferred starter for this franchise, and once he is fully recovered from his gruesome knee injury, he will be right back under center. Am I concerned about his rushing ability in the future…a little, but even without it, he is a much better QB than McCarthy – if you don’t already own him, go low-ball the Dart owner and enjoy 2027.
Ballers! Given the split of carries and the fumble, is Kyren Williams a solid trade-for candidate or should we stay away? – BoBo
Answer: Another year, another season of the fantasy community disrespecting Kyren Williams. The Rams’ number one rusher (bolded so those in the back can hear it) is the current RB7 this year for fantasy and is one of only five RBs running at over 5.0 Y/A. Blake Corum is beyond frustrating as a Kyren manager – but even with the 60/40 split, Williams is still producing at an elite level for fantasy. He outpaces Corum in all major rushing categories, and – despite his fumble last week – remains the alpha dog in this potent L.A. offense. Go get him if you can.
Yo yo! I only have one IR spot; should I use it for Davante Adams or Alec Pierce? – codatious99
Answer: Speaking of the Rams…their offense admittedly got a little less potent a couple of weeks ago when the team’s then-leading WR Davante Adams ruptured a tendon in his hamstring, and looks set to miss anywhere between 5-10 weeks following a surgical repair. Adams’ stint on the sidelines will likely be longer than Pierce’s…but it will also bring greater reward. Daniel Jones looks like a lost little boy behind that Colts’ O-line, and with Josh Downs looking to get out of town – not to mention the possibility of Jonathan Taylor being traded – it is already looking like a lost season for Indianapolis. Hold Adams and cross your fingers he is back to full strength for the fantasy playoffs.
Yo! Someone in my league dropped Lamar Jackson. I got him off waivers today, so now I have Jordan Love, Caleb Williams, and Lamar. I don’t want to roster 3 QBs, and my league doesn’t trade much. Who should I start, and who – if anyone – should I drop? – Baker’s Limp Bizkits
Answer: First off…well done for dropping it like it’s hot and paying attention to who your league mates discarded during the weekly waivers. Sure, Lamar isn’t 100% just yet…but he is a potential league-winning QB, even with the fourth–worst strength of schedule rest-of-season at the position. I would much rather keep Caleb alongside Lamar – even if only for that juicy Detroit matchup in Championship Week – and with Jordan Love balling out on Thursday Night Football, he should be a viable trade piece for a QB-needy manager in your league. I would hate to just straight-up drop Love, but if there is a usable RB or WR sitting on waivers, I would rather have the depth. Explore a trade, and if nothing is happening, dump him for a FLEX-worthy asset to help through the bye weeks.
Sup Dads. It’s like totally Juwover for Juwanson, right? – A Hint of Moobs
Answer: Ju-huh. Juwan Johnson is nothing more than a match-up-dependent TE streamer at this point, and with Jordyn Tyson’s debut drawing ever closer, Juwanson’s journey has hit a jittery juncture – justifiably jettison him to the junkyard without jeopardy or judgment. Jump to it.
That will do it for this week, FootClan – good luck for Week 8!