Week 8 is all over, and the Grim Reaper brought out his scythe to our squads. Call it unfortunate timing, or maybe we got a tad too cute in our choices, but the results weren’t on our side this week. In what was a bag full of tricks, we got one of the most ridiculous stat lines for Baker Mayfield in Week 8. Across the field, Michael Penix Jr. did the exact opposite of what Mayfield did, sparing the handoff to his backs in favor of four interceptions. While we dealt with no passes and picked passes, what could be the most heartbreaking was the Jacoby Brissett start that got yanked from us in favor of Gardner Minshew and his magic. In what may be one of the wildest two-game periods in NFL history, Baker Mayfield completed 7 passes across the course of two games, and didn’t complete a single pass in his Week 8 matchup, instead opting for Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell to combine for a high-end passer volume of yards.
Let’s try to forget where Week 8 led us and instead opt in to Week 9 for hopefully much better results. Dive in!
J.J. McCarthy, New York Giants
| Opponent | Matchup Rating | Yahoo Roster % | Proj. Pts |
| @PHI | 5/5 | 9% | 14.37 |
J.J. McCarthy clearly needed a change of scenery. When the season began, McCarthy was stuck somewhere in Purgatory (maybe a city in Minnesota), entrenched on the bench with Carson Wentz, sitting in favor of Kyler Murray. Everything changed when Jaxson Dart hit injured reserve for the season, and McCarthy was traded to the Giants to warm an East Coast bench for the Giants. Jameis Winston‘s pass accuracy caused the scenario to shift. McCarthy started in Week 7 and looked calm and competent, finishing the game 20/28 with 252 yards,5 of his passes accounting for over 20 air yards. McCarthy got a nice bye week after his first start and will fall into a solid matchup against an Eagles team that can’t seem to find a footing. All said and done, this could be one of the best trades the Giants could have made, and McCarthy goes into Week 9 with every piece of his offense intact.
The Philadelphia Eagles defense hasn’t been a monumental disappointment, but also hasn’t fared extremely well in any specific facet of their defense. While McCarthy was able to throw for 250 yards against a solid Texans pass rush, the Eagles pass rush has played far worse, sitting at 30th overall on the season, which could create plenty of time for McCarthy to make his reads and connect with his receivers further down the field, something that Malachi Fields and Malik Nabers both were able to take part in in Week 7. In an almost unbelievable stat, the Eagles have allowed under 20 points just once this season, and have allowed 30 points on average over the past three weeks. During this period, the Eagles have had three straight losses, showcasing below-average pass coverage. This team is struggling to find its way, and their opponent got an additional week to game plan for them as well. This could be one of the best spots on the week, and another stepping stone in McCarthy’s ascension.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
| Opponent | Matchup Rating | Yahoo Roster % | Proj. Pts |
| DET | 4/5 | 20 | 17.70 |
Malik Willis was one of the most touted signal callers available in free agency, a fact many likely forgot after his first few starts in Miami. Through the first four starts of the season, he only had a single game over 13 fantasy points and a loss to his best offensive weapon, De’Von Achane; many likely thought that Willis’ season had little to no upside for the remainder of the season. Willis, however, had other plans. In his past three starts, he has had two starts over 20 points, and he outscored his projection against the Patriots in Week 8. Willis only had a single touchdown pass through his first month of the season but has now had five touchdowns since. Willis is clearly beginning to feel a bit more comfortable in the Dolphins system, even spending a portion of his second half on the sideline calming down Ollie Gordon after the young running back was caught jawing at the Patriots’ defense, earning himself an unsportsmanlike conduct flag that stalled the team’s drive. Willis has shown himself capable of leading the Dolphins offense and has found bright spots in a team that desperately needs things to lean on.
The Detroit Lions epitomize “grit” and never giving up, but the team has had trouble holding on to a healthy defensive squad for what seems like years, and right now they’re facing more of the same. As we write this article, the Lions will potentially be without Brian Branch and D.J. Wonnum (collision during Sunday’s matchup), and Jack Campbell. Campbell could likely be out the remainder of the season after a horrific injury that found him leaving the game on a backboard, ending the day at the hospital. While Wonnum has struggled greatly, Branch, by metrics, has been the third-best defensive player on the Lions’ defense and has become an anchor in their secondary. Without Branch to patrol, there could be even more attempts from this Fins’ offense to attempt to unleash more plays deep across the field for players like Kevin Coleman and Malik Washington. Campbell’s injury was harrowing, and we all can only hope he is alright, as his teammates were clearly also in anguish over the situation. Campbell has not only been one of the best players in overall tackling and defensive metrics, but he has also been on the defensive snaps of any Lions defender. This will likely be the hardest issue to overcome this season, and the Lions will also go into Week 9 trying to live up to Campbell’s example while sorely missing him.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
| Opponent | Matchup Rating | Yahoo Roster % | Proj. Pts |
| ARI | 5/5 | 43 | 18.03 |
The Cardinals and Seahawks will have a battle in the air on Sunday, and Sam Darnold will likely get the juiciest matchup of his season to attempt to correct a very subpar and injury-marred season after bringing home a Lombardi trophy to Seahawks fans everywhere just last year. This season, Darnold has had just a single game over 20 points and has managed to find himself with true interception issues, which have caused his end-of-week lines to look skewed. Over the past 3 games, Darnold has 5 interceptions combined, and his stat lines have continued to be buoyed by the sheer heroic nature of Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s beast-mode box scores. In just the past three weeks, JSN has managed to help prop Darnold up with 286 combined air yards. Smith-Njigba will have an absolute field day in this upcoming Cardinals matchup. The Seahawks are running through an offense hinging on one steady running back from week to week (in Week 7, it was Emanuel Wilson, who was able to rush for 100 yards), but the team will also have Zach Charbonnet in his second week returned from an injury that kept him out to start the season.
The Cardinals defense started the season with the most points allowed over the first eight weeks, and a matchup against the NFL Champion Seahawks and the league’s number one receiver will likely continue the trend. While most teams attempt to spread out their targets, the Seahawks proudly hinge their entire offense on JSN, who is currently in third place at 11.1 targets per game. In a matchup against the Cardinals, who are second-worst in tackle metrics and sixth-worst in coverage metrics, the Seahawks will continue to force-feed their targets through JSN and Wilson. Kalen King could attempt his best to shadow JSN across the field, but the way that Smith-Njigba runs routes all over the field, one individual corner will likely not be able to cover him, and the second-best corner in this Cardinals offense (Denzel Burke or Will Johnson) has left so much to be desired in coverage. This is such a perfect matchup for Darnold to attempt to return from a rough two-month stretch going into a playoff run.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Icon Sportswire