NFL Week 8 Takeaways

Injury Roundup

RB Jonathon Taylor - Indianapolis Colts

Ankle: Taylor returned to the game shortly after the injury, unlikely to miss time but could be limited in practice to start the week.

RB Gus Edwards - Baltimore Ravens

Hamstring: Initial reports indicate that this is a minor injury and that Edwards may miss a week at most but the extra rest from playing on Thursday should help his availability for Week 9.

WR Cooper Kupp - Los Angeles Rams

Ankle: No indication of the severity but Kupp walked off on his own and stated after the game that he “Dodged a bullet.” Likely avoided anything serious.

WR Rashod Bateman - Baltimore Ravens

Foot: HC John Harbaugh said that Bateman re-aggravated the same foot injury he has dealt with this season and that it is not serious. Unlikely to miss significant time.

Edit: Bateman is now expected to miss several weeks with this foot injury.

WR Adam Thielen - Minnesota Vikings

Knee: Adam Thielen returned to the game and is not expected to be sidelined for long.

WR DeVante Parker - New England Patriots

Knee: Parker left the game early and was later ruled out. There have not been any more updates regarding the severity of the injury.

TE Mark Andrews - Baltimore Ravens

Shoulder: Like his teammate Rashod Bateman, Andrews’ injury is not believed to be serious according to HC John Harbaugh and the extra days of rest will benefit him. Unsure what his availability will be for Week 9.

TE Tyler Higbee - Los Angeles Rams

Neck: Higbee left the game but returned, and is not expected to miss time.

TE Irv Smith Jr. - Minnesota Vikings

Ankle: Smith Jr. will get an MRI to determine the severity of this injury.

Game Recaps

Broncos @ Jags (London Game)

Dulcich De Leche

Albert Okwuegbunam is an athletic phenom and was a popular breakout candidate at TE. Entering his 3rd season, ‘Albert O’ was going to be a star in an offense led by Russell Wilson after the departure of TE1 Noah Fant. Any hope of that has vanished. Rookie Greg Dulcich is becoming the clear starter at the position and has made his opportunity count. Dulcich commanded a 19.2% target share on Sunday’s win, hauling in 4 of 5 targets for 87 yards and nearly scoring. Now averaging 5.7 targets per game and becoming a legit 2nd or 3rd option every week, Dulcich is no longer a question mark. This position bottoms out quickly and there are not many chances to grab a good TE on the waiver wire. You can expect some down games for a rookie at this position but so far he has had a consistent role. Denver is on bye this week, which means he may not be a priority add for the rest of your league mates if he is still available.

Dolphins @ Lions

The Tua Stack is Unstoppable

If you managed to draft Tua Tagovailoa and either Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle (or both), congratulations on a free trip to the playoffs! Tua’s second game back from injury was even better than his Sunday Night Football win. Tua threw for 382 yards and 3 TDs, almost exclusively feeding his star WR duo. Both WRs are averaging over 90 yards per game and Hill is on pace for over 2,000 yards. Even if there are a few games where they struggle, these high scoring games have already paid dividends and more than make up for any possible down weeks. These games will only continue as the Dolphins continue to fight for the playoffs and possibly the division title.

Panthers @ Falcons

The Battle of Mid

Have you ever seen such an exciting game from two terrible teams? If you were one of the lucky 25 non-market viewers then you got treated to a battle that changed the outlook of the NFC South. A fantastic D.J. Moore TD led to a taunting penalty that led to a missed kick that led to overtime. That same Panthers kicker, Eddy Piniero (who may not have a job much longer), then missed a FG in OT to give the Falcons the win. I promise it was uglier than it sounds. I still weep knowing that we have to include an NFC South team in the playoffs. Hopefully these teams continue to look fun while they lose, though.

Cards @ Vikes

Ant-Man: Touchdownmania

DeAndre Hopkins has been the biggest storyline for the Cardinals since returning from serving his suspension. While he has been as impressive as ever, the more enticing storyline is Rondale Moore’s similarly well-timed return. While Marquise Brown has been on IR, Moore has stepped into a larger role and finished with his 2nd best receiving game in his career in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. Oddly enough, his only better game and only other receiving TD came against the Vikings last year. Call it a good matchup if you will but Moore is commanding a higher target share than his rookie season. Things will get messy when Marquise Brown is back on the field but until then Rondale Moore is becoming a high-upside play that is still available in a lot of leagues.

Bears @ Cowboys

Pollard Shines in Big Role

With Ezekiel Elliott out, Tony Pollard became the clear lead back for the Dallas Cowboys. Hosting one of the worst run defenses in the league in the Chicago Bears, Pollard didn’t squander his opportunity for even a second. The 25 year old RB only had 3 previous career starts but has easily been the better RB this year compared to his much higher paid counterpart Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott regularly gets close to 20 carries a game but has not exceeded 100 rushing yards in a game since Week 5 of the 2021 season. Pollard tied career-highs with 14 carries and 131 rushing yards and also added on 3 TDs for good measure. Perhaps this is the wake-up call that the Cowboys need to finally feature Pollard but I will believe it when I see it. Owner Jerry Jones has been stubborn about making the change ever since he overpaid his “star” RB.

Steelers @ Eagles

Najee Was a Wasted Pick

Even before Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Najee Harris pick did not make sense. The Steelers used their 2021 1st round pick on an RB to replace James Conner in a foolish attempt to keep this offense relevant. It is not that Najee is an awful player but more so that he was not widely considered the best RB in the class and the Steelers had so many more issues to address. If they didn’t think the 24th overall pick could address their QB spot, that’s fine, but to draft a player at the most replaceable position is asinine. It has become clear that offenses can find success without spending high draft capital on an RB. While many are exceptions, those teams are better equipped for the future in the event of an injury or a player leaving in free agency. A good offensive line and creative play-calling can work wonders and the Steelers have barely addressed either. Jaylen Warren and Steven Sims were significantly more efficient than Najee this week and that’s likely to be the case for the rest of the year. Make it make sense.

Pats @ Jets

It Might be Time for Flacco

Let’s not pretend like Zach Wilson has been spectacular. When this offense was rolling, Wilson looked fine. I was happy to see him play smart at times and really get the best out of his offense. He wasn’t forced to throw a ton and could rely on a great run game led by Breece Hall to move down the field. He has looked worse since Hall went down with an ACL injury. The Jets recently acquired James Robinson from Jacksonville and he could eventually flourish on the team but he was expectedly quiet in his first game for New York. If Zach Wilson does not start playing better soon, it might be time for a QB change in NY. Joe Flacco was not great to start the season but he could handle throwing 50+ times a game. Wilson isn’t the type of QB who can be asked to do that right now. I don’t expect the Jets to immediately give up on their sophomore QB but if the Jets legitimately want to compete, they are going to have to throw and we know who does that better. They are in a tough spot despite a 5-3 record.

Titans @ Texans

The Malik Willis Offense

Derrick Henry fans, rejoice. Ryan Tannehill was ruled out with an ankle injury, giving 3rd round rookie Malik Willis the opportunity to start. If you thought the Titans were predictable with Tannehill, things just got even more obvious. Willis only attempted ten pass attempts in the entire game. Derrick Henry, on the other hand, accumulated 124 rushing yards by halftime and finished with 219. Dontrell Hilliard added another 83 yards on 8 carries. Things may not change much even when Tannehill gets healthy. It is clear that this type of offense can work just well enough to get by and it should be enough to win the division.

Giants @ Hawks

DK Metcalf: The First Avenger

NBC Sports

DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf should get tested for super soldier serum. Evidently, Roger Goodell agrees, as Metcalf has been “randomly” selected for a drug test this beautiful morning. A knee injury that was expected to sideline him for a few weeks did not stop him from suiting up and catching 6 passes for 55 yards and a TD. Metcalf has never missed an NFL game in his career and it seems like nothing can bring him down.

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By Themi Michalakis