Borg, Betz, and Mike recount the craziness and disappointments of Week 8. Mike is emotionally disconnected from the Cardinals at this point. Mike and Borg agree that NFL teams aren’t entitled to just cause us (their fans) pain, while Betz celebrates that the vibes are back in Philly. The Falcons are vying for the title of “Most Confusing Team,” dominating the Bills two weeks ago, just to lose a laugher to the Dolphins.
Borg previews the “Dynasty Sink or Swim” segment, which will examine players who have lost value since the start of the season: should we move on or hold on? Borg also teases next week’s “Mid-Season Dynasty Trade” episode that will include a new dynasty tier and trade chart, so we can all look forward to that!
Before we get into the Weekly Rewind, remember to listen to The Fantasy Footballers podcast, available wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Weekly Rewind
Cam Ward
Mike’s takeaway from watching the All-22: the Tennessee Titans‘ offense is a “completely unserious operation” that looks “awful” on film. Ward is struggling to process reads quickly (currently on pace for 72 sacks this season), the play designs are poor, and nobody is open. Elic Ayomanor‘s drops aren’t helping either. Mike does not recommend grinding the film as it would be a waste of time.
Advice: Borg warns not to sell Ward for “beans” because his circumstances are disastrous right now. The Ballers believe the Titans will likely build around him, but owners should expect little fantasy production this year, with any good weeks coming from “garbage time booty points.”
Eagles Offense
Betz reports the Eagles’ offense has shifted away from its early-season “vanilla” play-calling after a poor stretch. They are now successfully incorporating more under-center play-action (prior to Week 7, only 5 total play-action passes were called) and pre-snap motion. This change has led to more explosive plays and has gotten Saquon Barkley back on track. Another element they changed was the employment of an additional offensive lineman; more on that in the Deep Dive below.
Advice: The change is encouraging for the long-term dynasty value of the entire Eagles offense (Hurts, Barkley, Smith) and should be viewed as a positive development.
Jordan Love and Tucker Kraft
Borg watched the tape on Green Bay. Jordan Love‘s 360-yard, 3-TD performance was boosted by the high volume and Yards After Catch (YAC) from his pass-catchers, especially Tucker Kraft. Love is effective against the blitz, which accounted for all three of his TDs against the Steelers. Despite his success against the blitz, Love has the fourth-worst success rate against pressure ahead of only Caleb Williams, Joe Flacco, and Cam Ward.
Advice: Love is a “really good low-end QB1” in Dynasty who will have volatile weeks. Tucker Kraft is a huge factor in the offense’s success and is considered a strong emerging asset due to his YAC ability despite the offense’s tendency to spread the ball around.
Dynasty Sink or Swim
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison is suffering from a dysfunctional Cardinals offense and a scheme that is not helping him (only eight routes run in motion all season). He is not commanding targets (19% target share) like a true WR1 should, and his route diversity in this offense has regressed to the state of last season. This was one of the areas I identified in the offseason that he needed to overcome to achieve WR1 status.
Advice: Borg believes his value has “sunk” to a Dynasty WR2 (around WR20). Owners should hold and hope the situation improves in the offseason, or Trade for a price that is better than the projected 1.05 rookie pick. If you do not believe he can evolve to be better than the 1.05, he should be moved while there are still believers out there.
J.J McCarthy
McCarthy has dropped in value due to a lack of on-field time following a high ankle sprain. Betz is concerned about his play under pressure in small samples, which has been “abysmal,” and there is additional concern due to the state of the offensive line.
Advice: His situation (Kevin O’Connell‘s scheme, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison) is elite, and the Vikings have the easiest QB strength of schedule from Weeks 9-17. The upside is worth the risk at his current QB17 value, and the Ballers all agree they prefer him over Trevor Lawrence. The buy window is now at his depressed QB17-QB21 price, with the hopes that he becomes a stable starter long-term.
Daniel Jones
Reports suggest the Colts are looking to sign “Indiana” Jones to an extension. Mike’s view is that Jones is thriving in an adequate system that utilizes his strengths, and the Colts will likely see this as a successful season.
Advice: Jones is a “Keep” at his QB18 value. The potential for a new, stable contract makes him a safer long-term bet than many other volatile QBs in that tier. Jones looks to “swim” moving forward and is valued as a QB2 for Superflex leagues.
C.J. Stroud
Mike and Betz were on the opposite end of the debate from Borg regarding C.J. Stroud. Stroud’s 2025 season has been a “tough watch” because the Texans’ offense was a “train wreck,” citing the offensive line as a “disaster” and the lack of a run game. Borg argues the primary problem for Stroud’s current production is that “he doesn’t have time” due to the pressure. However, his skill set is praised for its quality, specifically his “ability to deliver the ball in the intermediate area of the field,” which fits well with high-percentage routes run by his receivers.
Advice: The poor performance should be viewed in the context of the team’s circumstances. If you “zoom out,” Stroud’s ability to deliver the ball when he has time gives him a great long-term outlook, especially if the team adds/develops more playmakers (more on that in the Deep Dive). Mike would trade Stroud for McCarthy+ and sleep like a “wee babby,” while Betz believes he is a “fine” QB2.
Sam LaPorta
LaPorta was valued as high as dynasty TE3 but has had inconsistent, “poop” fantasy weeks outside of his blowup performances. The Lions’ offense spreads the ball around, leading to weekly volatility for everyone but the QB. Mike believes LaPorta still has a good ceiling from week to week.
Advice: LaPorta is still a good, young player on a good team, fitting into the TE5-TE7 range in Dynasty. However, the TE position is now much deeper with Tyler Warren, Tucker Kraft, and Jake Ferguson emerging as strong young assets. Borg reminds us that the position is volatile; avoid overvaluing LaPorta due to a perceived lack of depth in the TE position, as there are many young, high-upside players to target.
Chase Brown
If the Bengals get a healthy Joe Flacco, the entire offense should surge. This will likely secure Brown’s role and make it less likely the Bengals will invest high draft capital in the position next year. Borg does have a concern about the potential for Cincinnati to draft an RB in the 2026 draft, but this team has more issues on the defense that need to be prioritized.
Keon Coleman
Coleman is sinking as he has done “really nothing” since a good Week 1 to prove he can be a consistent weekly starter. He is best used as a young, attractive name to include as a throw-in on a trade to a manager who still believes in his upside with Josh Allen. The fact that he has done nothing in the absence of Joshua Palmer and Dalton Kincaid is quite discouraging.
Saquon Barkley
Saquon projects to continue “swimming” if the Eagles have truly fixed the offense. However, if you are not a contender, you must cash out immediately following his huge game. At age 28 and with a recent groin injury, the trade window to maximize his value is closing. You should look to get more than just a 1st- and 2nd-round pick.
DJ Moore
Borg doesn’t believe it is possible to know when to start him. Being tied with Olamide Zaccheaus in total targets this season (38) is concerning. Mike argues that Luther Burden III should be seeing more opportunities, and it is tough to argue based on the stats below. Betz believes you are just “stuck” with a sinking asset at this point.
| Player | Targets | Recs | Yards | YPR |
| D.J. Moore | 38 | 26 | 331 | 12.7 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | 38 | 25 | 185 | 7.4 |
| Luther Burden III | 15 | 13 | 171 | 13.2 |
T.J. Hockenson
After the Ballers dunked on Hockenson earlier in the episode, the Ballers reaffirm they are completely out on Hockenson, calling him a player who “stinks” and a “50 lb weighted vest” that should be removed from the player pool.
Week 8 Film Deep Dive
Houston WRs
The Texans are finally figuring out how to utilize their WR corps. It’s amazing what can happen when C.J. Stroud has time to throw. While integrating a lot of max-protection (including many plays with a sixth OL) to provide that time, the receiving corps and offensive play designs were effective. In addition, the heavy use of play-action created numerous opportunities for Stroud to find his options.
Two of those options were WRs Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel. They had nearly identical stat lines (Hutchinson 5-69-1, Noel 5-63-0), each on six targets. Jayden Higgins produced less on eight targets, while Berrios got in the mix as well with five targets and a perfect catch rate for 38 yards. Unfortunately, there is no clarity to the “next man up” when Nico Collins is out. The good thing is, it seems the Texans are starting to figure out how to keep the ball moving. This should provide more opportunities to reveal the true WR2 of this bunch.
In last week’s rewind, Betz mentioned Noel’s frequency of running “big boy” routes like deep Overs. I hoped that this would be Noel’s niche role in the offense. Given his 4.39 speed, Noel would be excellent on Drags, Overs, and working in space created by motions. However, it seems that Hutchinson is getting in on that action as well. On this play, the height difference between him and Noel played a role in the success.
The #Texans are figuring it out with play-action and additional pass protection. Hutchinson runs a nice Over route and Stroud hits his
. Nico's absence is providing step-up opportunities, and Hutchinson is capitalizing on them. pic.twitter.com/7TJe8EKyQP
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 27, 2025
Hutchinson’s usage on the Over route showed up on his 30-yard TD as well. This naturally elevates curiosity in how Noel found success despite a 38.8% snap share. Noel earned targets using quick twitch to create separation in routes. In the second quarter, on a 3rd&4 (play below), Noel’s motion reveals he is facing Man coverage against the Nickel CB. Noel executes a great stem with an outside head nod, followed by a vertical push upfield before detaching from the CB on the Out route, creating about 4 yards of separation. On his very next opportunity, Noel shows excellent patience in his stem at the deep safety before breaking on the Post into wide-open space for a 44-yard strike.
In the vacuum created by #Texans WR Nico Collins absence, Noel is showing positive signs in his route running. He shows nuance to create 4 yards in separation. Noel could become a good possession WR with explosive upside on deep routes with his speed. pic.twitter.com/lzgeOkb4qh
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 27, 2025
Then there is Jayden Higgins, who may draw attention due to the TD in his box score and an 82% snap share. After watching his targets, there weren’t many where I thought he ‘earned’ the target. Moreso, Higgins benefits from the scheme deployed against the 49ers, who are admittedly down several prominent defenders. There were several in-breaking routes versus off coverage, where his size is handy in positional leverage. With that said, there wasn’t any evidence that he is creating separation through route-running nuance, and his hands and catch radius looked less reliable. Hutchison and Noel were both better in this aspect of WR play, and that is ultimately more useful to C.J. Stroud and this offense.
Ultimately, we are trying to answer the WR2 question for the Texans, especially if they continue to focus on pass protection with extra blockers. For me, Noel wins out as a route runner, which prioritizes him as a dynasty acquisition over Hutchison, though the apparent preference for Hutchison in/near the endzone makes this really close. However, I believe Noel’s edge will help the Texans move the stick more reliably, which should earn him earlier looks in the progression once Nico returns. Given the uncertainty of who wins the WR2 role, this is a perfect time to offer a third-round pick for whichever WR you want to bet on.
Tank Bigsby
Betz said the “vibes” are back in Philly, and it appears the Philadelphia Eagles figured out two things against the Giants in Week 8: The power of a sixth OL and that Tank Bigsby is the RB2.
It is very interesting that in the same week, the Texans and the Eagles both leveraged a sixth OL successfully. While it provided the Texans extra protection for Stroud, it manipulated the Giants’ defense in a more complex fashion. Several plays involving the 6th OL, the run action, and the line strength enticed LBs to favor the strong side of the offense. This opened several cutback lanes like we saw on Saquon Barkley’s 65-yd TD run, and this play by Tank Bigsby below.
Have the #Eagles figured out how to make the run game work? Have they ID'd their RB2? @tank_bigsby sure made a case for the latter in relief of Saquon. Bigsby shows patience to press the POA, and great play speed, COD, and burst to make #NYGiants pay for lack of contain. pic.twitter.com/oKK4Nast2K
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 28, 2025
We can see how the defense brings nine bodies close to the LOS. Additionally, there are more defenders aligned with the strength of the defense. After the snap, the Duo blocks wash the DE and DT to the offense’s left, and Bigsby presses the backside “C” gap. The OLB collapses while engaged with Dallas Goedert, while #58 fills the gap. Now that Bigsby has forced #58 to commit, he bounces outside with good change of direction and trusts his burst to win against blocking leverage into open space.
The Eagles averaged 14.4 YPC on the nine runs where Fred Johnson was on the field as the sixth OL. Even if you take away Saquon’s explosive TD run, Johnson’s presence provided an 8.25 rushing average. So what happens without the extra lineman? For Bigsby, this doesn’t appear to be an issue, as the tape shows he is seeing the field well with good play speed. On this play, we can see his vision identify the cutback lane and take advantage of it with quickness and good change of direction.
The #Eagles had a lot of success w/ 6OL to the tune of 14.4 YPC, and @tank_bigsby took advantage. However, the 6th OL wasn't necessary for his success. He shows his trust in his burst to run against leverage into space and win 1-on-1 in open space. pic.twitter.com/fBvnahVbDu
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 28, 2025
There is some “cold water” to throw on this rushing performance, though. The Giants allow the fourth-most rushing yards and seventh-most fantasy points to RBs. However, as we approach fantasy playoffs, the Eagles enjoy a top-5 RB strength of schedule starting in Week 12. Tank Bigsby could become an important depth piece in the back half of the season, especially since Barkley is dealing with a groin injury. The Eagles are on bye this week, which could suppress the price of acquisition. A late ‘26 third should be the max price competitors should spend for Barkley’s handcuff. Better to do this now than wait until a more serious absence by Barkley.
from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/xFa5ER1
No comments: