Good morning.

We were treated to a perfect NFL Sunday. The witching hour was absolutely electric, Jameis Winston was quoting Eminem, and the Jets lost to the Patriots — what more can you ask for?!

Hopefully your fantasy league had just as much excitement. But win or lose, it’s time to move on to Week 9, so let’s get to it…

AROUND THE LEAGUE 🚨

Diontae on the Block

ESPN's Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show yesterday that he expects Panthers WR Diontae Johnson to get traded ahead of next Tuesday's deadline. Regardless of where he ends up, it should be a QB upgrade for Johnson, who showed in some limited action with Andy Dalton that he can be a solid WR2 in fantasy football.

Other names being floating around ahead of the deadline include Cooper Kupp, Mike Williams, and possibly even Matthew Stafford.👀

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WAIVER WIRE 🧐

Running Back

It’s a rough week for RBs, with most of the notable names just being intriguing handcuffs. But there are a few that stand out…

Chargers RB Kimani Vidal had a season-high 24% carry share on Sunday. He’s averaging 3.1 yards after contact per attempt compared to 2.9 for J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins’ number is also buoyed by his first two games, the only weeks in which he averaged more than three yards after contact, per NBC Sports’ Kyle Dvorchak. Given Dobbins’ injury history, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Vidal get at least a couple spot starts throughout the rest of the season.

49ers RB Isaac Guerendo is on a bye in Week 9, and Christian McCaffrey is expected to return in Week 10. However, backup RB Jordan Mason has been battling injuries the last few weeks, and in his absence Sunday night, Guerendo racked up over 100 total yards and a TD en route to an RB11 finish. The rookie is averaging over six yards per carry, and given the uncertain health of both CMC and Mason, he’s worth a stash.

Jets RB Braelon Allen’s usage ticked back up for the first time since New York’s coaching change, as the rookie earned 12 carries (compared to 16 for Breece Hall). He’s a top-tier handcuff to have with some moderate FLEX-appeal given his short yardage TD-upside.

Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell is set to return within the next week or two and could be available if your league doesn’t have IR slots. While he’ll split with Justice Hill behind Derrick Henry, don’t forget that he averaged 8.4 yards per carry last year before his injury.

As always, keep an eye out for other handcuff options that could offer league-winning upside:

• Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier

• Steelers RB Jaylen Warren

• Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin

• Rams RB Blake Corum

• Bills RB Ray Davis

• Ravens RB Justice Hill

• Vikings RB Ty Chandler

• Cardinals RB Trey Benson

• Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright

• Bears RB Roschon Johnson

Wide Receiver

Browns WR Cedric Tillman proved last week wasn’t a fluke, catching seven passes for 99 yards and two long TDs against the Ravens. Tillman was mostly a cardio machine last year, routinely playing >70% of snaps, but only averaging 16 yards per game, and had yet to play more than 26 snaps in any game this year before the Amari Cooper trade. But he looks to have taken full advantage of his new opportunity, totalling 180 yards on an impressive 21 targets in his last two games.

Colts WR Josh Downs makes this list seemingly every week with the same caveat — he’s a risky play with Anthony Richardson being as bad as he is as a passer. His situation isn’t ideal, but there’s no doubting the WR’s talent:

Bills WR Keon Coleman: “A week after his breakout showing against the Titans, Coleman had another strong game in Week 8, catching a career-high five passes for 70 yards and a TD. He has 14 targets since the Bills acquired Amari Cooper, taking advantage of the increased defensive attention on Cooper to carve out a role on the other side.” — RotoBaller’s Justin Carter

Panthers WR Xavier Legette tied Miles Sanders for a team-high in targets at seven a piece. He also led the way in air yards (114) and scored his 4th TD since Week 4. Legette could also see a major uptick in targets if Diontae Johnson gets dealt at next week’s deadline, so grab him while he’s cheap.

Bucs WR Sterling Shepard took over the Chris Godwin role as Tampa’s primary slot receiver (60% of snaps in that spot, per FantasyPros’ Pat Fitzmaurice). It didn’t amount to much, but he could be headed for a season-best stat line this week against Kansas City. The Chiefs have been a tough pass defense this season, but they have allowed the 4th-most fantasy points per game to slot receivers, per Fantasy Points Data.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan also disappointed in his first game with a major role in the offense, but he’s still an ascending talent with a chance to step up as the season goes on. He was likely claimed last week, but keep an eye out to see if he gets dropped, then scoop him up for cheap.

QB & TE

Browns QB Jameis Winston went off in his first start for Cleveland, throwing for 334 yards and three TDs. In typical Jameis fashion, though, he did have at least three passes that should have been picked off.

But nevertheless, Browns QBs have thrown for 300+ yards in six of the last seven games started by anyone other than Deshaun Watson (six for Flacco and now one for Winston). And the one game that wasn’t a 300+ yard performance was when Jeff Driskel started a meaningless Week 18 game for them last season. It’s almost like Watson was the problem all along…?🤔

Rams QB Matthew Stafford came back to life with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in the lineup. The vet completed 25 of his 34 passes against the Vikings for 279 yards, four touchdowns and one INT.

Broncos QB Bo Nix is 4th in expected fantasy points per game (20.5) among QBs this season — higher than Lamar Jackson (20.4), Jayden Daniels (19.1), and Josh Allen (18.1), per David J. Gautieri. He had the best day of his career Sunday, throwing for 284 yards and three TDs while scoring his 4th rushing TD of the year, too. He’ll look to stay hot this week against a Ravens secondary that just got torched by Jameis Winston.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert has topped 200+ passing yards and 30+ attempts in three straight games since Los Angeles’ bye. They’ve definitely skewed more pass-heavy than usual lately, which could make Herbert an intriguing bye week fill-in.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz “set season highs across the board in Sunday’s improbable win over Chicago, catching seven balls for 77 yards on 11 chances. He’s been a reliable chain-mover for Jayden Daniels, even if he lacks after-the-catch juice at this stage of his career.” — Yahoo’s Andy Behrens

Bengals TE Mike Gesicki came alive in Tee Higgins’ absence with seven receptions for 77 yards. He hasn’t been able to produce with Higgins in the lineup, so if the WR is forced to miss more time, Gesicki could be a desperation spot start.

And, obviously, if Bucs TE Cade Otton is somehow still available, sell the farm.

D/ST

The New Orleans Saints take on the Carolina Panthers this week. Defenses are averaging more than 10 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks against the Panthers, per NFL.com‘s Dan Parr. New Orleans scored a season-high 14 fantasy points in its matchup against Carolina back in Week 1, so the Saints are definitely streamable this week.

The Washington Commanders have been one of the better fantasy defenses over the past four weeks, averaging 9.2 fantasy points per game during that span. And this week they get the Giants, who have scored just 28 points in their last three games combined.

The Houston Texans take on the Jets, who have given up the 5th-most points to fantasy defenses over the past four weeks. They’re also bottom-10 in total offense, bottom-3 in rushing, and scoring less than 19 points per game, while Aaron Rodgers has thrown seven INTs (tied for the 6th-most in the league) and has been sacked 18 times, per Roto Street Journal’s Sean Keegs.

POLL 📊

DEEP DIVES 🤿

The Moore the Merrier

Stash these players on your bench before they blow up. Last week, the perfect pickup was Jameis Winston.

Apologies for the Browns-heavy newsletter, but WR Elijah Moore (1.3%) drew a team-high 12 targets in Sunday’s win over the Ravens, catching eight for 85 yards. He’s totalled 126 receiving yards over the past two weeks in an offense that has new life with Jameis Winston at the helm.

Jags WR Parker Washington (0.1%) is the next man up after all three starting WRs went down in Jacksonville. Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis both left Sunday’s game with injuries, while Christian Kirk is lost for the season with a fractured collarbone. Washington flashed last year, putting up 18 fantasy points in Week 13, and has the opportunity to do the same going forward.

Texans WR Xavier Hutchinson (0.3%) played the 2nd-most snaps of any Texans WR on Sunday, behind only Tank Dell. Stefon Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury during the game and Nico Collins remains sidelined, too, so Houston desperately needs someone to step up. Hutchinson’s size (6’3” 210 lbs) makes him an ideal target on the outside while Dell mans the slot.

Texans WRs John Metchie (0.1%) and Robert Woods (0.1%) are likely to step up in Diggs’ absence as well. While they’re more in the mold of a possession receiver, they could see valuable targets out of necessity.

QUICK SLANTS 👀

📖 Read Ryan Heath of Fantasy Points’ Five Stats to Know from Week 8. One eye-opener was just how bad WRs have been lately:

📖 Read Peter Overzet of FantasyLife’s Week 8 Fantasy Football Takeaways, where he highlights the key stats from last week’s games, like just how good TEs were on National Tight End Day:

📖 Read Ayrton Ostly of USA Today’s Drop Candidates, including Vikings WR Jordan Addison, who has had eight total catches for 124 yards and zero TDs over the last three games and has to compete for targets with T.J. Hockenson going forward as well.

🎙️ Listen to Beyond the Box Score from CBS Sports’ Fantasy Football Today podcast. The guys discuss major topics like the Browns offense with Jameis, selling high on Cade Otton, Jaylen Waddle’s outlook, and what’s wrong with C.J. Stroud.

📺 If you haven’t already, watch Bears DB Tyrique Stevenson taunt Commanders fans right before giving up the game-winning Hail Mary😂

TWEET OF THE DAY

Before we go, send your well wishes to Dwyane Wade for his brutal statue reveal in Miami:

I haven't seen anyone look so disappointed since my parents came over last week.

Good luck on the waiver wire. See you Thursday.

- Marcus