Eric Moody and NFL Nation7 Minute Read
We are rapidly approaching the midpoint of the NFL season, and of course there is plenty to discuss in fantasy football.
Each Tuesday and Saturday during the season, ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody will ask our NFL Nation reporters the most pressing questions heading into the weekend and what to make of the fallout after games are played. Who is primed for a big performance, who is impacted by injuries, what roles might change? Here’s what our crew had to say about some of the biggest storylines heading into the weekend of Week 8.
Will the Jacksonville Jaguars get Calvin Ridley more involved in the offense?
Does Calvin Ridley have any fantasy trade value?
Daniel Dopp and Field Yates examine Calvin Ridley’s fantasy stock after a recent rough stretch.
It depends on how teams line up to defend him. For example, the Saints bracketed him and kept a safety over the top to keep Ridley from beating deep. OC Press Taylor the Jaguars aren’t going to force the ball to Ridley when that’s the case. Not having WR Zay Jones (knee) on the other side also has been an issue because there’s no other outside threat. Jones won’t play again this week and it’s supposed to rain in Pittsburgh so don’t expect a big game from Ridley agianst the Steelers. — Michael DiRocco
Have Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary become an official committee backfield for the Houston Texans?
It’s trending toward a Pierce and Singletary committee backfield. Texans’ offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik recently said, “It’s always something I’ve wanted to do.” Pierce has significantly more carries this season (97) than Singletary (39), but in the Texans’ Week 6 win over the New Orleans Saints, Pierce had 13 for 34 yards, and Singletary had 12 for 58 yards. Expect that to continue throughout the year since Pierce has averaged 2.9 yards per carry and Singletary produces 3.9 yards per carry.
How do you expect the Carolina Panthers to handle backfield touches between Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard?
Coach Frank Reich insists this will be done by committee, which you can interpret as whoever has the hot hand will get the most carries. But the Panthers haven’t given up on Sanders, who struggled before missing the Miami game prior to the bye week while Hubbard has been obviously more productive. “Obviously, we love Miles,” Reich said. “And Miles has continued to make good progress. It’s always going to be a little bit by committee.” Look for Hubbard to start and see how things go from there. To Sanders’ credit, he admitted on Wednesday he’s disappointed with his performance. He appears driven to turn that around. Proceed with caution. — David Newton
How will Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle be affected if Sam Darnold is under center against the Bengals?
First and foremost, there seems to be optimism with the Niners that Brock Purdy will be able to clear the final hurdle of the concussion protocol and play on Sunday. Purdy took most of the reps with the first-team this week, though Darnold said he also got a few. If it is Darnold at quarterback, don’t expect much to change in how the Niners use their weapons but one thing to keep an eye on if it’s Darnold is the deep ball. When last we saw him starting for the Carolina Panthers, Darnold had the highest percentage of throws (17.9%) traveling 20-plus air yards of any quarterback to start at least five games. That could bode particularly well for Aiyuk if it’s Darnold and not Purdy against the Bengals. — Nick Wagoner
Should we trust Jordan Love, Christian Watson and Aaron Jones in lineups as the Packers attempt to break their recent slump?
This might not be the time. The Packers have talked this week about how much the Vikings blitz, and they haven’t seen much of that yet this season so who knows how they will handle it? With issues on the offensive line, this might be Love’s most difficult game to handle even though it appears Jones and Watson are as close to fully healthy as they’ve been since the season started. — Rob Demovsky
Will the Atlanta Falcons turn to Drake London and Kyle Pitts in the passing game against the Titans’ strong run defense?
It’s not turning at this point. It’s just part of what they do. Desmond Ridder has thrown for 250 yards or more in each of his last three starts and more than 30 attempts in all but two games. Kyle Pitts has at least five targets in those last three weeks with Ridder’s larger passing production — and London has at least seven targets in each of those games. The issue with Atlanta’s offense has been the turnovers, not the passing production, so yes, reasonable to think this will continue for a fourth week. As a bonus nugget — don’t be surprised with a big game from Bijan Robinson after all the attention paid to him for not playing as much in Week 7 (headaches). — Michael Rothstein
Should we have any confidence in DeAndre Hopkins or Treylon Burks with Will Levis or Malik Willis under center?
No. The Titans’ offense is too inconsistent. Burks is set to return after missing the last three games with a knee injury. Neither Burks nor Hopkins have been able to score touchdowns and the Titans have only scored on 33% of their trips into the red zone. Hopkins caught eight passes for 140 yards two weeks ago against the Colts. It was the only 100-yard receiving game for Tennessee this season. Hopkins could be in line for more targets if one of Willis or Levis plays. But it’s likely that offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will lean on Derrick Henry, Tyjae Spears, and the rushing attack while Ryan Tannehill is out. — Turron Davenport
What is the Arizona Cardinals’ plan moving forward with Kyler Murray?
Now that Murray is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game, it’s unlikely he plays against the Ravens. The Cardinals will still continue to bring him along in practice, giving him more first team reps each week. — Josh Weinfuss
How to handle the Bears RB room vs. the Chargers?
Field Yates breaks down the Bears’ running backs and where each player should be slotted in Week 8 vs. the Chargers.
How will the Bears’ backfield shake out on Sunday night between D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson?
Johnson said Thursday that he had been cleared from concussion protocol and does not carry an injury designation for the Chargers game after practicing in full for three straight days. The splits in the Bears backfield between Johnson and D’Onta Foreman will be something to monitor. Foreman, who averaged 5.6 yards per carry against the Raiders with three total touchdowns will likely see his fantasy value take a hit with Johnson back to share touches, but the veteran back has proven his value to Chicago’s offense and should continue to have a sizeable workload on Sunday while Johnson gets up to speed after missing the last two games. — Courtney Cronin
