Another week, another round of critically important starting/sitting decisions. To help you achieve this, here are six players with bust potential in Week 8.
Something to keep in mind as you read: a “fade” or “bust” designation does not automatically mean you should draft a player, depending on the depth of the rest of your roster or the options available on your waiver wire.
QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In case you haven’t heard (you probably have), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without their top two starting wide receivers this week, and in the case of Chris Godwin, for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. It’s extraordinary too bad, considering this offensive unit was one of the best in the National Football League through the first seven weeks of the season.
That success, of course, includes QB Baker Mayfield, who leads the league with 18 passing touchdowns and ranks in the top six in NFL passer rating (107.2) and yards per pass attempt (8.0). He has even found success on the ground with 158 rushing yards (6.1 YPC) through the first seven weeks; he is on pace to surpass last season’s previous career record of 194 yards per mile.
That was good for QB2 this season, including a top-five finish in five of seven games.
Dating back to last season, Mayfield has recorded a total of 41 dropbacks on plays without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, according to TruMedia. On those dropbacks, he has averaged just 4.3 yards per pass attempt, completing 55.3% of attempts for a passer rating of 54.9. He now throws for a combination of TE Cade Otton and Sterling Shepard, Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer at WR. Otton is the only one of the bunch with more than 10 catches this season. It can be difficult to sled as they want to build rapport mid-season.
Heat check 🔥 Mayfield may be the QB2 of the season, but he will be a huge liability in fantasy lineups without his top two receivers. Think of a streamer like Kirk Cousins on the other sideline or Caleb Williams against the Commanders.
RB Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
After waiting almost half the season to finally put Nick Chubb in your fantasy football lineups, I can understand the desire to cut him sooner rather than later. However, this week may not be the week.
This week, the Browns (with Jameis Winston at quarterback and without former WR1 Amari Cooper) will take on their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens – one of the hottest offenses in the league, both on the ground and in the air. This will work against Chubb’s value, both in terms of game script, as the Browns will likely trail for most of the game as 9.5-point underdogs, and his efficiency, as the Ravens are one of the most this year suffocating defensive actions.
In his season debut returning from a devastating knee injury, Chubb averaged just 2.0 yards per attempt on 11 carries, filling on 27.3% of attempts and without any explosive runs against an exploitable Bengals defense. Don’t expect much more from him in Week 8 as the wheels have all but fallen off this offense.
Heat check 🔥 If you’ve waited this long to launch Chubb, you can wait another week. Don’t risk his low end against one of the league’s best rushing defenses.
RB Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have cut Zamir White from the offense after an inefficient start to the season followed by a groin injury that forced him to miss Weeks 5 and 6. Despite White being active in Week 7, Alexander Mattison played a season-high 70% of the offensive snaps with the appearance of his takeover of the RB1 role complete.
Mattison has had 17 or more touches over the last three weeks and more than 60 scrimmage yards in five of the seven games this year. However, this matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs could mean bad things for the Raiders’ new apparent RB1.
The Chiefs allow a low 12.23 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs and have been virtually impossible to play against this season. Kansas City enters Week 8 ranked in the top five in the league, allowing just 3.6 yards per carry (third lowest), 2.6 yards after contact per attempt (fourth lowest) and an explosive run rate of 9.7 % (third lowest) for opposing runners . Expect Mattison to struggle at this spot in Week 8.
Heat check 🔥 Despite the elite use of the running back position, Mattison will get a matchup against one of the league’s best rush defenses, and the Raiders will likely be playing from behind. Avoid Mattison in almost all situations.
WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
The New York Giants are heading to Pittsburgh for a showdown against one of the league’s best defenses – one that should worry Daniel Jones a lot given his recent struggles; he has thrown for just 304 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT over the last two weeks. Even with star rookie WR Malik Nabers back in the lineup after completing the concussion protocol in Week 7, there was no sustainable rhythm in the passing game as Jones failed to clear even 100 yards that day.
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has become a household name, known for his tight and physical style of coverage that has limited even some of the best wide receivers in the league. However, there is another underrated cornerback in Pittsburgh’s secondary who also deserves some attention: Donte Jackson. Among CBs who have played more than 150 coverage snaps so far this season, Jackson is allowing the second-lowest passer rating in coverage (35.8), earning three picks on six passes defensed this season. This pair will undoubtedly make things difficult for Nabers along the perimeter.
Heat check 🔥 Nabers is a must-start as the go-to guy and WR1 for Daniel Jones. However, he will face a challenging secondary that has held all but two wide receivers (Jalen Tolbert, Josh Downs) to fewer than 15 fantasy points. Temper expectations for Nabers this week, knowing the floor could be lower than normal.
WR Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers
Poor Diontae Johnson. After being traded to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, he hasn’t had much of a break. He had to deal with Bryce Young’s poor play at quarterback the first two weeks of the season. He then enjoyed a few solid games with Andy Dalton under center, but even that quickly turned sour. Now it’s back for Young this week against a fearsome Denver Broncos secondary, while Dalton is dealing with a thumb sprain.
Johnson’s 57.9% target percentage ranks 89th among 101 qualifying wide receivers, per PFF, 12th in unrealized air yards and 67th in fantasy points per target. With Young under center, all of these concerns are magnified significantly as they have gone a total of 5-34-0 through the first two weeks of the season. If Pat Surtain II is able to get the concussion protocol lifted, this offense won’t amount to much, and neither will Johnson.
Heat check 🔥 Johnson won’t be starting in Week 8 in most leagues.
TE Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals’ passing game has not been without its problems this season, as QB Kyler Murray has thrown for over 215 yards and multiple touchdown passes in just one game this year (Week 2 vs. Rams). That, combined with a willingness to spread the ball this year — four different wideouts have more than 29 targets, but none have more than 45 — has unfortunately generally limited the Cardinals’ fantasy pass catchers’ upside.
McBride has finished TE10 or lower in four of the six weeks this year, while finishing in the top five twice. It’s been a boom or bust so far, and in Week 8 the Cardinals will face a Miami Dolphins defense that is tied for the third-lowest EPA per dropback on targets at the tight end position of -0 .23 according to NFL Next Gen Stats. They allow the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, holding Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry and Evan Engram to a combined 10.5 fantasy points (half PPR) this season.
Heat check 🔥 Start McBride as usual. After all, how many tight ends have as much upside as McBride…even if the chances of failure are slightly higher this week?
