With no teams on bye, there was an explosion of fantasy points in Week 8. It was the highest-scoring week of the season, making it an excellent time to sell high on some players or buy players that are still undervalued. With that said, let’s hop into some fantasy football lessons to take into Week 9 and beyond.
Fantasy Football Lessons for Week 9 and Beyond
Ceedee Lamb Could Repeat Last Season
Last season, Ceedee Lamb finished as the overall WR1 in fantasy despite averaging only 14.9 fantasy points per game before his Week 7 bye. He then averaged a monstrous 28.5 points per game for the rest of the season. This came at a time when the Dallas Cowboys were struggling, and he wasn’t getting the ball enough; sound familiar?
Not only was their bye in Week 7 again, but Lamb’s numbers are similar to last season. In Week 8, Lamb exploded with 13 receptions for 146 yards on 17 targets and 39.6 fantasy points. The production will keep coming for Lamb. Not only does he have great chemistry with Dak Prescott, but the Cowboys are missing Brandin Cooks due to injury.
The Cowboys also rank dead last in rushing and are a worse team than they were in 2023. Being worse than last year puts them in more negative game scripts, forcing them to pass more. It will be challenging for Lamb to match his second half of last season, but all the signs point to him having another spectacular back half of the season.
De’Von Achane Has League Winning Upside
It’s been a wild ride for De’Von Achane managers. After looking like one of the best picks in the draft for the first two weeks, Tua Tagovailoa went down. Achane averaged just seven fantasy points per game with Tagovailoa out. Now, with Tagovailoa back, things are looking up again.
Achane has averaged 26.4 points per game with Tagovailoa starting, mainly due to his massive receiving work. Achane has out-targeted Jaylen Waddle and has two receiving touchdowns compared to Waddle’s none. He’s a legitimate wide receiver playing as a running back. This makes him a dream to own in fantasy, especially in PPR formats.
The only slight concern is that Raheem Mostert took the goal-line work, but it’s not too much of a worry. Achane is putting up WR2 numbers while out-touching Mostert in the backfield, and is a big play waiting to happen. Tagovailoa’s return helps the entire offense, but Achane looks like the largest beneficiary. He’s a top-five fantasy running back for the rest of the season.
Colts Receivers Get A Boost With Flacco
The Indianapolis Colts made a massive decision on Wednesday. After going 10/32 and being inconsistent when he played, they benched Anthony Richardson for Joe Flacco. This is hugely disappointing for Richardson owners, as he was seen as having colossal fantasy upside due to his rushing ability. Richardson scored four rushing touchdowns in four games last season when he was healthy.
The thing about Richardson, though, is that his inconsistencies as a thrower affected the Colts receivers. He essentially turned every Colts pass catcher into a boom-or-bust play. Josh Downs showed this, scoring 22.2 points last week after catching a 69-yard touchdown, but he only had one catch the week before. Alec Pierce remains a boom-or-bust option, even with Flacco, but Michael Pittman Jr. and Downs do not.
Downs averages 19.2 points and ten targets per game when Flacco plays. He’s an end-zone threat while also receiving elite volume. Pittman will also see his production increase, being a bigger, more physical target for Flacco. It remains to be seen how long Richardson will be benched for but if the Colts win games and Flacco stays under center, Downs and Pittman become reliable fantasy options.
Main Photo Courtesy of Steve Roberts – Imagn Images
