With Week 9 of the NFL and Fantasy Football season already here, fans and fantasy managers are still recuperating from a wild Week 8 of unlikely outcomes and constant changes to the fantasy landscape. A number of highly-rostered key players had a tough outing in Week 8 and while they're more than capable of bouncing back in Week 9, their latest performances could spell trouble for the rest of the season.
Looking ahead to Week 9, we'll take a look at some of the Fantasy Football bad beats from Week 8 and what the future may hold for these key players.
Concerning Week 9 Fantasy Bad Beats
Chargers' WR Quentin Johnston's disappearing act
Through the first four weeks of the season, WR Quentin Johnston was seen as a top fantasy wide receiver with four-straight games of 70 or more yards receiving, scoring four touchdowns during that stretch. Since then, however, Johnston has yet to record five or more catches in a game or surpass 50 yards receiving.
While he was able to find the end zone against the Colts in Week 7, he was a complete non-factor in Week 8 with no catches and no targets. Even more concerning was teammate and fellow receiver Ladd McConkey seemingly establishing himself as the No. 1 option in this passing offense once again.
It seems as though QB Justin Herbert has found comfort in finding WR Ladd McConkey and emerging TE Oronde Gadsden II throughout the last few games, which certainly doesn't bode well for the fantasy stock of Johnston. While he's likely to still be effective in deeper leagues, it's even more likely that his ceiling will be seriously capped within the passing distribution.
Buccaneers' WR Emeka Egbuka – is the usage catching up to him?
WR Emeka Egbuka is the current favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year thanks to what he's been able to do in the Buccaneers' passing game under QB Baker Mayfield. With veteran pass catchers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin plagued by injuries this season, Egbuka has been the No. 1 option in this offense through the vast majority of the season and has exceeded all expectations.
However, his last three games have seen fantasy totals of 4.4, 9.8, and 6.5. He's caught nine passes for a total of 117 yards over the last three games, a total he's surpassed in a single game this season.
It's worth noting that Egbuka certainly hasn't been 100% in terms of his health and dealing with a nagging hamstring injury. With Tampa Bay heading to a bye in Week 9, the rookie sensation should have ample time to recover and get back to his top physical form. If the Buccaneers plan to compete and make the most of this current run from Baker Mayfield, they'll need Egbuka healthy and there every step of the way for the rest of the season.
Jaguars' WR/CB Travis Hunter lands on IR
Granted, the addition of rookie star Travis Hunter has certainly boasted QB Trevor Lawrence and the passing game, along with the defensive side of the ball and how head coach Liam Coen has used him in the secondary. Just before the Jaguars' Week 8 bye, Hunter saw his best game of the season as a receiver, posting eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown for 28.1 total fantasy points (PPR).
However, following the bye week, the Jaguars place Hunter on IR (knee) as he'll be out for the next four weeks minimum. It's still too early to tell how the loss of Hunter will truly affect this offense, but with their leading receiver TE Brenton Strange also on IR, their team can't afford to take many more losses to injury.
Up until Week 7, Travis Hunter failed to record more than 10.0 fantasy points in a single game. He also found the end zone just one time before landing on IR, so his fantasy stock wasn't exactly buzzing to begin with. He's largely been a disappointment for managers who may have used a higher draft pick on him, so this recent injury news should be the final straw before he begins getting dropped from lineups.
