Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season is now over, and your fantasy football team has an identity. Whether you are a full-on contender, looking to compete, or pulling the plug and potentially throwing in the towel, our Week 8 panic meter can help out your roster.
As always, the following list provides cases for why you should not worry at all, be a little bit worried, and be in a full panic for bigger names on your fantasy football rosters. This is not any advice to move on from any players in the ‘Full Panic’ section, but you should absolutely be exploring moves to try and move that problem somewhere else.
No Need to Panic
C.J. Stroud
In the battle of the first three picks from the 2023 NFL Draft, C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans were expected to hand Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers another loss this year. But the NFL had other plans.
Stroud struggled all game, failing to throw a touchdown, as the Panthers earned their first win of the year. But Stroud’s ability to be safe with the ball (1 interception all season) helps keep him relevant for your fantasy football roster, and with matchups against the Buccaneers, Bengals, and Cardinals upcoming, he has a chance to get back on track.
Even with the uncertainties at quarterback, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown has rewarded fantasy teams with a strong WR2 performance this season. But with Joshua Dobbs having been traded to Minnesota, will his production drop due to a chance at quarterback?
In the short-term, that’s a likely outcome. Houston Cougars rookie Clayton Tune is slated to start Arizona’s Week 9 matchup with Cleveland, with Kyler Murray still working his way back. But with Week 10 the likeliest return date for Murray, Brown should see his stats remain at – or even improve – his WR2 levels once his usual QB is back throwing to him.
Some Panic
James Cook
James Cook has earned double-digit carries in all but one game this year, and he has comfortably taken on the lead back role for the Buffalo Bills. But his listing in the ‘Some Panic’ category of our Week 8 panic meter is due to the Bills bringing on Leonard Fournette.
With Damien Harris (neck) now on injured reserve and Latavius Murray looking quite inefficient, Fournette looks to have finally found a home, potentially eating into Cook’s work. With not knowing how much or in what capacity, Cook resides in our cautious category this week, while more information is gathered in the coming weeks.
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It can be seen as quite concerning that Chris Olave has only caught one touchdown this season, but his connection with Derek Carr has gotten off to a rocky start. While the Saints have a strong passing attack, Carr likes to feed Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed, limiting some of Olave’s work.
The upcoming schedule for Olave and the Saints is favorable, with matchups against the Bears, Vikings, and Falcons (with a Week 11 bye sprinkled in). Olave is a big name and should be able to excel moving forward, but it is possible he continues to struggle catching passes from Carr.
Full Panic
Alexander Mattison
Even with the running game likely needing to pick up some slack after Kirk Cousins’ season-ending Achilles injury, Alexander Mattison looks like a fade for the rest of the season. Even when given the keys to the backfield, Mattison has struggled to showcase why the Vikings actually moved on from Dalvin Cook.
With Cam Akers now earning more work in the backfield, it has been a season full of disappointment for Mattison. With Joshua Dobbs now entering the fold as Minnesota’s starting QB, things could improve, but you should look elsewhere.
After starting out interception-free in his first five games, Brock Purdy has thrown five interceptions across his last three games, including two interceptions against the Vikings and Bengals.
While concerns about a concussion have dampened his strong season, Purdy just hasn’t looked like the same quarterback from earlier this season. Kyle Shanahan likely isn’t going to make a change at QB to Sam Darnold, but you should temper your expectations until Purdy looks like his early-season self.
A Week 9 bye comes at a perfect time for San Francisco, as they can work to get Purdy back on track and help get new acquisition Chase Young up to speed on the defense. Purdy has shown plenty of signs of being able to run Shanahan’s offense extremely well, but there are been way too many concerns as of late to feel confident in him moving forward.
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