Congratulations on making it through Byemageddon. One way or another. The week wasn't all that bad. We got surprise performances from Joe Flacco and Tua Tagovailoa. National Tight Ends Day was goofy, productive fantasy fun. Well, not for you, Jake Ferguson. But for everybody else.
Now, we're back to a regular, good ol' fashioned four-team bye week. As the Fantasy Gods intended.
That doesn't mean this week doesn't come with its share of headaches. A pair of top 10 quarterbacks, two RB1s and two more wideouts in the top 10 all get the week off. And that's before we get to the "will he or won't he?" portion of practice injury reports.
What's a beleaguered fantasy manager to do?
Well ... read the Sleepers column for starters. Once again, we're here to offer some alternate options to get you through the week. Maybe they're on the bench or on the waiver wire. But they could be a key player in the lineup. If you'd only let them.
By the way, check when your league's trading deadline is. It's worth peeking ahead at future schedules to see if any of this week's sleepers could be next week's trade target.
Just a thought. Anyway, here are some names.
QUARTERBACK
Murray lives in a tiny house. This is not a commentary on his physical stature. His fantasy floor has been an uninspiring 14 points. The ceiling rises all the way to a mediocre 18 points. The result is a quarterback who is functionally unstartable for fantasy managers.
But we are blessed by the Dallas Cowboys. While the world frequently changes around us, one constant has been the ungoodness of the Dallas defense. Its Gandhi defense has been generous to opposing quarterbacks both home and away. Bo Nix is the latest signal-caller to take advantage of Dallas’ benevolence with a four-touchdown performance in Week 8. Murray hasn’t been a big touchdown passer in the past few years. But based on the matchup alone, he should be able to set a new high-water mark for the fantasy season.
This might feel like point chasing after what Tagovailoa did last week against the Falcons. Maybe. It was his best fantasy output of the season, topping his 22-point outing against the Panthers in Week 5. Between those two games, there were plenty of bad vibes -- many of them coming from Tua himself. You’d be forgiven for giving up on the Dolphins offense after the past few showings.
Really, it’s more about the matchup this week. Baltimore’s defense was a frequent target of fantasy managers early in the season. Coming off the bye, it didn’t give up a touchdown pass to Caleb Williams. But it did surrender 285 passing yards. I’m not yet convinced that the Ravens have figured things out defensively. With it being a Thursday game, I wouldn’t advise making Tua your QB1 but for managers in multiple-QB formats, he has strong QB2 vibes.
The arrival of Liam Coen and the addition of Travis Hunter gave us hope that Lawrence could blossom into a fantasy quarterback we would feel good about starting every week. Early on, that hope fizzled. Lawrence scored fewer than 12 points in three of his first four games. But he and the Jags offense seem to be turning a corner recently. Lawrence has averaged more than 21 points over his last three games and hit a high-water mark with 296 passing yards in the Week 7 contest against the Rams.
Coming off the bye, Jacksonville has its most favorable matchup since Week 2. Las Vegas has the third-lowest pressure rate in the league. Only four teams have fewer interceptions. It’s an environment ripe for fantasy quarterback success. It will be interesting to see what Coen has cooked up during the bye week, but Lawrence’s recent production makes him a tantalizing option for anyone streaming the position.
RUNNING BACK
Tracy entered the season as the Giants’ RB1. He had a tenuous grasp on the job from the beginning. It didn’t take long for Cam Skattebo to cut into Tracy’s workload. After the second-year back suffered a shoulder injury in Week 3, it opened the door for the rookie to completely take over. With Skattebo unfortunately out for the year with a dislocated ankle, Tracy returns to the top of the pecking order. His ceiling might not be as high as Skattebo’s, but the workload should be a hefty one.
That is encouraging this week against the 49ers. Their defense has played hard but is feeling the loss of Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. It showed up last week when the Niners’ front line was pushed around by the Texans en route to allowing 157 rushing yards. Tracy’s contributions as a receiver are minimal but, in this context, they could be enough to lock him in as a solid RB2 option in Week 9.
The Chiefs' running back situation has been a heaping helping of meh. Last week, Isiah Pacheco ran for a season-high 58 yards. But he also suffered a sprained MCL that has him week-to-week. Kareem Hunt has a notable share of the workload, but his overall explosiveness is lacking. That could open the door this week for Smith. The rookie looks like he could be Jerick McKinnon 2.0, playing a similar role to a dynamic pass-catching back of recent Chiefs vintage.
Smith hasn’t been effective as a runner (2.5 yards per carry). He also hasn’t had many chances to tote the rock. Only once this season has he had more than five carries in a game -- that was late in K.C.’s blowout win over the Raiders. But if Pacheco can’t go, Smith should see more snaps and touches. The best-case scenario would be if those touches came in the form of receptions against a Bills defense that has been friendly to opposing running backs. Smith has flex appeal, although he will mostly be viable in deeper leagues.
WIDE RECEIVER
The 2025 DK Metcalf Fantasy Experience has felt a lot like the 2024 DK Metcalf Fantasy Experience. He’s averaging nearly the same number of fantasy points per game as he was at this time last season. This year, Metcalf has fewer catches and yards but more touchdowns. It’s the reason fantasy managers can’t quit him, even if the weekly production is underwhelming.
This week’s matchup against the Colts projects Metcalf to be at least whelming. Maybe even overwhelming. Only two teams have allowed more yards to receivers. Last week, Indy had issues with rookie Chimere Dike running routes in the middle of the field. Metcalf runs about 40 percent of his routes along the seam with a heavy number of in-breakers. Even with a diverse target spread in Pittsburgh, Metcalf is in position to post low-end WR1 numbers this week.
Midway through Year 2 is too soon to declare Harrison a bust. It’s not too soon, however, to admit that he doesn’t consistently belong in fantasy lineups. Not yet, anyway. Harrison has just two 100-yard games, compared to nine outings with fewer than 40 yards. He’s not the alpha on his own team -- that’s Trey McBride. But occasionally, Harrison finds his way into a nice game.
This could be one of those occasions. Not sure if you’ve heard, but the Cowboys defense is bad. No defense has allowed more fantasy points per game to wide receivers. No defense has allowed more touchdowns to wide receivers. Only the Giants have given up more yards. Fantasy managers have to pick their spots to plug Harrison into their lineups. This is one of those spots.
TIGHT END
Loveland is in the unfortunate position of being compared to Tyler Warren. That’s what happens when you’re the first tight end off the board and the guy taken behind you is in the running for Offensive Rookie of the Year. It was always going to be tough for Loveland to stand out on a team with a lot of options for touches. It’s even tougher when you’re stuck behind Cole Kmet.
That last obstacle could be cleared in Week 9. Kmet missed last week with a back injury. While he’s not expected to go on injured reserve, he could miss another week. That would thrust Loveland into a larger role against the Bengals. Good news! Cincinnati has given up 10 touchdowns to tight ends -- four more than the next closest team. If the Bengals can continue to score, it will force Chicago to throw the ball. Loveland could the recipient of that aerial assault.
DEFENSE
It hasn’t shown in the win column, but the Titans offense is making strides. Cam Ward had his most productive day as a passer last week – with a season-high in fantasy points, to boot. Tennessee has also tapped into fellow rookie Chimere Dike as playmaker in the passing game. Nonetheless, they’re still an easy mark for streaming defenses.
Tennessee leads the league in turnovers with at least one in every game. No quarterback has been sacked more than Ward. He’s endured six games where he’s been sacked four or more times. Streaming against this offense has been fantasy gold. The Chargers could be a top three fantasy DST in Week 9.
No one would have imagined the Jacksonville Jaguars being the DST1 after the first five weeks. But that’s what happens when you have an amazing run of turnover luck. The Jags notched 14 takeaways in their first five games. Three weeks later … they still have 14 takeaways. It’s no coincidence that the fantasy production nosedived.
Good news, everyone! The Raiders are on the schedule. The Titans lead the way in turnovers. But it’s not from lack of effort on Las Vegas’ part. Geno Smith’s league-leading 10 interceptions are the biggest culprit. And for good measure, the Silver and Black have ceded 19 sacks. The Jaguars could get a turnover buffet in Vegas.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy analyst for NFL.com and a man who really should just go to bed. Send him your sensible ideas or fantasy football questions on X @MarcasG or Bluesky @marcasg.bsky.social.
