Fantasy Football Week 8: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

What a wild and woolly Week 8 it was in the NFL. It was even crazier in the fantasy football realm.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went nuclear, and he was probably on your bench. Two Arizona Cardinals wide receivers had big days, and Michael Floyd laid a big goose egg. 

We saw the return of T-1000 as New England tight end Rob Gronkowski laid the smack down on the Chicago Bears. Rookie receivers ruled the skies and good matchups turned into fantasy nightmares for the likes of Green Bay receiver Jordy Nelson and Cleveland running back Ben Tate.

There was so much to see. Here is some of that, distilled for your imbibing pleasure.

Gronk Is All the Way Back

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"Gronk see Bears. Gronk smash Bears."

The New England Patriots destroyed the Chicago Bears this week, and they did it behind tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The massive tight end laid waste to the Bears defense, catching nine passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns. That included a 46-yard catch-and-rumble into the end zone, and he very nearly got into the end zone a fourth time.

He got off to a slow start this year thanks to a shredded knee from the 2013 season, an injury from which he was still recovering throughout the preseason. Perhaps his sluggish start was the reason why the whole Patriots offense looked off in the first quarter of the season.

If you happen to own Gronkowski, stick with him. He's all the way back, and there is no reason to contemplate selling high on him—he is liable to score 10 more touchdowns on the season.

Perhaps more importantly, quarterback Tom Brady is back among the fantasy elite thanks to Gronk's return to full strength, and the rest of the offense seems to be benefiting in the fantasy realm as well.

Cordarrelle Patterson Is Viable Again

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It has been a long and painful season for fantasy owners of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Perhaps the road to healing went through Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers and Vikings played a riveting snoozer that wasn't conducive to fantasy scoring. Through it all, though, Patterson managed to have 96 total yards.

It was an encouraging sign that Patterson might be emerging from the doldrums of fantasy scoring. It wasn't a huge output, but his usage was the key takeaway. Patterson saw 12 targets against the Buccaneers, almost a third of his total heading into Sunday's action.

The matchup was as good as it would ever be for Patterson, as NFL.com's Marcas Grant put it:

"

It was another decent day from Jerick McKinnon. And -- surprise, surprise! -- from Cordarrelle Patterson as well. If if didn't happen for Flash today, it was never going to happen. Still, don't rush out and immediately plug him in your lineup unless the matchup is really favorable.

"

Hopefully this signals a 2014 breakout for the second-year receiver, but Grant is right—tread carefully. He was also spotted in a walking boot after the game, per Master Tesfatsion of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, though he said he would be fine.

After the game, he also told reporters, "I hope next week I get more catches than I did this week," per Tesfatsion. We do too in fantasyland.

Never Bet Against Antonio Brown

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The Indianapolis Colts presented a tough matchup for the Pittsburgh Steelers, particularly in the passing game. It's amazing how much one injury can change things.

Indy's stud cornerback Vontae Davis left the game early with injury, and the floodgates opened wide as a result. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger nearly broke the single-game record for passing yards, and wide receiver Antonio Brown caught 133 of them. 

He also had a pair of touchdowns, including an incredible one-handed catch in the end zone.

It's too bad Davis went out of the game—it would have been fun to see he and Brown go toe-to-toe throughout the day, perhaps preventing a blowout in the process. Brown has established himself as one of the best receivers in the game, though.

In other words, Brown is virtually matchup-proof.

The Jaguars Are No Slouches on Defense

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One team that did manage to bottle Antonio Brown up is one of the unlikeliest in the league, though that was ages ago at this point. That would be the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Miami Dolphins rolled into Jacksonville on a roll offensively, having narrowly lost to the Green Bay Packers in Week 6 and thrashed the Chicago Bears in Week 7. 

It wasn't a close affair in the end, but the Jaguars defense didn't make things easy for the Dolphins offensively.

Miami's offense ran 19 plays in the first half, unable to generate much production for most of the half thanks to solid defensive line play that exploited the Dolphins offensive line.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill couldn't get anything going until late in the third quarter, salvaging his fantasy output with a touchdown pass to receiver Rishard Matthews.

Running back Lamar Miller wound up with nearly 100 total yards, but he failed to get into the end zone on a relatively disappointing day in the fantasy realm. No. 1 receiver Mike Wallace had just two receptions, one of which mercifully went for 50 yards for anyone who started him.

All that to say the Jaguars are not pushovers on defense. This has been the case for a little while now—the Jaguars had been among the stingiest defenses against all positions in the three weeks before the Dolphins came to town—but it's worth noting for fantasy owners of players going up against them in the coming weeks.

The Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts are next. Take note.

Coo Coo Ca Choo, Mr. Robinson

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Last week we saw what Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson could do. The question was whether he could hold up to the rigors of NFL life as a running back.

At least that's what Jacksonville's staff was concerned about.

With Toby Gerhart coming back from injury, we didn't quite know what we were going to get out of Robinson. The Miami Dolphins were no slouches on defense, either, having given up just over 100 rushing yards per game on 3.8 yards per carry.

Robinson had no problem with either factor, shredding the Dolphins defense for 108 yards on 18 carries. He is the only reason the Jaguars had a respectable showing on Sunday.

Gerhart, meanwhile, saw just five touches in his return, and Storm Johnson was a healthy scratch.

Robinson is the lead back in Jacksonville. If you landed him on the waiver wire, congratulations. If he's somehow still available, grab him immediately.

Justin Hunter Is Starting to Shine

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Despite a healthy number of targets, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter had an awful start to his season. He had plenty of potential, but a combination of poor throws and stone hands sunk his fantasy stock to the depths at wide receiver.

The stone hands may still be a problem from time to time, but Hunter's stock is on the rise. At least if his performance on Sunday is any indicator.

Rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger got his first start for the Titans, and he looked Hunter's way early and often.

The big receiver garnered 10 targets from Mettenberger, by far the most of any Titans receiver on Sunday. He caught just four of those—there is clearly room for improvement—but one of those went for a touchdown.

Martavis Bryant Wasn't a Flash in the Pan

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have found themselves another stud receiver in the middle rounds of the NFL draft.

Martavis Bryant broke the Steelers mold when they drafted him in the fourth round this past spring. The 6'4" monster out of Clemson provides a much different look than the smaller receivers they had seen in the past like Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

Bryant, who was the rawest of them all, seems to be coming to fruition in the middle of his rookie season, and the Steelers are all the better for it.

The big wideout caught five passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns to open the scoring against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, cementing himself as the No. 3 receiver while putting some pressure on incumbent No. 2 Markus Wheaton.

The latter had a fine game himself, and it shouldn't matter much where Bryant is on the depth chart if he keeps getting targeted. 

Rookies Are Raving in 2014

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Martavis Bryant wasn't the only rookie receiver to have a nice day on Sunday.

Donte Moncrief had himself a great one on the other side, catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown for the Indianapolis Colts. The rookie out of Ole Miss became the latest in a growing list of rookie receivers breaking out this season. 

Arizona's John Brown caught a game-winning 75-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, yet another big showing for the third-round rookie out of Pittsburg State. 

The marquee names weren't bad either. Buffalo's Sammy Watkins had 157 yards and a touchdown, though his early celebration on an earlier would-be touchdown might make bigger headlines. 

Brandin Cooks helped the New Orleans Saints blow out the Green Bay Packers with a pair of touchdowns and 98 total yards.

Kelvin Benjamin didn't get into the end zone, but he managed to catch four passes for 94 yards against cornerback Richard Sherman and the Seattle Seahawks, including an amazing 51-yard snag between Sherman and fellow Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas.

All in all, it has been a good year for rookie receivers. Pick 'em up if they're available and start 'em if you've got 'em. 

Bad Games Are Bad for Fantasy Football

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A couple of Sunday games were black holes of despair.

Two generous defenses met in Cleveland, making for some tantalizing fantasy options where there normally aren't many. 

The Browns and Oakland Raiders were among the worst run defenses in the league heading into Week 8. That made Cleveland running back Ben Tate and his Oakland counterpart Darren McFadden decent fliers or cheap options in daily fantasy contests

Cleveland and Oakland staged a veritable bunt-fest, however, kicking field goals for much of the game before the Browns pulled away late. Garbage-time touchdowns for Tate and Raiders receiver Andre Holmes saved their fantasy days, but it was a disappointing output all around.

Over in Tampa Bay, the Vikings stole one away in overtime, and they only scored 19 points in victory. Six of those points came on rookie linebacker Anthony Barr's game-winning strip and fumble recovery for a touchdown in overtime.

The offense only managed 13 points despite Tampa Bay's porous defense. What was supposed to be a nice matchup for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, running back Jerick McKinnon and receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Greg Jennings turned out to be a fantasy quagmire for owners everywhere.

Only Patterson had a decent day.

Fantasy owners should be wary of starting players in games featuring bad or mediocre teams with low over-under predictions. That number was 43.5 for the Cleveland-Oakland tilt and 43 for Minnesota at Tampa Bay.

The Hottest Waiver-Wire Pickup of the Week Will Be...

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It's Michael Vick time once again in the NFL.

The New York Jets turned to their backup quarterback after starter Geno Smith threw up three interceptions in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills. Vick came in and promptly turned the ball over three times himself—two lost fumbles out of four and an interception—but he was slightly better than his counterpart.

Vick completed half his passes for 153 yards. Better yet, he rushed eight times for 69 yards in a bit of a vintage look.

After the game, a team spokesman confirmed that Smith suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder, per Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media. While head coach Rex Ryan was noncommittal about the starting gig, it seems Vick could have taken over the job for now.

There will be some other good waiver-wire additions, naturally—guys like the aforementioned Martavis Bryant or Donte Moncrief, for example—but Vick has the opportunity and ability to be a waiver-wire wonder once more.

All fantasy statistics and rankings courtesy of FFToday.com.

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