Good Surprises, Bad Surprises from Fantasy Football Week 8

We're halfway through the NFL season, and fantasy football owners have to be looking for any advantages they might get before the home stretch.

Week 8 saw a number of shocking performances, as many games were high-scoring affairs that undoubtedly swayed more than a few fantasy matchups.

Here are the good and bad surprises from this past week, along with a little advice on how to handle these players moving forward. 

Good Surprises

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Going up against Andrew Luck and the Colts, Big Ben must have decided that he wasn't going to be upstaged on Sunday.

He was absolutely dominant through the air against Indy's solid defense, racking up a ridiculous 522 yards and six touchdowns.

Usually when Roethlisberger has a great fantasy game, it's because he supplements his throwing with some rushing yards as well, but that wasn't the case this time. He was great all game, but he still isn't consistent enough to be a regular starter.

Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

I'm guessing that I am not the only person who dropped Brady at some point this season; that's looking like a pretty bad move right now.

Brady looked like his old self on Sunday, using Rob Gronkowski to stomp all over the reeling Chicago Bears to the tune of 354 yards and five scores.

He looked like a machine out there, which is good news owners who have Brady on their rosters. He's a legit top-10 fantasy quarterback again.

Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints

After missing a big chunk of time due to injury, some owners undoubtedly forgot how good Ingram looked early in the year. 

But he came roaring back on Sunday night against Green Bay, putting up a career-high 172 rushing yards on 24 carries. He also added a touchdown and one catch for three yards.

It looks like the Saints are relying more on the running game now, which makes Ingram a low-end RB1.

Bad Surprises

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

Seattle's defense carries that kind of cache from last season, but the fact of the matter is that they have only been average this season.

Yet Newton has also only been average this year and wasn't able to do anything against the Seahawks on Sunday. He managed just a meager 171 passing and 24 rushing yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble while scoring no touchdowns.

He's moving out of the QB1 discussion quickly.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Seahawks are growing tired of Lynch's antics, and he may be following Percy Harvin out the door sooner rather than later.

The running back didn't do anything to state his case against Carolina, running for 62 yards on 14 carries with no touchdowns. PPR owners didn't get any extra help either, as he caught just one pass for two yards.

Lynch is still a must-start, but his future is seriously in doubt.

Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers

It seemed like Nelson was the most bust-proof receiver this season, as the likes of Megatron, Dez, B-Marsh and Green have all seriously faltered at times.

But Nelson proved he is still human on Sunday night, catching a mere three passes for 25 yards and no touchdowns.

Owners had to be devastated watching the game, as the Saints effectively eliminated Nelson down the field and swarmed him all night. He's still a WR1, however, as long as it doesn't happen again.