Week 8 Rankings Update

DeMarco Murray didn't wow me on his 91-yard touchdown run to start last week's game. It was all the runs that came after his long score that impressed.

We knew Murray could run through a Wilfork-sized hole and make a safety miss in the open field. We didn't know that he could decisively pick a hole and gain chunks of yards on play after play after that.

Sure, it came against the Rams. He's not going to rack up 253 yards again, but that's not the point. Murray showed a more versatile game than I expected. He made people miss between the tackles at times and ran over defenders other times. He has the speed to get to the outside, but didn't seek the edge when it wasn't there.

More than anything, Murray ran with aggression and knew when to head upfield. It was usually sharp and decisive. Murray may not be a special talent, but just running hard is enough to rack up solid numbers for a while. He's going to be an every-week player until Felix Jones is back, and possibly a top-20 player after that.

Murray feels like a ticking time bomb because of his history of injuries, but he should provide a fun ride while it lasts.


Week 8 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: A note on the notes first. I don’t write notes to encompass everyone. It’s primarily about the games I focus on Sundays, and the Game Rewind games I watch during the week. And off we go:

I watched every Tim Tebow snap last week. You can’t feel better about him as a fantasy prospect after the performance. The numbers added up in the end, which does show that he’s a safe weekly bet because of his running skills. But he seems to have taken a step back as a passer without Josh McDaniels there. He doesn’t wind up getting a lot of his numbers if the Dolphins just recover an onside kick. Half of Tebow’s throws were comically off. His attempt total was down largely because he took so many sacks and couldn’t make good decisions. He threw a few passes that should have been picked off. The Broncos consistently called runs on third-and-three or third-and-five. The first 10 first downs came on the ground. And this all came against Miami.

I still see Tebow as a borderline QB1 moving forward, but feel less confident he can be a top-five type of guy this year.

It will be very interesting to see Jason Garrett’s gameplan this week. It has been very conservative the last two weeks. Tony Romo owners better hope Garrett opens it up. Romo has still been shying away from contact because of his ribs. … The only risk for Drew Brees owners this week is that Brees comes out after three quarters because the Saints have such a big lead again. That offense is rolling with all of the weapons healthy and the offensive line improving.

Wesseling watched Jets-Chargers this week and wondered if Philip Rivers’ arm strength is diminished. I came away thinking his accuracy is just as big a problem. Rivers is just a little off here and there, but it’s adding up. The Chargers are a vertical team and their receivers aren’t getting separation. Whatever plays Norv Turner dialed up to take shots aren’t working this year. It’s affecting Rivers’ decision-making. He’s forcing passes. I give Rivers a decent chance to turn things around because the pieces remain in place. He’s not a bad trade target.

Matt Hasselbeck has no one to throw to. He’s not a great option, even in a great matchup like this. Too many drops and mental errors from his receivers. … Aaron Rodgers is overshadowing him, but Tom Brady is playing at an insane level. While he’s had more interceptions, a big chunk of those picks came off tipped passes. He’s moving in the pocket to avoid rushers like he was a decade ago. So many of Brady’s throws are into tight windows. The Patriots struggled to get the ball vertical against the Ryan brothers, so that’s something to watch this week. Brady has always shredded the Steelers.

DeMarco Murray didn't wow me on his 91-yard touchdown run to start last week's game. It was all the runs that came after his long score that impressed.

We knew Murray could run through a Wilfork-sized hole and make a safety miss in the open field. We didn't know that he could decisively pick a hole and gain chunks of yards on play after play after that.

Sure, it came against the Rams. He's not going to rack up 253 yards again, but that's not the point. Murray showed a more versatile game than I expected. He made people miss between the tackles at times and ran over defenders other times. He has the speed to get to the outside, but didn't seek the edge when it wasn't there.

More than anything, Murray ran with aggression and knew when to head upfield. It was usually sharp and decisive. Murray may not be a special talent, but just running hard is enough to rack up solid numbers for a while. He's going to be an every-week player until Felix Jones is back, and possibly a top-20 player after that.

Murray feels like a ticking time bomb because of his history of injuries, but he should provide a fun ride while it lasts.


Week 8 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: A note on the notes first. I don’t write notes to encompass everyone. It’s primarily about the games I focus on Sundays, and the Game Rewind games I watch during the week. And off we go:

I watched every Tim Tebow snap last week. You can’t feel better about him as a fantasy prospect after the performance. The numbers added up in the end, which does show that he’s a safe weekly bet because of his running skills. But he seems to have taken a step back as a passer without Josh McDaniels there. He doesn’t wind up getting a lot of his numbers if the Dolphins just recover an onside kick. Half of Tebow’s throws were comically off. His attempt total was down largely because he took so many sacks and couldn’t make good decisions. He threw a few passes that should have been picked off. The Broncos consistently called runs on third-and-three or third-and-five. The first 10 first downs came on the ground. And this all came against Miami.

I still see Tebow as a borderline QB1 moving forward, but feel less confident he can be a top-five type of guy this year.

It will be very interesting to see Jason Garrett’s gameplan this week. It has been very conservative the last two weeks. Tony Romo owners better hope Garrett opens it up. Romo has still been shying away from contact because of his ribs. … The only risk for Drew Brees owners this week is that Brees comes out after three quarters because the Saints have such a big lead again. That offense is rolling with all of the weapons healthy and the offensive line improving.

Wesseling watched Jets-Chargers this week and wondered if Philip Rivers’ arm strength is diminished. I came away thinking his accuracy is just as big a problem. Rivers is just a little off here and there, but it’s adding up. The Chargers are a vertical team and their receivers aren’t getting separation. Whatever plays Norv Turner dialed up to take shots aren’t working this year. It’s affecting Rivers’ decision-making. He’s forcing passes. I give Rivers a decent chance to turn things around because the pieces remain in place. He’s not a bad trade target.

Matt Hasselbeck has no one to throw to. He’s not a great option, even in a great matchup like this. Too many drops and mental errors from his receivers. … Aaron Rodgers is overshadowing him, but Tom Brady is playing at an insane level. While he’s had more interceptions, a big chunk of those picks came off tipped passes. He’s moving in the pocket to avoid rushers like he was a decade ago. So many of Brady’s throws are into tight windows. The Patriots struggled to get the ball vertical against the Ryan brothers, so that’s something to watch this week. Brady has always shredded the Steelers.

Week 8 Running Backs

RB Notes: I don’t think the Giants solved their rush game woes just because Ahmad Bradshaw scored three times against the Bills. Bradshaw actually didn’t have a lot of room to run that afternoon. Brandon Jacobs is back now to siphon value. … The Bills, on the other hand, have an underrated run-blocking group. This is especially true on the interior, where I think they can take advantage of Washington’s aggressive defense.

The long speed of Frank Gore is a little diminished, but the rest of his skills haven’t left. He’s still great in the pass game and he’s always had great instincts and vision. The Browns are strong up the middle, which could make Gore’s life tougher since he doesn’t get to the outside as well. But I’d draft Gore today right where I would in September: Right around No. 10 at running back. Kendall Hunter could keep him fresher late in the season. … This will be a Danny Woodhead game for the Patriots. They won’t bother to run much on the Steelers unless it’s out of shotgun. Stevan Ridley doesn’t get on the field enough on passing downs to trust.

It’s a shame Willis McGahee was hurt because he was running well. Denver’s offensive line can open up holes and Detroit isn’t a great run defense. Don’t be surprised if Lance Ball gets just as much work as Knowshon Moreno. The Broncos staff doesn’t seem to love Moreno. … If it wasn’t clear yet, the 2010 Arian Foster is back and Houston’s line is playing outstanding. In the right matchup, Ben Tate is going to be a decent flex despite being a backup. This is not one of those matchups. Foster doesn’t get enough credit for his skills as a receiver.

Steven Jackson gets hit in the backfield too much. When he gets some room, the explosion is gone. The effort is there. If nothing else, the Rams are staying committed to the run even with the Rams trail. … Mike Tolbert played a lot in the red zone last week, even when Ryan Mathews was healthy enough to be out there. Mathews was just a little hesitant last week, whether it was his finger or his hamstring. It’s something to watch, but you have to play him.

I’ll believe Ryan Torain gets all the carries in Washington when I see it. … Jackie Battle is ranked so high largely because there aren’t many great options outsie the top-15. And the Chargers rush defense is easy to push around. … Bernard Scott should get 15-20 touches, so I trust him as a RB2.

Week 8 Wide Receivers

WR Notes: I’m stubborn enough to keep ranking Mario Manningham high. He had two scores taken away in his last game against Buffalo. It’s a vertical passing attack and ultimately the Giants trust Manningham more than Victor Cruz. … Michael Crabtree is getting there. He was making tough catches again before the bye week. Everything with him is short and he may never be a guy that stretches the field, but his yards after the catch against Detroit showed me he’s truly healthy again. I like him a lot as a WR2/3 the rest of the way.

Dez Bryant still seems to make a boneheaded mistake or big drop every game, but it really doesn’t matter. He finally had some second half production last week. He is hurt less than Miles Austin from Tony Romo’s suddenly conservative play. I’m not too worried about Austin yet, however. Last week’s game especially was a function of playing the Rams. The Cowboys didn’t have to throw it deep. … Brandon Marshall’s drops have become painful to watch. At least Matt Moore is going to play this week. It’s sad that’s become good news.

Tebow is going to dramatically hurt the values of Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas, and Eddie Royal long term. They are going to cancel each other out. It’s a running offense. They called 11 runs out of shotgun. They will run half the time, and Tebow may not be accurate the other half. With that said, Thomas should be owned in all leagues. The potential is there for him to be the No. 1 guy. … I loved to see the trust the Rams put in Brandon Lloyd right away. His biggest catch came in garbage time but he was clearly the No. 1 guy despite playing in his first game on the team. A.J. Feeley figures to start again. … Vincent Jackson looked plenty healthy last week. He just got Revis’d. I’m not too concerned long term.

Week 8 Tight Ends

TE Notes: The Patriots design more offense for Aaron Hernandez than Rob Gronkowski. Hernandez is ridiculously good after the catch and should look fresh again coming off the bye. … Jason Witten has slowed down literally, but it’s not showing up in the numbers. He’s on pace for the best season of his career and his yards-per-catch is higher than ever. Jimmy Graham is the only tight end I’d rather have than Witten. Owen Daniels’ role didn’t change a ton with Andre Johnson out of the lineup. If A.J. returns, don’t adjust his value. … Fred Davis is probably going to have stinkers, but he’s the best of the second tier of tight ends this year. An every-week starter.

Week 8 Team Defense

Week 8 Kickers