Top 5 Passing Matchups Week 8
To view all of our Week 8 Matchup content, please see the links below:
Top 5 Passing Matchups Week 8
Bottom 5 Passing Matchups Week 8
Top 5 Rushing Matchups Week 8
Bottom 5 Rushing Matchups Week 8
Rushing Matchup Chart Week 8
Passing Matchup Chart Week 8
Carolina vs Atlanta
The Panthers keep getting sound, sometimes dynamic quarterback play from Teddy Bridgewater, stabilizing one of football’s most intriguing young units. Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore, and the rest of the talented arsenal keep finding soft spots, using the whole field to make plays with Bridgewater’s mediocre arm. It’s been impressive to see new Matt Rhule and Joe Brady tailor things so well. Anderson has emerged as the leader of the pack, drawing a team-high 25% target share and producing 91 yards per game. Across the field, Moore has excelled with his up-and-down volume (10.7 yards per target) in his own right. This group showed well last week against Marshon Lattimore and the Saints, and they face a much more forgiving matchup this Thursday
The Falcons pass defense still serves as fantasy’s most consistently target-worthy matchup. Thus far in 2020, they’ve allowed all 7 opponents to top 300 yards easily, with 12 different receivers recording 80 yards or more. Those are stunning stats that have actually become commonplace for this unit. There’s simply not much coverage talent to speak of, with prized rookie A.J. Terrell anchoring arguably the league’s worst all-around secondary. Terrell continues to impress but is only one man, and the duo of Kendall Sheffield and Isaiah Oliver is simply overmatched against starting-caliber wideouts. The safeties provide little support down the field, leaving wide zones for playmakers like Justin Jefferson (166), and Kenny Golladay (114), and Robby Anderson himself (112 yards) to exploit. One need look no further back than last week when Golladay and the Lions connected on 8 of their 9 deep balls (15+ yards downfield) for 195 yards. Until this unit stops someone, anyone, it’s easily the most fun to target in all of fantasy.
San Francisco at Seattle
The 49ers pass game has been remarkably efficient since Jimmy Garoppolo’s return. Garoppolo is certainly a limited passer, but coach Kyle Shanahan recognizes that and has tailored a workable system to it. Leading the way is tight end George Kittle, still seemingly improving across the board, week after week. Kittle has commanded a robust 23% of Garoppolo’s targets thus far, and there are few defenders capable of keeping up with his all-around game. Top wideout Deebo Samuel won’t suit up Sunday, but rookie chess piece Brandon Aiyuk has more or less surpassed him anyway. Aiyuk’s versatility on short and intermediate routes continues to manufacture big plays in the absence of a deep-ball game.
The Seahawks present very little challenge to opposing pass games. It’s true they’ve opened the season against a fairly tough run of quarterbacks, but they’ve been gashed just about across the board. Five of their six opponents have topped 300 yards… four of those have reached 360… and two of them cleared 450. It’s taken hefty volume, of course, to get there, as Seattle games have become synonymous with high-paced shootouts. It’s hard to find a strong matchup here for the likes of Kittle, for starters. (This is where All-Pro safety Jamal Adams’ return would be especially helpful.) The Seahawks have allowed career-high totals to Irv Smith and Dan Arnold in their past two games, so Kittle of course projects through the roof. On the outside, the Seahawks trot out one of football’s weakest batch of cornerbacks. Shaq Griffin, Quinton Dunbar, and Tre Flowers have taken turns giving up big completions, and the team desperately misses Adams on the back end. Still, even when Adams was healthy, this unit was consistently steamrolled. Simply put, Garoppolo projects to perhaps his most efficient day of the entire season.
Green Bay vs Minnesota
The Packers pass game continues to breeze through its relatively light early schedule. After a one-week hiccup, Aaron Rodgers got back on the MVP-level track Sunday in rolling the Texans. Rodgers recorded 283 yards and 4 touchdowns, putting the game to bed with his arm midway through the third quarter. Unsurprisingly, Davante Adams claimed 196 of those yards, catching 13 of his 16 looks (a 47% target share). He dominates this attack like few in recent memory, and the other pieces chime in only situationally. Robert Tonyan Jr, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and the running backs all make themselves available for big plays, though they’re all but impossible to project ahead of time. As Adams goes, so goes this unit, so it’s always exciting to see him line up against a weak set of cornerbacks. If Week 1 was any barometer, the Vikings simply don’t have the horses to contain him.
The Vikings’ rebuilt secondary has lacked in health, cohesion, and scheduling luck, setting up a truly horrid start to 2020. Only eight teams have allowed more yards and touchdowns through the air - and bear in mind that the Vikings have already had their bye. Rookie cornerbacks Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler both have long-term tools but have been horrendous in coverage thus far, giving up downfield yardage in chunks all season. Depending on how the injury report falls, they’ll be supported by a crew of Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, and Harrison Hand, and virtually every piece of this secondary has been burned at least once or twice. Not even the presence of Harrison Smith, still a premier ballhawk as a centerfield safety, is enough to stop the bleeding. Amazingly, this unit has already allowed 12 receivers to record 60 yards - and 5 of those easily topped 100. All Adams did in Week 1 was turn 17 targets into 156 and 2 touchdowns, as the Vikings semi-shadowed him with the talented but raw Hill. It’s hard to imagine any of these names are up to the task for the rematch.
Kansas City vs NY Jets
The Chiefs, led by the league’s best quarterback and most dynamic set of weaponry, can excel and win through the air as easy as anyone in football. They don’t always have to, of course, as game script often winds up tilting the Chiefs’ way. Last Sunday, Patrick Mahomes II and his receivers were ultra-efficient in an easy win, posting 8.7 yards per attempt but checking out early in the fourth quarter. When pressed to throw 35+ times, though, there’s still no better combination of floor and ceiling. Even if Sammy Watkins is forced to sit again, there are so many dynamic pieces in play that Mahomes can maximize any volume - and the matchup is rarely a factor. Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and the others are in a prime position to win their one-on-one showdowns much more often than not.
The Jets continue to trot out one of football’s shakiest pass-game units. Opponents are completing 71% of their throws, and while most haven’t needed to throw much, three have been able to top 300 yards. The Jets boast a low-key star in safety Marcus Maye, who’s been thrust into the all-around Jamal Adams role and excelled in it. But Maye can only do so much, and he certainly can’t make up for such an undermanned cornerback group. Pierre Desir, Blessaun Austin, and Lamar Jackson have taken turns giving up splash plays down the field throughout the young season. Downfield tackling was a huge culprit in last week’s loss, as the Bills chewed the field efficiently on underneath routes to the tune of 307 yards. Only 38 of those yards came on deep balls (15+ yards downfield); the Jets simply struggled mightily to end plays and snuff out drives. That’s not optimal, especially with Mahomes and his weapons up on the schedule.
Cincinnati vs Tennessee
The Bengals’ high-paced, high-volume pass game has kept rookie quarterback Joe Burrow near the fantasy QB1 level for most of his debut. Burrow isn’t throwing downfield much - just 18 completions of 20+ yards - but continues to produce overall. Operating without much of an offensive line, Burrow absorbs more than his share of sacks, yet he’s topped 300 yards in 5 of his 7 games. That line, which could be without key members Jonah Williams and Trey Hopkins Sunday, has played a role in Burrow’s blossoming connection with slot receiver Tyler Boyd. Often pressured to get the ball away early, Burrow isn’t averse to leaning heavily on Boyd, who does most of his work inside and/or underneath. A.J. Green has been invisible for much of the year, but the team has uncovered a gem in second-round rookie Tee Higgins. The speedster has posted 70+ yards in 4 straight games, offering a boost that contrasts nicely with the dependable short game.
The Titans pass defense has been bullied through the start of 2020, allowing the league’s seventh-most yards per game (272) and 15 touchdowns. It’s an aggressive unit if nothing else; they’ve already intercepted nine balls on the season, second-most in football, including three off of Ben Roethlisberger just last week. But that style can always backfire, allowing yardage in chunks to patient receivers down the field. Through six games thus far, eight different receivers have topped 80 yards in this matchup. Pittsburgh rarely tested the waters downfield Sunday, but JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson repeatedly moved the chains en route to 165 yards (and 2 touchdowns) on their 18 receptions. Cornerback Malcolm Butler simply doesn’t live up to his marginal name value anymore, and they’ll be without rookie slot man Kristian Fulton in the short term. Replacement Tye Smith is experienced, but a liability in general, especially against a proven talent like Boyd. With the matchups not exactly pointing their way, the Titans will likely need to force Burrow into errant throws and giveaways to prevent too big a stat line.
