Early-season surprises are falling flat. Rookies are warming up. Old faces are showing up and making immediate impacts on old offenses. New schemes are starting to take shape. As we head into Week 8, let's examine some players trending up and down in fantasy football.
Three Up
QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Much ado was made about Todd Monken's addition in Baltimore. While it may have taken a few weeks, this revamped offense is currently firing on all cylinders. While that bodes well for Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers, the biggest beneficiary is Lamar Jackson. For years, Greg Roman's offense hamstrung Jackson, not allowing for many deep shots and flowing through the run game. And through the first four weeks, things didn't look too different this year. Jackson averaged just 6.7 intended air yards per pass attempt. Over the last three weeks, he's seen that jump to 9.0. But Monken's offense is known for stretching defenses vertically, and we're starting to see that. Jackson is pushing the ball deeper downfield and excelling in that tole. PFF has Jackson ranked as the league's fifth-best deep ball passer this year. He's passing more frequently than in years past and for more yards. Unfortunately, his touchdown rate is the lowest since his rookie year. Expect that to regress positively, as Jackson looks fantastic in this new offense. Not that you weren't starting him every week, but he belongs in the weekly top-three discussion in fantasy.
RB Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams
After not playing since Week 11 of last year, Henderson showed up days before Week 7's kickoff and solidified his role as the Rams' interim starting running back. He pulled 18 carries to Royce Freeman's 12 but had a stranglehold on the passing-down and goal-line work – the high-value touches. Henderson looked a bit rusty, struggling to do much after contact or rip off big plays. But he has the faith of Sean McVay and knows his assignments, and sometimes that's all you need to be fantasy-relevant as a running back. As his conditioning increases, expect to see him pull away from Freeman as the clear lead back. Before an injury derailed Henderson's 2021 season, he averaged 18 opportunities and 15.7 PPR points per game, providing value as a high-end RB2 in fantasy football. While that won't happen again for the entirety of this season, he should maintain a similar role until Kyen Williams returns, no sooner than Week 11.
WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Puka Nacua and Zay Flowers are the only rookies with more receiving yards than Josh Downs' 401 through Week 8. Downs is just behind Michael Pittman, who has 489 yards. Much of Downs' production came in Week 7, where he amassed 125 yards. But in the two games Gardner Minshew has started, he has been looking Downs' way often. Over the last two weeks, Downs has pulled 14 targets for ten receptions, 146 yards, and two touchdowns. There were some concerns that Downs would struggle in the NFL with his small stature, but he is transitioning well to the next level and much quicker than most expected. He's a gifted route-runner with natural after-the-catch abilities. Playing on a Colts' team that could find themselves from behind often, Downs has top-30 potential for the rest of the season.
Honorable mentions: Rahee Rice, Jaxon-Smith Njigba, Emari Demercado
Three Down
RB Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard has looked excellent this year. Miles Sander has not. While the writing was on the wall heading into the Panthers' Week 8 bye, head coach Frank Reich said the backfield would be split "largely by committee" in a press conference on Monday afternoon. Looking at rushing yards over expectation per attempt, Hubbard has been top-15 among qualifying running backs with 0.53. Meanwhile, Sanders' -0.72 is the fifth-worst. Hubbard's rushing grade at PFF is fifth among all running backs, while Sanders is dead last. Simply put, Sanders has played terribly and is understandably losing work. The necessary context is that Sanders had a groin injury in the preseason and a shoulder injury over the last few weeks. While injuries could explain the dip in production this year, it's hard not to view him as a player trending down. He belongs on your bench until he proves worthy of a starting spot.
WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Drafting Christian Watson in 2023 was a bet that his exciting efficiency from his rookie season would turn into added opportunities in Year 2. That hasn't been the case so far. Watson's 5.3 targets per game are 76th in the league. While he found the end zone on busted coverage in his first game back, he hasn't been as lucky since and has produced just 8.9 PPR points per game. Watson's been getting behind defenses, but Jordan Love's deep-ball passing grade is last among starting quarterbacks. Watson isn't a polished route-runner and gets his points on big plays. Love's deficiencies as a pass can make those big plays challenging to come by. A hamstring injury got him off to a slow start, and another injury in Week 7 could set him out longer. Given the draft capital required to draft Watson this year, cutting from your fantasy team would be tough. He'd command very little interest in the trade market. It isn't easy to bench him when he is healthy due to his big-play upside. But he's not someone you feel great about having on your current roster.
TE Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
Sometimes, target volume just isn't enough. Zach Ertz is sixth in targets. He is the per-game TE17 in PPR. Meanwhile, second-year tight end Trey McBride has seen his targets increase in four consecutive outings. Ertz was a fun early-season surprise. Thirty-two years old and coming off an ACL tear, most analysts put a nail in his coffin during the offseason. He pulled eight-plus targets in three of the first four weeks, making for a decent streaming option. But his age and lack of explosiveness are showing, and the team is handing his role to the 23-year-old McBride. At this point, Ertz can be dropped to your waiver wire.