Week 8 Thursday Night Fantasy Football Takeaways: Return of Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua Makes Rams' Other Wideouts Pretty Nonexistent | Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson Lead Vikings in Loss

The eighth week of the NFL got started with a key NFC battle between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

Let’s discuss some fantasy football takeaways from the contest.

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Team Stats

The Rams picked up a massive win, knocking off the Vikings 30-20. 

Los Angeles had 386 total yards of offense, with 279 passing yards and 107 rushing yards. The team turned the ball over once, didn’t allow a sack and was called for six penalties - the word “called” there is key.

Minnesota had 276 total yards on offense, with 240 in the air and 64 on the ground. The Vikings didn’t turn the ball over, were sacked three times and got called for nine penalties.

Kupp and Nacua Return

The Rams are back to serious playoff contenders again with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in the lineup.

Nacua was surprisingly active after just having his 21-day practice window opened. He had 106 receiving yards on seven receptions and nine targets. He rushed twice for an additional five yards. Nacua needs to be in your starting lineup every week.

Kupp had just 51 yards on five catches and eight targets, but he scored a touchdown to deliver a good fantasy score. He’s another must-start fantasy wideout, regardless of the defensive matchup.

The only other receiver who accomplished anything big was Demarcus Robinson, and his big fantasy day was mostly due to catching two touchdowns. He had just 35 yards on two grabs and three targets.

Tight end Hunter Long had an 18-yard catch on his lone target. Tutu Atwell went for 18 yards on his lone catch across two targets. Colby Parkinson had just 17 yards on two grabs and targets. Tyler Johnson was held to a six-yard catch on his only target.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Nacua and Kupp dominate. When those two are active, there’s no other pass catchers worth a starting spot in standard leagues. Even in deeper leagues, playing Robinson, Atwell, Parkinson or Johnson is a desperation play, and you’re hoping for a big play or touchdown for a respectable fantasy score.

You can safely drop the secondary receivers in standard leagues. You can probably drop Parkinson too. I’d hold Parkinson for now in deeper leagues, while also hanging on to Robinson and Atwell. I think you’re safe to drop Johnson.

Jordan Whittington missed the game with an injury, but I don’t anticipate him having a consistent role with Nacua and Kupp back.

Stafford Back to a Good Streaming Option

Of course, with his top two receivers back, quarterback Matthew Stafford had a good fantasy day.

He completed 25 of his 34 passes for 279 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.

It was the second-most passing yards Stafford has thrown for this season. The other came back in week 1, when the team had both Nacua and Kupp active. 

Stafford is back in the weekly streaming discussion now, and is probably going to be one of the better options every week. You still will want to play matchups a bit with him, but he’s more trustworthy than a lot of the current streaming options.

Williams Isn't Going Anywhere

With Nacua and Kupp back, Kyren Williams still had a monster fantasy day.

He rushed 23 times, gaining 97 yards. He didn’t find the end zone on the ground, but caught a touchdown on his five receptions and seven targets. Williams had 19 receiving yards.

Williams went over 100 total yards for the fourth time in seven games. He’s scored at least one touchdown in each game, and needs to be in your starting lineup every week, regardless of the defensive matchup.

Blake Corum is his handcuff. He had nine rushing yards on four carries and added a nine-yard reception on his lone target. Corum will only be a fantasy asset if Williams gets banged up.

Darnold, Jones, Jefferson Have Good Showings

Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson all had fine fantasy showings, but I wouldn’t classify any of the performances as great.

Jefferson had 115 yards on eight catches and nine targets. Because he didn’t score, he’s unlikely to finish as the top PPR fantasy wideout this week. It’s still a good fantasy total, and he absolutely deserves to start every week, but Jefferson might never reach that elite fantasy level with Darnold throwing to him.

Jones had 58 rushing yards on 19 carries, but added two receptions for 37 yards across two targets to deliver a better fantasy score. Aside from Darnold, Jones was the only Viking to get a carry in the contest. His job is safe, and he needs to be starting every week at this point.

Darnold was 18-of-25 passing for 240 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added six rushing yards on three attempts. It was a solid fantasy performance, with the biggest positive being no turnovers. He remains in the streaming conversation, but is going to be on the lower end of things most weeks.

Not Many Other Vikings Contribute

No other Minnesota player had over 30 total yards.

Josh Oliver had 30 yards and a touchdown on two catches and targets. His value will dry up when T.J. Hockenson is ready to play, which could very well be in week 9.

Jordan Addison turned in very underwhelming totals. He had 22 yards on three targets and two catches. He’s always going to be in Jefferson’s shadow, but up-and-down showings has Addison on the wrong side of the flex starter conversation right now.

Jalen Nailor had 16 yards on two catches and four targets. He was a good fantasy option when Addison was out, but isn’t startable outside extremely deep leagues now.

Trent Sherfield Sr. caught a 10-yard touchdown, while Johnny Mundt had a 10-yard grab across two targets. Neither are big-time fantasy options, even in really deep leagues.

IDP Standouts

Minnesota’s Ivan Pace finished with 13 combined tackles on Thursday night. He has 44 combined tackles, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and two sacks on the season. That’s great production, but something that might not be sustainable after Blake Cashman returns from his injury.

Minnesota’s Harrison Smith had eight combined tackles. Smith has 45 tackles, four passes defensed and a sack for the season. It’s not great production, but it’s good enough for some play in deeper IDP leagues.

Los Angeles’ Jared Verse had three combined tackles and 1.5 sacks. The 2024 first-round pick now has 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks on the season. He’s one to definitely own in keeper/dynasty IDP leagues, and is producing enough to own in deeper IDP redraft leagues.

Minnesota’s Byron Murphy had four combined tackles, two passes defensed and an interception. He has 35 tackles, six passes defensed, a forced fumble and two picks now for the season. That’s solid production out of a defensive back, and worth a spot in deeper IDP leagues, at least.