One-Hit Wonders or Here to Stay? Analyzing Week 8 Breakout Players: Isaac Guerendo, Jameis Winston, Ladd McConkey, Cade Otton and More

Week 8 of the NFL season is now in the books, and now we can recap everything we saw.

Here, we’ll identify fantasy standouts from the previous week of play and then determine if they are here to stay or just a one-hit wonder. Here’s last week’s story. Also be sure to check out the panic meter series.

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Running Backs

Isaac Guerendo and Rhamondre Stevenson are two running backs who had big games in week 8.

Guerendo went off in week 8, rushing 14 times for 85 yards. He added 17 receiving yards on three catches and four targets.

Guerendo has had a miniscule role behind Jordan Mason this season, but after Mason got hurt in week 8, Guerendo stepped into a bigger role and delivered.

Mason has been dealing with a shoulder injury for a couple weeks, but with the team’s bye coming this week, he’ll have time to rest and heal and maybe be back out there in week 10. Another thing working against Guerendo is the return of Christian McCaffrey.

There’s been rumblings CMC could return in week 10, and then Guerendo would be sparsely used as the team’s No. 3 RB option. An injury to CMC or Mason looks like the only way Guerendo is going to get extended work going forward, so I see Guerendo’s week 8 performance as a one-week outlier instead of something that could happen again. Guerendo is worth an add in deeper leagues, but is likely just a handcuff for the remainder of the season.

Stevenson got going a bit in week 8, rushing 20 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. He added 17 receiving yards on three catches and targets.

It was the most carries Stevenson received since week 2, and just the third time he’s topped 20 carries in a game this season. It resulted in a win for the Pats, and with Drake Maye now dealing with a concussion, Stevenson definitely could remain the clear No. 1 back for the Pats.

I think that kind of workload is sustainable, but the fantasy production isn’t likely to remain that high. He’s got some favorable matchups ahead, and after the big fantasy outing this week, Stevenson should get plenty of fantasy starts going forward.

Quarterbacks

Bo Nix and Jameis Winston are the two quarterbacks worth discussing this week.

Nix had the best game of his young career in week 8. He passed for 284 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding a rushing touchdown. 

He’s been an average or better fantasy quarterback in four straight games, and I think Nix is here to stay. Don’t expect monster fantasy outings every week and let defensive matchups dictate your start/sit decisions with him, but Nix is a player to add and hold for the remainder of the season for a lot of fantasy owners.

Winston got his first start of the season in week 8, and torched the Ravens for 334 passing yards and three scores. He avoided an interception, but did lose a fumble.

I love Winston as a leader, and think he’s an electric player, but I can’t say for sure whether he’s here to stay as a big-time fantasy asset or just a one-week star. The matchups ahead aren’t super favorable for him, but he could still be an above-average fantasy option on high volume passing numbers alone.

One or two more solid fantasy showings would convince me, but I’m not ready to make that call after a single game against a terrible pass defense.

Wide Receivers

Ladd McConkey and Calvin Austin III make the list for wide receivers this week.

McConkey enjoyed the best game of his rookie season in week 8. He had 111 yards and two scores on six catches and targets.

He’s gone for at least 40 yards in five straight games, but only topped 50 yards in two of those. McConkey does have at least six targets in all but one game this season.

While I don’t see McConkey replicating this fantasy score too often, I think he’s on the right side of the start/sit decisions as a flex-level option. So I’d say he’s here to stay as a fantasy starter.

Austin scored two touchdowns on Monday night. He went for 54 yards and a score on three grabs and four targets, while also returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown.

It was just his second game over 50 receiving yards in a game this season, but he has eight targets, four catches, the score and 90 yards in his first two games with Russell Wilson at quarterback. He’s averaging 12.9 yards per punt return this season after averaging 8.6 yards last season, so that’s another way for him to possibly score some points.

It’s not a ton of receiving fantasy points for Austin, so I think it’s sustainable and not a one-week outlier. He’s one good performance away from being owned and started in standard leagues, while being a pretty solid deep league starting option now.

Tight Ends

Cade Otton and Adam Trautman are the two tight ends I’d like to discuss.

The Buccaneers played their first game without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans in week 8, and Otton stepped up and went off. He had 81 yards and two scores on nine catches and 10 targets.

It was the second straight game that Otton had 10 targets in, and I’d expect him to remain heavily involved until Evans returns. Evans left early in week 7, helping lead to Otton’s big game, and even when Evans returns, Otton should remain heavily involved since Godwin is going to miss the rest of the regular season.

I think Otton is not only here to stay, but could be one of the top fantasy wideouts for the remainder of the season. He should be rostered in every fantasy league going into week 9, and probably started in just about all of them as well. 

The injuries around him have turned Otton from an average fantasy performer to a top-end asset. Even if you don’t have a need for a fantasy TE, Otton should be a top priority of yours on the waiver wire (if he’s still available).

Trautman broke out for 85 yards and a touchdown on four catches and targets this past week. 

He had just two catches for 32 yards in the first seven weeks of the season, which makes this seem like a one-week outlier. However, a little deeper digging shows Trautman had three targets in week 7 as well.

It’s not a huge number, but seven targets over two games on an offense that needs playmakers to step up is definitely something to take notice of.

I’m not ready to say Trautman is here to stay as a fantasy asset, but you at least need to keep tabs on him the next couple weeks. He’s trending up, and could become a solid fantasy asset in a hurry.