Welcome to Overreaction Monday (Week 8). This is where we come to take a completely reasonable look at this week’s slate of NFL games and react to them in a calm, cool, and collected manner. Just kidding!
It’s Overreaction Monday! Let’s get crazy and see what the guys have to say.
Ty Recino’s Overreactions
Drake Maye Will Finish As A Top-5 Fantasy QB
Another week, another stellar performance by New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. He currently leads the league in passing accuracy with over 75%. To put that into perspective, Patriots legend Tom Brady never achieved a completion percentage over 70% in a single season. Maye is spreading the ball around to everyone and still managing 200+ yards per game and multiple touchdowns in every game so far except for two.
On top of that, his legs have allowed him to not only be efficient in the game but also a star in fantasy. Maye is 3rd amongst quarterbacks in rushing yards on the year with 250. This has helped him be a top-5 quarterback in the league thus far, and he should continue to stay that way. The Patriots’ schedule for the remainder of the year is very favorable for Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense to perform at a highly efficient level.
Verdict: Not an Overreaction
Breece Hall is an RB1 Again
It was the best performance of the season for Breece Hall as he racked up 133 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns. This performance has him currently sitting as the 4th highest scoring running back in week 8. This is only his 2nd top-10 finish on the season, with the last being all the way back in week 1 when he rushed for 107 yards. He’s only managed the 100-yard mark 3 times all season. A big reason he was able to have such a strong week was playing the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals’ defense gives up the most yards and points to opposing teams. Add star receiver Garrett Wilson sitting out, the Jets needed to rely more on the run, giving Breece more touches. He’s not an RB1, but this performance was encouraging to have him as a mid to high RB2 the rest of the way.
Verdict: Overreaction
GOYAADi’s Overreactions
Saquon is back as a Top 3 RB
You know what shuts up all the naysayers pretty quickly? Taking the handoff on your team’s second offensive play, 65 yards to the house! What say you now, naysayers? Bet it ain’t “nay”! Saquon Barkley, the human lightning strike, erupted against his former team for 174 yards from scrimmage, while finally eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark.
Hitting the hole like a missile, Barkley showed that signature blend of power and patience that made him a fantasy cheat code in 2024. The offensive line looked rejuvenated, and Jalen Hurts’ willingness to stay under center opened lanes that had been missing all season. For nearly two months, fans wondered if Barkley’s best days were behind him. One 65-yard detonation later, that question was answered, with authority. He’s not just back, he’s reborn. Fantasy managers, rejoice. The King of Cutbacks has returned, and he’s running with a whole bag of chips on his shoulder.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
The Yeti Cometh: All Hail the King of the (AFC) North
Derrick Henry reminded everyone Sunday that “The Yeti” is no myth, it’s a warning! After weeks of chatter about lost explosiveness, Henry bulldozed the Chicago Bears for 21 carries, 71 yards, and two bone-rattling touchdowns that felt like an avalanche rolling downhill. It wasn’t about the box score; it was about the aura.
The turning point came from the top. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken had recently admitted, “We’re not calling the run often enough. We’ve got to be more physical, more committed to it.” Against Chicago, he put that philosophy into action. With Lamar Jackson sidelined, the Ravens lined up under center more often, leaned into power sets, and fed Henry like the old Titans days. The result was a clinic in controlled violence.
For a back who has built his legend on cold-weather football, this performance felt like the opening snowfall, the first sign of what’s to come. The league had better brace itself: the chill is real, and Derrick Henry is once again stomping across the landscape. Winter is coming…and it’s wearing purple.
Verdict: Top 6 might be overreacting, but Top 10 is not
Chase Thornton’s Overreactions
The connection between Bo Nix and Troy Franklin makes Franklin a starting fantasy WR!!
Troy Franklin emerged from Sunday’s games as the leading fantasy wide receiver for Week 8 with a career-high 23.9 Half-PPR points. Franklin tied his career mark from earlier this season with 89 yards and also had the first multi-score game of his career. He’s currently the WR24 on the season. Tied for third in the league among wide receivers in Red Zone targets, Franklin leads the Broncos in Red Zone looks. His 11 targets inside the 20 are more opportunities than anyone else on the team outside of J.K. Dobbins (19 rush attempts). The rest of the Denver wide receivers have 11 Red Zone targets in total. His former college teammate, Bo Nix, seems to trust him all over the field. He’s a surefire fantasy starter!! Right?!
Wrong.
Listen, I’ve got a few Dynasty shares of Franklin. While I wasn’t a fan of his during the draft process, I’d like nothing more than to see him become at least a WR2 on a viable offense. A usable FLEX piece and not just a roster clogger. And he may be someday (soon, even). But he’s not even the top wideout on his own roster.
That’s Courtland Sutton. Franklin has seen 22 targets over his last three games- the highest such three-game total of his career. And he still ranks only second on the Broncos in targets behind Sutton. Trails Sutton in snaps, too. Franklin may be the WR24 overall, but he’s the only one in the top 28 scoring fewer than 10 points per game. His per-game scoring, on-field role, and efficiency numbers all position him as a WR4. He has some FLEX upside, especially in juicy matchups like Week 8’s Cowboys. But he’s by no means a locked-in starter.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
The Broncos’ Defense is a no-fly zone for your fantasy wideouts!!
We all figured the Broncos would be a pretty good defense this season. They ranked among the top ten in numerous defensive statistical categories in 2024. And we liked them enough to draft them as the DST1 overall this summer. So far, so good. The Broncos rank sixth in fewest passing yards allowed and tied for second in fewest passing touchdowns allowed. That all adds up to a defense giving up the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.
And that’s what concerns us here. Sure, the Denver DST is currently ranked DST6 in Yahoo’s stock scoring system. But it’s what the actual Denver defense does to our fantasy wide receivers that should have us all marking our calendars. Because you’re going to need alternate plans in weeks where your WR1, WR2, or FLEX wideouts are facing the Broncos. The average high wide receiver fantasy score against the Broncos is just 9.74 points. If you look at each team’s projected top wideout, their scores averaged just 6.85.
By The Numbers
Only one opposing receiver finished as a WR1 for a week against Denver (Keenan Allen was WR11 Week 3). Only three others finished as high as a WR2. However, the worst part of everything is that none of those four startable wide receivers was the projected top receiver on their team. Ladd McConkey actually finished behind both Allen and Quentin Johnston in Week 3. If the lead receiver against Denver averages a WR3 or WR4 score, and more often than not that receiver isn’t the alpha on his team, what makes you think your star receiver can be the exception? I’m treating Denver as an automatic sit matchup for all but the loftiest of receivers. Looking at the rest of their schedule, Rashee Rice is the only one I can stomach starting. Mile-High is No-Fly.
Verdict: NOT an OVERREACTION
Well, there you have it, folks. Those are our completely rational and not at all knee-jerk reactions to this week in the NFL. Check back next week for more level-headed fantasy football takes at FSAN.