Michael Penix Jr., Pat Mahomes, and 2 More Must-Sit Quarterbacks in Week 8 Fantasy Football
Unless your quarterback is named Josh Allen or Brock Purdy, I cannot say that they are weekly plug-and-plays in fantasy football. It is a tough, unpredictable game, for that matter. That brings me to an extensive statistical analysis that labels the following four quarterbacks as benchable in Week 8.
Baker Mayfield
The intrigue is well-placed following a 43-point win after Week 7. But Mayfield is not startable. He played in Week 7 with gloves on, which he said would affect his grip and his throwing mechanics, and it contributed to him throwing the ball only 11 times.
The thumb injury will linger all year. Until we see Mayfield pass more and do it effectively, he can't start, despite the Buccaneers' offensive breakout.
Sam Darnold
Darnold has 8 interceptions through six games. He ties Drake Maye and Justin Herbert for the most interceptions in the NFL. He is also being sacked 2.3 times per game, the 10th-worst among all 32 current starting quarterbacks.
The Bears face Seattle this week. They rank 10th in EPA per Pass Allowed, 7th-best in Success Rate, and 7th in Total Sacks. After seeing how well Kirk Cousins is doing in Las Vegas, I firmly believe that Darnold misses Klint Kubiak as his play-caller.
Michael Penix Jr.
Penix Jr. has 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions over his last three games. Nonetheless, I would avoid starting him in fantasy football. Penix Jr. does not run the football. He has 12 attempts for 4 yards and 3 fumbles.
Only two quarterbacks in the fantasy football top 10 have fewer than 60 rushing yards this season. Those two top-10 quarterbacks average at least 2.0 passing touchdowns per game (Jared Goff, Bryce Young).
The Buccaneers topple onto this "sit" case, ranked 3rd in EPA per Pass Allowed, 8th in Success Rate, and 5th in Interception Rate.
Pat Mahomes
The Chiefs have been in a romance with their running game. They are running the ball 27 times per game for 5.3 Yards per Attempt. In the red zone, they have run the ball 34 times, compared to 30 passing attempts. Mahomes is averaging only 1.5 passing touchdowns per game and ranks QB19 in fantasy football in average points per game.
The Broncos face the Chiefs this weekend. They rank 4th in EPA per Pass Allowed and 4th in Success Rate. The Chiefs also don't know whether Rashee Rice will return to the field. No Chiefs wide receiver is ranked in the top 40 in Receiving EPA per Target.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.