PlayerProfiler is home to award winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out. Below, Joel Ybarra hits all the top NFL rookie performances from Week 8 of NFL action.
Fantasy scoring was up in Week 8 for National Tight Ends Day. No rookie tight ends made the Notable Rookie Performances this week. The best rookie tight end, Brock Bowers, had a solid day (5-for-58), but nothing to write home about. Week 8 marks the first time this season Bowers has not made the notable rookie performances list. Other rookies put together some impressive performances, continuing to emerge from depth charts and take their place as top producers in their offenses.
Rookie Performance of the Week
Ladd McConkey | WR, Los Angeles Chargers
After being a central part of the Chargers offense for most of the season, Ladd McConkey had his breakout performance in Week 8. He caught all six of his targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns. What’s not in the box score is the seven-yard pass he caught going down at the one-yard line. If he had gotten in the end zone, it would have made it a three-touchdown day for the former Georgia Bulldog. McConkey was great after the catch and in contested catch situations, and is Justin Herbert‘s most reliable target.
Other Notable rookie Performances
Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR, Arizona Cardinals
Marvin Harrison Jr. also put together six catches for 111 yards and a TD on seven targets. Amid noise he is not the elite prospect he was touted to be, Harrison Jr. found his connection with Kyler Murray, making a couple diving catches – one for a touchdown. As the chemistry with his quarterback grows, Harrison Jr. will come on strong in the second half of the season.
Brian Thomas Jr. | WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr. found the end zone again Sunday. Of course he did. He is an imminent red zone threat, already reeling in four touchdowns in the first eight games of his rookie season.
Thomas Jr. caught 17 touchdowns in 13 games in his final college season with Jayden Daniels. The 23rd overall pick caught three of four passes for 60 yards and a score versus the Packers Sunday. He may be the Alpha WR Trevor Lawrence needs. It looks like Christian Kirk is out for the season, but Thomas Jr. also suffered his own chest injury Sunday. That’s something to monitor.
Bo Nix | QB, Denver Broncos
The Carolina Panthers’ defense is a cure for all ills, but it looked like Sean Payton opened up the offense and let Bo Nix do his thing as a passer Sunday. Nix threw his highest number of completions (28-of-37, 284 yards) on the season and had his first three-touchdown game, adding one on the ground. That makes Nix QB2 in fantasy scoring going into Monday Night Football. The former Oregon Duck is still developing, but he has notched multiple QB1 weeks now, and has enough upside to start over the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins.
Xavier Legette | WR, Carolina Panthers
Xavier Legette caught another touchdown Sunday. He looks like the real deal, catching four of his seven targets for 34 yards and a TD. That’s his third touchdown of the season on a bad offense. It’s a lost season for the Panthers, making Legette a buy low in dynasty.
If the Panthers get their QB situation sorted, Legette can show more of the electric playmaking ability he showcased in college at South Carolina.
Xavier Worthy | WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Xavier Worthy drew eight targets for the second straight Sunday, catching four of them for 37 yards and a touchdown. Patrick Mahomes missed him on a couple plays, and Worthy dropped a pass near the end zone in the fourth that might have gone for another touchdown. Worthy is one to watch in the second half of the season. Adding DeAndre Hopkins will open up opportunities down the field for the Chiefs’ first round draft pick.
Jalen Coker | WR, Carolina Panthers
With Diontae Johnson sidelined, Jalen Coker ran the second-most routes on the team and earned the second-most targets of the team’s WRs. He turned six targets into four catches, 78 yards and a touchdown, including a 29-yard reception he stretched out for down the left sideline in the third. It’s a rough situation in Carolina, but Coker is showing signs of life.
Jayden Daniels | QB, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels could have earned Rookie Performance of the Week honors this week for gutting through a rib injury, running for 52 yards and then throwing a 52-yard Hail Mary with two seconds left to beat the Chicago Bears.
The rookie QB just keeps adding to his resume, leading the Commanders to their sixth win of the season and the lead in the NFC East. Washington are real contenders and Daniels appears able to take them places in the playoffs.
Keon Coleman | WR, Buffalo Bills
Keon Coleman is coming along nicely as a red zone/YAC threat. He caught five of his seven targets Sunday for 70 yards and a one-handed TD grab. He out-targeted Amari Cooper for the second straight week, even as Cooper ran just two fewer routes. The rookie’s connection with Josh Allen in a productive offense is growing.
Bucky Irving | RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The running backs are two of the most trusted pass catchers in the Bucs offense now that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are out. Bucky Irving rushed nine times for 44 yards on Sunday, also catching all seven of his targets for 40 yards.
The Bucs’ offense did not slow down too much, even without its two cornerstone wide receivers. Irving is a solid runner with 4.9 True Yards Per Carry and a top-10 28.8-percent Juke Rate.
Other Key Usage Notes
Rome Odunze | WR, Chicago Bears – six targets, three catches, 41 yards, two rush attempts for 13 yards
Braelon Allen | RB, New York Jets – 12 rushes for 32 yards and a TD
Jalen McMillan | WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – seven targets, four catches, 35 yards, one rush attempt for 17 yards
Isaac Guerendo | RB, San Francisco 49ers – 14 rushes for 85 yards and a TD, four targets, three catches for 17 yards
See all Joel’s PlayerProfiler articles here, including Rookie Reports from all weeks of the NFL season.
