Welcome to the 2015 Fantasy Alarm Game Recaps! Nobody watches more NFL football than yours truly, mostly because it is impossible to do so. Each week I’ll open up my notepad to all of our Fantasy Alarm readers so that you guys can go beyond the box score to get the information you need to win your league.

There really are no words to describe what we went through this week in fantasy football. The amount of injuries we saw, both severe and even just of mild variety were easily the worst of this season. Week 8 wasn’t about winning or losing as much as it was about survival. For some of us the hits we took this week could very well be the final bullet that puts our 2015 season out for good.

If you are one of those folks who simply won’t listen to our reasoning for handcuffing your RBs and building depth on your roster you are likely regretting that in a big way right now. Let’s make the most sense we can of all of the injuries and mayhem we saw this week.  

Here are the Week 8 Fantasy Football Game Recaps:

 

10 – Detroit at Kansas City – 45 (London)

I am very happy this is the last NFL game that will be played in London this year. I am just not a fan of these early starts and find the actual level of the game is greatly diminished.

By the time you are reading this, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell very likely could be fired. It's clear this team has quit on him and the move of replacing offensive coordinators just didn’t work whatsoever. Caldwell will definitely be fired before the start of the 2016 season. The only suspense being whether that happens during the season or after.

It appears as though new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has a preference in Joique Bell at the RB spot. Bell received seven of the Lions' 14 carries and was the long back used in the early portion of this game before the Chiefs built up a big lead.

Take it from me folks, don’t buy into anything you see in Lance Moore. I fell into the trap and used Moore in Week 7 because all three of my starting WRs were off and he showed his appreciation by not recording a single catch.

Alex Smith recorded 61 yards rushing on one second quarter drive. You can see evidence of just how lazy the Lions' defense is on Smith’s 49-yard jaunt in which he was basically willing to go out of bounds 12 yards in but had absolutely nobody step up to challenge him.

Despite the TD runs by Smith, De’Anthony Thomas and Spencer Ware there is no threat to Charcandrick West's carries here in Kansas City. He’s going to be a very valuable fantasy RB the rest of the way.

The Chiefs' four rushing touchdowns today were the most in a game since the Priest Holmes Era in Kansas City.

 

23 – Tampa Bay at Atlanta – 20 (Overtime)

As good of a win as this was for the Bucs, it still has to be disheartening to lose another three-score lead in this game. The Bucs were up 20-3 midway through the third quarter but squandered the lead by giving up 10 fourth quarter points.

I really thought the Bucs would be able to run the ball better against this Falcons defense but they just couldn’t get consistent yards. Doug Martin ran 23 times for 71 yards and Charles Sims didn’t fare much better going 6-22 on the day.

Mike Evans was in and out of the second half of this game with what appeared to be two separate injuries. He had rolled his ankle midway through the third quarter then in the fourth was seen holding his hip on the sideline while being treated by the medical staff.

Buccaneers DE William Gholston was knocked out of this game with a knee injury and did not return.

Do not get too down on Devonta Freeman now folks. His epic TD streak was never going to continue but he is still the center of this Falcons offense. When the team got down it was Freeman’s legs that got them back in by picking up large chunks of yards and invigorating the crowd.

That is a wrap on Roddy White. I apologize to anybody that I recommended White to this week as I really thought that he would be more involved with Leonard Hankerson being inactive. White did have a couple of red zone targets today but I am over trying to pinpoint just when and where he will be productive.

The Falcons fumbled four times today losing three of those to Tampa Bay.

 

34 – Arizona at Cleveland – 20

The Cardinals came out flat today. They started out alright on the first drive scoring on a Palmer to Troy Niklas pass. But then a Chris Johnson fumble completely changed the momentum of the game.  The  Browns were up 20-10 at halftime.

No, you should not run out and pickup Cardinals TE Troy Niklas on the waiver wire this week. The Cardinals just don’t use the TE in the passing game much and have a steady rotation there as it is.

John Brown was active for today’s game but never actually took the field. This is obviously a brutal beat for fantasy owners but is something we as analysts have to take into consideration when recommending a player who has been injured all week.

Michael Floyd had his third TD in three weeks nullified due to a penalty today. Floyd had a 19-yard TD called back today due to an illegal shift by Jaron Brown. What makes it even worse is the Browns were called for pass interference on the play as well, which offset the Brown penalty but nullified the TD.

Josh McCown played well in the early going today but reinjured his shoulder, leaving him absolutely incapable for most of the second half. The Browns are doing their team a disservice at this point by playing an injured QB who is not a part of the future in some weird attempt to be competitive.

The fourth highest paid cornerback in the NFL is the Browns' Joe Haden. Haden currently ranks as the 102nd "best" corner according to ProFootballFocus out of a possible 111. Haden left this game after trying to tackle Michael Floyd on his TD reception. He was later diagnosed with another concussion and did not return. You have to wonder at this point Haden’s 2015 season might be over.

The Browns also lost safety Donte Whitner due to a concussion in this game.

 

6 – San Francisco at St. Louis – 27

The 49ers failed to score a TD in a second consecutive game.

The Reggie Bush Era in San Francisco lasted for about two series as he slipped on the atrocious concrete runway along the sidelines of the Edward Jones Dome and is believed to have suffered a torn ACL in the process. The 49ers' 2015 season is done and it appears as though every single fantasy worthy player here may be as well.

The Niners also lost rookie RB Mike Davis due to a hand injury. Davis had literally nothing to show for his 10 carries today and looked as though his Nikes were soaked in concrete.

The Rams defense with Robert Quinn healthy is absolutely deadly. There is just no way to advance upfield against this group.

I love myself some Todd Gurley but the Rams are going to have to find another offensive weapon if they are to survive in the playoff run. If you think Tavon Austin and his bag of tricks is sustainable you are positively out of your mind. Please do not count on Austin for anything other than special teams points if you are using the Rams DST.

 

49 – N.Y. Giants at New Orleans – 52

This was the fantasy game of the season and will not be beaten anytime soon. These teams combined for 101 points, 14 touchdowns, 1,030 total yards and 63 first downs. If you didn’t have heavy ownership in this game you didn’t win a large field GPP in DFS this week.

The 14 touchdowns before a field goal in this game were the most ever in a single game in NFL history.

Eli Manning became the first QB in NFL history to throw for 6-plus TD passes with zero interceptions and still lose the game.

Waiver wire hero RB Orleans Darkwa was forced from this game with a back injury and did not return. Darkwa was technically leading the Giants in carries with four upon his departure.

Giants TE Larry Donnell had to be carted off the field in the second quarter with a neck injury. It is safe to say that Donnell will be out for awhile so make other arrangements if indeed you were relying on him going forward.

Drew Brees tied the single game passing TD record of seven this afternoon. He is just the eighth QB in the history of the NFL to throw that many TD passes in one game. It is safe to say that Brees’ shoulder is healthy and he is ready to resume his role as a firm QB1 in fantasy leagues. I wouldn’t quite put him in the top five for the rest of the season but he is certainly in the 5-7 range regardless.

I would take this week as a huge opportunity to sell high on WR Brandin Cooks. You know darn well he has frustrated the ever loving "you know what" out of you so take this game and pivot him for a player who will give you less angina on a week to week basis.

It was a very scary moment when Saints RB Khiry Robinson went down with a severe leg injury near the goal line. Robinson needed an air cast and a mobilization cart to take him off the field. Needless to say I am quite sure his season is over.

The Saints scored 52 points and all that C.J. Spiller can muster is four carries and two receptions? Sure, one of the catches was for a short TD but I don’t care. Spiller is not worth a roster spot any longer if indeed you were still holding him as I am in one league.

 

23 – Minnesota at Chicago – 20

The Vikings are somehow 5-2 but I find this to be nothing more than fool's gold. Unless Adrian Peterson is able to regain his 2012 form, they have no constant threat on offense to sustain success. The offensive line is a complete mess right now and while wins against Chicago and Detroit are fine, these types of performances won’t work against the Packers or the Cardinals.

Stefon Diggs' 40-yard touchdown catch and run saved what was turning out to be a complete bust of an afternoon for the young WR. Diggs struggled against press coverage early on in the game and then was hobbled by what appeared to be an ankle or lower leg injury. Diggs missed several drives due to the injury but made it count when he caught a short in route and turned it into the biggest play of the game for the Vikings.

Kyle Rudolph had two quick receptions in this game and then went silent for the final 3.5 quarters. Rudolph is being relied upon to block an awful lot nowadays with the Vikings' offensive line injuries. He is no longer a consideration for a top-12 fantasy TE week in and week out.

The good news for the Bears' offense is that Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery are showing a great deal of chemistry now after a very rocky start. Cutler frequently targeted Jeffery when the Vikings blitzed and wound up completing 7-100-1 of those throws.

The Bears played with a makeshift offensive line today. They demoted LT Jermon Bushrod, moved Matt Slauson from LG to center, Vlad Ducasse moved from RG to LG and Patrick Omameh moved into the RG position.

Matt Forte was knocked out of this game due to a knee injury in the third quarter. It doesn’t appear as though Forte’s injury is too serious but further testing is obviously needed. It looked as though he got a contusion on his knee likely resulting in a bruise rather than any sort of torn ligament.

Eddie Royal was also knocked out of this game early on due to a knee injury. The Bears ran a ridiculous amount of screen passes (4) to Royal early on and forced him to endure a lot of contact that in my mind was highly unnecessary. 

 

26 – San Diego at Baltimore – 29

I predicted this game would be the highest scoring of the week and it didn’t quite live up to that mostly thanks to the Saints and Giants. But that wasn’t for a lack of opportunities. The Ravens won the game on five field goals by Justin Tucker which shows just how many good drives stalled out short of the goal line.

Philip Rivers is on pace for 5,508 yards this season which would break Peyton Manning’s record of 5,477 set back in 2013. The Chargers' defense is so bad that it puts constant pressure on Rivers and Co. to play catch up which is the jewel of fantasy football. This was Rivers fifth straight 300-plus yard passing performance, which sets a new Chargers club record.

Chargers lost three more offensive linemen in this game. LT King Dunlap was carted off of the field with an ankle injury. His replacement Chris Hairston left the game due to a knee injury and center Chris Watt left late with a shoulder injury. This was all in addition to being without LG Orlando Franklin today. 

TE Ladarius Green left after one catch due to an ankle injury.

Chargers DE Corey Liuget was carted off the field due to a foot injury and did not return.

Keenan Allen made a tremendous TD grab late in the second quarter and in the process injured his back which kept him in and out of the game the rest of the way.

At one point in this game the Chargers only had 43 active personnel due to a ridiculous amount of injuries.

The Ravens lost WR Steve Smith for the rest of the season after he tore his Achilles in his right leg. He will be placed on the season-ending IR and will likely call it a career. Kamar Aiken now becomes the WR1 here in Baltimore and deserves some serious fantasy consideration going forward.

It can be said that Justin Forsett isn’t going to come close to matching what many thought he would be able to do in Marc Trestman’s offense this year. Not only are they not throwing him the football much but he is not getting goal line touches either. All of this makes Forsett no better than a mid level RB2 in fantasy football.

 

16 – Cincinnati at Pittsburgh – 10

This was a sloppy game all around for both teams. Each QB flashed moments of brilliance but also made terrible mistakes throughout to keep their team off the scoreboard. As it turned out, Andy Dalton was able to make the play when it counted and Ben Roethlisberger was not.

The Bengals are 7-0 for the first time in franchise history.

Giovani Bernard touched the ball just three times (one rush, two receptions) in this game which is just inexcusable. Jeremy Hill got 15 carries on the ground which is great but with Bernard being your main big-play weapon he has to have his hands on the ball more if the Bengals are to make a serious run.

The Steelers suffered their biggest loss in that of star RB Le’Veon Bell who had his right knee torn up during a second quarter run. It turned out that Bell tore the MCL in his right leg and will miss the remainder of the season. DeAngelo Williams will assume the RB1 job here in Pittsburgh and is an absolute must-add if he is available in your league.

After a super-hot start, Antonio Brown’s consecutive streak of 5-50 with Ben Roethlisberger was broken today. Brown caught six passes for 47 yards on the day but did get in the end zone on a first quarter goal line grab.

I believe Ben Roethlisberger rushed himself back a little early. There is nothing more important to a QB than his legs and I felt early on that Big Ben was favoring his knee quite a bit. It showed more and more as the game went on that he just wasn’t getting as much velocity on his throws as we are accustomed to seeing.

 

6 – Tennessee at Houston – 20

In case anyone was wondering, the Titans are still, for my money, the worst team in the NFL all-around. They simply don’t have talent and definitely don’t have coaching which makes this a lethal combination.

I had high hopes for Zach Mettenberger today especially against this underwhelming Texans defense. But Mettenberger wasn’t sharp and was specifically timid in throwing the ball downfield this afternoon. The Texans were putting pressure on him but I felt he never really showed them that he was willing to take shots up the field today.

Kendall Wright left the game due to a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return.

J.J. Watt matched his career-high with nine hits on Mettenberger today. He sacked him twice and caused a fumble on one of them.

Alfred Blue was clearly the lead RB for the Texans this week. It was speculated that Chris Polk would split carries with Blue but that never really materialized. Neither RB was really effective today but it is a good sign that Blue is being given a real opportunity to assume Arian Foster’s role in this offense.

The Texans lost LT Duane Brown in the second half of the game due to a concussion.

Safety Kurtis Drummond also suffered a concussion in the game and did not return.

 

20 – N.Y. Jets at Oakland – 34

The Jets' defense simply didn’t show up for this game. They missed a ton of tackles and seemed to get overtly discouraged every time the Raiders offense made plays.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was knocked out of this game on the first drive after landing awkwardly on his thumb and suffering a ligament injury. Geno Smith came in for Fitzpatrick and had his usual up-and-down performance. Smith was actually knocked out of the game for a bit after taking back-to-back shots in the fourth quarter.

The Jets played this game without starting center Nick Mangold which is a major reason the Jets had trouble running the football today. Chris Ivory rushed 15 times for just 17 yards on the day.

No matter who starts at QB for the Jets it appears as though the WR pecking order will remain in tact. Brandon Marshall had an amazing 18 targets today and hauled in nine of those catches for 108 yards. Eric Decker got seven targets on the day but still managed his end zone run by hauling in a four-yard TD today.

Speaking of Brandon Marshall, he left the game twice due to injury today. The first time was a toe injury of which he returned only to sprain his ankle on a fourth quarter red zone target.

The only people that can stop Latavius Murray from producing are the Raiders coaches. Murray was phenomenal today but failed to get the ball much in the fourth quarter which is absolutely befuddling.

Derek Carr did something today that I really wish more QBs would do and that is not shy away from a big named cornerback. Carr went right at Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie all afternoon and made them both look foolish. Carr averaged 9.2 yards per pass attempt today which put the defense on its heels all afternoon.

 

13 – Seattle at Dallas – 12

This was a very curious game to watch. At times it was really hard to tell whether these were two great teams battling it out in front of a national audience or two severely overrated teams that couldn’t figure out how to move the football.

The Seahawks' offensive line is the reason for their inability to run the football this season. For the first time in quite awhile, the Seahawks' running game is matchup-dependent week in and week out.

There was a really scary situation here today in which Seahawks WR Ricardo Lockette was knocked out cold on a punt play by Cowboys special teamer Jeff Heath. Lockette lay motionless on the ground for quite awhile while members of both team gathered around him to offer support and pray. It turns out Lockett escaped serious injury and was diagnosed with a concussion.

The Cowboys came out running the football today and were completely controlling the line of scrimmage in the first quarter and a half. Then they went away from the run game and started to mix in other RBs which, to me, seemed to completely take the offense out of sync.

Darren McFadden was such a workhorse for the Cowboys today that he had to go back to the locker room during the third quarter to get an IV of fluids. McFadden was able to return to the game and didn’t seem any worse for the wear after his treatment.

Dez Bryant was a non-factor today. It was quite obvious he was in there more as a decoy than a viable receiving option. Matt Cassel threw a couple of jump balls up to Dez and he had noticeably less hops than normal. He’ll get better, especially when Tony Romo gets back, but for the immediate future I don’t think Dez is an assumed starter.

 

10 – Green Bay at Denver – 29

I have never seen the Green Bay offense look this horrible since before both Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre came to town. If there was any doubt as to just how good this Broncos defense is I believe those were washed away after tonight.

Now is the time to pounce on the likes of Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Eddie Lacy. I cannot believe just how low the price is getting on Cobb so make sure you buy low on him before the schedule softens and his numbers once again go through the roof.

The Packers lost cornerbacks Sam Shields and Quinten Rollins each to separate shoulder injuries in the first half of this game.

All week long I told my listeners on SiriusXM that Peyton Manning would be in a good spot tonight coming off the bye week. Indeed Manning came out blazing and was very good at moving the chains all night long. The problem is that unless the Broncos can lock down a first round bye, this was their last time with that much time to prepare for a matchup.

Ronnie Hillman indeed did start this game and was crushing it early on, including two first half TDs. But Hillman suffered a thigh injury in the third quarter and gave way to former starter C.J. Anderson who shredded the Packers' defense in the second half. Anderson is back on the fantasy radar for now, though I do not anticipate him leaping over Ronnie Hillman on the depth chart quite yet. He should be picked up immediately, though, if available in your league right now.

This was the first time all season the Broncos offense has scored a first quarter TD.