Welcome to Stealing Signals, your look at snaps, touches, game flow, efficiency and everything in between. Stealing Signals is a game-by-game breakdown of everything you saw in your Fantasy box score, identifying what is signal and what is noise to help you make decisions for future weeks.     

Week 8
Minnesota 19 - Washington 9

Snap Notes: Bisi Johnson: 74% (+3% vs. last week's season high), Case Keenum: 67% (concussion), Dwayne Haskins: 33%

Key Stat: Stefon Diggs — 445 air yards over past three games (148.3 per game)

Week 8 got started with a whimper, as the Vikings kicked four field goals and scored a touchdown to knock off Washington's three field goals. 

Minnesota got a lead and showed off their known willingness to be run-heavy, as Dalvin Cook ran 23 times for 98 yards and a score and Alexander Mattison still added another 13 carries for 61 yards in relief. Though Mattison racked up a lot of that while running out the clock — including three of his whopping five green zone rush attempts — he also had three strong runs negated by penalties and in some ways looked better than his stats. He remains one of the most valuable handcuffs/stashes in Fantasy given the Vikings' offensive system and his clear hold on the No. 2 role. 

Meanwhile, after Washington found some success in the passing game in the first half, Case Keenum entered the concussion protocol at the break and they never got anything going behind Dwayne Haskins in the second half. Minnesota so thoroughly shortened the game that Washington ran just 14 second-half plays on four short drives plus one final play at the end of the game. Overall, they ran just 41 plays, which tied their effort last week for fewest offensive plays by any team in a game this season. 

It's tough to read much from Haskins' five second half pass attempts, but what was there seemed to confirm his one earlier game this season that he's looked overmatched. He notably sailed a throw to an open Terry McLaurin after the Vikings failed to convert a fourth down in their own territory that set Washington up with great field position in a seven-point game late in the third. The pass deflected off McLaurin's out-stretched hands and went for an interception. Haskins otherwise completed three short passes, two to Adrian Peterson and one to tight end Jeremy Sprinkle, and took two sacks. 

Both Terry McLaurin (6-4-39) and Paul Richardson (4-3-34) had solid first halves against Minnesota's cornerbacks — a matchup that doesn't necessarily need to be shied away from, as we discussed in our Week 7 review — before both were shut out in the second half. McLaurin is obviously the more Fantasy-relevant name, but his potential takes a nosedive without Keenum in the game. We'll track Keenum's health, but with 10 days between games it seems very possible he could recover and not miss any time. 

Peterson put up the best numbers for Washington's offense, rushing 14 times for 76 yards and catching those two second-half passes from Haskins for another 27. Peterson got one green-zone touch, a carry from the 2-yard line where he was unable to get in, but Washington called passing plays on four of their five plays in close, including two McLaurin targets. Despite Washington clearly being willing to commit to the run, Peterson's upside remains capped by a mostly low-value touch distribution. 

Minnesota continued its recent success throwing the ball, notably featuring Stefon Diggs with Adam Thielen out. I noted in Wednesday's news and notes column Bisi Johnson would play in Thielen's role and both tight ends would be more involved with Thielen sidelined, but said "Minnesota ultimately projects to go run-heavy in a game where they are double-digit favorites, so while Stefon Diggs becomes a must-start, the other pass-catchers are more just desperation plays, as none of the three have particularly bankable target projections behind Diggs." That ultimately proved to be a good synopsis of this passing game; Diggs went 7-7-143 as the main option while each of Johnson, Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith saw two or three targets, splitting the remaining downfield work while Kirk Cousins threw just 26 passes. Expect a similar distribution if Thielen misses more time, but his injury seems minor. 

Cook also remained active in the passing game, catching five of six targets for 73 yards, but his value isn't really necessary to expand on. Diggs fumbled for the fourth time this season, but it hasn't impacted his playing time and is more just a weird note for now. He should be in all lineups for a Week 9 matchup with Kansas City.

Signal: Washington — slow, run-heavy since Bill Callahan took over; Alexander Mattison — should be rostered in all leagues

Noise: Stefon Diggs — four fumbles this season (two prior across rest of NFL career)

Friday news and notes

  • Cardinals general manager Steve Keim noted Friday that the status of David Johnson would likely be decided on game day. Johnson played sparingly in Week 7 as Chase Edmonds enjoyed a breakout performance, and with Arizona adding both Alfred Morris and Zach Zenner this week, it seems more likely the Cardinals will rest Johnson in Week 8. 
  • The Patriots traded veteran defensive end Michael Bennett to Dallas for a conditional late-round pick. Bennett was unhappy with his role in New England but can still be an effective disrupter on the defensive line, so it's a useful addition for the Cowboys. 
  • Josh Jacobs has missed practice time this week but noted in a tweet from his personal account that he suffered his shoulder injury early in Week 7 and played through it. He also told reporters he could play despite missing practice time, and he appears headed for that outcome. 
  • Chris Herndon got in a limited practice Friday, and is questionable. The second-year pro is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered just before his four-game suspension was up, and hasn't played yet this season. 
  • Jamison Crowder popped up on the injury report Friday but that was reportedly for precautionary reasons after a collision at Thursday's practice. He's expected to be fine for Week 8. 
  • Both Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara were limited Thursday for the Saints. The Saints have a Week 9 bye, but both appear to have a shot to play in Week 8, especially Brees who has declared himself ready to go. Nothing official has been decided on either. 
  • Patrick Mahomes is practicing in a limited fashion. It still seems like a long shot he'd play in Week 8, just 10 days removed from a dislocated patella. But he looks to be ahead of his initial timeline and at the least is seeming less likely to be held out through the Chiefs' Week 12 bye as initially feared. 
  • Matt Ryan was spotted on the practice field Friday. His status is still up in the air for Week 8, but it appears he could give it a go. His presence would be a big upgrade for the Falcons' pass-catchers in what will be a narrower target tree the rest of the season without Mohamed Sanu. 
  • Keenan Allen missed Thursday's practice with a hamstring injury. It's possible it's just a veteran rest day, but missing practice entirely isn't a great sign. His Friday practice participation will be telling regarding whether he could potentially miss Week 8. 
  • O.J. Howard was not spotted at Friday's practice with a hamstring injury initially reported Thursday. He seems doubtful for Sunday after the injury surfaced after the Buccaneers' bye in Week 7. Even if he does play, he'd be tough to trust even in deeper leagues at this point. 
  • Tyrell Williams is expected to return for Week 8 for the Raiders after a multi-week absence. Assuming no setbacks, he's safe to move into lineups against a beatable Texans secondary. The Raiders are still very thin at wide receiver, so Williams should immediately project for plenty of targets as we saw in the early part of the season.  

So who should you sit and start in Week 8? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB comes out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.