You would think eight weeks into the season we'd stop being surprised. You would be wrong. Here's a brief list of the things that surprised me from Week 8:

I was shocked at how the 49ers manhandled the Panthers, and now wonder just how many offensive players you can start against them moving forward. I'm dismayed by the way Sam Darnold has looked the past two weeks, and it's not going to be easy to trust him even with a great upcoming schedule. I was pleasantly surprised by the touchdowns for Melvin Gordon and Joe Mixon, but can we really start them?

Let's get into which surprises were real and which weren't with this week's edition of Believe It or Not:

Melvin Gordon will be the best Fantasy back for the Chargers for the rest of the season.

Gordon outperformed Austin Ekeler on Sunday, with 34 yards and a touchdowns, his second in as many weeks. It wasn't a good game for either, but this was more concerning for Ekeler than anything. He had five touches and 22 total yards in this game. What's worse is that it was the second time in three weeks he's been held below 30 yards. There will be random good receiving days, but you can't trust him in non-PPR at all and I'd prefer Gordon in both formats. 

Verdict: Believe it.

Since his return Gordon has 44 carries to Ekeler's 16. Even if you want to include receptions, Gordon has out-touched him. He's also getting more work inside the five yard line. I expect the Chargers offensive line will improve and they find more success running the ball in the coming weeks against the Packers, Raiders and Chiefs. Gordon will be the main beneficiary of that success.

Joe Mixon will be a worthwhile starter after the Bengals Week 9 bye.

It's been a dreadful season for Mixon and the Bengals, but he bounced back with 77 total yards and a touchdown against the Rams on Sunday. There were several encouraging things about this performance but the biggest was that he received 21 touches in a losing effort. Mixon's playing time was trending the wrong way but that changed in Week 8. Hopefully it holds steady after the bye.

Verdict: Believe it.

This team should get A.J. Green back and their offensive line could get better over the bye week as well. Those two things could improve the situation enough to where 20 touches are the norm and would also help Mixon's efficiency. I still don't believe Mixon will be the top-12 back we drafted him to be, but he should be a worthwhile starter most weeks. 

You can't trust any Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night.

What has happened to the Cardinals offense? Besides their running backs all getting hurt. As of Monday morning our expectation is that both David Johnson and Chase Edmonds will miss Thursday's tilt with the 49ers. That means the Cardinals will start Kenyan Drake three days after trading for him. 

It's hard to feel much better about the offense. The red zone struggles continued in Week 8 and Kyler Murray now has just one more touchdown than game played this season. The 49ers rank in the top five of Fantasy points allowed to all four positions. They're dominant up front and should overwhelm the Cardinals offensive line with ease. You should sit all of your Cardinals this week if you can. 

Verdict: Don't Believe it.

There are four teams on a bye and they are teams we've been leaning on for Fantasy production at running back and wide receiver — the Saints, Rams, and Falcons, plus the Bengals. As long as it looks like Drake is going to get the lion's share of the touches for the Cardinals you have to at least consider him as a flex option on an offense that will, at the very least, run a bunch of plays. Christian Kirk is a fine No. 3 receiver in PPR as well.

Sam Darnold is still a good multi-week streamer.

I don't care how bad Darnold has been. Erase the past two weeks from your mind and just take a look at this beautiful schedule:

  • Week 9 against the Dolphins 
  • Week 10 against the Giants on Byenado
  • Week 11 at Washington 
  • Week 12 against the Raiders
  • Week 13 at Cincinnati 
  • Week 14 against the Dolphins again to start the Fantasy playoffs

The Dolphins give up the most Fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Raiders, the second most. The Bengals and Giants are both in the bottom third of the league. Washington has been about average but four quarterbacks have already topped 25 Fantasy points against them. Darnold will make it five. 

Verdict: Don't believe it.

It was such a smart idea; pick up Darnold and hold him for two weeks before he hits the jackpot of Fantasy schedules. There was only one thing we failed to take into account: Darnold's ability.

There are two hurdles we're talking about clearing here. Would I stream Darnold against the Dolphins? Absolutely. I'd stream almost anyone against the Dolphins. And, if Darnold is awesome in Week 9 I may even consider him in Week 10 due to the bye weeks. But after the way he's played lately I want a second quarterback at the ready and I'm taking it on a week-to-week basis.

None of the Lions running backs matter.

What a feeling that must have been for the people who bid 30% of their FAAB on Ty Johnson, to see Tra Carson get all of the early work and lead the team in carries. To see J.D. McKissic lead the team in targets out of the backfield. To see Johnson finish the day with 38 yards on eight touches against the Giants. Well, I know the feeling firsthand. It's not great. 

The Lions are a bad running offense with a three-headed committee and none of the backs are particularly talented. You can ignore them all.

Verdict: Believe it. 

I just hope I have to edit this on Tuesday to say it's changed after the deadline. But unless they trade for Melvin Gordon or someone else significant, I'll have no interest in the Lions running backs.