The dreaded bye-pocalypse (which we warned you to prepare for in this space last week) arrived in Week 8 for fantasy owners and it certainly led to some creative lineups. Running backs were hit particularly hard with absences and the lack of flex options led to some creative tight end deployment, which was not a bad strategy to pursue with Week 8 containing the tremendous National Tight End Day holiday.
The good news for fantasy owners is that most of the stars who took the field in Week 8 delivered for their fantasy managers, leaving few disappointments apart from injured stars or regrets for not stacking lineups better to avoid the byepocalypse. Let's look at a few disappointing fantasy performers from Sunday that deserve to be benched going forward, including the Panthers' running game.
Fantasy stars that deserve to be benched after Week 8
RBs Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers' running game gets its own combo platter here as Carolina hasn't figured out a way to make the duo of Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard work together. After mediocre results against a bad Jets' defense in Week 7, things were rough for the Panthers' running backs in Week 8 as Buffalo's defense throttled Carolina's run game, with the dynamic duo combining for 80 yards on the ground on 20 carries.
Hubbard was able to salvage his fantasy day with a touchdown, but Dave Canales hasn't figured out the right mix of plays to bring out the best in both runners after Dowdle forced his way into a timeshare with a dominant stretch of games while Hubbard was sidelined. The absence of Bryce Young isn't helping since Andy Dalton isn't exactly a vertical passing threat at this stage of his career, allowing teams to stack the box to try and contain Carolina's running game.
Green Bay's stout run defense awaits in Week 9, so this is a good opportunity to avoid the Panthers' backs beyond flex duty if you have good options. Until Carolina shows they can use both backs in tandem, neither is going to offer significant fantasy value if they don't find the end zone.
TE Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
While many wondered whether the return of CeeDee Lamb from injury would torpedo George Pickens' fantasy value, Dak Prescott has found plenty of opportunities to take deep shots to the former Steeler. The player whose workload is suffering is Ferguson, one of the few tight ends who didn't get to capitalize on National Tight End Day.
Prescott only targeted Ferguson once in Sunday's blowout loss to the Broncos, a disappointing result for a game where Dallas was playing from behind for pretty much the whole game. A donut for Ferguson snapped his streak of four straight games with a touchdown, although savvy owners noted that Ferguson hasn't exceeded 50 yards in a game since Week 3.
The current state of the Dallas' passing game, which is still explosive when they aren't playing a defense as good as the Broncos' stacked unit, means that Ferguson is at best third in the pecking order behind Prescott's two star receivers. There is also significant touchdown regression coming for Ferguson, who never had more than five spikes in a season before this year, so now is a good time to try selling high on him before further market correction erodes his value.
RB Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
We are looking at a full-blown youth movement for Tennessee, which is bad news for fantasy owners invested in Tony Pollard as a depth option in their backfield. Pollard was a non-factor in the Titans' blowout loss to the Colts, registering only 44 yards rushing, as he looked far less dynamic than fellow runner Tyjae Spears.
There is a good chance that Pollard is shopped before the trade deadline, so the Titans can take a more thorough look at Spears, who is four years younger than Pollard and was a third round pick in 2023. While there are some situations that could benefit Pollard, such as helping Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, it is more likely that his fantasy relevance has peaked for the year.
Now that we have survived the byepocalypse, there is little reason to be starting Pollard in your fantasy leagues. Deeper leagues merit a hold in case Tennessee moves him to a more advantageous situation, but anyone who needs a roster spot to fill another need should feel free to move on now before Pollard's stock sinks any further.