NFL Week 8 Recap: Instant Fantasy Football Takeaways from Vikings-Rams Thursday Night Football

• Puka Nakuya shines in his return: The Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver was on a pitch count but produced his most snaps for a 100-yard performance.

• The elite fantasy options did not disappoint: Both Justin Jefferson And Kieran Williams Ranked in our top seven Rankings for the rest of the seasonAnd both finished with over 100 yards in this game.

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Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams

Puka Nakuya And Cooper's coup Returns: Both star Rams wide receivers are returning from injuries that kept both out for more than a month.

Kupp was a limited participant in practice last week and appears to be nearly ready to play. He was a full participant this week, so he was expected to be the clear lead receiver. Nacua's practice window opened on Tuesday. He was a limited participant in practice, and it was a surprise that he was activated for this game.

Kupp was on a small snap count and Nacua on a big snap count, but the Rams made a point to get Nacua the ball early. Three of the first four passes went to Nacua, and he was the focal point of the passing game for the rest of the game. He was targeted on 40.9% of his routes, a career high for him in a game. It was the third time in his career he finished with at least 4.8 yards per route.

The coupe had several targets but was not as effective. He caught at least one touchdown pass to save those who believed in him in fantasy leagues this week. Now that the Rams have extended time before their next game, we should expect both players to play a high percentage of Los Angeles' offensive snaps next week. Both have returned as must-start players.

Demarcus Robinson The Rams' third wide receiver remains. He was their only clear X receiver last season. He was in that role when Kupp and Nacua were injured and was in that role for this game. Tutu Atwell Robinson was the backup last year, in Week 1 and in this game. While Koop and Naqua dropped out, Atwell Naqua moved on to take on more of a role. Tyler Johnson Nacua and Kupp were backups in this game.

Jordan Whittington Has been ruled out this week with a shoulder injury. After he returns, he will either replace Johnson or join him as a backup to Nacua and Koop. The only reason to keep Atwell or Whittington in fantasy leagues is the possibility that Kupp gets traded. They could be released at the trade deadline and Kupp is still with the Rams.

Robinson scored two touchdowns in the game, but those were his only two catches. Despite his 17.5 PPR points he can be discounted as his target share will be low as it has been all season.

Too much depends on the Vikings Aaron Jones: The Vikings' lead running back played 92% of the offensive snaps, setting a new career high.

Early in the season, Jones' role in the Vikings' running back rotation was very consistent, playing 55-61% of Minnesota's offensive snaps. Ty Chandler 35% played and CJ Hamm Take the rest in third-down situations.

In Week 4, Jones' playing time skyrocketed to 82% of Minnesota's offensive snaps, but that wasn't a concern at the time because he was playing his former team in his former stadium. He suffered an injury early in Week 5. When he returned in Week 7 after the Vikings' bye week, he played 72% of the snaps, suggesting he could have a bigger role here.

This week, his role went to a new extreme. He didn't play on the third drive of the game, which was a three-and-out, but beyond that, he was consistently on the field on third-and-21. He failed to break a long run in this game, but he touched the ball 20 times. He could be a buy-low candidate because few running backs are playing like Jones right now. The Vikings have a better-than-average schedule at running back the rest of the season.

Miscellaneous notes

• Vikings tight end TJ Hawkenson Not activated from the physically disabled list for this game. He was limited in practice all week. He must be placed on the 53-man active roster on Friday, or he will be ineligible for the season. Robert Tonian The third tight end for Minnesota was activated from the practice squad in this game.
• Vikings running back Miles Gaskin While a healthy inactive for a second straight week Cam Akers The third run was back. It wouldn't be surprising if Gaskin is released once they need a roster spot at a different position.
• The Ram backup tight end has been acquired Davis Allen More involved in recent weeks. He set a season-high in offensive snaps last week with 12, and he broke that season-high Thursday night before the start of the fourth quarter. These are mostly two tight end sets and run-blocking situations, so this affects minimally Colby Parkinson.

Table notes

• Snaps include plays returned due to penalties including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. These plays are removed from the other three figures.
• Goals may vary from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear throw-away pass, where the NFL would target the closest receiver, though this data would not.
• Carry is only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles will not count toward total carries in the game.