Tell your friends (just not your leaguemates until next week)

by Optimus Staff

Published On: October 24th, 2025

How it feels standing before the fury of the storm that is the Week 8 Bye-Mageddon:

 

But we will not go gentle into that good night! Don’t worry, this isn’t English class, I won’t continue on with the poem, but you get the idea. These are the fires in which champions are forged. While others shrink from the inferno, we face it head-on. To victory!

These are the vibes we’re rolling into the weekend with, and I hope you can screw your courage to the sticking place and join us!

Friday Vibes: NFL Week 8 Storylines and 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Nate Polvogt:

I’ll be the first to admit, it’s hard to believe the Denver Broncos’ start to the 2025 season is sustainable. Sure, their two losses were by a combined three points. However, their last two WINS, over the New York Jets and New York Giants, were also by a combined three points, and the latter required Denver to score 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Bo Nix has been streaky, and the run game has been, too. The defense has not been as elite as promised, either. These are all things that can be fixed, of course. But we are now into Week 8 of the season, and their schedule gets tougher as we get on down the line, with matchups against Houston, Kansas City twice, Green Bay, Jacksonville and the Chargers. 

I’m not insinuating that their matchup with Dallas this week isn’t tough, folks. I’m downright saying it. 

This will be a good game. Dallas can move the ball, and they don’t have a hard time scoring most weeks. CeeDee Lamb is healthy, too. But can the Denver offense keep up? The Cowboys’ defense is nearly nonexistent without LB Micah Parsons, and if Denver can’t get things going early and stay in this game, it’s hard to trust that this 5-2 start was more than a mirage. 

Carly Manger:

Here we go again. 

I don’t know how to feel heading into the Week 8 rematch between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Two weeks ago, the Giants shocked everyone, including me, when they dominated the Eagles. Can they do it again? Who knows. It doesn’t feel likely, but then again, I am biased as a cynical Giants fan.

Still, there’s something in the air. Maybe spooky season is getting to me. Jaxson Dart looks more confident every week, Cam Skattebo continues to run like the Kool-Aid man through a brick wall, and the defense is playing with an edge I haven’t seen in years. 

Of course, this is exactly when the Eagles would decide to remember they’re the Eagles again (Saquon Barkley included). Still, I can’t shake the (cautious) hope – dangerous, foolish hope – that the Giants might just pull off another miracle. For fantasy managers, it’s chaos in the best way: one of those games where anything can happen. Either way, it’s shaping up to be another emotional rollercoaster. I will likely be full tilt on Bluesky on Sunday.

Lou Brunson:

The term “Bye-Mageddon” has been thrown around a ton this week, and as trite as it may be, that doesn’t make it any less correct. I’m suggesting people start players I would have never considered even two weeks ago. The whole thing has left me scared and confused. Then we add in the layer of injuries, and the whole landscape is barren. That tumbleweed that just blew past? I think I’m starting it in my flex this week. 

The whole thing has a very interesting impact on my flex rankings, though. For the first time that I can remember, I have several TEs outside the top 12 ranked as flexworthy starts. That’s wild to me. And the fun part of it? This week is “National TE Day”! I don’t really buy into a lot of those things, but we do seem to get more TE production in those weeks. Could it be cosmic alignment? I dunno what Mercury’s doing right now, but I can’t wait to find out what the TEs do this week!

As a reminder, this is what happened last year:

Evan Sather:

I have been accused of being a Justin Fields apologist by several people since he began his NFL career with the Chicago Bears. Let me set the record straight. I don’t mind if people choose to hate Justin Fields as a quarterback. Specifically, I don’t like the lazy, critical statements haters make about him, as if they have any worthwhile substance. Here are some examples:

“He’s a running back!”

“He can’t throw!”

“He can’t play the quarterback position!”

Justin Fields was among the top college quarterbacks in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He was a Heisman finalist in both seasons. In the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields was a desperate 1st-round pick by the Bears during Ryan Pace’s final season as general manager, after he ruined Mitchell Trubisky‘s career. The Bears still had a poorly run offense with low-quality targets under Matt Nagy’s final season as head coach.

The team went from bad to worse with Matt Eberflus replacing Nagy. He has been forced to run for his life due to poor offensive line play, which has shown why he’s a highly effective rusher. Current general manager Ryan Poles tried to build a better team for Fields, including trading for D.J. Moore. However, when Eberflus’s coaching staff sucked, the talent no longer mattered when nobody was being used well. For example, Luke Getsy had no business being an offensive coordinator, doing Fields no favors.

Finally, in 2024, the Bears traded Fields to the Steelers, who only used him for six games. His best games were against the Chargers and Colts, until the team turned to Russell Wilson for the remainder of the season. Subsequently, Fields signed with the Jets. They managed to have an even worse situation with the entire team than the Bears ever did during Fields’s time in Chicago.

I’ll put it to you this way. If Lamar Jackson got drafted by the Jets rather than the Ravens, I’d be willing to bet a handsome amount of money that people would be criticizing him nearly identically to Fields right now. After all, Jackson faced much of that same criticism in his first several seasons in the NFL as a Baltimore Raven. Isn’t it funny how quiet those same voices are now that Lamar is coming off a career-high season, including 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, and only four interceptions? Teams investing in their quarterbacks matters, something Justin Fields has barely seen.

Has Justin Fields gotten much better since his rookie year? Not really. He still makes bad mistakes, such as holding onto the ball for too long, panicking when his first read isn’t open, leading defenses with his eyes, running the wrong way in certain plays, and more. Unfortunately, these mistakes are highly indicative of how he’ll be for the rest of his career due to NFL coaching failing him.

Whether or not the Jets continue to start him, it’s not entirely his fault that the Jets’ offense sucks. When you let Fields throw more than 30 times, he can be a dangerous NFL quarterback. He wouldn’t even be playing this position if he weren’t good enough to play it. To act like only the quarterback matters in any offense is ignorant and lazy. It’s never as simple as sticking in a Tom Brady and everything instantly gets better, as rare as those quarterbacks are to have. Cut the young man some slack.

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

How it feels standing before the fury of the storm that is the Week 8 Bye-Mageddon:

 

But we will not go gentle into that good night! Don’t worry, this isn’t English class, I won’t continue on with the poem, but you get the idea. These are the fires in which champions are forged. While others shrink from the inferno, we face it head-on. To victory!

These are the vibes we’re rolling into the weekend with, and I hope you can screw your courage to the sticking place and join us!

Friday Vibes: NFL Week 8 Storylines and 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Nate Polvogt:

I’ll be the first to admit, it’s hard to believe the Denver Broncos’ start to the 2025 season is sustainable. Sure, their two losses were by a combined three points. However, their last two WINS, over the New York Jets and New York Giants, were also by a combined three points, and the latter required Denver to score 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Bo Nix has been streaky, and the run game has been, too. The defense has not been as elite as promised, either. These are all things that can be fixed, of course. But we are now into Week 8 of the season, and their schedule gets tougher as we get on down the line, with matchups against Houston, Kansas City twice, Green Bay, Jacksonville and the Chargers. 

I’m not insinuating that their matchup with Dallas this week isn’t tough, folks. I’m downright saying it. 

This will be a good game. Dallas can move the ball, and they don’t have a hard time scoring most weeks. CeeDee Lamb is healthy, too. But can the Denver offense keep up? The Cowboys’ defense is nearly nonexistent without LB Micah Parsons, and if Denver can’t get things going early and stay in this game, it’s hard to trust that this 5-2 start was more than a mirage. 

Carly Manger:

Here we go again. 

I don’t know how to feel heading into the Week 8 rematch between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Two weeks ago, the Giants shocked everyone, including me, when they dominated the Eagles. Can they do it again? Who knows. It doesn’t feel likely, but then again, I am biased as a cynical Giants fan.

Still, there’s something in the air. Maybe spooky season is getting to me. Jaxson Dart looks more confident every week, Cam Skattebo continues to run like the Kool-Aid man through a brick wall, and the defense is playing with an edge I haven’t seen in years. 

Of course, this is exactly when the Eagles would decide to remember they’re the Eagles again (Saquon Barkley included). Still, I can’t shake the (cautious) hope – dangerous, foolish hope – that the Giants might just pull off another miracle. For fantasy managers, it’s chaos in the best way: one of those games where anything can happen. Either way, it’s shaping up to be another emotional rollercoaster. I will likely be full tilt on Bluesky on Sunday.

Lou Brunson:

The term “Bye-Mageddon” has been thrown around a ton this week, and as trite as it may be, that doesn’t make it any less correct. I’m suggesting people start players I would have never considered even two weeks ago. The whole thing has left me scared and confused. Then we add in the layer of injuries, and the whole landscape is barren. That tumbleweed that just blew past? I think I’m starting it in my flex this week. 

The whole thing has a very interesting impact on my flex rankings, though. For the first time that I can remember, I have several TEs outside the top 12 ranked as flexworthy starts. That’s wild to me. And the fun part of it? This week is “National TE Day”! I don’t really buy into a lot of those things, but we do seem to get more TE production in those weeks. Could it be cosmic alignment? I dunno what Mercury’s doing right now, but I can’t wait to find out what the TEs do this week!

As a reminder, this is what happened last year:

Evan Sather:

I have been accused of being a Justin Fields apologist by several people since he began his NFL career with the Chicago Bears. Let me set the record straight. I don’t mind if people choose to hate Justin Fields as a quarterback. Specifically, I don’t like the lazy, critical statements haters make about him, as if they have any worthwhile substance. Here are some examples:

“He’s a running back!”

“He can’t throw!”

“He can’t play the quarterback position!”

Justin Fields was among the top college quarterbacks in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He was a Heisman finalist in both seasons. In the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields was a desperate 1st-round pick by the Bears during Ryan Pace’s final season as general manager, after he ruined Mitchell Trubisky‘s career. The Bears still had a poorly run offense with low-quality targets under Matt Nagy’s final season as head coach.

The team went from bad to worse with Matt Eberflus replacing Nagy. He has been forced to run for his life due to poor offensive line play, which has shown why he’s a highly effective rusher. Current general manager Ryan Poles tried to build a better team for Fields, including trading for D.J. Moore. However, when Eberflus’s coaching staff sucked, the talent no longer mattered when nobody was being used well. For example, Luke Getsy had no business being an offensive coordinator, doing Fields no favors.

Finally, in 2024, the Bears traded Fields to the Steelers, who only used him for six games. His best games were against the Chargers and Colts, until the team turned to Russell Wilson for the remainder of the season. Subsequently, Fields signed with the Jets. They managed to have an even worse situation with the entire team than the Bears ever did during Fields’s time in Chicago.

I’ll put it to you this way. If Lamar Jackson got drafted by the Jets rather than the Ravens, I’d be willing to bet a handsome amount of money that people would be criticizing him nearly identically to Fields right now. After all, Jackson faced much of that same criticism in his first several seasons in the NFL as a Baltimore Raven. Isn’t it funny how quiet those same voices are now that Lamar is coming off a career-high season, including 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, and only four interceptions? Teams investing in their quarterbacks matters, something Justin Fields has barely seen.

Has Justin Fields gotten much better since his rookie year? Not really. He still makes bad mistakes, such as holding onto the ball for too long, panicking when his first read isn’t open, leading defenses with his eyes, running the wrong way in certain plays, and more. Unfortunately, these mistakes are highly indicative of how he’ll be for the rest of his career due to NFL coaching failing him.

Whether or not the Jets continue to start him, it’s not entirely his fault that the Jets’ offense sucks. When you let Fields throw more than 30 times, he can be a dangerous NFL quarterback. He wouldn’t even be playing this position if he weren’t good enough to play it. To act like only the quarterback matters in any offense is ignorant and lazy. It’s never as simple as sticking in a Tom Brady and everything instantly gets better, as rare as those quarterbacks are to have. Cut the young man some slack.

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

How it feels standing before the fury of the storm that is the Week 8 Bye-Mageddon:

 

But we will not go gentle into that good night! Don’t worry, this isn’t English class, I won’t continue on with the poem, but you get the idea. These are the fires in which champions are forged. While others shrink from the inferno, we face it head-on. To victory!

These are the vibes we’re rolling into the weekend with, and I hope you can screw your courage to the sticking place and join us!

Friday Vibes: NFL Week 8 Storylines and 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Nate Polvogt:

I’ll be the first to admit, it’s hard to believe the Denver Broncos’ start to the 2025 season is sustainable. Sure, their two losses were by a combined three points. However, their last two WINS, over the New York Jets and New York Giants, were also by a combined three points, and the latter required Denver to score 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Bo Nix has been streaky, and the run game has been, too. The defense has not been as elite as promised, either. These are all things that can be fixed, of course. But we are now into Week 8 of the season, and their schedule gets tougher as we get on down the line, with matchups against Houston, Kansas City twice, Green Bay, Jacksonville and the Chargers. 

I’m not insinuating that their matchup with Dallas this week isn’t tough, folks. I’m downright saying it. 

This will be a good game. Dallas can move the ball, and they don’t have a hard time scoring most weeks. CeeDee Lamb is healthy, too. But can the Denver offense keep up? The Cowboys’ defense is nearly nonexistent without LB Micah Parsons, and if Denver can’t get things going early and stay in this game, it’s hard to trust that this 5-2 start was more than a mirage. 

Carly Manger:

Here we go again. 

I don’t know how to feel heading into the Week 8 rematch between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Two weeks ago, the Giants shocked everyone, including me, when they dominated the Eagles. Can they do it again? Who knows. It doesn’t feel likely, but then again, I am biased as a cynical Giants fan.

Still, there’s something in the air. Maybe spooky season is getting to me. Jaxson Dart looks more confident every week, Cam Skattebo continues to run like the Kool-Aid man through a brick wall, and the defense is playing with an edge I haven’t seen in years. 

Of course, this is exactly when the Eagles would decide to remember they’re the Eagles again (Saquon Barkley included). Still, I can’t shake the (cautious) hope – dangerous, foolish hope – that the Giants might just pull off another miracle. For fantasy managers, it’s chaos in the best way: one of those games where anything can happen. Either way, it’s shaping up to be another emotional rollercoaster. I will likely be full tilt on Bluesky on Sunday.

Lou Brunson:

The term “Bye-Mageddon” has been thrown around a ton this week, and as trite as it may be, that doesn’t make it any less correct. I’m suggesting people start players I would have never considered even two weeks ago. The whole thing has left me scared and confused. Then we add in the layer of injuries, and the whole landscape is barren. That tumbleweed that just blew past? I think I’m starting it in my flex this week. 

The whole thing has a very interesting impact on my flex rankings, though. For the first time that I can remember, I have several TEs outside the top 12 ranked as flexworthy starts. That’s wild to me. And the fun part of it? This week is “National TE Day”! I don’t really buy into a lot of those things, but we do seem to get more TE production in those weeks. Could it be cosmic alignment? I dunno what Mercury’s doing right now, but I can’t wait to find out what the TEs do this week!

As a reminder, this is what happened last year:

Evan Sather:

I have been accused of being a Justin Fields apologist by several people since he began his NFL career with the Chicago Bears. Let me set the record straight. I don’t mind if people choose to hate Justin Fields as a quarterback. Specifically, I don’t like the lazy, critical statements haters make about him, as if they have any worthwhile substance. Here are some examples:

“He’s a running back!”

“He can’t throw!”

“He can’t play the quarterback position!”

Justin Fields was among the top college quarterbacks in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He was a Heisman finalist in both seasons. In the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields was a desperate 1st-round pick by the Bears during Ryan Pace’s final season as general manager, after he ruined Mitchell Trubisky‘s career. The Bears still had a poorly run offense with low-quality targets under Matt Nagy’s final season as head coach.

The team went from bad to worse with Matt Eberflus replacing Nagy. He has been forced to run for his life due to poor offensive line play, which has shown why he’s a highly effective rusher. Current general manager Ryan Poles tried to build a better team for Fields, including trading for D.J. Moore. However, when Eberflus’s coaching staff sucked, the talent no longer mattered when nobody was being used well. For example, Luke Getsy had no business being an offensive coordinator, doing Fields no favors.

Finally, in 2024, the Bears traded Fields to the Steelers, who only used him for six games. His best games were against the Chargers and Colts, until the team turned to Russell Wilson for the remainder of the season. Subsequently, Fields signed with the Jets. They managed to have an even worse situation with the entire team than the Bears ever did during Fields’s time in Chicago.

I’ll put it to you this way. If Lamar Jackson got drafted by the Jets rather than the Ravens, I’d be willing to bet a handsome amount of money that people would be criticizing him nearly identically to Fields right now. After all, Jackson faced much of that same criticism in his first several seasons in the NFL as a Baltimore Raven. Isn’t it funny how quiet those same voices are now that Lamar is coming off a career-high season, including 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, and only four interceptions? Teams investing in their quarterbacks matters, something Justin Fields has barely seen.

Has Justin Fields gotten much better since his rookie year? Not really. He still makes bad mistakes, such as holding onto the ball for too long, panicking when his first read isn’t open, leading defenses with his eyes, running the wrong way in certain plays, and more. Unfortunately, these mistakes are highly indicative of how he’ll be for the rest of his career due to NFL coaching failing him.

Whether or not the Jets continue to start him, it’s not entirely his fault that the Jets’ offense sucks. When you let Fields throw more than 30 times, he can be a dangerous NFL quarterback. He wouldn’t even be playing this position if he weren’t good enough to play it. To act like only the quarterback matters in any offense is ignorant and lazy. It’s never as simple as sticking in a Tom Brady and everything instantly gets better, as rare as those quarterbacks are to have. Cut the young man some slack.

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!
By Published On: October 24th, 2025

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