Welcome to the best week of the year: National Tight Ends Day!
As all great days do, it started on a whim. In Week 2 of 2018, Garrett Celek caught a touchdown from Jimmy Garoppolo. On the sideline, Garoppolo asked, "What is it, national tight ends day?" Kittle told 49ers.com the story: "I was like, 'yeah, it's National Tight Ends Day. It's a holiday. Tight ends all over the league are scoring touchdowns.' That's how it came to be. We just kind of rolled with it."
The league officially recognized the day in 2019, moving it to the fourth Sunday of October.
It was the start of something larger for Kittle. In 2021, he combined with Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen to start Tight End University, a three-day camp that brings tight ends together every summer to learn and bond. The program focuses on giving back to the Nashville community that hosts the event.
Kittle, Kelce, and Olsen have the benefit of earning a large platform. Still, their work shows the power behind a small moment turning into a movement. National Tight End Day stands as a reminder of the community that football can build.
Bye-maggedon-apocalypse is here in Week 8. Six teams are off, which, combined with injuries, has left fantasy managers in challenging positions. While you may be struggling for answers in your lineups, your opponents likely are as well.
Twelve games stand on the schedule, time to touch them all.
Number Watch
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco - 50 Receiving Yards
McCaffrey has pushed his season-opening streak of 50 receiving yards by a running back to seven games. A record. McCaffrey tied his own longest streak, set in 2019, and Lydell Mitchell for the second-longest streak by a running back. Herschel Walker has the longest streak, with ten games.
McCaffrey needs 18 receiving yards to join Marshall Faulk, Marcus Allen, and Tiki Barber as the only players with 5,000 rushing and 5,000 receiving yards. He sits seventh on the career running back receiving yard list. Barber is 101 yards ahead.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans - 2 Receptions, 26 Receiving Yards
Kamara is two receptions away from 600. He would be the fourth running back to hit 600 catches, behind Larry Centers (827), Faulk (767), and LaDainian Tomlinson (624). He needs 26 receiving yards to catch Roger Craig for eighth on the running back career receiving yardage list. The 5,000-5,000 club stands 115 away.
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis - 61 Rushing Touchdowns - Edgerrin James 64 Colts Franchise Record
Taylor has three games of three rushing touchdowns in his last five. He stands three away from tying for the Colts' career rushing touchdown record. His three games of three rushing touchdowns put him into a large tie for the fourth most in a season. Joe Morris and Priest Holmes have four in a season. Tomlinson had five in 2006.
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta - 90 scrimmage yards
Robinson has 90+ scrimmage yards in 12 consecutive games, tying him with seven other players for the 28th-longest streak in history. He can quickly jump up the list. Three more games would move him into another seven-way tie for the 11th longest. Five more would be yet another seven-way tie for fifth. Cooper Kupp and Jonathan Taylor had 15-game streaks in 2021, the longest streaks since 2016.
Cam Skattebo, NY Giants - 90 Scrimmage Yards
Skattebo has a five-game streak of 90 scrimmage yards. Najee Harris is the only other rookie since 2018 to have a five-game run. Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott have the longest streaks for rookies, hitting 13 games each.
Josh Jacobs, Green Bay - 2 Rushing Touchdowns
Jacobs has two rushing touchdowns in three straight games. He stands in a large group tied for the eighth-longest streak. Three players had a streak of four games. Tomlinson (8), John Riggins (7), Holmes (6), and Emmitt Smith (5) are the leaderboard for longest streaks.
DeAndre Hopkins, Baltimore - 7 Receptions
Hopkins stands seven receptions from 1,000 for his career. Davante Adams is right behind, needing 12, though Adams is on bye this week. Sixteen players have done it, Hines Ward stopped at exactly 1,000.
Stefon Diggs, New England - 4 Receptions
Diggs needs four catches to hit 900, becoming the 29th player to hit the mark. He is seven behind Wes Welker on the career list.
Zach Ertz, Washington - 2 Receptions
Ertz needs two catches for 800. He would be the sixth tight end to clear the mark.
Revenge!
We are back! No, Immaculate Grid has not sponsored us yet, but hope remains. Who is playing for a little extra this week?
- QB Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh vs. Green Bay
- RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia vs. NY Giants
- RB Javonte Williams, Dallas vs. Denver
- QB Joe Flacco, Cincinnati vs. NY Jets
- TE Tyler Conklin, LA Chargers vs. Minnesota - Won 37-10, No stats
- WR Curtis Samuel, Buffalo vs. Carolina
- WR Devin Duvernay, Chicago vs. Baltimore
- TE Austin Hooper, New England vs. Cleveland
- LB Roquan Smith, Baltimore vs. Chicago
Coach Connections
- HC DeMecco Ryans, Houston vs. San Francisco (San Francisco defensive coordinator 2021-2022, defensive coach 2017-2020).
- HC Sean McDermott, Buffalo vs. Carolina / OC Joe Brady, Buffalo vs. Carolina
- HC Mike Vrabel, New England vs. Cleveland, Browns special consultant in 2024, Vrabel grew up in Akron, Ohio, before attending Ohio St.
Last Week
- TE Evan Engram, Denver vs. NY Giants - Won 33-32, 5 - 42 - 0
- QB Carson Wentz, Minnesota vs. Philadelphia - Lost 28-22, 26/42 - 313 - 0 - 2
- WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey, NY Giants vs. Denver - Lost 33-32, No stats
- TE Hunter Long, Jacksonville vs. LA Rams - Lost 35-7, 2 - 16 - 0
- TE Johnny Mundt, Jacksonville vs. LA Rams - Lost 35-7, 1 - 9 - 0
- QB Russell Wilson, NY Giants vs. Denver - Lost 33-32, No stats
- QB Gardner Minshew, Kansas City vs. Las Vegas - Won 31-0, 3-(3)-0
- WR Noah Brown, Washington vs. Dallas (on IR) - Lost 44-22
- TE Eric Saubert, Seattle vs. Houston - Won 27-19, No stats
- RB Nyheim Hines, LA Chargers vs. Indianapolis - Lost 38-24, 4 kick returns, 98 yards
Bengals vs. Jets is a goldmine for journeyman quarterback crossovers. This matchup pits Flacco against his former team, with notable travelers who have played on both sides: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh Johnson, Neil O'Donnell, and Jeff Blake. Boomer Esiason topped 8,000 passing yards and 49 touchdowns for both teams. Fifty touchdowns would have been much cooler, Boomer.
The Bills and Panthers are about as close to sister organizations as you can get. Coach Sean McDermott was the Panthers' DC from 2011-2016; Bills OC Joe Brady, DC Bobby Babich, and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor were all Panthers coaches at one time; and Bills GM Brandon Beane worked for the Panthers from 1998 till 2017 after growing up in the North Carolina area. Panthers GM Dan Morgan followed Beane to Buffalo from 2018 to 2020 before returning to Carolina. Panthers WR coach Rob Moore coached the Bills WRs in 2013-2014, just one example of multiple position coaches who have been on both sides.