We’re here in Week 8, and honestly, it was one of the more uneventful weeks of this season. We didn’t have a ton of landscape-changing injuries, but what’s notable is that we’re already at the midway point of the fantasy football season.
It’s crazy, I know! Time flies when you’re having fun … or hating everything. Fantasy football does that to everybody, and hey, we all go through it!
Are you 7-0, 6-1 or 5-2? Your team is likely in very good shape for the long run and should be trying to keep your bench stocked with talent so that you don’t have to dive too deeply into the waiver wire for players when you need them.
What about if you’re 4-3 or 3-4? Well, your season can go several ways. Maybe you’re backsliding after a hot start, coming up from
a terrible start or simply alternating wins and losses. There’s plenty of time to get on the winning side of the ledger and make that playoff push.
If you’re 2-5, 1-6 or even 0-7, you’ve been dealt a rough hand or have been the recipient of bad luck. Again, there’s still time to turn things around with a trade or two and perhaps some waiver-wire additions as well. Don’t give up!
No matter your record, we’re here to help you put these fantasy football players into context and provide an outlook for next week’s matchups and perhaps the next couple of weeks, given each team’s trends and tendencies. That’s why this article is called “The Outlook,” you know.
You’ve got this. The road to the fantasy football playoffs starts here.
We’ve compiled the following groupings of games to make it easier to find the matchups you want:
- Block 1: CAR-GB, BAL-BUF, TEN-CIN, ARI-DAL, MIN-DET
- Block 2: LV-NYJ, CLE-PIT, ATL-TB, IND-JAC
- Block 3: LAC-LAR, KC-DEN, NE-MIA, PHI-WAS, CHI-SEA
“The Outlook” will give you details, stats, angles, recommendations and everything else you need to know to help you make your fantasy football decisions. Every fantasy-relevant player on each team playing will be profiled in this article. We want everybody reading this to bring home championships in their fantasy leagues!
I’m incredibly excited to bring this article to all of you this season, and I hope you all enjoy the ride. If you have any questions, feel free to find me on Bluesky (@ktompkinsii.bsky.social) or tag me in a post with any lineup questions you have. I’ll do my best to answer them for you.
Let’s get into it!
All game and implied point totals listed below were compiled via DraftKings Sportsbook on Tuesday for CAR-GB, BAL-BUF, TEN-CIN, ARI-DAL and MIN-DET.
Teams on bye in Week 8: Houston Texans, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers.
Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
- Favorite: Packers -3.5
- Game Total: 48.5
- Implied Point Total: Packers 26, Panthers 22.5
Panthers Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: WR Tetairoa McMillan
QB Bryce Young
The Panthers ran just 54 plays, one of the lowest marks in Week 7, and Young played even fewer. He was on the field for 44 plays before giving way to Kenny Pickett and the backups with around 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, with the team trailing 43-6. Young committed three turnovers and recorded only 27 pass attempts. The Panthers were so far out of it that this was one of those “This really got away from us, huh?” games you’ll see at the NFL level. On a short week, the Panthers will have to pick up the pieces against the Packers, but that Buccaneers game, featuring a returning Baker Mayfield, was simply a buzz saw.
Fantasy Advice: Young will be on the edge of streaming quarterback viability against the Packers, who just allowed 303 yards and two touchdowns to Jared Goff and the Lions.
RB Chuba Hubbard
In this bloodbath against the Buccaneers, Hubbard saw just 12 touches and got his last one with about two minutes left in the third quarter before ceding the remaining running back touches to Anthony Tyus III and Trevor Etienne. Hubbard rushed for 33 yards and caught four of five targets for 27 yards. In such a strange game script, it was difficult to decipher anything beyond the actual production. Prior to this past week, Hubbard’s role had been incredibly strong, so we’ll go with that assessment for next Thursday against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Fantasy Advice: Hubbard is set up for a pristine matchup against the Packers, who allow the fifth-most fantasy points per game to running backs. He has to be in your lineup for Thursday Night Football.
WR Jalen Coker
A deep ball late in the third quarter had a chance to salvage Coker’s day, but Young overthrew him even though Coker had a step on two trailing defenders. Alas, Coker finished with just three targets and one catch for nine yards against the Bucs in Week 7. Young and later Pickett spread their passes among a bunch of targets, and it simply wasn’t their day. Coker left the game at the end of the third quarter after the Panthers’ final drive stalled in the red zone. I’m not going to downgrade Coker’s fantasy value because of this performance, as something like this can happen to any team.
Fantasy Advice: Let’s hope the Panthers are a bit more competitive against the Packers. Coker will be a low-end WR2 with upside on Thursday night.
Packers Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: WR Christian Watson, WR Matthew Golden (if he plays)
QB Jordan Love
Well, the Packers-Lions game certainly didn’t disappoint, but it felt like the Packers left a lot of points and yards out there. Central to that was Love, who threw for two touchdowns and 274 yards. During the broadcast, someone said something to the effect of “It’s like a shootout, but without the points!” That was incredibly apt, considering the Lions led 10-7 at halftime and the game ended 20-17 despite having the highest game total of the week. Love and the Packers generated a whopping 458 air yards, the highest total among all teams in Week 7. That said, if Love can’t convert those opportunities into actual production and, more importantly, points, he’s simply a matchup-dependent streaming option rather than an every-week fantasy starter.
Fantasy Advice: Love faces Carolina on Thursday. The Panthers were just bludgeoned by the Buccaneers on the ground for 258 yards. More running from the Packers could be on the menu, but Love remains a fringe QB1/QB2 play for fantasy managers.
RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs’ return to action was predictably managed, as he worked in tandem with MarShawn Lloyd. Jacobs held an 11-6 edge over Lloyd in carries and added five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Almost certain to be ramped up after spending the first six weeks of the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, Jacobs should return to the consistent high-end RB2 range. The concern with Jacobs returning for a game against the Lions was that head coach Matt LaFleur might not be able to help himself and run the ball too much, moving away from the deep passing game the Packers have used to torch defenses this season. That wasn’t the case, but the hope is that the running game becomes more efficient as the passing attack spreads out opposing defenses and creates more running lanes.
Fantasy Advice: Against the Panthers, who were gouged by the Buccaneers on the ground, Jacobs is a locked-in RB2.
TE Tucker Kraft
Even on an afternoon when Watson and Golden were heavily targeted, combining for 20 of the team’s 41 total targets, Kraft tied Jacobs for third in targets and had the best fantasy day among the pass-catchers. Kraft caught his second touchdown of the season and finished with a 4-48 stat line. He’s been a little lost in the shuffle this season behind those two wide receivers, but Kraft has put together three TE12-or-better weekly fantasy finishes in his last four games. In a Packers offense that can get into a groove and score a ton, you have to get Kraft into your lineup and keep him there.
Fantasy Advice: With the Panthers slightly below average against fantasy tight ends, you were likely starting Kraft anyway. It’s a good matchup, so that should make you feel a little better!
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
- Favorite: Bills -3.5
- Game Total: 53.5
- Implied Point Total: Bills 28.5, Ravens 25
Ravens Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: QB Lamar Jackson (if healthy), RB Derrick Henry, WR Zay Flowers
Ravens QBs
Will Jackson finally suit up? It’s been a huge question and a source of frustration for fantasy managers, and rightly so. Jackson last played in Week 4 against the Titans, when he left the game and Tyler Huntley finished it. With a tough matchup against Buffalo on deck and three games in 11 days, Jackson’s supporters hope that holding him out in Week 7 was the right move for his overall health. Huntley has been no slouch, ranking QB13 in fantasy points per game across the three starts he’s made in relief of Jackson. Against Buffalo, it’s a juicy matchup for whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens in Week 8.
Fantasy Advice: If Jackson is active, he’s an automatic start. If Jackson remains out and Huntley gets the call once again, Huntley is a streaming option in a great matchup, as Buffalo allows the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
WR Ja’Kobi Lane
I’m a bit stuck on a player like Lane because he’s clearly a good player and has been a solid contributor in the two games he’s played since returning from injured reserve with a wrist injury. Lane ran routes on 75% of Huntley’s dropbacks and earned five targets, finishing with a 3-25 line against the Bengals in Week 7. That said, it feels more and more like the Jaxon Smith-Njigba situation from last season, with Zay Flowers dominating the receiving game while everybody else fights for scraps. No player has truly stepped up alongside Flowers, and that’s an issue. If I were a betting man, Lane would be the player most likely to become fantasy-relevant alongside Flowers, but the JSN comparison is something I’m not sure I can shake. After Flowers’ team-leading 10 targets, six players received at least two targets, yet no other pass-catcher had more than three receptions or 38 receiving yards.
Fantasy Advice: I say all that, but I still have the candle lit for Lane. He has every chance to prove me wrong and show that he can earn targets in this Ravens offense. He’s a low-end flex play against Buffalo, which has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.
Bills Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: QB Josh Allen, RB James Cook
Bills WRs
The hope for the Bills after their Week 6 bye is to get DJ Moore back from his shoulder injury and into the lineup. Moore has played two full games and parts of two others, leaving him with just 18 targets in four games. He missed the two games against the Rams and Raiders before the bye week. Moore’s return would help clarify the receiver rotation. Keon Coleman, who leads the Bills in touchdown receptions with three, would become more of a rotational player. He has averaged 56% route participation with Moore and 82% without him. Khalil Shakir’s role is relatively secure regardless of Moore’s status, but he’s more of a low-end flex play without much upside. Simply put, Moore ties everything together, and in a major showdown with the Ravens that could have playoff-seeding implications later in the season, the Bills will need all hands on deck.
Fantasy Advice: Consider Moore a high-end WR3 with upside against the Ravens if he plays. Shakir is more of a low-end flex play regardless of whether Moore plays. If Moore doesn’t suit up, Coleman enters the flex conversation with four additional teams on bye.
TE Dalton Kincaid
The first two weeks of the season gave us hope that it was “Dalton Kincaid szn,” as he piled up 14 targets, 12 receptions, 225 yards and a touchdown. Over the next three games combined, Kincaid came crashing back down to earth with just seven targets, four receptions and 52 yards. At least his target volume rebounded in Buffalo’s last game, in Week 6, when he earned a team-leading eight targets and finished with a 7-38 line. However, this kind of volatility is awful for fantasy because we never know when to start him. He’s still on the field for 68% of offensive snaps and running routes on 67% of dropbacks, which is around the lower threshold we want for fantasy tight ends in terms of route participation. Kincaid actually leads the Bills in receptions and receiving yards through six games, largely on the strength of his first two performances. With Moore hurt and the other receivers contributing sporadically, the hope is that the Bills will get Kincaid more open looks as a mismatch tight end after the bye. Then again, that’s been the hope for several seasons now, so we’ll believe it when we see it.
Fantasy Advice: Baltimore is merely average against fantasy tight ends, but Kincaid’s volatility makes him a streaming option rather than a locked-in fantasy starter.
Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals
- Favorite: Bengals -10
- Game Total: 46.5
- Implied Point Total: Bengals 28.25, Titans 18.25
Titans Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: None
RB Tony Pollard
I’m sure everybody called it “The Tony Pollard Generational Week 7 Game,” right? I wish I could have, because WOW. Tyjae Spears was inactive for last week’s game, so Michael Carter filled his role. Pollard handled 83% of the running back carries, taking 25 of the team’s 28 attempts. He rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns, then added 29 yards on three receptions. He nearly scored a third touchdown earlier in the game, but the play was overturned on review. That means he could potentially have had four scores. With the Titans keeping pace with the Browns, the game script allowed Pollard to avoid being scripted out and continue receiving meaningful work throughout the game. (Perhaps that was a good way to reduce the number of opportunities for Cam Ward to screw things up?) Either way, Pollard finished with the third-highest RYOE (+30) among all running backs in Week 7, so it was a great performance.
Fantasy Advice: Cincinnati, Tennessee’s Week 8 opponent, is much stingier against opposing running backs. The Bengals allow the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to backfields, so keep Pollard as a low-end RB2 or flex play for that matchup. I do worry that the Bengals will have a much easier time scoring and that the Titans will have a much harder time keeping up in this game than they did against Cleveland.
WR Carnell Tate
Tate continues to put together solid games, adding a 5-69-0 performance on a team-leading seven targets against Cleveland in Week 7. He missed a touchdown by a yard when he went out of bounds at the 1-yard line, setting up Pollard’s third score to tie the game. Since Week 3, Tate has averaged eight targets per game and is on pace for 124 targets, 83 receptions, 1,003 yards and two touchdowns over a full season. He has also ranked WR20 since Week 3, so despite the offense’s shortcomings, Tate is beginning to establish himself firmly in the NFL.
Fantasy Advice: Tate is a solid volume-based flex play against the Bengals, who have one of the better lockdown cornerbacks in football in DJ Turner.
Bengals Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Tee Higgins
RB Chase Brown
While the Bengals scored 35 points in their win over the Ravens, Cincinnati’s running backs saw only 18 carries in a game script that was not ideal. The Bengals trailed 13-0 at halftime, so the running game had to take a back seat as Burrow threw four touchdown passes in the second half of what became a 35-13 rout. Brown contributed in the passing game with four receptions for 19 yards, in addition to rushing for just 39 yards on 11 carries. Samaje Perine scored a short touchdown after a penalty, and even Tahj Brooks got on the field for three carries and six yards when the backups saw action with Joe Flacco during the final drive.
Fantasy Advice: Even with Perine more involved than Brown’s fantasy managers would like, Brown remains a solid RB2 with upside in a high-scoring offense against Tennessee, which has allowed opposing backfields to average more than 100 yards per game this season.
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys
- Favorite: Cowboys -6.5
- Game Total: 54.5
- Implied Point Total: Cowboys 30.5, Cardinals 24
Cardinals Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: TE Trey McBride
QB Jacoby Brissett
In Brissett’s previous two games with at least 40 pass attempts, he finished as QB4 and QB6. That wasn’t the case against Denver’s stout defense, as he passed for 272 yards but managed just one touchdown. Brissett should never be a weekly starter because he’s too volatile for that kind of fantasy commitment. However, in the right matchups, Brissett can be gold. Luckily, the Dallas Cowboys are next on the schedule, giving him a pristine matchup. The Cowboys rank 26th or worse in fantasy points allowed at every position except tight end, where they’re slightly better than average. We’ll certainly take Trey McBride in that matchup, too.
Fantasy Advice: If you don’t already have a no-brainer starting quarterback for Week 8, lock in Brissett against Dallas.
Cardinals RBs
With Jeremiyah Love recovering but slated to practice Wednesday, the Cardinals are taking the first step toward his return after he missed the past two games. With Love out, the Cardinals have operated with a two-back committee featuring Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight, and it’s certainly been one of the backfield committees of all time. Over the last two weeks, Allgeier has averaged 2.2 yards per carry, totaling 56 yards on 28 carries, while Knight has averaged 5.8 yards per carry, totaling 128 yards on 22 attempts. If Love returns, Knight is likely to lose most of his role, and the Love-Allgeier backfield tandem from earlier in the season should resume. If Love remains out, expect the Allgeier-Knight tandem to continue.
Fantasy Advice: Love’s return in Week 8 against Dallas would be a great launching point for his fantasy value as a low-end RB2. If Love is out, continue to treat both Knight and Allgeier, in that order, as low-end flex plays.
WR Michael Wilson
Wilson has received at least seven targets in every game but one, but he doesn’t have much to show for it beyond one touchdown. Entering Week 8, he ranks WR23 in PPR formats. His target volume has been somewhat hollow, as he hasn’t reaped many of the rewards that should come with it. Still, Wilson is on pace for 153 targets and 90 receptions. Against the Cowboys in Week 8, he should start in the vast majority of fantasy leagues, but it feels like we’re being misled by the strength of Weeks 3 and 4, when Wilson combined for 29 targets, 18 receptions, 184 yards and his lone touchdown of the season.
Fantasy Advice: Wilson gets high-end WR3 treatment in a gift-wrapped matchup against the Cowboys, but he has been disappointing this season given the targets he has received.
Cowboys Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: WR CeeDee Lamb, WR George Pickens
QB Dak Prescott
Against the Eagles on Monday Night Football, Prescott had one of his best games of the season, finishing QB6 for the week with three touchdown passes and 212 yards. Even with three top-12 fantasy finishes, Prescott ranks QB12 in fantasy points per game this year. In an offense where he gets to throw to Lamb and Pickens, that isn’t good enough to make him more than a fringe starter. Luckily, his next two opponents are the Cardinals and Colts, so Prescott should remain very startable.
Fantasy Advice: At home against Arizona, Prescott is a solid fantasy starter. He should also be a good option next week against the Colts.
RB Javonte Williams
Williams looked exceptionally spry on Monday Night Football, racking up 155 rushing yards and adding a late touchdown as the cherry on top of his RB7 performance. He did this against a stout Eagles defense, but he’ll get a soft matchup in Week 8 against the Cardinals, where he should be able to rack up volume and put together another good game. Williams ranks RB7 on the season and already has eight touchdowns. Having finished lower than RB19 on just one occasion this season, Williams lacks flash but is a dependable back in a good offense. He’ll look to keep his touchdown streak going after scoring in five consecutive games.
Fantasy Advice: Lock in Williams as a high-end RB2. He has a great role in a good offense that should put him in scoring position more often than not.
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
- Favorite: Lions -3
- Game Total: 46.5
- Implied Point Total: Lions 24.75, Vikings 21.75
Vikings Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: WR Justin Jefferson
Vikings RBs
Jordan Mason made his long-awaited return to the Vikings’ lineup in Week 7 after an injured-reserve stint following a broken thumb in Week 1 that required surgery. Aaron Jones started the game, but as it progressed, Mason took over the workload, including the route-running duties. Jones left the game with what has been reported as a minor knee injury, and he is day-to-day for now. However, Mason looks set to lead this backfield even when both players are healthy. Jones is probably the favorite to handle receiving work when both are active, but Mason running routes on nearly 50% of dropbacks for much of the game before Jones left in the fourth quarter was interesting.
Fantasy Advice: If Jones is out against Detroit in Week 8, Mason is a solid midrange RB2. If Jones is available, Mason is a low-end RB2, with Jones as a low-end flex play.
TE T.J. Hockenson
With only 24 pass attempts and 14 completions from Kyler Murray in Week 7, it was an offensively challenging game for both teams, which relied on defense and the running game. Even with limited passing, Hockenson finished with a respectable 4-35 line on five targets and a fourth-quarter touchdown that put the Vikings ahead for good. Throughout the first half of the fantasy season, it has felt as though Hockenson has been the Vikings’ second target more often than Jordan Addison. All in all, the passing game hasn’t been great, and neither has the running game. The offense has done just enough to complement a blitz-happy defense, which is a big reason Minnesota is 6-0. Hockenson is the most “Ugh, fine, I’ll start him” and “Oh, he scored; sweet” tight end in fantasy football. And hey, there’s value in that!
Fantasy Advice: Hockenson is a fringe TE1/TE2 option. His offense could certainly improve and raise his floor. Even if it doesn’t, he does just enough to matter. Against the Lions, it’s a good matchup for him to put together another solid game.
Lions Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: QB Jared Goff, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR Jameson Williams
It’s getting more and more difficult not to call Williams a must-start wide receiver, but touchdowns aren’t the most predictive statistic. Williams has scored four times in his last two games and put together his best game of the season in the Lions’ divisional win over the Packers in Week 7. He earned nine targets, second on the team, and posted 91 yards on five receptions.
Fantasy Advice: Williams has been dependent on big plays and touchdowns during this recent stretch, but he’s on a massive hot streak right now. Ride the wave as a low-end WR2.
TE Sam LaPorta
With St. Brown and Williams accounting for 67% of the team’s targets in Detroit’s Week 7 win, LaPorta saw only one target and caught it for 18 yards. He was on the field plenty, with a 94% route-participation rate. It was incredibly odd to see the ball move up and down the field while LaPorta received just one target. It seems he is getting the “Dallas Goedert” treatment, where the offense is so concentrated on the two receivers and Gibbs that everybody else gets left out in the cold. I think that’s where we are with LaPorta, although I don’t expect his production to remain anywhere near as low as it was in Week 7. This feels like the low-water mark for LaPorta’s production.
Fantasy Advice: With Minnesota looming, LaPorta is a low-end TE1. However, I understand the trepidation that comes with starting him after last week’s single catch.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: The Outlook - Week 8 (CAR-GB, BAL-BUF, TEN-CIN, ARI-DAL, MIN-DET)
