Week 7 offered up a few trend-busting performances, making some of my takes incredibly foolish. A couple of the big ones staring back at me today are:
- Advising to “Sit” Jaxson Dart, who is looking more and more like an every-week starter in fantasy, as the staunch Broncos defense had no answers until late in the game. Dart knocked the Broncos down a couple of spots in the quarterback fantasy points allowed (per game) rankings, from second-fewest to fourth.
- Sitting Devonta Smith. Turns out, as I hinted at in my article, he was, in fact, due for a boom game! Shame on me. Once again, the opposing defense opted to sell out to stop Saquon Barkley. This week, however, the Eagles were able to adjust accordingly, and quarterback Jalen Hurts was locked in.
Fortunately, Week 8 is fast-approaching, allowing me to move on quickly, taking what I’ve learned and applying it to what’s in front of us this week. Let’s dive in.
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Quarterback
Start: Bo Nix
Bo Nix‘s Athletic Profile
The Denver Broncos’ second-year signal-caller is currently ranked at QB9 in fantasy points per game. A ranking helped in no small part by Bo Nix‘s 40-point output last week, in which the Broncos put up all of their 33 points in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants in a wild come-from-behind win.
This week, the Broncos host the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are the number one matchup for opposing quarterbacks, as their defense allows the most fantasy points to the position on a per-game basis. Our QB6 for the week, Nix, is primed to keep the good mojo flowing from last week, even if it arrived a little late. Start him with confidence.
Honorable Mention: Caleb Williams
Sit: Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers is coming off a great performance in Week 7 that saw him finish as the QB7, scoring 24.6 fantasy points against the Bengals’ defense. It was Rodgers’ first time breaking the 20-point threshold since Week 1 versus the New York Jets. In the four games he played in between, he averaged 13.85 fantasy points per game. Granted, those games were against stiffer competition, but that’s my point.
In Week 8, the 20-year veteran will go up against the Green Bay Packers and their talented defense. While the Packers are a neutral matchup for opposing quarterbacks, they are top-ten in scoring defense, allowing 20.8 points per game. With Green Bay being prone to taking the air out of the ball with their run game, shown by their 30th rank in Pace of Play, I expect Rodgers’ output to return to the mean, making him a risky play on Sunday night. Let’s seek out other options.
Honorable Mention: Jordan Love
Running Back
Start: Alvin Kamara
Alvin Kamara‘s production to date has not been commensurate with his draft-day price. After being drafted as a high-end RB2 at about RB15 on average across major platforms, he comes into Week 8 as the RB22 in PPR scoring. Though he hasn’t had the big games we have grown accustomed to seeing from the eighth-year pro, his opportunity is still viable. He ranks sixth at his position in targets and fifth in receptions. Kendre Miller, who has been gaining some steam in recent weeks and earned an increasing share of the running back snaps, suffered a torn ACL on the Saints’ second offensive snap in Week 7. In the three-plus quarters remaining, rookie Devin Neal saw only one carry. Neal will likely have more carries in the coming weeks, but Kamara should see an uptick in usage.
In Week 8, the Saints draw a plus matchup at the running back position. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. While the ceiling for Kamara certainly isn’t what it once was, there is a stable floor for the veteran running back, plus considerable upside given the matchup and the Miller injury.
Honorable Mentions: D’Andre Swift, Breece Hall
Sit: Rhamondre Stevenson
The former Sooner has been the unquestioned RB1 for the Patriots this season, leading the team in carries by 25 attempts. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson is third on the team in carries, having one fewer than quarterback Drake Maye. Last week, Stevenson set a new season-high with a 79% snap share and was able to turn it into a 16.8 PPR-point outing. However, this is one of only three weeks in which Stevenson was able to put up double-digit points. Those three performances also came against teams that are in the bottom five against running backs, allowing an average of 22.5 fantasy points per game to the position.
Week 8 provides no such matchup, as the Patriots are set to host the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have thus far allowed the fewest PPR points per game to opposing running backs. I smell another single-digit performance incoming. Besides, maybe this is the week they cut loose TreVeyon Henderson! I’m just kidding, don’t start him either.
Honorable Mentions: Kimani Vidal, Tony Pollard
Wide Receiver
Start: Rome Odunze
After putting up just 5.1 fantasy points a week ago, Rome Odunze is WR12 for us this week at PlayerProfiler. After some struggles coming out of the Bears’ Week 5 bye, the former ninth overall selection from last year’s draft is ready to take advantage of a Baltimore secondary that is still smarting from injuries. While cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was able to return to practice on Wednesday, top cornerback Marlon Humphrey was not.
Rome Odunze‘s Explosive Rating
Odunze is currently boasting top-five rankings in Dominator Rating, Deep Targets, and Total Touchdowns. His 24.9% Target Share and 32% First-Read Target Share are also clear indicators of an incoming boom week in a plus matchup against the Ravens, who have given up the sixth-most PPR points per game to opposing wide receivers.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Pittman, Romeo Doubs
Sit: Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy saw a sharp decrease in snap share (75.5% down from 89%) and routes (20, down from 52) last week, setting season lows in both statistics. After being limited in a couple of practices early in the week due to a knee injury, he went into the Browns’ Week 7 matchup without an injury designation. Whether the knee is actually hampering him, or his inefficiency thus far this year is catching up to him and he is seeing his opportunities dwindle as the team looks to their rookies to become more of the focus of the offense, it’s best to leave Jeudy on the bench for now.
Honorable Mentions: Tee Higgins, Rashid Shaheed
Tight End
Start: Dalton Kincaid
I’ll admit it, it’s tough to have too much confidence in any player whose snap share is less than 50%. But when Dalton Kincaid is on the field in 2025, he makes it count.
Dalton Kincaid‘s Advanced Efficiency Metrics
In Week 8, the third-year pro gets to take on the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. Carolina offers significantly tougher matchups to other skill positions, allowing the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs and the fourth-fewest to wide receivers. Look for quarterback Josh Allen to exploit this mismatch frequently on Sunday.
Honorable Mention: Mason Taylor
Sit: Theo Johnson
Sure, if you started Johnson last week, he paid off for you. Did you happen to see how? It was an incredible play, as he grabbed a pass that was intended for Wan’Dale Robinson. The ball bounced off Robinson’s chest and right into Johnson’s arms, and he did the rest from there. Without that fortuitous play, however, Johnson would have finished with two receptions for 25 yards.
In the Giants’ matchup with the Eagles just two weeks ago, Theo Johnson came away with just 4.7 fantasy points. Let’s seek out another option this week, and leave the exciting sophomore on the bench for this one.
Honorable Mention: Zach Ertz
Feel free to hit me up on X, Instagram, or Bluesky to let me know if you agree or disagree, or to share your own lineup dilemmas!
Many Successes,
Kyle
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