This was projected to be the perfect running mate for second-team All-Pro wideout Terry McLaurin, giving quarterback Jayden Daniels a legitimate 1-2 punch to depend upon deep into the playoffs. That hasn't happened. McLaurin has been seldom seen due to injury. Daniels has played only six games and could be out for even longer with a dislocated elbow. Samuel, who was criticized for his conditioning and injury issues after the trade, has been the constant, missing just one game.
The Washington Commanders claim the earliest we could see electric-but-brittle starter Jayden Daniels back on the field is Week 13, though it is important to note that the organization did not place him on the injured list after he dislocated his non-throwing elbow in Week 9. That was a tad surprising. The Commanders have lost five consecutive games and are 3-7 entering this week against the Miami Dolphins.
The eighth Sunday of the NFL season featured the New York Jets mercifully earning their first win, while the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers suffered demoralizing blowout losses as part of the AFC dominating the NFC. Four star running backs and one tight end surpassed 30 PPR points, perhaps the most noteworthy option being struggling Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who enjoyed his season-best performance.
We're going to start with an ascending rookie tight end who is being schemed up in a versatile role -- and producing. There are multiple backfield rotations also worthy of your attention, and I also see an emerging wide receiver worth adding to rosters. Fannin is averaging 13.1 PPG over his past four games, but I still see more upside here for the rookie tight end because of his versatility in coach Kevin Stefanski's offense for the Cleveland Browns.
Each week in the NFL is its own story -- full of surprises, both positive and negative -- and fantasy football managers must decide what to believe and what not to believe moving forward. Perhaps we can help. If any of these thoughts come true ... don't be surprised! NOTE: All mention of fantasy points is for PPR formats, unless otherwise mentioned.
At various points during the fantasy football season, injuries, bye weeks and breaking news can cause you to need reinforcements for your fantasy lineup. Every Friday throughout the 2025 NFL season, Matt Bowen will offer some late-week pickup options to help fill those holes, with an emphasis on deeper leagues. Because of that, this column will focus mostly on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues, with occasional exceptions.
Every week, we generate fantasy football projections for every game on the slate, and that includes the probability that a player will take the ball into the end zone. Here are my top 25 predicted scorers for Week 8, ordered by their implied odds,* as well as the anytime touchdown money line offered by ESPN BET at time of publication. These implied odds are what my projections consider the fair odds of that player to score on an anytime touchdown bet.
Throughout this fantasy football season, we've touched on many areas in this weekly space, including potential trades to consider, players to cut, scheme trends, under-the-radar targets for deeper leagues and more. We mix it up here. Now that we're at the halfway point of the season, let's focus on the positives, the situations where the arrow is pointing up. We'll start with a rushing attack that flipped the switch coming out of the bye week.
Sometimes waiting for someone to show up or for a situation to develop becomes a waste of time, rather than an exercise in diligence. It's such a fine line to walk. Knowing when to cut bait and when to hang on. What if the promise materializes the moment after you've walked away? Conversely, what if you're left checking your watch and tapping your foot only to realize there's suddenly egg on your face?
Buffalo Bills RB rushed for 16 touchdowns last season, but seven running backs scored more fantasy points because they either accumulated many more rushing yards or played a large role in their team's offense catching passes. Cook did neither. He barely slid past 1,000 rushing yards and he caught only 32 passes. With Cook's TD rate expected to fall, he was only the No. 10 RB in ESPN ADP, a bit of an overlooked third-round selection.
