Last week in the National Football League, we saw statement wins for Baltimore, Detroit, and Kansas City, as these three look to cement their position as front runners for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans this February. The Lions pulled off a thrilling victory in the game of the week in Minnesota, ending the Vikings' undefeated start and opening up the NFC North even more.
Elsewhere, we saw the Packers record a big win over Houston, the Pittsburgh Steelers improve to 5-2 on Sunday Night Football after a controversial change of quarterback, and the Bills put up 34 unanswered points against a sorry Titans team, as they look to cruise to another AFC East title.
Week 8 brings us a full slate, with all 32 teams taking the field between Thursday and Monday. Here, we’ll look at ten of these teams across five games and give some guidance on your daily fantasy picks during Sunday’s main slate.
Game 1: Bears @ Commanders
- Time: 4:25 PM ET
- Spread: Bears -2.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 43.5 points
The first matchup we’re previewing is an intriguing one in Washington between two of the league’s most improved teams. The Chicago Bears come into this one well-rested after a bye week and currently sit at 4-2 following three straight victories over three of the league’s poorest sides in the Rams, Panthers, and Jaguars.
This one will be a much tougher task for Matt Eberflus’ men as they go on the road to face a transformed Washington team under new head coach Dan Quinn. Despite losing their new star quarterback Jayden Daniels to an injury last week against Carolina, the team kept rolling, coming out 40-7 winners behind backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Whether Daniels will play against Chicago is still up in the air, but if he does, he’ll no doubt be a safe pick, with his projected score of 25.1, the highest for any QB on the board this week. Keep an eye on his injury reports during the week, but even if he misses this one, Mariota could be a decent, much cheaper alternative who has shown his ability to slot into this offense.
Whoever is at quarterback, there are plenty of options on this Commanders offense, which has made it the top-scoring offense in the league this season, with 31.5 points per game. Brian Robinson Jr. has now scored a touchdown in each of his last four games and has cracked 100 rushing yards twice this season. Robinson is a good option here at $6,400.
At receiver, Terry McLaurin continues to impress with 456 receiving yards on the year, and he’s a reliable option here, with a projected 15.8 points. Beyond him, this Commanders receiving corps has few big stars, but look out for Zach Ertz at TE, who could be a good pickup at $4,200, looking to add to his TD against Carolina last week.
For Chicago and Caleb Williams, this game is a big opportunity to record a statement win. Williams has been excellent recently and looks to be establishing himself as a true dual-threat quarterback. After his 4-touchdown performance against Jacksonville, it’s hard to ignore his quality, and this Commanders secondary is absolutely there for the taking, having given up 12 passing touchdowns, the 5th worst total in the league.
If Williams exploits this, the most likely beneficiaries are obviously DJ Moore, but also Cole Kmet, one of the league’s best-performing TEs this year. At $4,700 and 2.74% ownership, he could be overlooked this week.
Recommended stacks to build around:
Williams + Moore + Kmet + McLaurin
Individual Plays
WAS
- T. McLaurin
- B. Robinson Jr.
- Z. Ertz
- A. Ekeler
CHI
- DJ. Moore
- C. Kmet
- D. Swift
- R. Johnson
Game 2: Falcons @ Buccaneers
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Falcons -2.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 46 points
This early in the season, we already have a rematch of one of the games of the season so far. In Week 5, Tampa Bay beat Atlanta 36-30 in overtime in a Thursday Night thriller for the ages. Neutrals everywhere will be hoping for a matchup anywhere near as good as that, and with these two offenses, that’s absolutely possible.
Starting with the road team, the Falcons rank 7th in offensive yardage this season and put up 550 yards in the last meeting between the teams. Kirk Cousins seems to have adapted to his new team by now, but will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing showing against Seattle last time out.
This could be a perfect opportunity. Cousins ranks 3rd in the league for passing yards, and the Bucs’ pass D is the league’s second-worst in yardage. In that Week 5 meeting, Drake London picked up 154 yards and a TD, so it’s unsurprising that 23.38% of players are projected to have him again this time out. He’s an expensive pick at $7,200, but expect him to have another big one to justify that tag. Our models predict him to get 18.9 points, which is fourth-most among wide receivers.
The same applies to Bijan Robinson, one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers, who ranks 5th in the league in scrimmage yards with 684. If Atlanta gets cooking in this one, it’s impossible to ignore Robinson, who are models expect to earn 18.8 points, the fourth most among running backs. This makes an Atlanta stack look very appealing this week.
As for Tampa, they boast the league’s leader in both passing yards and touchdowns in Baker Mayfield, who is having a career year through 7 games. Mayfield and this offense have put up at least 30 points in four straight weeks, but they’ll be without both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for a while, creating an opportunity for their 3rd-ranked receiver this year, tight end Cade Otton.
Otton is available at just $3,500 this week, and with the Bucs’ injury issues, this could be a smart play, with only 1.56% of players picking him up this week. On the ground, Rachaad White remains a solid pick, and if the Bucs’ passing game is hampered, expect them to run it with him more than usual.
With the injuries at wide receiver and question marks around the passing game, I think it would be better to avoid a Bucs stack, but Otton and White are good contrarian plays for your Falcons stack.
Recommended stacks to build around:
Cousins + London + Robinson + Otton
Individual Plays
ATL
- B. Robinson
- D. London
- T. Allgeier
- K. Pitts
TB
- C. Otton
- R. White
- B. Irving
Game 3: Eagles @ Bengals
- Time: 4:25 PM ET
- Spread: Bengals -2
- AI Gridiron projected total: 48 points.
After a resounding 28-3 divisional win over the Giants last week, the Eagles sit at 4-2, looking to chase down the Commanders at the top of the NFC East. This Sunday, they are searching for a third straight win against a Bengals team who are also coming off two victories as they look to get back to .500.
For Philly, the big story last week was Saquon Barkley, who had a phenomenal 187 scrimmage yards on Sunday at MetLife, dismantling his old team and showing just how good he still is. As a result, he’s projected to put up 18.2 points this week as he looks to dominate a Bengals D that ranks 22nd in yards allowed. As always, he is a great pick.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts will also be looking to add to his 4 rushing touchdowns on the year and re-ignite this passing offense, which obviously boasts a great one-two punch in DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown. Brown especially has been key to this pass attack, averaging 108 yards a game and scoring a touchdown in each. As a result, his projected 17.9 points should be of interest to everyone this week, coming in 6th amongst receivers according to our models.
On the Bengals' side, Joe Burrow has been a little quieter in the last two weeks, but he’s still absolutely one of the top quarterbacks to watch in this league. Only three men have thrown more than his 14 touchdowns this season, and in each of his last two home games, he’s thrown for over 400 yards.
He might not hit that in this one, but he’s well-priced and under-picked at $7,000 and 1.88% ownership this week. Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are arguably the league’s top QB-WR duo, making Chase an expensive but excellent pick as always at $8,500. Our models predict that he will repay that high price tag with an 18.3-point outing.
Also, consider Tee Higgins as the team’s WR2, who we project to be selected by 17.5% of players this week. Higgins had 82 yards and a score against Cleveland last week, and he’s always a threat to have a big game on this Bengals offense.
Recommended stacks to build around:
Burrow + Chase + Brown + Barkley
Hurts + Barkley + Brown + Chase
Individual Plays
PHI
- AJ Brown
- D. Smith
- S. Barkley
- D. Goedert
CIN
- J. Chase
- T. Higgins
- M. Gesicki
- Z. Moss
Game 4: Ravens @ Browns
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Ravens -8.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 44.5 points
Our next matchup sees the Baltimore Ravens and their number 1 offense roll into Cleveland to face a Browns team whose season already looks over. Following last week’s 41-31 victory over Tampa Bay, this Ravens team has now won five straight and could well be pro football’s best team.
The man behind all of this, of course, is reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson, who threw 5 touchdowns last week and accounted for 333 total yards in another tremendous performance. Lamar has a projection of 24 points this week, second most according to our models, and he’s a good pick to continue the brilliant form that he’s in, both through the air and on the ground.
Speaking of the ground, this Ravens’ offense has hit a new level this year largely due to the addition of Derrick Henry, whose 935 scrimmage yards and 10 scrimmage touchdowns both lead the league. Despite now being 30, Henry looks as good as ever, and he and Jackson are a true two-pronged threat against any defense.
In the air, we’re looking at Zay Flowers to bounce back from a quiet game last week and get back to the performances that saw him put up 243 yards in back-to-back games against Cincinnati and Washington. Flowers should be well-selected this week at 14.36% ownership as players continue to have faith in him despite last week. A projection of 16.5 puts him inside the Gridiron AI top 8 for wide receivers, but it is worth keeping an eye on his health status, as he did get a bit banged up against Tampa.
For the Browns, there’s little to choose from as this season continues to be an absolute disaster. Nick Chubb returned from injury last week and scored a touchdown, as a rare ray of any hope on this team. The return of Jameis Winston as an NFL starter is of particular interest to us here, as this Baltimore defense figures to have a good day shutting down one of the league’s worst offenses and maybe forcing a few turnovers.
Recommended stacks to build around:
Jackson + Henry + Flowers + Ravens D/ST
Individual Plays
BAL
- D. Henry
- Z. Flowers
- R. Bateman
- I. Likely
CLE
- N. Chubb
- J. Jeudy
Game 5: Colts @ Texans
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Texans -5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 46 points
Our final matchup is another divisional rematch between two teams who met in a tight encounter in Week 1. On that occasion, the Texans saw off the Colts 29-27, and they both go into this one locked in a tight battle for the AFC South title. Houston has a one-game lead in the division, but suffered a tough, narrow loss in Green Bay last week, and will be looking to get back on track here.
In that loss, the star for Houston was running back Joe Mixon, who has hit 100 yards in three of his four starts, as well as putting up two touchdowns last Sunday. Mixon is one of the league’s form tailbacks, and unsurprisingly, 10.30% of players back him to keep it up against the league’s 2nd worst rushing defense this week. He is a top 10 back according to the Gridiron AI model, with a 16.5-point projection.
We’re also looking at CJ Stroud to bounce back from last week’s rough showing and get back to his best here. Stroud is undoubtedly a top quarterback, and his last outing against Indianapolis was his best of the season so far. He looks like he’ll go under the radar this week though at just 2.25% ownership, so consider him as a good value pick here at $6,900.
As for receivers, the main man is Stefon Diggs, who has become WR1 in Nico Collins’ absence. Diggs had two touchdowns in the first meeting in Indy, so watch out for him again here.
For the Colts, Jonathan Taylor remains questionable with an ankle injury, but he remains comfortably the most reliable weapon on this team. In his four starts, the former All-Pro has 349 yards and 4 touchdowns, and if he’s healthy, expect more of the same.
As for Anthony Richardson, he remains as unpredictable as any starting QB in this league. Richardson obviously possesses great rushing ability, but his passing accuracy last week was a dismal 41.7%, making him impossible to have much faith in at all.
If you do opt for Richardson though, consider Alec Pierce, who has got on the end of some of his more accurate deep balls. At just $5,000 and 0.23% ownership, he could be an interesting outside pick.
Recommended stacks to build around:
Stroud + Mixon + Diggs + Taylor + Pierce
Individual Plays
HOU
- S. Diggs
- T. Dell
- J. Mixon
- D. Schultz
IND
- J. Taylor
- M. Pittman Jr.
- A. Pierce