Fantasy Football Buy-Lows? Unlucky Star Players (Week 8)

October 30, 2026

John's fantasy football buy-lows, breakouts, trade candidates to target for Week 8 in 2026. These unlucky players are underperforming early for fantasy football.

Not every good player has a good first half of the season. There are late-season breakouts for a variety of players in the NFL. While many of them are rookies, they won't be the focus of today's piece.

Instead, we'll be looking at players that have already shown that they can be high-end fantasy football producers. Some of them just have bad luck early in the season, be it due to getting injured, injured teammates, tough schedules, or the like.

It makes a lot of sense to pursue these players, even if their production has been lackluster so far, because it's no surprise to anyone when they start producing well again. So let's dive into the best unlucky stars to buy low for fantasy football ahead of Week 8!

Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

My analysis indicates that fantasy football managers should have a huge problem with the way Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley insists on the ball being spread around as much as possible in the passing game. It makes zero sense when you have a player as talented as Collins on your team.

While the Texans did trade for WR Marvin Harrison Jr., he hasn't been heavily involved in the offense. He had just four targets in each of his first two games with his new team. What makes zero sense is Caley's borderline Vertigo-level infatuation with Texans WR Xavier Hutchinson.

Hutch ties it up!

📺: @nflonfox https://t.co/AD58DlR8ym

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 25, 2026

Hutchinson had six targets last week while Collins had just five. There's not a planet on which that should happen, yet here we are, because Caley wants everyone to know that his offense will be great no matter who is catching the ball.

Collins, for all his greatness, only has one game this season with 10 or more targets, which is absolute nonsense. He should be getting at least 10 passes thrown his way per game. A recent injury may boost his target volume in the future, though.

#Texans WR Jaylin Noel is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 NFL season due to a turf toe injury that will require surgery, per @jonmalexander.

Noel was starting to flash in Houston's offense, recording 12 catches for 233 yards and 2 TDs over a three-game stretch from Weeks 4-6.

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 28, 2026

Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel (toe) has serious damage to the ligaments in his toe. He won't play again this year, meaning the runway is cleared for Collins to see a few more targets per game. We hope.

If Caley calls plays to spread those targets around to everyone else, it will be infuriating. But he really should call plays to force the ball to Collins as much as possible. He's a huge, fast, nimble matchup nightmare for opposing defensive backs.

Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Henry is one of the greatest running backs of all time. It could be argued that he's the best RB to ever play the game, as he still puts up monster numbers when the offense around him is half decent in an era where running backs largely don't see as much usage as they did in the past.

It's also true that Henry simply is not a good fantasy football option in games that his quarterback, Lamar Jackson (ankle), doesn't play. Jackson has missed three contests in a row now, so it's no surprise that Henry's last two games saw him score just single-digit PPR fantasy points.

DERRICK FREAKIN' HENRY!!!!!! https://t.co/xhYv0apEQu

— NFL (@NFL) September 30, 2024

Even at 32 years old, he's one of the better RBs in the NFL. This season, he averages 22.7 PPR fantasy points per game when Jackson is active and healthy. There's a lot of ageism against Henry, which is why his value is lower than it should be.

He's vulnerable to poor games when Jackson doesn't play, of course, but that's part of the risk you take. He's good enough to justify any discount you can get on him right now, and with Jackson set to return, Henry is a clear buy-low.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

There are likely many fantasy managers who think that Shough's hot start to the season was an aberration rather than the norm for him. His past three weeks as the Saints starting QB saw him finish two contests with less than 15 PPR fantasy points after four straight weeks of 20 or more.

But there are reasons for optimism. New Orleans faces whatever the opposite of a gauntlet is over the second half of the season. They have matchups with a ton of defenses that have struggled mightily so far this year.

Matchups with the Carolina Panthers (twice), Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, and Atlanta Falcons are perfect opportunities for Shough to put up 20 to 25 PPR fantasy points or more, but he's not getting valued like he can for some reason.

Tyler Shough finds Barion Brown downfield for a gain of 50!

PITvsNO on NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/uBhGCeYGUZ

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

He has effectively attacked all areas of the field this season, shown off impressive mobility in the pocket, had a good command of Saints head coach Kellen Moore's offense, and even shown rushing upside. He's a surprise QB1 this season.

He's on bye this week, and it's likely he will be a top-8 option in weeks that he has easy matchups. The Saints have consistently had a high pace of play, featuring a ton of dropbacks for Shough, which leads to more fantasy points.

Plus, at some point, Saints top-10 draft pick Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) will return to play and give Shough a boost. Tyson is extremely talented, but is still on injured reserve and hasn't seen the field yet.

Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers

Coker already played in Week 8, but he had just 9.6 PPR fantasy points. He scored a touchdown, but lost a fumble as well. He's a great buy-low moving forward, as his massive start to the season has led to an unfortunate injury and greatly reduced production subsequently, unfortunately.

The Panthers offense has stumbled in recent weeks, too, after it looked like quarterback Bryce Young had finally turned a corner and become a good starting signal-caller. Young has apparently been dealing with a left knee injury since Week 3, so that could explain part of it.

He'll need to get healthy before he can return to playing like he was during his blistering start to the season. And it's unclear if Coker feels 100 percent yet.

Jalen Coker runs into the end zone on 4th and 3 🔥

CARvsGB on Prime Video
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/3weNXyzm2S

— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2026

Coker's film has been fantastic this season. He's been especially difficult to guard in man coverage, and is a slick mover for his size. He's very capable after the catch, and is excellent at the catch point too, where he displays nice strength.

The Panthers offense hasn't been good for any measurable stretch since the days of quarterback Cam Newton, but if Young can get healthy, they might finally be able to put something together. Coker is a huge part of that.

Jalen Coker cooked on in-breaking routes against man coverage.

Size, speed, strength, good work with his hands at the top of the route to create separation.

Shoutout to Jonathon Brooks in pass pro in the first clip too. https://t.co/3p1xA3deRM

— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) September 14, 2026

It's important not to forget his monster 33.8 PPR fantasy point performance in Week 1, and that he had 18 targets in his first two games. The injury is likely still slowing him down, though he is playing.

It's probably not correct to assume that Coker is a distant WR2 to Panthers WR1 Tetairoa McMillan. In fact, Coker's yards per target and yards per catch averages are quite close to McMillan's, and he has three touchdowns in six games to McMillan's two scores in seven contests.

32 yard catch and run by Jalen Coker

CARvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/bAyWv18W9H

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026

Coker is simply an excellent receiver that's been held back by injuries and a poor offense so far in his career. The injuries to Coker and Young present a great buy-low opportunity for him in fantasy leagues because if things work out, he could be a top-15 option for the rest of the season.

Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Purdy is another top-8 QB who's played less like a top-8 option in recent weeks. This would be because his pass-catching corps has been decimated by injuries, as usually happens with this team.

Purdy's scoring has dipped noticeably over the last few weeks, but he'll get a boost when wide receiver Mike Evans (Achilles) returns. And WR Christian Kirk has another week to get healthy with the bye week in Week 8. He played in Week 7, but was essentially a decoy.

This interception by Jessie Bates III is UNREAL.

SFvsATL on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/R4UDkkfGcb

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

Purdy has thrown three interceptions in his past three games. It's hard to resist the temptation to make something happen when your pass-catchers are struggling to get open. While tight end George Kittle is still playing well, without Evans, the team doesn't have many other good receiving options.

But it's a good idea to trust in the offensive schemes of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. The bye week offers a chance for players to rest up and get healthy, and Purdy gets a matchup with the awful Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys defenses right after that.

He should crush it in those games and be a top-5 QB for each in fantasy football.

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