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Danny Boily looks at fantasy football landmines, busts, and avoids for Week 8 of 2025. Given these fantasy situations, consider benching these players.
Week 8 is here, and with six teams on a bye—including fantasy football powerhouses like the Lions, Rams, and Seahawks—roster options are critically limited. This is the week where desperation meets opportunity, and one wrong start/sit decision can send your promising season spiraling.
Forget your set-it-and-forget-it mentality. This is a time for forensic analysis, sifting through the limited landscape for hidden pitfalls. We’re not talking about your locked-in studs on bye, but those borderline players—the waiver wire additions, the sneaky bench stashes—who might be tempting you with recent volume or a flash-in-the-pan performance.
These players, ranked alluringly high on some consensus lists, are not who they seem. Their matchups are brutal, their usage is volatile, and their floors are subterranean. In a week with so much roster constriction, avoiding these landmines is more important than finding a sleeper. If you have a legitimate alternative, even a less exciting one, trust the data and make the pivot.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
C.J. Stroud, QB, vs. San Francisco 49ers
The third-year slump has been real for C.J. Stroud, whose 17.99 average fantasy points currently rank him as the overall QB20. While his 1,305 passing yards and 64.8% completion rate are passable, his nine passing touchdowns through six games just don't cut it for a fantasy starter.
The larger issue is a Texans offense that can't establish the run, ranking 28th in rushing success rate at a meager 36.8%. This deficiency allows elite defenses, like the San Francisco 49ers, to aggressively tee off on the passing game, knowing Stroud is forced to carry the entire offensive load.
The 49ers have allowed just seven passing touchdowns and only 11 total touchdowns on the season. While their overall QB fantasy points allowed (15.76 per game) ranks a respectable 12th, the unit is efficient in the red zone, where they’ve only allowed a touchdown on 60% of opponent trips.
Add in the devastating potential loss of Stroud’s top target, Nico Collins, who is dealing with a concussion, and this looks like a recipe for a low-scoring, fantasy-barren outing. Stroud is a desperation play at best this week.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Bill) has been a respectable RB2/3 option this season, boasting 377 rushing yards and a solid 5.2 yards per carry, good for a QB20 overall ranking. His four rushing touchdowns have kept his head above water, though his 39.7% snap share suggests he's still part of a committee, which is a big issue for his volume.
Last week, against a middling Cowboys run defense, Washington’s running back unit as a whole was given a measly 18 carries. Croskey-Merritt's 13 attempts resulted in an anemic 33 yards, a troubling sign of inefficiency that a poor game script can amplify. Furthermore, his single reception in a game where the Commanders were constantly playing catch-up indicates a highly limited receiving floor.
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense is a bad match-up. They are third in the NFL in points allowed per game (17.7), and while their 105.7 rushing yards allowed per game ranks 15th, they showed their true ceiling by holding the Raiders to a dismal 25 total rushing yards last week.
The most damning statistic? The Chiefs rank sixth in fantasy points allowed to running backs, giving up an average of just 18.60 points per game. With Washington likely to be double-digit underdogs, the game script will turn this into a pass-heavy affair, all but erasing Croskey-Merritt’s already shaky floor.
Keon Coleman, WR, vs. Carolina Panthers
The temptation to play a Josh Allen-adjacent wide receiver is understandable, but second-year wideout Keon Coleman is a landmine wrapped in a high-octane offensive bow. His 7.95 average fantasy points and WR45 ranking belie the week-to-week volatility that makes him a risky start, especially in a limited-option week.
Coleman has seen a modest 18.2% target share, translating to 5.8 targets per game, but he’s simply not separating. His games have seen him haul in four or fewer receptions, which creates a low floor that only his two receiving touchdowns have managed to mask. For context, his value is overly reliant on his four endzone targets, a number that is not sustainable when the entire offense faces resistance.
This Week 8 tilt against the Carolina Panthers is precisely that resistance. The Panthers have gone from a defensive punching bag in 2024 to a massively improved unit, even recording a shutout this season. They rank 10th in passing yards allowed (203.1) and have given up only 10 passing touchdowns on the year.
The true rub is their strength against the position: the Panthers have allowed a league-leading third-fewest 25.61 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. Given Coleman's already questionable ability to earn volume and his touchdown-dependent scoring profile, the probability of him hitting a ceiling against this secondary is exceptionally low.
Theo Johnson, TE, vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Theo Johnson has been a pleasant surprise for managers scrambling at the tight end position, climbing to the overall TE12 ranking thanks to four receiving touchdowns. His recent uptick in production—namely, the four scores—corresponds directly to Jaxson Dart taking over at quarterback, establishing a connection hard to ignore.
However, a closer look at his production reveals a precarious situation. In Week 7, against an elite Denver defense, Johnson put up 66 yards and a touchdown, but that score came on a bizarre 44-yard play that was essentially a dropped interception that landed in his hands. He only secured three of his seven targets, illustrating the inefficiency that is often masked by a splash play or a touchdown.
Now he faces the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that has been unforgiving to opposing tight ends. In 2025, the Eagles have allowed an average of a minuscule 8.00 fantasy points per game to the position, ranking them 4th in the NFL.
Their red zone defense is truly elite, surrendering a touchdown on just 43.5% of opponent red zone drives, ranking them third overall. Johnson’s value is built entirely on those endzone targets, and the Eagles' stifling defense is designed to take exactly that away. This matchup has all the hallmarks of a classic tight end disappearing act.
Jauan Jennings, FLEX, vs. Houston Texans
Jauan Jennings is a reliable real-life player who is unfortunately a fantasy risk this week, even as a Flex option. While his recent health is encouraging, his fantasy profile is far too volatile for an all-important Week 8 start, where he’s likely ranked too high due to projected opportunity.
With Brock Purdy sidelined, backup Mac Jones has stepped in. While Jones has managed to keep the 49ers winning, his play has been decidedly conservative. Last week, he threw for just 152 yards and zero touchdowns, spreading the ball around to nine different receiving options, with superstar Christian McCaffrey soaking up 72 receiving yards. Jennings’ 10.3% target share is simply too low to overcome a brutal matchup.
He faces the vaunted Houston Texans defense. They rank first in the NFL in points allowed per game (14.7) and first in passing touchdowns allowed on the season, with a measly four.
The Texans are giving up only 179 passing yards per game, good for 5th in the league, and they rank 4th in fewest fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers. With Jones focused on short, safe throws and the Texans' secondary playing lights-out, Jennings' floor is dangerously close to zero, making him a complete no-go unless your Flex spot is utterly devastated by bye weeks.
Final Thoughts
The central theme of Week 8 is conservation of force: you must play your most efficient players and ruthlessly cut loose the dead weight. Stroud, Croskey-Merritt, Coleman, Johnson, and Jennings are all capable players, but their matchups are an iron curtain designed to suppress fantasy scoring. The Chiefs, Panthers, 49ers, and Eagles defenses are simply too good right now to gamble on a desperate boom.
As you stare at your limited options this week, take a moment to assess the true value of your bench depth. Instead of gambling on a landmine, it may be time to package a few of these struggling, high-upside backups to acquire a more reliable starter who is past their bye week. Use this tough week to inform strategic trade decisions, solidifying your lineup for the crucial stretch run rather than just surviving it.
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