Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 8

October 28, 2026

Andrew Ball's fantasy football risers, fallers, sleepers, and busts heading into Week 8 of the 2026 season. He identifies players with rising and falling fantasy values.

Can you believe it? We’ve officially made it through half of the fantasy football regular season.

It’s time for contenders to bolster their roster. It’s do-or-die time for those at the bottom of the standings. There should be opportunities to sell high on risers or ship out fallers for a win-now player.

The players in this weekly article aren't necessarily the week's best and worst performers. Instead, we'll talk about what Week 7 means for the rest of the season.

Week 8 Fantasy Football Risers

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

Cam Skattebo recaptured the starting running back job in New York one week after seeing zero touches on six snaps. Sure, Tyrone Tracy Jr. got the first rushing touchdown of the afternoon and played a significant role before getting dinged up. He's now on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks.

Sure, Devin Singletary posted a better YPC average and scored the game-winning touchdown. But Skattebo got the start, set up the crucial overtime score, and rumbled for one himself in the fourth quarter.

Skattebo breaks through tackles and finds the end zone for the lead in Houston

NYGvsHOU on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/m5QSAcKwT6

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

All of the above — and a 61% carry share — are the good things. However, this is still a way split backfield, and the higher-value touches may not be Skattebo’s right now. Singletary saw the majority of backfield targets. And on the one-yard line, the Giants turned to Jameis Winston for a tush push.

Still, this is quite the rebound for Skattebo’s stock. The bye week comes at a perfect time, allowing a minor hamstring injury to heal.

KC Concepcion Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

The targets have consistently been there for KC Concepcion: 6.1 per game, 20.5% share. The rookie's problem, until now, is the quality of those targets.

Concepcion logged an 11.1-yard average depth of target against the Tennessee Titans. That number was 5.4 yards in the first six weeks. The result? Eight receptions for 129 yards, with three rushes for 23 yards to boot. Let's hope Todd Monken recognizes the utilization shift and continues that trend.

Concepcion exited early in Week 5 with a concussion. In the other six games, he's averaging a 23.7% target share, 4.8 receptions, and 51.7 yards.

It's still the Cleveland offense with Deshaun Watson under center. They're bottom-five in points per game and bottom-10 in passing yards per game. So, the upside is still capped, but Concepcion is in flex consideration in the right matchups.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos

Another twist in the forever-unpredictable Sean Payton offense!

In his first game back from a high-ankle sprain, Jonah Coleman had the same number of carries (nine) as J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey combined. The rookie had two more snaps than his running mates' total. Six yards per carry later, Coleman also led the backfield with 54 rushing yards (69 total).

Payton sung his praises after the game, noting he wants to get Coleman more touches moving forward. We've heard that story before, but the Denver running game (and offense as a whole) has underperformed. Coleman could be part of the solution.

For the rookie to become a weekly startable asset, and not just a member of a large backfield party, he needs to earn goal-line touches. As inefficient as Dobbins has been, he still got the attempt from the one-yard line.

Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins

Young teams take time to gel. I'm not saying Miami is about to be a world-beating offense, but there could be some more usable assets.

He's an underheralded wide receiver, but Caleb Douglas, a.k.a. the Dolphins' top wideout, returned to the lineup in Week 7, his first action since Week 2. His snap rate was his lowest of the season (67.7%), and he only commanded three targets. However, he caught two of them for 70 yards and two scores. He had five receptions for 94 yards in another game.

Ollie Gordon II has rushed for at least 88 yards and a touchdown in each of the last three games. His 5.6 yards per carry in that span trails only Kenneth Walker, Jaylen Warren, and Chuba Hubbard.

The thriving supporting cast boosts Malik Willis' stock. His offseason allure was his rushing capabilities. His 28 rushing yards per game were respectable, but not in conjunction with the low passing production. In the last two games, however, he's averaged three more attempts per game and 27.5 more yards.

That's bumped his fantasy points total to 20.88 (QB14) and 26.02 (QB4), and an average finish of QB2. New England is next on the schedule, but Detroit, Indianapolis, and Buffalo follow. Those are some of the best matchups a quarterback can have.

Other Fantasy Football Risers

• Tony Pollard, RB, Titans
• Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings
• Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Jets
• Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders

Week 8 Fantasy Football Fallers

Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

It’s honestly impressive that Brock Purdy hasn’t completely bottomed out given the state of his wide receiver room. The MVP candidate struggled in the second half of Monday Night Football after Mike Evans left the game with an Achilles injury. That carried over into the Week 7 tilt with Atlanta.

Purdy tossed two interceptions, barely ran (two attempts for five yards), and his usually high touchdown rate crumbled. Again, it’s hard to blame him. 33-year-old Brandin Cooks led the group with 33 routes. Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, and the fresh-off-injured-reserve Christian Kirk followed.

It’s no wonder that Purdy targeted the running backs and George Kittle early. He didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver until the second half, after Christian McCaffrey was banged up.

No need to panic about Purdy right now. The 49ers have a bye in Week 8, giving Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr., and all of the other weapons extra time to heal. If they aren’t available in Week 9, we may have to consider sitting Purdy, even in a fantastic matchup against the Raiders.

Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

On more than one occasion, FOX broadcaster Drew Brees circled Nico Collins lined up against New York Giants quarterback Deonte Banks as a matchup to exploit. Each time, C.J. Stroud didn’t look toward his top wideout.

Banks was great on Sunday, allowing just four receptions for 25 yards as a primary defender, and Collins finished with two catches for six yards. But that’s just a microcosm of the bigger Collins problem.

Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tank Dell are now in the crowded wide receiver rotation. That contributed to Collins’ season-low snap share (67.2%) and route share (77%). In the last two games, he’s seen a 16% and 18% target rate, respectively. Those are his two lowest marks this season.

The good news is that Houston still lacks an effective running game, and the best way to move the ball is the aerial attack. Collins is still a deep threat and can turn two catches into a productive day. But that’s not what we signed up for with a late-second or early-third round pick. Collins earned at least eight targets in over half of his games last season. That could be a rarity this time around.

Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

Garrett Wilson was historically an appealing fantasy football option because of the volume. His quarterbacks never significantly boosted his stock. That volume is waning.

For the first time in a long time, the Jets have multiple dangerous offensive weapons. Breece Hall (when healthy) and Braelon Allen offer a fantastic one-two backfield punch. First-round rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. has topped 100 yards and scored in his two complete games. Adonai Mitchell commanded 12 targets in a game earlier this season.

Cooper has seen a 20.7% target share in the last two games. Wilson is down at 15.5%. Now, we can’t ignore the difficult matchups for Wilson. He matched up against Pro Bowl corner Christian Gonzalez two weeks ago. Whether you believe in the secondary or not, the Dolphins allow the third-fewest fantasy points to the position. Nonetheless, Wilson’s involvement, or lack thereof, led to a sideline tirade.

A frustrated Garrett Wilson has some words for Geno Smith on the @nyjets sideline as he's been a non-factor with the Jets trailing the winless Dolphins 21-14.

Smith appears unmoved. https://t.co/esmJHlbXi7

— Glenn Naughton (@JNRadio_Glenn) October 25, 2026

A matchup against the Raiders is the perfect get-right game. However, there will be a panic alarm if he posts another dud.

Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints

September Juwan Johnson was a hell of a ride. October Juwan Johnson has been the complete opposite.

The veteran tight end has seen 10 targets over the last three games, catching five for 23 yards. There was nothing downfield (3.2, 0.0, and 2.3 yards per target) and nothing in the red zone.

Johnson played 56% of the snaps against the Steelers. That still led New Orleans tight ends, although Noah Fant and Oscar Delp were involved. His route run rate is 56.2% over the last two games, down from 69.6% in the first five. That won't cut it as a starting fantasy tight end.

Maybe when the offensive line gets healthy, Kellen Moore will allow Johnson to run downfield again. But Jordyn Tyson and Travis Etienne Jr. are also nearing returns to stiffen the target competition. I see no reason to hold Johnson through New Orleans’ bye week. We had a good run.

Other Fantasy Football Fallers

• Bryce Young, QB, Panthers
• TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots
• Sam LaPorta, TE, Lions
• Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams

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