Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates for Week 8

October 30, 2026

Kipp's fantasy football breakouts, sleepers, must-starts for Week 8 of 2026. You should target these emerging players with big upside and start them with confidence.

Welcome to Week 8 of our fantasy football breakout candidate piece for the 2026 NFL season. Each week, we'll point you to emerging players who aren't just top pickups but could see their fantasy values surge by the end of the weekend.

All players listed in this article are rostered in less than 50% of fantasy football leagues, as I try to find players who are more widely available when I can. So some of the guys on this list may be lesser-known, but that doesn't mean they can't impact your squad in future weeks.

As this article is published each and every Friday, this list should be helpful for additions in the current week as well as ones to consider for the following week. Let's dive in!

Week 8 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders - 28% rostered

Mike Washington Jr. was listed as an alternate option last week, but I am going to give him some recognition and actually write him up this week. Last week against the Los Angeles Rams, Washington carried the ball six times for 27 yards. He has also seen 15 carries over the previous two weeks.

No, these numbers are not spectacular, but we have to dig extremely deep in this article to look for any flashes of success, especially at the running back position. Washington is also second on the Raiders in terms of running back snaps, behind Ashton Jeanty, of course.

This week, the Raiders travel to the New York Jets, who are allowing over 106 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth-worst in the league. They are also allowing just under one total touchdown per game to the position and over four yards per carry. If Washington gets some additional touches here, he could really produce with them against this defense.

Mike Washington Jr. with a 36-yard run for his first career TD 🏃

@LVvsNO on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/zVykOmNftw

— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars - 24% rostered

Chris Rodriguez Jr. has a bit more potential than Washington above, simply based on the fact that the Jaguars are huge favorites in this matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. If the Jags get up big, they may opt to use Rodriguez a bit more in the later part of the game.

As recently as their last game against Houston, Rodriguez saw 11 carries and turned that into 55 rushing yards. He has also seen six or more carries in all but one game this season. Additionally, he is second on the team in running back snaps behind only Bhayshul Tuten.

The matchup against the Colts is a good one as well. Thus far, the Colts are allowing an average of over 17 fantasy points per game to the running back position, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. Again, this is a deeper league play with the hope that the Jaguars get up big and decide to rest Tuten in the fourth quarter.

Chris Rodriguez makes it a two-score game with a 25-yard TD!

JAXvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/EocORsZ5jR

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

More RB Options:

• Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals - 24% rostered

Week 8 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Wan'Dale Robinson, Tennessee Titans - 49% rostered

Wan'Dale Robinson is our highest-rostered player on this list, and that comes with good reason. Overall, Robinson has seen the second-most snaps among Titans wide receivers, behind only Carnell Tate. He has also earned nearly 22% of targets, which ranks in the 87th percentile.

Over the previous five weeks, Robinson has seen six or more targets three times, including an 11-target performance in Week 3 against the New York Giants. To be fair, the Titans' passing attack has sputtered more than I would have thought in 2026, but the matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals this week could be beneficial for Robinson.

The Titans currently sit as double-digit underdogs, which likely means higher passing volume for the Titans offense in order to stay in the game. I could certainly see a scenario where Robinson receives an above-average target share in this game due to these circumstances, and the Bengals do allow 19 fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

Wan'Dale Robinson TD vs. his former team 👀

@TENvsNYG on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/vkE5DwWXOA

— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills - 49% rostered

Khalil Shakir is another wide receiver who I could see benefiting from the matchup in Week 8. While he has been inconsistent in terms of receptions, he has seen six or more targets from Josh Allen in all but two games this season. Additionally, he has two games with eight or more targets.

He has also been extremely productive recently. Over the previous three games, he has hauled in 14 receptions on 17 targets for 196 receiving yards. He has also had two games with 80 or more receiving yards over this span. While he only had 34 receiving yards in Week 6 against Las Vegas, he did manage to haul in a touchdown.

The matchup against Baltimore currently has a total of 54.5, which is tied for the highest total on the board with the Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys matchup. This tells me we could see some fireworks, which could certainly benefit Shakir.

Overall, Baltimore is allowing over 22 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, which ranks eighth-worst in the league. They also allow an average of over 13 receptions and over 181 receiving yards per game to wide receivers, both of which rank in the bottom 10 league-wide.

Given the total and matchup, Shakir might have the best opportunity to boom of any of the wide receivers listed this week.

Khalil Shakir runs it in for a Bills TD 🦬

BUFvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/CZZukM94EL

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026

Makai Lemon, Philadelphia Eagles - 40% rostered

The Philadelphia Eagles have been absolutely banged up this season. They are without quarterback Jalen Hurts for the remainder of the season, have been without each and every one of their running backs at various points of the season, and have been without DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks at various points.

Makai Lemon has remained healthy, however, and is starting to develop a solid rapport with Tanner McKee. Just last week, Lemon saw eight targets and hauled in seven of them for 67 receiving yards and one touchdown. This marked the fourth consecutive week in which he saw at least six targets.

Now, the Eagles will enter a matchup against NFC East rival Washington, which could also translate to another solid performance for Lemon. In 2026, the Washington Commanders have struggled a bit against wide receivers. Overall, they are allowing an average of 22 fantasy points per game to the position, which ranks ninth-worst in the league.

Washington has also allowed an average of 13 receptions and nearly 160 receiving yards per game to wide receivers, both of which rank in the bottom half of the league. The Commanders are also favored in this game, which could lead to the Eagles passing the ball a bit more later in the game, and Lemon would certainly benefit from this.

Now, it is worth monitoring the status of Smith and Wicks leading up to the game, but even if they play, I still like what Lemon was able to do with McKee last week, and would expect him to continue to build upon that in Week 8.

Makai Lemon's first NFL TD caps off a 17-play drive!

DALvsPHI on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/6GPksrI3Oo

— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2026

More WR Options:

• Kendrick Bourne, Arizona Cardinals - 17% rostered
• Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders - 13% rostered

More Fantasy Football Analysis