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Scott Engel features fantasy football lineup starts/sits for Week 8 (2026). He focuses on key NFL players to start when faced with tight Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions.
Our Key Starters and Tough Calls feature for Week 8 of the 2026 season helps you make those tough lineup calls. Scott Engel's Week 8 Lineup Spotlights column examines key players to start or sit. "The King" takes a deeper look at players who may be causing some fantasy anxiety.
The fantasy football players featured in this Week 8 article are based on Scott's Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available in the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter the referral code KING to get a discount on the RotoBaller Premium Pass.
To make the most informed lineup decisions -- consult this analysis, the RotoBaller staff fantasy football rankings, and the free Who Should I Start tool. The skill position analysis in this article is based on Scott's Week 8 premium PPR rankings. This week's article focuses heavily on RBs and WRs.
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Running Backs - Fantasy Football Week 8
Zach Charbonnet, Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
For the first time this season, the Seahawks are expected to have their full RB rotation available for the compelling Monday Night Football matchup against Chicago. Zach Charbonnet and rookie Jadarian Price are both off the injury report for NFL Week 8.
This will be the first time that Charbonnet is playing since suffering a torn ACL in the NFC Divisional Playoffs in January. Price missed four games with a chest injury. According to Emerald City Spectrum, Charbonnet is expected to be on a “pitch count” in his 2026 season debut.
The situation should be avoided if possible for fantasy purposes. We could potentially see a full-blown RB committee approach from Seattle against the Bears. Emanuel Wilson is coming off his first 100-yard rushing performance as a Seahawk, and Price dealt with fumbling issues early in the season.
Charbonnet, who rushed for 12 TDs last season, is Seattle’s best short-yardage runner. The Seahawks clearly missed him in that role, as they ranked 23rd in red zone TD percentage this year and 28th over the last three weeks, per TeamRankings.com.
Wilson was a depth acquisition in the offseason, and while he can sometimes take advantage of additional volume, he does not offer any explosiveness. Wilson doesn’t match a healthy Charbonnet in terms of being able to elude defenders for extra yardage or navigating through tighter inside holes.
Both Wilson and Charbonnet lack the upside of Price, who has the potential to make defenders miss with his nifty cutback moves while also being a threat for big gains once he gets into the open field. But missed playing time and the earlier turnover problems cap his possible workload in the first game back.
We may have to see how the Seahawks’ staff deploys the three RBs over the course of the game. Wilson could still see an ample amount of work while Charbonnet has some short-yardage TD promise. Price may be inserted to see if he can give the offense an extra spark.
If any of the three perform well for an extended period, they might get preferred carries over the other two. Charbonnet and Price are riskier in terms of seeing limited work.
The former has not played in nine months, and the latter could be sidelined again if he fumbles. Wilson is not guaranteed to see a significant workload, but he has no health or recent turnover issues.
In any tight calls involving the Seahawks RBs, I would lean to Wilson first, Charbonnet second for the TD potential, and Price third, because it’s hard to envision him getting many carries over the other two. If possible, I would steer clear of all three Seahawks RBs and just monitor how they perform on Monday.
Chicago ranks third in the NFL in rushing defense, another factor to strongly consider when making lineup decisions about the Seattle RBs. DT Jeffery Simmons, who was acquired by Chicago as a major addition to the defensive front, is expected to make his Bears debut on Monday.
Going forward, I expect a timeshare situation featuring Charbonnet and Price. With the Seahawks’ recent acquisition of elite guard Quenton Nelson, both RBs will carry some promise for the rest of the season as fantasy football flex options, unless a trade is made for another RB.
Even if they’re on pitch counts, having Jadarian Price & Zach Charbonnet should allow for a good eval of Seattle’s run game. Seahawks have no incentive to make any moves if they’re both looking good (and Jadarian holds on to the ball).
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) October 31, 2026
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At their best, Charbonnet should be Seattle’s top drive finisher as a runner, and Price can possibly pop off for a quality performance at any time. If you can carry Wilson as a handcuff to either Charbonnet or Price, don’t cut him just yet.
Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos
Savvy fantasy players have been stashing Coleman for a few weeks, waiting for the opportunity that he may get this week. RJ Harvey was placed on IR with a knee injury, and now Coleman’s only competition for quality running work is J.K. Dobbins, who is averaging 3.4 yards per carry.
Neither RB is a dangerous open-field runner or has significant big-play upside. But as we have seen and experienced, Dobbins is only good enough to lose with from a fantasy football perspective.
Is it time to make Jonah Coleman RB1 ⁉️
That's what @BennieFowler123 is wondering...
"I feel like Sean even calls the runs different when Jonah's in the game."
"Jonah just looks 𝑬𝑿𝑷𝑳𝑶𝑺𝑰𝑽𝑬. It looks different when he has the ball." 🧨 https://t.co/737SMCYI51
— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) October 26, 2026
Coleman has good vision, follows his blockers well, and can make defenders miss in short space. Kansas City had the third-ranked run defense through the first six weeks of the season before the Seahawks rumbled for 153 yards in Week 7.
The matchup is not a great one fantasy-wise, and Coleman will likely share carries with Dobbins. Over the next few weeks, Coleman may emerge as the true lead RB for the Broncos, and he does have more upside than Dobbins even in his first projected game as a more frequent ball carrier.
For Week 8, though, Coleman is a flex play with a limited statistical floor, although the ceiling is not limited if he starts to get into a good rhythm as a runner.
Wide Receiver - Fantasy Football Week 8
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
The Seahawks badly exposed the Chiefs’ lack of playmakers at wide receiver last week. Patrick Mahomes was held to 165 passing yards and did not throw a TD pass. There have been ongoing rumors about Kansas City being in the market for a wide receiver trade.
It’s well-established by now that Xavier Worthy is a bust, and Tyquan Thornton is on IR with an ankle injury. So Mahomes and the Chiefs are glad that Rice is returning from a hamstring injury this week, even against the vaunted Denver pass defense.
Rice carries no injury designation for Week 8, so health concerns are no reason to hold him out of your fantasy lineup this week. The Patrick Surtain factor is not a reason to bench him, either. In most of their three matchups against each other, Surtain has not shadowed Rice.
In a week where several notable WRs are on byes, and others are injured, Rice should be back in fantasy lineups as a WR2. Kansas City needs to get the passing game going, and Rice returns at the right time to get things fixed at least to the level of respectability.
Patrick Mahomes on what the offense has missed without WR Rashee Rice (hamstring):
“He does such a great job within the zone concepts and getting himself open, as well as being physical versus man. Having him back out there will be big for us, cause it'll kinda help take some pressure off the other guys to make plays.”
— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) October 28, 2026
I would expect a floor of 10-12 fantasy points with the potential for more with just one TD reception. I am not expecting Rice to be a total savior for the Chiefs’ passing game, but he should at least deliver respectable numbers.
Kansas City can get the running game back on track vs. Denver’s 28th-ranked rushing defense, creating more offensive balance than we saw last week.
WR Streamers - Fantasy Football Week 8
There are needs to fill many WR/flex lineup holes this week, so here are some of our favorite plug-ins. Outside of the top 15 WRs, all other options are not surefire choices. Players are listed in order of lineup preference.
Pro Football Plus: Antonio Williams may be a big factor in this game on Sunday night against the Eagles. Ask him to critique himself going into this game. Who will step up and meet the challenge in the wide receiver room. https://t.co/jhecdp65n0
— Donna Hopkins (@DonnaHopkins_) October 30, 2026
- Antonio Williams takes over as the No. 2 WR for Washington, and Philadelphia allows the second-most Fantasy Points Per Game to WRs.
- Makai Lemon had his best game as a pro last week and could deliver another quality performance against Washington.
- Keenan Allen can provide decent PPR totals this week. Jacksonville ranks 28th in FFPG allowed to WRs.
- Even if D.J. Moore plays, Keon Coleman should see some TD opportunities in what should be a higher-scoring game between Buffalo and Baltimore.
- With A.J. Brown out again, DeMario Douglas becomes a better option as a fantasy WR3/flex play.
- Michael Wilson is a must-start against the Dallas defense, and while Kendrick Bourne usually lacks a statistical floor, he could be productive as a deeper play in Week 8.
- Emeka Egbuka is out again. Tez Johnson caught a TD pass last week and appears to be a better lineup option than rookie Ted Hurst III against Atlanta.
- Elic Ayomanor was targeted seven times last week and might get enough catches to post adequate fantasy totals.
- Rashid Shaheed is out this week. Tory Horton Jr. has not played well so far this season, as he has seemed out of tune with Sam Darnold. But Monday’s game against Chicago presents a prime opportunity for him to step forward and get involved in the JSN stage show.
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