RADIO
Austin Ekeler a Dart Throw in PPR Leagues for Week 8
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler lacks rushing upside, but he could carve out enough receiving volume to get onto the fringe of the fantasy radar in PPR leagues for Week 8. The Commanders have placed Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) on injured reserve, bumping Ekeler up to the No. 2 running back role behind Rachaad White for Sunday's contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. Although White has a pass-catching background, similar to Ekeler, the Commanders may choose to restructure his role while he temporarily fills in for Croskey-Merritt. If White gets more early-down rushing work, then this will open the door for Ekeler to rotate in on passing downs, giving him some intrigue in PPR leagues. His ceiling is capped, but we do think he has a decent chance to eclipse his previous season-high snap share of 27%. We'd rather find a safer option for the RB3/flex spot this week, but he at least warrants a little bit of consideration in PPR leagues with 14+ teams.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Adonai Mitchell Belongs on Bench After Being Overtaken by Rookie
New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell can be benched in most fantasy leagues ahead of his Week 8 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mitchell finished last season strong and opened the 2026 campaign on a positive note, but a four-week absence set him back significantly. He returned to action in Week 7 and caught zero of his three targets on a 44% snap share. Evidently, Mitchell had the No. 2 receiver role before his injury, but he has since fallen to No. 3 on the depth chart after being overtaken by rookie Omar Cooper Jr. Now, Cooper and Garrett Wilson are the only Jets receivers who can be started with confidence, while Mitchell is a much riskier play with a very low floor. Mitchell has a favorable matchup against the Raiders this week, but we'd prefer to fill our flex spot with someone who isn't the No. 3 receiver in a bad offense.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Kenny Gainwell Not a Reliable Flex Play Against Atlanta
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell (hip) accrued some garbage-time fantasy points last week, but we don't expect that to happen again in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons. On the injury front, it's worth noting that Gainwell is listed as questionable but expected to play. Last week was the first time this season that Gainwell had more than five carries or more than 20 rushing yards. It was also just his second game with more than 5.8 fantasy points in PPR leagues. For the most part, Gainwell has spent this season in a clear backup role behind workhorse ball-carrier Bucky Irving. We expect that trend to continue in Week 8, with Gainwell's only clear path to production being a positive game script environment in garbage time. For now, the 27-year-old is best viewed as a handcuff, so he's still worth stashing on the bench for fantasy managers who also have Irving on their roster. However, he shouldn't find his way into the starting lineup in leagues with 14 or fewer teams.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Denny Hamlin Wins Pole, Now Needs a Clutch Race at Martinsville on Sunday
Denny Hamlin won the pole for this weekend's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the first step in potentially having a maximum-points day on Sunday. Heading into the final two races of the season, Hamlin is 73 points behind Kyle Larson in the Championship standings, so he will be looking to have a maximum-points day here this weekend to close the gap as much as possible before the season finale at Homestead next weekend. Martinsville is a phenomenal track for Denny Hamlin, as he has six wins here and an average finish of 10.2 over 41 career starts. Over the last eight races here, Denny has posted six top-five finishes, and only one result worse than 11th. As far as DFS goes this weekend, Hamlin is a must-play, even at his high salary ($12,000 on DraftKings), as the No. 11 Toyota could absolutely dominate and win this race on Sunday afternoon.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Brian Thomas Jr. a Risky Flex Play for Week 8
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has been a non-factor in this offense for weeks. He hasn't recorded a reception since Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. His role has been reduced in recent weeks and it's unclear how much he's going to be involved in the gameplan going forward. The good news is that Thomas does have a plus matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8. The Colts defense ranks 25th in the league in passing yards allowed per game. The Jaguars should be able to move the ball through the air, but it's unclear if Thomas is going to be targeted. The 24-year-old has seen a total of five targets over his last two games. Fantasy managers should view him as a desperation flex play for Week 8.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Kyle Larson Qualifies Third at Martinsville As He Eyes Another Championship
After his huge win at Talladega last weekend, Kyle Larson now looks well on his way to his second straight NASCAR Cup Series Championship, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has a 73-point advantage over the rest of the Chase drivers with two races left to go in the season. It will likely take an epic failure for Larson to not win the title this year, and he gave himself even more of a boost this weekend by qualifying third for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Track position is very important at a short track like Martinsville, so qualifying third is a major advantage for Larson this weekend. With that being said, he's likely not going to be a great daily fantasy pick. Larson really just has to cruise and not make any mistakes, and this No. 5 team struggled here at Martinsville in the spring, scoring just 30 points after a ninth-place finish. During practice, Larson came on the radio to let his team know that his car "sucks," but he did note later in the session that their adjustments were making the No. 5 Chevrolet better.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Temper Your Expectations With Tyler Reddick at Martinsville
Some drivers just struggle at specific tracks. For Tyler Reddick, that track is Martinsville Speedway. The 23XI Racing driver has made 13 career starts here in the Cup Series and has posted just two top-10 finishes: a seventh here back in 2024, and an eighth here in 2021. His career average finish at this track is 19.1, which is middle-of-the-road in terms of Cup Series drivers. For a driver of Reddick's caliber, that's certainly disappointing. This weekend, Reddick qualified in 12th for Sunday's Xfinity 500, and while he may have an outside shot at a top-10 result, it's certainly not expected. The No. 45 Toyota struggled to find speed during practice this weekend, as Reddick was just 30th-fastest on the overall speed chart on Saturday. It's probably best to stay away from him in daily fantasy this weekend.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Austin Cindric Looking to Build on Strong Martinsville Run in Spring
Keep an eye on Austin Cindric this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. There's no doubt that Team Penske knows how to bring fast race cars to this track, and Cindric joined in on the speed earlier this season, starting sixth and finishing eighth in the first stop at "The Paperclip" in 2026. He also finished fifth and sixth in the two Stages. This weekend, Cindric is off to an even better start, as he qualified fourth for Sunday afternoon's Xfinity 500. The No. 2 Ford was also strong on the speed chart in practice, posting the best 30-lap average in the field. Cindric has three top-10 finishes in the last six Martinsville races and looks poised to make it four of seven here this weekend. In DFS, he's a risky play since he's starting on the second row, but as an outside dominator, Cindric ($8.2K on DraftKings) could be a valuable mid-range tournament play if his practice speed comes true in the race.
Source: Speedway Media
Source: Speedway Media
Carson Hocevar Disappoints in Martinsville Qualifying After Strong Practice
It was an up-and-down day on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway for Carson Hocevar, as the Spire Motorsports driver had a strong practice session to start out, ranking seventh-fastest on the speed chart with a lap of 19.775 seconds. He also looked very strong on the long run in practice, ranking third or better in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average. Even Hocevar himself remarked after practice, "That's probably the best I've ever felt here." And then qualifying happened. On his hot lap, Hocevar ended up hitting the curb and got out of the groove, ending up just 25th-fastest on the speed chart. In other words, he'll have some work to do on race day, and he's a prime Place Differential pick in DFS--as long as he can stay on the lead lap. One downside to Hocevar this weekend is that in six career Cup Series starts at the track, he's never finished better than 17th.
Source: PitByNumbers
Source: PitByNumbers
Jaydon Blue Could be Desperation Flex Play
Philadelphia Eagles running back Jaydon Blue was recently signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. Given all the injuries in the backfield, Blue is expected to play a depth role behind lead back Saquon Barkley this weekend. Blue hasn't played this season, but he has a good chance of getting in his first game action during the Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders. He'll likely need to battle with Elijah Mitchell for carries behind Barkley. It's unclear how much of the field Blue is actually going to see this weekend. He'll draw a decent matchup against a Commanders defense that ranks 14th in the league against the run. Blue is a deep league stash option because he could be the next man up if Barkley ever goes down. However, he's nothing more than a desperation deep league play for Week 8.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Ryan Preece Cautiously Optimistic About Martinsville Chances
After practice and qualifying at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday afternoon, one thing was clear: Ryan Preece has a good race car this weekend. The No. 60 Ford was the fastest car in the lone practice session of the weekend, and in terms of long-run speed, Preece ranked sixth-best in 30-lap average as well. He also qualified sixth for the Xfinity 500 on Sunday. When talking about adjustments and how track conditions were on Saturday, Preece remarked, "I'm really proud of the adjustments we made to make our car better in the long run. It looks like guys are struggling, and I hope I don't eat my words, but we're really good." At Martinsville specifically, Preece has top-10 finishes in three of the last five races, and hasn't finished worsew than 14th here since 2023. He's a tournament-style play in DFS this weekend.
Source: PitByNumbers
Source: PitByNumbers
Chris Rodriguez Jr. Could Offer Deep-League Flex Value
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. is looking to build off arguably his best performance on the ground in Week 6. Rodriguez carried the ball 11 times for a season-high 55 yards during the Week 6 loss to the Houston Texans. The 27-year-old surprisingly almost evenly split the carries with lead back Bhayshul Tuten during that game. It remains to be seen if Rodriguez will once again see double-digit carries or if that was a fluke. He'll draw a favorable matchup against the Indianapolis Colts defense in Week 8. A defensive unit that ranks 22nd in the league, allowing 124.4 rushing yards per game. Rodriguez has been mostly a touchdown-dependent option throughout the season. He should be treated as a low-end flex option in deep leagues for this Week 8 contest.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Darnell Washington a Touchdown-Dependent Option for Week 8
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington is looking to keep his touchdown streak alive in Week 8. Washington has scored in two straight games as he heads into a huge AFC North matchup against the Cleveland Browns. The big tight end has scored in three of his last four games, but he hasn't done much in terms of receiving yardage. Over those four games, Washington has finished with 10 receptions for 68 yards. He'll draw a tough matchup against the Browns defense, which is ranked 6th in the league in opponent passing yards per game. Washington is currently ranked as Rotoballer's TE28 heading into this game. Fantasy managers should consider Washington a touchdown-dependent option for this big divisional matchup.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Elijah Mitchell Elevated to Active Roster for Week 8
Philadelphia Eagles running back Elijah Mitchell has been elevated from the practice squad ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders. This is the second week in a row that Mitchell has been elevated to the active roster. Last week, Mitchell carried the ball three times for 11 yards and hauled in three receptions for 23 yards through the air. Saquon Barkley is healthy, so Mitchell will serve as depth in the backfield this weekend. Jaydon Blue is also on the active roster, which means Mitchell could have a minimal role. The Commanders rank 14th in the league, allowing 100.5 rushing yards per game. Fantasy managers should consider Mitchell a bench stash, but he's not worth starting in Week 8.
Source: Adam Schefter
Source: Adam Schefter
Jonathan Taylor Expected to See Normal Workload in Week 8
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced that running back Jonathan Taylor and wideout Josh Downs are expected to have their normal workload in Week 8 against the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars, according to James Boyd of The Athletic. Both players traveled with the team despite being involved in trade rumors ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, November 10, at 4:00 pm ET. Downs officially requested a trade Wednesday after the team traded away franchise cornerstones Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. Taylor announced on Thursday that he met with Colts ownership about his role and future with the organization, but he hasn't requested a trade. Both names will be worth heavily monitoring as we get closer to the trade deadline. Taylor remains a set-it-and-forget-it fantasy player, while Downs will continue to be seen as a flimsy flex option in Week 8.
Source: The Athletic - James Boyd
Source: The Athletic - James Boyd
