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John Johnson's five fantasy football bold predictions for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season. Expert predictions for Michael Wilson, Garrett Wilson, Samaje Perine, Ollie Gordon, and Antonio Williams.
Easily the most fun thing to do when writing about sports is to make some wild predictions about what could happen in the upcoming week in fantasy football. Of course, most of them don't end up happening.
But in the process of pontificating who might strike fantasy football gold in one week and which players may have shockingly bad performances, we can reveal some insight into how the upcoming week's matchups might play out.
That could be important for those playing Daily Fantasy Sports or fantasy managers who are confused about who to start and who to bench for Week 8. With that in mind, let's dive into this week's boldest predictions for fantasy football!
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Michael Wilson Racks Up 30 PPR Fantasy Points
It was believed by many fantasy football managers, including yours truly, that Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (ribs) would see great production in the weeks following the trade of WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans.
So far, that just hasn't happened. His target volume has been fine, as he's seen 22 targets in his last three games. But the production hasn't been there -- with just 24.8 PPR fantasy points in his last three games combined, he's been a major disappointment.
The Cardinals haven't been able to get Michael Wilson many easy opportunities since the Marv trade, but he's still been making some impressive plays: https://t.co/FvnBeDPSTQ
— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) October 27, 2026
The last two defenses he's faced, those of the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos, haven't exactly been cake walks, either. But in Week 8, he'll face one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
The Dallas Cowboys will host the Cardinals for Week 8. Dallas' defense has been absolutely miserable this season. They've allowed 35.5 PPR fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts and 7.4 yards per pass attempt to opposing teams so far. Both rank bottom-8 in the league.
The space underneath is KILLING this Cowboys defense, and Christian Parker is going to risk losing that locker room if he doesn't make some serious adjustments!
Personnel usage, rush plans, match-zone responsibilities, and the overall passive philosophy are becoming MAJOR issues.
You've got defensive linemen reading instead of attacking, linebackers hesitating because of coverage responsibilities, and defenders constantly being asked to react instead of dictate.
I understand why Barham was frustrated!
These players are too talented to consistently look this restricted. At some point, you have to stop asking players to fit your scheme and start building the scheme around what your players do BEST!
I'm not calling for Parker's job. I'm calling for him to recognize what he has and put these men in positions to be successful.
Discipline doesn't have to mean PASSIVITY. And complexity doesn't automatically mean EFFECTIVENESS.
You can't keep handicapping aggressive football players and then blame them when the defense lacks aggression!
LET THESE DOGS HUNT!
— Akoye Media (@AkoyeMedia) October 29, 2026
Maybe the Cowboys defense needs more time to adjust to the new scheme, but there appear to be serious systemic problems with it. They've been bad against both the pass and the run.
The Cardinals also have one of the NFL's worst pass defenses, and Dallas has a very good offense. This game could quickly devolve into a shootout, and Wilson would be a big beneficiary. While Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is the team's clear No. 1 pass-catcher, there should be enough passing volume to go around.
"It's just a pain tolerance, as far as my knowledge, it can't get any worse."
Mike LaFleur says WR Michael Wilson good to play through a ribs injury this week for the Arizona Cardinals. https://t.co/BU01dZcPeh
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) October 30, 2026
It's not difficult to get burned on this take, as he's dealing with injuries, but perhaps it's also good to be bold and bet the over on his production this week. The Cowboys defense is adept at giving up big plays in the passing game.
Garrett Wilson Rebounds With 100 Yards And A Touchdown
The New York Jets are somehow finding out new ways to avoid getting the ball to their top wideout, Garrett Wilson. He has a total of 13.0 PPR fantasy points across his last two games, as he's caught just six passes for 70 yards in those contests.
We've seen Jets rookie wideout Omar Cooper Jr. rack up 11 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns in those games. He's seen 12 targets to Wilson's nine, and obviously has been getting much deeper passes down the field slung his way.
Garrett Wilson letting Geno Smith hear it on the sideline.
Wilson has 2 catches today with the game in the 4th quarter. https://t.co/BaivlOTxsD
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 25, 2026
Throughout his career, the amount of trouble that Wilson has had with getting open and being a great playmaker has been absolutely zero. He's capable of so much more than he's producing with the Jets right now, and it's really not his fault.
Perhaps Jets quarterback Geno Smith will understand Wilson's frustration right now and get him the ball more. A matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, who allow 7.2 yards per pass attempt to opposing quarterbacks this season, is a great opportunity for Wilson to get back on track.
What a play by Garrett Wilson for the touchdown!
@CLEvsNYJ on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/6mepGsdHbd— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Cooper has been playing well, but he is no reason to get Wilson the ball less.
Samaje Perine Out-Produces Chase Brown In Fantasy Football
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown's rushing volume is nowhere near what it was last season. He's no longer the clear and primary RB1 for his team. Instead, he's lost volume to his backup, veteran RB Samaje Perine.
Brown is still utilized heavily as a pass-catcher, as he's seen 33 targets this season and caught 28 of those for 143 yards. That's amounted to just 5.1 yards per catch, though, which is simply abysmal. That's down from over 6.6 last season.
Another blitz pickup from Chase Brown gives Burrow enough time to throw a strike to Ja’Marr Chase for his first pass of the second half. https://t.co/gWgS5tMSxF
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) October 26, 2026
There are areas of his game in which Brown has been excellent this season. For example, in pass protection. Pass protection at least keeps a back on the field and gives them more pass-catching opportunities, but blocking does not award fantasy points in any format.
The Bengals will be facing the Tennessee Titans in Week 8. They're set to be without their top wide receiver, Carnell Tate (shoulder), as he's dealing with a shoulder injury right now and has been ruled OUT. He didn't practice on Friday. We could see this quickly become a blowout.
Week 7 was another solid outing for #Titans WR Carnell Tate. Has to reel in the ball security issues after the catch, but I thought he faired well against a heavy dose of tight press-man as well as flashing his elite tracking/catch point ability https://t.co/HWAhpXcqlN
— Drew Beatty (@IronCityFilm) October 26, 2026
Tate has been awesome as a rookie, and though he's not been perfect, he's the only thing that's worked for the offense consistently this season. Cincinnati could opt to limit Brown's reps and give Perine a heavy workload to close out the game and grind down the clock.
Ollie Gordon II Gets Bottled Up By Patriots, Rushes For Under 50 Yards
Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II has impressed since he's replaced injured running back De'Von Achane (knee) as the starter. Achane struggled to start the season before tearing his ACL and being placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Since then, in the full games he's started, the Doak Walker Award winner rushed 52 times for 291 yards and three touchdowns, averaging a fantastic 5.6 yards per carry and one touchdown per game. It's especially impressive that he's doing this on an offense that's been so unproductive otherwise.
53 yards for Ollie Gordon II
MIAvsMIN on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/AC6Jer243h— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
He looks a lot more like he did when he was one of the best running backs in the country in college football. He's a big, imposing back with plenty of power, and the offensive line is getting him past the line of scrimmage, where he can create mismatches in the open field.
He's faced three teams in the bottom half of the NFL in yards per rush attempt allowed this season, though. In Week 8, the New England Patriots, who allow just 3.9 yards per carry to opposing rushers, could present a bigger challenge.
The Patriots are actually a run-funnel defense, as they prefer to try to shut down the pass. However, the Dolphins don't have much of a passing game to shut down in the first place. So they'll be able to focus on stopping the run.
ANOTHER 4th down stop 🛑
📺 CBS https://t.co/Gz0eqYQ7zT
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 18, 2026
They also held Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift to just 3.5 yards per carry last week, even though Chicago has a much better passing attack to deal with.
Antonio Williams Breaks Out With 20 PPR Fantasy Points
Washington Commanders wide receiver Antonio Williams is set to have more opportunities in his offense after the season-ending injury to Commanders WR1 Terry McLaurin. Williams plays outside while WR Stefon Diggs (hand/hamstring) plays in the slot.
So the extra outside WR snaps are likely to go to Williams, who's impressed so far this season despite limited opportunities. Post-bye week breakouts for rookie wideouts are very real, and the Commanders had their bye last week.
ANTONIO WILLIAMS TAKES THE DEEP BALL TO THE HOUSE 😳
A huge touchdown for Washington gets wiped out by an illegal shift.
Brutal penalty. https://t.co/GuSUEwHfLF
— Aggregate (@AggregateSports) October 4, 2026
Williams has been both very efficient and very close to making a number of huge plays. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, who are struggling on offense without their starting quarterback and will be without their top wideout, DeVonta Smith (hamstring), we could see Washington dominate time of possession.
That should lead to more chances for Williams to get targets and score his second touchdown of the season.
