RADIO
John Laghezza's fantasy football bold predictions for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Expert predictions for Colston Loveland, Isiah Pacheco, Tyler Allgeier, and more.
I have a question for you. Do you feel bold? Well, do you? It's longshot prediction time because after all, fortune crowns the bold before the worthy. Forget the boring mean projections and the sims for a second — when you place security over freedom, you lose both while and deserve neither.
Welcome back to the second edition of my RotoBaller bold predictions for the upcoming Week 8 slate. I'll be here putting a bow on every workweek with high-risk-reward takes and outlier calls to get you an unexpected boost in this weekend's fantasy matchup. At the end of the season, if you're not first, you're last.
Half a dozen teams on bye plus waves of injuries leave so many teams right on the bubble, where a daring move could make the difference. Let us help you highlight a few undiscovered diamonds in the rough. No guts, no glory.
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Bo Nix Is First To Post Back-To-Back Overall QB1 Finishes
No sooner than topping everyone's biggest disappointment lists does Bo Nix string together the quarter of a lifetime, for the best fantasy output of his young career (279-2-0; 5-48-2). Like I said, it took a little while to get the engine going, but we know the arm talent's in there — and this could just be the beginning. Maybe my preseason priors are showing, but I think it all just clicked for Denver. Get ready to ride this slope all the way.
Even with last week's 36-point outburst, Nix still ranks as the QB16 in points/game so I get the temptation to sell at a top. With that, the coaching staff is strong and more importantly, Denver's facing Dallas. The game total's over 50 for a reason. As much as I'll back the Broncos' defense any day, it's just an objective fact that four of seven quarterbacks passed for more than 280 yards against them.
Dallas easily looks like a top-five skill group right now, ranking first in PPG (37.0), EPA/play (+0.23), and yards/play (6.4) over the last month. That's the most alluring part in the first place — Denver's a different team when pushed.
The game script's going to play a critical role here. When involved in one-score games in either direction this season, Sean Peyton's rush rate drops to 25th (41.1%) as their pace of play spikes to sixth-fastest (9.8 seconds left on play clock). No telling where the ball's going on such a balanced roster, but my money's on the shepherd Nix to lead the flock, especially while flashing a willingness to run inside the red zone.
What a throw and catch from Nix to Franklin 👀
DENvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/K3qjnAUHHu
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Tyler Allgeier Outscores James Cook
Two parts to this bold shoutout, neither entering the weekend on the right side of likelihood. Yes, Buffalo's a top-5 scoring offense led by fantasy football's RB9 in points per game... so what? For some reason, despite dominating backfield touch share with results to boot, Sean McDermott has pulled back tremendously on scheming up RB targets. Josh Allen's 14.0% RB-target rate ranks third-lowest in the league, and only the Seahawks completed fewer passes to tailbacks this season.
Without the built-in PPR boost from receptions, Cook's forced to earn his points either between the tackles or splitting goal-to-go carries with fantasy beast Josh Allen. Clown on Carolina all you like — there's absolutely a reason the Panthers held the line as just a touchdown underdog all week, despite the obvious gap in perception.
That front seven's come to play, posting very strong underpinning metrics against the ground game this season: +0.12 EPA/Attempt, 68.8% Success Rate, 4.4% Explosive Rush Allowed, 55.8% Tackle. Impressive. In fact, Bijan Robinson is the only RB to eclipse 40 yards against them in the last six weeks!
On the flipside, Miami's run defense is making fantasy headlines for all the wrong reasons, allowing league-worsts in rushing yards/game (159.3), +20-yard carries (10), and explosive rush rate (12.6%). Bijan's the entire world's RB1, but I'm making a case the seven-point spread's off wildly.
Atlanta's defense is a total wagon, yet to allow a single QB to pass for over 180 yards — while the Dolphins aren't even certain who's going to start under center. The further this game gets away from Miami, the more we see Tyler Allgeier, who mind you is a good enough runner to start for most teams.
Falcons could hang the rare dual top-10 RB finish on Sunday...
Tyler Allgeier opens up the scoring with authority 😤
BUFvsATL on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/1zwXODTz1P— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2025
Colston Loveland Is Chicago's First TE1
We're about to play the eighth week of football and the Bears do not have a single top-17 positional finish from a tight end. How is that even possible? Worse still, the aforementioned eight-point breakout occurred on a single ten-yard TD catch by Cole Kmet. Sigh. Utterly depressing stuff for Colston Loveland drafters.
Well as they say, yesterday's price is not today's price. Coming out of their Week 5 bye, the rookie Loveland finally leapfrogged Cole Kmet in route participation for the first time. The usage we've waited all season for even carried over into the Saints game, when Kmet left with an injured back in the third quarter. After departing, Loveland assumed an every-down role as a featured part of the offense: 91.3% route participation, 28.6% target/route, 2.14 yards/route run. Let's go.
Baltimore's defense shouldn't play as poorly as the spreadsheet may suggest, given the returns of impact players Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey and Roquan Smith. That said, I'd imagine split focus will go to more established weapons like D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze. Plus, the Ravens deploy mostly 5-DB alignments, which should create some mismatches for Loveland underneath, who's even been operating out of the slot more than ever.
As underdogs with potential to fall way behind a Lamar Jackson-led offense, game scripts should be in our favor the whole way to get this bold prediction home.
.@ChicagoBears first-round pick Colston Loveland picks up 32
DALvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/SSrROZHf62
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
Isiah Pacheco Logs Top-5 RB Breakout
This column's starting to sound like hopium for all my preseason whiffs that finally showed a sign of life. One of the cheaper "starters" during draft season, Pacheco's summarily disappointed so far across the board; starting with efficiency (4.1 yards/carry, 2.67 yards after contact/rush, -0.12 EPA/attempt) and bleeding into usage (44.5% backfield touch share).
Every week we hoped for the big utilization boost that never came — and no matter how good a player is nowadays, it's difficult to move the fantasy needle in a three-headed backfield.
The real killer for Isiah Pacheco's fantasy value reared its ugly head whenever the Chiefs reached goal-to-go situations, rarely ever seeing the field. For whatever reason, that actually changed Week 6 vs DET, as Pacheco earned his first goal-to-go attempts in back-to-back contests. Now it looks like the knee injury that bounced Kareem Hunt in and out of last week's game may be more serious than first thought; the veteran's yet to practice this week. Oh boy...
Washington's struggling to keep it together on the other side, losing Jayden Daniels again to drop below .500 for the first time this season. Missing pieces in the defensive front-seven's been especially damaging for the Commanders, allowing the opposing RB1 to average 136 scrimmage yards/game over four straight.
The deciding factor in cashing this bold prediction rests with Andy Reid's trust in Pacheco's fellow seventh-rounder Brashard Smith, who most likely at least assumes a chunk of the passing role.
Ignore social media and whatever the inflated egos insist will happen, no one knows who's getting those precious, high-value goal-line touches if Hunt's indeed out. My money's on the incumbent for the same reason Hunt stole those snaps in the first place — experience. Kansas City's firing on all cylinders but there's no room for error with three losses on the ledger already. Pacheco not only scores, but collects over 100 rushing yards for the first time since Week 17... of 2023.
Pacheco powers through to make it 28-0!
LVvsKC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/UrV3Pb9Gjc
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
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