Eric KarabellOct 20, 2025, 12:15 PM ETCloseEric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of “The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments”.Follow on X
play1:10What would Brian Thomas Jr. missing time mean for Travis Hunter in fantasy?Eric Moody reacts to Travis Hunter’s nice fantasy game vs. the Rams and breaks down how he could potentially be firmly on the WR2 radar.
Karabell: DeVonta Smith might be a little underrated in fantasy (1:10)Eric Karabell explains why the Eagles’ lack of a run game makes DeVonta Smith a must-start in Week 8 vs. the Giants. (1:10)
What would Brian Thomas Jr. missing time mean for Travis Hunter in fantasy?Eric Moody reacts to Travis Hunter’s nice fantasy game vs. the Rams and breaks down how he could potentially be firmly on the WR2 radar.
Eric Moody reacts to Travis Hunter’s nice fantasy game vs. the Rams and breaks down how he could potentially be firmly on the WR2 radar.
As we get ready for Week 8, we await clarity on the status of Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (hamstring) and prepare for “bye-mageddon.”
Each Monday, before the current NFL week ends, we will identify players available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues worthy of your attention, from standard formats to deeper options. The NFL is a weekly league, and player valuation and roles seldom remain stagnant. It does not matter how you acquire players for your fantasy rosters, just that you get them.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (29.9%): Spears earned mention entering Week 7 after he turned nine touches into 50 yards during Week 6. On Sunday, Spears didn’t do much in the blowout loss to the New England Patriots, turning eight touches into 40 yards, but starter Tony Pollard was similarly unproductive and has only 52 rushing yards over the past two games. The Titans could give Spears a longer look.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens (16.2%): The Ravens and Buffalo Bills both emerge from their Week 7 byes with big games this coming week. The Bills play at Carolina, but WRs Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir remain rostered in at least 68% of leagues. Bateman is not having a productive season, but with QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring) returning from three weeks off, perhaps things change. Zay Flowers is the star WR, but Bateman reached 756 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns last season.
Noah Fant, Bengals (2.4%): Fant scored 14.4 PPR points against the Steelers, mainly because he turned one of his four receptions into a touchdown. With teammate Mike Gesicki (pectoral) out for at least another month, Fant has TE2 upside. He does have four-plus targets in five contests this season, albeit with three different quarterbacks.
What would Brian Thomas Jr. missing time mean for Travis Hunter in fantasy?
Bye weeks explode in Week 8 with the Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars all off. That’s a lot of teams — and a lot of good players not playing.
The seventh Sunday of the NFL season featured one of the greatest fourth-quarter comebacks in league history, with the Denver Broncos somehow catching the New York Giants. Broncos QB Bo Nix scored 39.96 PPR points, nearly all of them in the final stanza. Also on Sunday, Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor tallied another three touchdowns, and a pair of Philadelphia Eagles WRs combined for 304 receiving yards, three touchdowns and 61.4 PPR points. In the night game, San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey delivered his finest game of the season.
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (28.2%): The Vikings slipped into last place in the NFC North with Sunday’s loss to the Eagles as backup QB Carson Wentz tossed a pair of mind-boggling interceptions. One would think McCarthy (ankle), who hasn’t played since Week 2, will start this Thursday’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers, if he’s healthy. The Chargers are among the better defenses in preventing fantasy points to QBs, but fantasy managers in SuperFlex formats must invest in McCarthy for the duration of the season.
Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals (4.9%): Well, it didn’t take long for Flacco to make this list. In his second start for the Bengals after being acquired from the Cleveland Browns, Flacco scored 25.98 PPR points in last Thursday’s stunning win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flacco threw for 342 yards and 3 TDs, reinvigorating the dormant value of his new team’s three offensive stars (Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown). Flacco faces the embarrassing New York Jets this week, so even though you will probably be moving on from him when he serves his Week 10 bye, play for the short term.
Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears (4.1%): The Bears ran all over the New Orleans Saints, with starter D’Andre Swift tallying 20.8 PPR points. The rookie Monangai added 17.4 points with 81 rushing yards and a touchdown. Swift is enjoying a solid season and, although he has a history of missing the occasional game, he played in all 17 games last season. The bruising Monangai, a seventh-round pick from Rutgers, earned Sunday’s volume because the Bears wanted to run and they had a big lead, though that scenario might occur again the next few weeks versus the Bengals and Ravens.
Xavier Legette, Panthers (23.8%): Legette entered Week 7 as a noteworthy underperformer this season, scoring just 19 PPR points in his four games (he missed one contest). Then, on Sunday against the woeful Jets, Legette caught 9 of 11 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown, finally outshining rookie Tetairoa McMillan (6.3 PPR points), although he was mostly lined up against excellent CB Sauce Gardner. McMillan is the Panthers WR to roster, of course, but perhaps Legette can continue his relevance in future weeks.
Chimere Dike, Titans (1%): Dike, a fifth-round pick out of Florida, caught just nine passes for 26 yards through his first six games. He saw more attention on Sunday with starter Calvin Ridley (hamstring) sidelined, catching each of his four targets for 70 yards and a touchdown. We are not comfortable recommending any member of the Titans’ offense, but the speedy Dike and Elic Ayomanor (26.4%) are far more likely to be part of the team’s future than Ridley or Van Jefferson (0.3%). Perhaps QB Cam Ward starts to perform better and these rookie WRs can emerge.
Oronde Gadsden II, Chargers (2.1%): Something positive is happening with Gadsden, the fifth-round rookie from Syracuse, as he followed up his 11.8 PPR points from Week 6 against the lowly Dolphins with 29.4 PPR points against the solid Colts. Sure, a good bit of these numbers came late in the game with the Chargers trailing, but it still happened. A converted wide receiver in college, Gadsden’s 164 receiving yards on Sunday represented, by far, the most for a tight end this season. Only five others have even surpassed 100 receiving yards in a game!
Karabell: DeVonta Smith might be a little underrated in fantasy (1:10)Eric Karabell explains why the Eagles’ lack of a run game makes DeVonta Smith a must-start in Week 8 vs. the Giants. (1:10)
Eric Karabell explains why the Eagles’ lack of a run game makes DeVonta Smith a must-start in Week 8 vs. the Giants. (1:10)
CloseEric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of “The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments”.Follow on X
Incredible Giants rookie Jaxson Dart (43.3%) indeed will be mentioned every week in this space until he surpasses the 50%-rostered mark. Perhaps it happens this week as the Giants play a road game in Philadelphia. Dart scored 23.6 PPR points against the Eagles in Week 6.
Keep up with the news this week to see what the Vikings, Commanders, Carolina Panthers and Jets do at quarterback. Bryce Young (ankle) might have to cede starting duties this week to veteran Andy Dalton. The Jets might stick with backup Tyrod Taylor over runner Justin Fields — and that’s not appealing for fantasy. During their bye week, the Raiders might decide to bench Geno Smith in favor of Kenny Pickett, which is something those in SuperFlex formats need to watch.
We featured Patriots starter Kayshon Boutte (27.1%) here last week — and he responded with 13.5 PPR points in the win over the Titans. However, Boutte saw only two targets, with one going for a touchdown. Boutte boasts upside because QB Drake Maye is terrific, but Boutte needs consistent volume.
Commanders WRs Deebo Samuel (heel) and Terry McLaurin (quad) both missed Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, while fill-ins Jaylin Lane (1.7%), Chris Moore (8.9%) and Robbie Chosen (0.0%) combined for nine catches and 24.5 PPR points. It is hard to recommend any of those fellows against the Chiefs, especially if Daniels is out.
Saints starter Juwan Johnson (33.8%) began the season with double-digit PPR points in three consecutive games, endearing himself to myriad fantasy managers. Then he mostly disappeared for three games, and teammate Taysom Hill made his 2025 debut. Hill has only two receptions this season, so his presence cannot be why Johnson stopped producing. Then Johnson produced on Sunday. Expect more inconsistency, but the Saints should be able to throw on the Buccaneers in Week 8.
It’s hard to recommend Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (4.8%) or teammate Jonnu Smith (17.1%) because, well, they are teammates. Beyond that, neither had been much of a fantasy factor until Week 7. Freiermuth scored 28.1 PPR points in the wild Bengals game, but he entered play with only 15.2 PPR points for the season. Smith has 44.7 PPR points this season. Unless one of them gets injured/benched, it’s hard to see a path for fantasy relevance for either.
Three quarterbacks for those teams are rostered in at least 70% of ESPN standard leagues, but none are at 80%. Feel free to cut Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray (foot) if you need a fill-in for Week 8, though you might regret it later. Quarterback remains a deep position in fantasy.