Conviction Picks: Week 8 fantasy football predictions to count on
Our analysts reveal the fantasy football takes they have the most conviction for heading into Week 8 to help you feel better about the lineup decisions ahead. For more sit-start advice, check out our rankings hub.
Jets stars ready for liftoff
Breece Hall has consolidated his grip on power in the Jets backfield over his last two games, finally topping 50% of the snaps while dominating touches. He’s converted 42 opportunities into 287 scrimmage yards and two scores during this two-game stretch, producing three runs of 15 or more yards. For the season, he’s now averaging 4.2 yards after contact per attempt, the highest rate among all backs with at least 50 carries. Hall is now headed into a matchup with a Giants defense that allows a whopping 5.0 YPC and 137.3 rushing YPG, so it’s the friendliest possible spot. Expect another massive day, perhaps resulting in an overall RB1 finish. — Andy Behrens
Prior to their bye week, New York seemed to have caught some fire — relatively speaking — by narrowing down their offensive identity. That identity is a mere five words: Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. As Andy mentioned, Hall has completely taken over the backfield, handling 64.2% of the team rush attempts with a 13.6% target share in Weeks 5 and 6. The Jets have also hammered the point to Zach Wilson: Hit the top of your drop and if Garrett is in a good look, rip the ball. That has been true regardless of the coverage. Garrett Wilson has a 32.2% share of the team targets in that same Week 5 and 6 span. The Jets are simply getting the ball to their good players and the results have been positive. Expect that goodness to trickle over for Garrett Wilson in Week 8 when the Jets take on the Giants, who have been a beatable defense and will afford the star receiver iso coverage on the outside. — Matt Harmon
Kittle might be better left on benches
I'm a little worried about George Kittle this week. The 49ers probably have to downshift to Sam Darnold at quarterback, and that opens up a wider range of outcomes. And unlike most elite tight ends, Kittle is seldom a first-read receiver. The 49ers could also use a boost with blocking and chipping, and that's stuff Kittle excels at. Even against a beatable Cincinnati defense, I've moved Kittle outside my Top 10. I'm prepared to start Dalton Kincaid or Dalton Schultz over him, if possible. — Scott Pianowski
Pollard on verge of ending TD drought
Tony Pollard’s efficiency has dropped with his expanded role this season, but he’s also been unlucky when it comes to scoring touchdowns. He’s second in the league in carries inside the five-yard line with 10 but has just two scores. Raheem Mostert has six touchdowns on eight carries inside the five (not to mention from farther away). The Rams have yielded just one touchdown to wide receivers all season (in Week 1), but have allowed the fourth-most rushing scores (nine) in the league. Pollard somehow hasn’t scored since Week 1 while having the second-most red-zone touches, but he changes that Sunday with a big game coming out of the bye. — Dalton Del Don
Ekeler in get-right spot against Bears
It’s time. Our Yahoo colleague, Austin Ekeler, has been back for two games now, with mixed results. The volume has been there, as he has a 72.1% snap share in that span. He has just 62 and 46 total yards, respectively, in those two games. With him getting the ball early and often in a favorable matchup, he’ll hit that combined total and keep going.
The Chargers meet up with the Bears, who have firmed up on defense the past three games. Or have they just hit a soft spot in the schedule? Chicago faced the Commanders’ RB committee and the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, all in negative game scripts. Alexander Mattison got 72 total yards. This is a get-right game for Ekeler and the Chargers. Book him for 100-plus yards and a touchdown. — Jorge Martin
Nico Collins in smash spot
Collins comes out of the bye week ranking fourth in WR efficiency, averaging 3.1 yards per route run. This is better than Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs. He’s taken a huge step forward and it has to do with the accurate targets he’s earning downfield from C.J. Stroud. Collins leads the NFL averaging 13 yards per target.
This week he faces the Panthers' bottom-10 secondary. Carolina allows the seventh-most yards after the catch to receivers. This is important because Collins ranks sixth in yards after the catch this season. Collins is a top-10 receiver this week. — Sal Vetri