Week 8 Fantasy football projection risers and fallers: Bucky Irving surges as J.K. Dobbins loses ground — SkimNews
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- Lamar Jackson is expected back against the Bills for Week 8 and is again called a must-start quarterback after Week 7 brought more player returns than new injuries.
- Geno Smith is the top Week 8 streaming option after Omar Cooper Jr.'s emergence; the Raiders have given up the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, with each of their last five quarterbacks scoring at least 21 points.
- Bucky Irving ranks in the top eight for Week 8 and top 12 moving forward after taking two of Baker Mayfield's 11 passes as Tampa Bay dismantled the Panthers, underscoring his game-script independence.
- Josh Jacobs is projected for 16-20 touches and 16-20 fantasy points against the Panthers, whose run defense is the NFL's worst on a short week.
- J.K. Dobbins is pushed out of flex consideration against Kansas City after Jonah Coleman's return turned Denver's backfield into a committee; Dobbins shared early downs but was barely involved on passing downs.
- Malik Washington falls outside the top 30 at receiver after Caleb Douglas' return reduced his target share, while the Patriots' stingy defense creates a bad Week 8 matchup with increased target competition.
- Tyler Higbee is recommended for a drop against the Chargers after Davis Allen scored two touchdowns and Colby Parkinson remained the more popular target, leaving the Rams' tight-end rotation without a clear starter.
Why it matters: For fantasy managers, the actionable split is between a top-8 Week 8 projection for Bucky Irving and Dobbins being pushed out of even flex consideration behind Jonah Coleman. The Panthers' status as the NFL's worst run defense also strengthens the Josh Jacobs case, with a 16-to-20-touch projection.
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