Fantasy football Week 8 PPR cheat sheet: Jahmyr Gibbs, Puka Nacua lead the way as tough calls loom

Jahmyr Gibbs and Puka Nacua inspire confidence, while Quinshon Judkins and Denver's backfield present tough calls

Oct 29, 2026 at 7:18 pm ET • 3 min read

Every lineup decision matters as the Fantasy football season approaches its midpoint, and Week 8 presents another challenging slate for managers trying to separate dependable starters from potential disappointments. With four teams on bye, injuries continuing to shake up depth charts and several big-name players facing difficult matchups, knowing who to trust could be the difference between securing a much-needed victory and watching valuable Fantasy points pile up on your bench.

That's where Dave Richard's Week 8 PPR cheat sheet comes in. Jahmyr Gibbs, Puka Nacua and Bucky Irving enter the week as some of the most trustworthy Fantasy options, while Quinshon Judkins faces a difficult matchup against Pittsburgh and Denver's crowded backfield presents another headache for managers. Whether you're choosing between established stars or searching for an overlooked flex option, Dave's confidence scores can help you navigate those difficult start/sit decisions and build the strongest possible lineup.

What do the numbers mean? All weekly analysis, from data points to matchup outlooks to game-flow predictions, is represented as a number on a 1-10 confidence scale. The higher the number next to a player's name, the more confident I am that you should start him. The numbers are not projections but confidence scores to help you pick who to start. All relevant players for this week are listed, so if you do not see a player's name, do not start him.

To find a specific player, use your search function (CTRL-F on PCs and Command-F on Macs). If neither is an option, or if you're on a mobile device, you can search by typing the name in the URL bar or scrolling down by game. If you're still unsure, just send Dave a note (@DaveRichard), and he will take a look, time permitting. Remember to use the #AskFFT hashtag!

If you're reading this on Sunday, please refer to CBS Sports' weekly rankings, which are updated in real-time.

Ready to get off on the right foot? Here's how to approach every play for this week in every PPR league.

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Panthers		Packers
Bryce Young	7.0	Jordan Love	7.4
Chuba Hubbard	8.12	Josh Jacobs	8.15
Tetairoa McMillan	7.25	Christian Watson	7.5
Jalen Coker	6.92	Matthew Golden	7.35
Darren Waller	2.38	Tucker Kraft	6.18
Panthers DST	2.2	Packers DST	5.9

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Ravens		Bills
Lamar Jackson	7.8	Josh Allen	9.3
Derrick Henry	7.45	James Cook	8.95
Justice Hill	2.78	Ty Johnson	3.0
Zay Flowers	9.2	D.J. Moore	6.56
Rashod Bateman	4.1	Khalil Shakir	5.12
Ja'Kobi Lane	3.8	Keon Coleman	3.74
Mark Andrews	3.28	Dalton Kincaid	5.2
Josh Cuevas	2.72	Bills DST	5.7
Ravens DST	4.8

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Titans		Bengals
Cam Ward	2.4	Joe Burrow	9.4
Tony Pollard	6.25	Chase Brown	6.75
Michael Carter	2.8	Samaje Perine	3.7
Carnell Tate	6.54	Ja'Marr Chase	9.0
Wan'Dale Robinson	3.66	Tee Higgins	7.58
Titans DST	1.8	Mike Gesicki	3.38
		Bengals DST	8.0

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Cardinals		Cowboys
Jacoby Brissett	6.9	Dak Prescott	8.5
Zonovan Knight	5.52	Javonte Williams	8.3
Tyler Allgeier	3.14	CeeDee Lamb	8.85
Michael Wilson	7.05	George Pickens	7.42
Kendrick Bourne	4.62	Ryan Flournoy	5.18
Trey McBride	7.48	Jake Ferguson	2.7
Cardinals DST	1.4	Cowboys DST	3.2

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Vikings		Lions
Kyler Murray	5.8	Jared Goff	6.4
Jordan Mason	6.35	Jahmyr Gibbs	10.0
Justin Jefferson	7.9	Amon-Ra St. Brown	8.55
Jordan Addison	5.35	Jameson Williams	6.7
T.J. Hockenson	5.85	Sam LaPorta	6.78
Vikings DST	6.6	Lions DST	6.0

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Colts		Jaguars
Daniel Jones	2.2	Trevor Lawrence	8.3
Jonathan Taylor	7.28	Bhayshul Tuten	6.72
Keenan Allen	5.9	Chris Rodriguez Jr.	3.6
Josh Downs	3.78	Parker Washington	7.6
Colts DST	2.4	Jakobi Meyers	4.45
		Brian Thomas Jr.	3.24
		Brenton Strange	4.7
		Jaguars DST	8.4

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Raiders		Jets
Kirk Cousins	7.3	Geno Smith	7.2
Ashton Jeanty	7.7	Breece Hall	7.3
Mike Washington Jr.	2.05	Braelon Allen	4.64
Tre Tucker	6.6	Garrett Wilson	7.22
Brock Bowers	8.35	Omar Cooper Jr.	6.68
Michael Mayer	3.32	Adonai Mitchell	4.66
Raiders DST	3.8	Mason Taylor	3.76
		Jets DST	4.1

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Browns		Steelers
Deshaun Watson	3.8	Aaron Rodgers	5.6
Quinshon Judkins	6.45	Jaylen Warren	8.2
Dylan Sampson	4.4	Rico Dowdle	2.85
KC Concepcion	5.75	DK Metcalf	6.48
Denzel Boston	5.25	Germie Bernard	6.12
Jerry Jeudy	2.9	Pat Freiermuth	3.3
Harold Fannin Jr.	5.22	Darnell Washington	3.02
Browns DST	6.4	Steelers DST	7.0

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Falcons		Buccaneers
Michael Penix Jr.	5.7	Baker Mayfield	4.2
Bijan Robinson	9.7	Bucky Irving	8.4
Drake London	8.6	Kenneth Gainwell	2.32
Jahan Dotson	2.75	Emeka Egbuka	6.58
Kyle Pitts	6.3	Chris Godwin	4.42
Falcons DST	6.5	Ted Hurst	2.82
		Cade Otton	2.24
		Buccaneers DST	6.3

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Chargers		Rams
Justin Herbert	4.7	Matthew Stafford	7.7
Omarion Hampton	5.05	Kyren Williams	9.1
Kimani Vidal	3.22	Blake Corum	5.58
Keaton Mitchell	3.04	Puka Nacua	9.4
Ladd McConkey	6.28	Konata Mumpfield	2.96
Quentin Johnston	3.5	Tyler Higbee	4.0
Charlie Kolar	2.88	Colby Parkinson	3.72
Chargers DST	2.0	Rams DST	6.7

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Chiefs		Broncos
Patrick Mahomes	4.6	Bo Nix	4.5
Kenneth Walker III	9.6	RJ Harvey	5.78
Rashee Rice	6.52	Jonah Coleman	4.5
Xavier Worthy	4.52	J.K. Dobbins	4.34
Travis Kelce	5.08	Jaylen Waddle	5.16
Chiefs DST	5.8	Courtland Sutton	3.9
		Evan Engram	2.18
		Broncos DST	7.2

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Patriots		Dolphins
Drake Maye	8.6	Malik Willis	5.3
Rhamondre Stevenson	7.18	Ollie Gordon	6.65
TreVeyon Henderson	3.52	Caleb Douglas	5.8
A.J. Brown	6.42	Malik Washington	4.6
Demario Douglas	4.48	Dolphins DST	1.6
Hunter Henry	5.72
Eli Raridon	3.4
Patriots DST	7.4

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Eagles		Commanders
Tanner McKee	2.5	Jayden Daniels	7.6
Saquon Barkley	6.4	Rachaad White	6.15
Makai Lemon	4.9	Stefon Diggs	6.95
Darius Cooper	3.26	Antonio Williams	5.38
Dallas Goedert	5.5	Treylon Burks	3.2
Eagles DST	4.2	Chigoziem Okonkwo	5.45
		Commanders DST	6.2

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Bears		Seahawks
Caleb Williams	5.9	Sam Darnold	5.4
D'Andre Swift	6.62	Emanuel Wilson	5.48
Roschon Johnson	2.94	Zach Charbonnet	5.1
Luther Burden III	7.2	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	9.3
Rome Odunze	5.14	Cooper Kupp	3.35
Kalif Raymond	2.28	AJ Barner	2.92
Colston Loveland	6.5	Seahawks DST	7.5
Bears DST	6.1