With teams on bye and injuries piling up, navigate tricky lineup calls with confidence scores on a 1-10 scale for every relevant player across the league
Oct 29, 2026
at
5:41 pm ET
•
3 min read
Your Fantasy football season can turn on a single lineup decision, and Week 8 is shaping up to be another challenging week for managers trying to separate reliable starters from potential disappointments. With four teams on bye, injuries continuing to reshape depth charts and several big-name players struggling to meet expectations, finding the right options for your lineup could be the difference between a victory and a frustrating loss.
That's where Dave Richard's Week 8 PPR cheat sheet comes in. With detailed matchup analysis and confidence scores for every relevant player, you'll have the information you need to navigate difficult start/sit decisions, identify favorable opportunities and give yourself the best chance to come away with a victory.
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.
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| Bryce Young | 7 | 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 | 7.4 |
| Darren Waller | 2.38 | Tucker Kraft | 6.18 |
| Panthers DST | 2.2 | Packers DST | 5.9 |
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| Lamar Jackson | 7.8 | Josh Allen | 9.3 |
| Derrick Henry | 7.45 | James Cook | 8.95 |
| Justice Hill | 2.78 | Ty Johnson | 3 |
| Zay Flowers | 9.2 | Khalil Shakir | 5.45 |
| Rashod Bateman | 4.1 | Keon Coleman | 5.4 |
| Ja'Kobi Lane | 3.78 | Dalton Kincaid | 5.18 |
| Mark Andrews | 3.28 | Bills DST | 5.7 |
| Josh Cuevas | 2.72 |
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| Ravens DST | 4.8 |
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| Cam Ward | 2.4 | Joe Burrow | 9.4 |
| Tony Pollard | 6.25 | Chase Brown | 6.72 |
| Michael Carter | 2.8 | Samaje Perine | 3.7 |
| Carnell Tate | 6.58 | Ja'Marr Chase | 9 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | 3.66 | Tee Higgins | 7.58 |
| Titans DST | 1.8 | Mike Gesicki | 3.38 |
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| Bengals DST | 8 |
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| 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 | 7.28 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 4.62 | Ryan Flournoy | 5.15 |
| Trey McBride | 7.48 | Jake Ferguson | 2.7 |
| Cardinals DST | 1.4 | Cowboys DST | 3.2 |
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| Kyler Murray | 5.8 | Jared Goff | 6.4 |
| Jordan Mason | 6.35 | Jahmyr Gibbs | 10 |
| Justin Jefferson | 8.1 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | 8.55 |
| Jordan Addison | 5.35 | Jameson Williams | 6.8 |
| T.J. Hockenson | 5.85 | Sam LaPorta | 6.78 |
| Vikings DST | 6.6 | Lions DST | 6 |
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| Daniel Jones | 2.2 | Trevor Lawrence | 8.3 |
| Jonathan Taylor | 7.8 | Bhayshul Tuten | 6.7 |
| Keenan Allen | 5.9 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | 3.6 |
| Josh Downs | 3.76 | Parker Washington | 7.6 |
| Colts DST | 2.4 | Jakobi Meyers | 4.45 |
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| Brian Thomas Jr. | 3.24 |
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| Brenton Strange | 4.7 |
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| Jaguars DST | 8.4 |
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| Kirk Cousins | 7.3 | Geno Smith | 7.2 |
| Ashton Jeanty | 7.7 | Braelon Allen | 7.65 |
| Mike Washington Jr. | 2.05 | Garrett Wilson | 7.22 |
| Tre Tucker | 6.6 | Omar Cooper Jr. | 6.75 |
| Brock Bowers | 8.35 | Adonai Mitchell | 4.64 |
| Michael Mayer | 3.32 | Mason Taylor | 4.05 |
| Raiders DST | 3.8 | Kenyon Sadiq | 2.35 |
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| Jets DST | 4.1 |
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| 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 | 6.52 |
| 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 |
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| 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 | Chris Godwin | 5.3 |
| Kyle Pitts | 6.3 | Ted Hurst | 2.98 |
| Falcons DST | 6.5 | Tez Johnson | 2.82 |
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| Cade Otton | 2.24 |
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| Buccaneers DST | 6.3 |
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| 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 |
| Quentin Johnston | 3.5 | Konata Mumpfield | 2.96 |
| Charlie Kolar | 2.88 | Tyler Higbee | 4 |
| Oronde Gadsden II | 2.55 | Colby Parkinson | 3.74 |
| Chargers DST | 2 | Rams DST | 6.7 |
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| Patrick Mahomes | 4.6 | Bo Nix | 4.5 |
| Kenneth Walker III | 9.6 | RJ Harvey | 5.78 |
| Emmett Johnson | 2 | Jonah Coleman | 4.5 |
| Xavier Worthy | 5.12 | J.K. Dobbins | 4.34 |
| Travis Kelce | 5.1 | Courtland Sutton | 5.42 |
| Chiefs DST | 5.8 | Evan Engram | 2.18 |
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| Broncos DST | 7.2 |
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| 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 | 6.68 | Malik Washington | 4.6 |
| Demario Douglas | 4.48 | Dolphins DST | 1.6 |
| Hunter Henry | 5.72 |
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| Eli Raridon | 3.4 |
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| Patriots DST | 7.4 |
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| 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 | 5.28 |
| Dallas Goedert | 5.5 | Treylon Burks | 3.2 |
| Eagles DST | 4.2 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | 5.38 |
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| Commanders DST | 6.2 |
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| Caleb Williams | 5.9 | Sam Darnold | 5.4 |
| D'Andre Swift | 6.62 | Emanuel Wilson | 5.48 |
| Roschon Johnson | 2.94 | Zach Charbonnet | 5.08 |
| Luther Burden III | 7.2 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 9.3 |
| Rome Odunze | 5.2 | Cooper Kupp | 3.35 |
| Kalif Raymond | 2.28 | AJ Barner | 2.92 |
| Colston Loveland | 6.5 | Seahawks DST | 7.5 |
| Bears DST | 6.1 |
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