NFL Week 8 Target Report 2026: Fantasy Football Targets, Rankings & Usage

Whether you are out in first place or clinging to life in your fantasy football league, one thing is true going into Week 8 - you CANNOT take your foot off the gas. There is no quitting, and there is no cruise control. The difference-making players are out there and, especially when it comes to rookies, they might just be getting started now.

That’s more apparent than ever in the Week 8 Target Report. We’re obviously tracking injuries and trends with some quarterback and playcaller changes. But rookie breakouts need to be at the forefront of our minds for the next couple of weeks. You never know when a team is going to head into their bye and come out of that week off with some new wrinkles installed. And we don’t want to miss out on this year’s big breakout.

2026 Fantasy Football NFL Week 8 Target Report Preview

Here’s what we do with the target report. We take every team, and we rank the pass-catchers in terms of who we think gets the most targets over the course of the season from left to right. Then we color-code those players based on the confidence we have in them meeting certain thresholds. So these are not weekly predictions but more general feelings for the rest of the season.

We set these thresholds as, statistically, 125+ targets is what you need to be a WR1 in fantasy and 100+ is what you need to be top 24. We have had a few examples of guys finishing top 24 with less than 100, like Deebo Samuel that year when he got a ton of carries or some field stretchers hitting big plays on limited targets, but for consistency week to week we are shooting for 100.

Same goes for tight ends. Truly elite guys will get 125+. Fantasy-relevant guys, we generally want 100. Technically, you can finish top five at tight end with 90+ targets or 10+ touchdowns, but most of the meaningful fantasy-relevant guys get 100+.

Historically, it is very rare for three guys to all get 100+ targets on the same team. Even with injuries factored in, it happens less than 4% of the time. For instance, last year the Cowboys did it, but Jake Ferguson was not on a 100+ target pace without CeeDee Lamb being hurt for those ~5 games. So we are focusing on guys who can be top two targets on their team. 

Fantasy Football Target Chart 2026 NFL Week 8

Fantasy Football Week 8 Risers, Fades, and Takeaways

Fantasy Football Week 8 Target Risers

Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers

Christian Watson has had better fantasy production on his targets, especially due to the touchdowns. But Matthew Golden is getting absolutely PEPPERED with targets. He now has 68 on the season, which is tied for fourth with Malik Nabers, behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Trey McBride, and Chris Olave. The Packers might not be able to sustain this volume all year, and maybe the return of Josh Jacobs will help slow it down, but we need to acknowledge the insane pace this guy is on. I’d even say he could be a sell-high candidate, but it might be hard to actually get back good value since he plays alongside Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft. That’s especially true right now while he’s a little nicked up and questionable for Thursday. 

Omar Cooper Jr.,  WR, New York Jets

This week was a MASSIVE test of Omar Cooper Jr., and not only did he pass, but he passed with flying colors. Last week, with Omar Cooper Jr. returning, he played slot for three WR sets and flanker for two WR sets. That’s the ideal configuration for fantasy football. The question was what would happen when Adonai Mitchell returned, but so far, Cooper has retained his role, with Mitchell operating as the field stretcher who only ran 51.5% of the routes. It could truly be wheels up here for Cooper.

Tre Tucker,  WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Don’t look now, but Tre Tucker is quietly on pace for 112 targets. He’s been the clear second target on the team after Brock Bowers, though Ashton Jeanty is actually on a 100+ target pace himself. The Raiders like using multiple TE sets, which takes the other WRs out of the picture and helps consolidate the targets for Tucker, Bowers, and Jeanty at the top. It doesn’t hurt that Tucker runs higher aDot routes as well, so his targets often have more impact when he does haul them in. 

KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland Browns

Concepcion was an interesting one this week because his deployment didn’t really change much at all from what it has been. He still played most snaps in 11 and 12 personnel but came out for some of the jumbo stuff. His alignment was fairly typical to what we see with a lot of slot routes. He just had by far his best game in terms of targets and production with no meaningful change in what they’ve been doing. Hopefully they decide it’s worth getting him more looks now. 

Caleb Douglas, WR, Miami Dolphins

Rookie Caleb Douglas was largely panned when he was picked by Miami in the third round. But they liked him enough to not only pick him but make them their WR2 for Week One. Unfortunately, he got hurt in Week 2 and has been out since. This week he returned and immediately got WR2 snaps behind Malik Washington and ahead of fellow rookie Chris Bell. And he scored two touchdowns doing it, which should keep him in the fold moving forward. 

Greg Dulcich, TE, Miami Dolphins

Caleb Douglas is the exciting young rookie. But we have to mention that Greg Dulcich just registered a 73% route participation and five targets. He’s now topped 70% and 5 targets in three of his last four games. Now, in the other game against Minnesota, he failed to register a target or catch. But that game script was so odd, where they only ran 39 offensive snaps against one of the league’s best defenses, that we are willing to write that off to some degree. 
 

Fantasy Football Week 8 Target Fallers

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

I think we need to talk about this one at this stage, right? We never want to incite panic. And the snaps and routes for Ja'Marr Chase are fine. He had a solid week in fantasy again and has five touchdowns. But he has fewer targets, receptions, and yards than Tee Higgins. The 7.5 targets per game is still good for 127.5, so on pace for over 125, but this guy is typically like a 150+ lock, right? This is the lowest target pace he’s been on for his career. Personally, I believe in the player, so I’m not looking to sell low. And you can’t really buy low on a guy with this name brand. But, since this is the Target Report, we need to report on the fact that the targets are down so far through six weeks for Ja'Marr Chase compared to previous seasons. 

Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions

There is a reason we want our guys to be a top two target on the team. Not only does it affect the final totals at the end of the year, but it hurts their consistency from week to week. And that’s what we saw with Sam LaPorta this week. It’s not that the Lions didn’t throw the football. Or that Sam LaPorta wasn’t out there (he actually played 66 of 68 snaps and ran 31 of 33 routes). They just threw it to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Jahmyr Gibbs this week. Next week, maybe Jameson Williams is the odd man out. That’s why, for dynasty purposes, we are actually happy that Sam LaPorta is complaining about his contract - because we want him to leave Detroit. 

Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals

You would think that the target share for Michael Wilson would have gone UP following the trade of Marvin Harrison Jr., but it’s actually gone down over the last few weeks compared to the first four. Maybe having another big split end on the other side of the field to occupy defenders was a little more valuable in real-life football than the box score dictates? Either way, Michael Wilson has been trending down in the target department despite his usage not really changing. Teams don’t seem to have the same respect for new split end Jalen Brooks that they did for MHJ. 

Devaughn Vele, WR, New Orleans Saints

Nothing has really happened here - yet. But we have to warn folks that the Saints have their bye week this week. That matters because the rookie they picked in the first round, Jordyn Tyson, was already close to returning and will probably be ready coming out of the bye. Vele caught all five of his targets and scored, so it might be wise to try to package Vele up in a deal to be cautious. We already saw Juwan Johnson fall out of favor as, after Chris Olave, there’s really only room for one fantasy-relevant pass-catcher. 

Isaiah Likely, TE, New York Giants

We aren’t downgrading Isaiah Likely just yet. But we need to highlight situations like this. One bad game isn’t the end of the world, but when it comes alongside some sort of catalyst, that is concerning. Sometimes a player returns from injury and affects the targets; sometimes the playcaller changes; sometimes the quarterback changes. So for JJ McCarthy to start his first game for New York and Isaiah Likely to have his worst game of the season isn't ideal. The Texans are a tough matchup, but we are monitoring this situation. 

Adonai Mitchell WR, New York Jets

There is still technically a chance that Mitchell was just eased back in coming off the finger injury. But that injury seemingly gave the Jets a chance to make first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr. a full-time guy opposite Garrett Wilson, and they might be running with it. Not only were the targets lower for Mitchell than before he got hurt, but he only ran 51.5% of the routes. So he’s likely a drop at this point in fantasy. 

Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

The slide for Mark Andrews continues here. Last week, even with Matt Hibner out, he only had a 67% route participation, rotating with Josh Cuevas. This week, with Hibner, Cuevas, and Nick Vannett all active, Andrews only played 57% of the actual snaps. The rotation really caps his upside, and he only received four targets. And this was against the Bengals, which is typically a good TE matchup. We had a sneaky suspicion that a hand injury from Week 3 was still lingering for him, but at this stage it seems like this rotation is by design. His schedule gets pretty tough here, so he does not need to be rostered.

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Freiermuth had a golden opportunity here to run with some fantasy relevance with three wide receivers getting hurt. But he still rotated far too much, playing only 34 of 64 snaps this week in what should have been a great matchup on National Tight End Day with the Saints. He garnered only four targets, catching two. Germie Bernard really stepped into that second target option opposite DK Metcalf, which has pretty much blocked any upside here. Muth gets a tough matchup with Cleveland, then has his bye, so doesn’t need to be held. 

Fantasy Football Week 8 Target Takeaways and Uncertainty

Obviously we want as many guys in the blue or green as possible. In the early rounds, we want certainty. But as we get later in drafts and onto waivers, uncertainty becomes your friend. The real opportunity comes from those yellow or even orange sections. The farther left on the chart we have yellow, the more uncertainty we have. That’s where breakouts can be found.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are having a fire sale. And, with that, Josh Downs has officially requested a trade. If they honor that agreement, it could be new life for him elsewhere. Not to mention, the Colts still have to play all these games on the schedule; they can’t just quit. So, with Downs out of the picture and no signs of Alec Pierce, there is room for someone to step up and possibly give us something. 

Miami Dolphins

This is still our main point of intrigue in this section. It’s just so wide open since the Dolphins didn’t invest in any veterans. Malik Washington has led the charge, but he is not an insurmountable object. Rookie Caleb Douglas has looked promising and just popped off for two touchdowns, but there is still hope for Chris Bell to come on strong late since he was recovering from a major injury this offseason. Then, of course, there is Greg Dulcich with his valuable TE eligibility. We are watching this one closely. 

Kansas City Chiefs

This Kansas City Chiefs team is really lacking an identity in the passing game right now. At his age, Travis Kelce simply cannot put the team on his back like he used to. Xavier Worthy is looking more and more like a bust - Tyquan Thornton actually looked better in that role before he got hurt. With Rashee Rice out, none of Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen, or Andrew Armstrong have stepped up. The Chiefs might need to get into the trade conversations going around the league because they might not just be able to lean on Rice, Kelce, and Walker.  

Cleveland Browns

This Browns team remains an interesting one to monitor for fantasy. Denzel Boston has led in routes and is tied with KC Concepcion on 42 targets. Because Boston runs deeper routes, he has caught fewer passes than Concepcion but has more yards and more TDs because of the higher aDot plays. Concepcion remains the elusive underneath guy with the explosive upside, though he has yet to score. And Harold Fannin has run more routes than Concepcion but has fewer targets at 35. Then of course there is Jerry Jeudy in the four spot - everyone wants to trade him away, but the Browns are winning, so why should they? A very odd team that we are intrigued by, but it's hard to truly trust anyone. 

Los Angeles Chargers

I’m really not sure if this team will ever figure it out. And I’m not sure firing Mike McDaniel is really the answer either - how do you undo what he’s done when everything is all set up in his scheme with the fullback and the tight ends? That said, there are a lot of injuries here and, if Justin Herbert can get things on track, someone could emerge. Tre' Harris has been sneaky, and he’ll be back soon.