Browse our Game and Player Matchup Dashboards to see how injuries will affect each matchup on the Week 8 slate. Our player matchup dashboards offer a wide array of statistical rankings, including explosive runs and passes, red zone carries, targets and receptions, YAC, reception counts, QB rushing yards, RB receiving yards and more.
Saturday Injury Updates and Impacts to Skill Position Matchups
New York Giants: The Giants will once again be without Daniel Jones and look like they’ll also be missing Andrew Thomas, who is listed as doubtful. Starting OT Evan Neal and C John Michael Schmitz are both listed as questionable. Tyrod Taylor has actually been steady in the Giants’ offense, as he’s logged just one fumble and zero INT’s in 2 starts and parts of the Giants’ game against the Dolphins, but he’ll ultimately be facing a Jet’s defense that has made Pat Mahomes, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts all look very mediocre in their respective matchups.
New York Jets: The Jets are getting both starting CB’s Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed back for Week 8 against the Giants.
Washington Commanders: The Commanders will be without starting G Saahdiq Charles on Sunday against an Eagles’ front 7 that ranks 5th in the league in sacks per game and 4th in QB hits per game. Sam Howell has been sacked at the highest clip in the league thus far this season – 5.7 on average per game. Curtis Samuel is questionable – he caught 7 balls for 51 yards in Washington’s Week 4 matchup against Philly.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Three Pittsburgh CBs are questionable on Sunday in Levi Wallace, Joey Porter Jr. and James Pierre. Pierre DNP which puts his status in doubt, while Wallace and Porter Jr. were limited participants heading into a matchup on Sunday where they’ll be tasked with containing Calvin Ridley Jr. and Christian Kirk.
Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill is out – Will Levis and Malik Willis are both expected to get snaps on Sunday at home against a Falcons’ defense that’s been excellent thus far this year, ranking 9th in EPA/play, 5th in YPP allowed, 3rd in 3rd down conversion rate, 5th in passing YPG allowed, 9th in rushing YPG allowed and 5th in RZ TD %.
Cleveland Browns: PJ Walker will start in Deshaun Watson’s place on Sunday in Seattle against a defense that ranks 3rd in YPP allowed. Jerome Ford is questionable but practiced on Friday; if he plays, he and Kareem Hunt will have some uphill sledding against a Seahawks’ run defense that ranks 6th in rushing YPG allowed, 1st in YPC allowed and 5th in runs of 10+ yards. Seattle also ranks 1st in the league in RZ trips allowed with just 12 on the season, facing a Cleveland offense that ranks 30th in the league in RZ trips with just 14.
San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy cleared concussion protocol on Saturday and is in-line to start against Cincy. Deebo Samuel is OUT, while T Trent Williams is listed as questionable.
Best QB Matchups
Pat Mahomes (O273.5 passing yards, FD) will be facing a Denver secondary that ranks 30th in the league in passing YPG (273 YPG) allowed and 31st in both YPA and passes of 10+ yards. Mahomes threw for 306 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on 30-40 passing against Denver earlier this season on a night where windy conditions were a factor. Four of 6 QB’s to face Denver’s defense have cleared this number in 2023 – the only two not to are Zach Wilson and Jordan Love.
Justin Herbert (O/U 264.5 passing yards, FD) will take on a Chicago Bears’ secondary on SNF that ranks 29th in passing YPG allowed at 266, 27th in YPA and 26th in passes of 10+ yards. Herbert is averaging nearly 274 passing YPG, good for 5th in the league and ranks 7th in YPA. Herbert’s production has dipped slightly in Mike Williams’ absence, but the Bears’ DB Terrell Smith is OUT, while Eddie Jackson is questionable. Jordan Love (15-27, 245 yards, 3 TD’s), Baker Mayfield (26-34, 317 passing yards, 1 TD) Sam Howell (37-51, 388 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT), Justin Fields (28-35, 335 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT) and Pat Mahomes (24-33, 272 yards, 3 TD’s in less than 3 quarters of action) have all shredded this secondary. Weather will not be factor as this game will be in LA, not Chicago.
Jalen Hurts (O245.5 passing yards, FD) matches up against a Washington secondary that ranks 28th in passing YPG (263.6 YPG) and YPA at FedEx Field. Hurts finished 25-37 for 319 yards and 2 TD’s in Week 4 against Washington, while AJ Brown caught 9 balls for 175 yards and 2 TD’s. Russell Wilson had his best game of the season in Week 2 against Washington, finishing 18-32 for 308 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT, while Tyrod Taylor finished 18-29 for 279 yards and 2 TD’s behind a depleted OL in Week 7.
Lamar Jackson (O232.5 passing yards, FD) will face a Cardinals’ secondary that ranks 25th in passing YPG and 30th in YPA and passes of 10+ yards in 2023. Jackson has had an up and down season in 2023 as Baltimore has been dealing with WR injuries, but passed for 357 yards and 3 TD’s on 21-27 passing in Week 7 against Detroit.
Worst QB Matchups
Matt Stafford (O/U 256.5 passing yards, FD) faces a Dallas secondary in Week 8 that ranks 2nd in passing YPG allowed and passes of 10+ yards. Dallas’ secondary has not been spectacular in the sack department in 2023, but Micah Parsons will likely play a factor against a Rams’ OL that ranks 20th in sacks allowed per game. Stafford has not cleared thus number in each of the last three games against Pittsburgh, Arizona and Philly after starting the first four weeks of 2023 on fire.
Geno Smith (O/U 219.5 passing yards, FD) is tasked with moving the ball through the air against a Cleveland defense that has been generally elite in 2023, though they struggled in Week 7 on the road against Gardner Minshew, who finished 15-23 for 305 passing yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. Cleveland’s defense that ranks 1st in EPA/play, 2nd in YPP allowed, 1st in 3rd down conversion rate, 1st in passing YPG (171 YPG) and 1st in passes of 10+ yards has otherwise made opposing QB’s look lost in 2023
Best RB Matchups
Christian McCaffrey (O/U 75.5 rushing yards, FD) leads an SF rushing attack that ranks 7th in the league in rushing YPG, YPC and runs of 10+ yards, facing a Bengals’ run defense that has struggled in 2023 and ranks 29th in both rushing YPG and runs of 10+ yards and 28th in YPC. McCaffrey cleared this number this number in each of the first four games of 2023 and has an excellent opportunity to do so in Week 8 after down weeks against Dallas, Cleveland and Minnesota over the L3 weeks.
Jahmyr Gibbs (O/U 67.5 rushing yards, FD) will get a significant share of snaps out of the backfield as David Montgomery was ruled OUT on Saturday. He’ll be facing a Raiders’ running game that ranks 25th in rushing YPG, 26th in YPC and 29th in runs of 10+ yards on MNF that just allowed D’Onta Foreman (16 carries, 89 yards, 2 TDs) and Darrynton Evans (14 carries, 48 yards) to run free in Week 7. Gibbs finished with 11 carries for 68 yards and a TD in Week 7 against a Baltimore defense that ranks 10th in the league in rushing YPG allowed in a game where Detroit was playing from behind from the start of the game and down 28-0 at half.
Breece Hall (O/U 71.5 rushing yards, FD) faces a Giants’ run defense in Week 8 that ranks 27th in rushing YPG allowed (138 YPG), 29th in YPC and 31st in runs of 10+ yards. Hall is averaging 71 rushing YPG on the season but has faced some difficult run defenses including Philly (1st in rushing YPG allowed) and NE (6th in YPC allowed, 5th in runs of 10+ yards).
Isaih Pacheco (O/U 68.5 rushing yards, FD) is facing a Denver run defense that ranks 32nd in rushing YPG (167 YPG) and YPC (5.7) and 31st in runs of 10+ yards. Pacheco will have an opportunity to break off some chunk plays in Week 8 against a defense that has allowed Breece Hall (22 carries, 177 yards, 1 TD), Khalil Herbert (18 carries, 103 yards), De’Von Achane (18 carries, 203 yards, 2 TDs) and Raheem Mostert (13 carries, 82 yards) to all dominate in the run game in 2023.
Worst RB Matchups
Kenneth Walker (O/U 66.5 rushing yards, FD) has a sub-optimal matchup against a Cleveland rushing defense that ranks 7th in rushing YPG, 9th in YPC and 10th in runs of 10+ yards. Walker has cleared this number against bottom 10 run defenses in Arizona, Cincy, NY Giants and Carolina and struggled against Detroit’s top 5 run defense in Week 2, taking just 17 carries for 43 rushing yards.
Kareem Hunt / Jerome Ford (props TBD) will face a difficult task against a Seattle run defense that ranks 6th in rushing YPG allowed, 1st in YPC and 5th in runs of 10+ yards. Cleveland’s offense is going to have a difficult time all around on Sunday on the road against a Seattle defense that has improved significantly in 2023 and ranks 10th in EPA/play, 3rd in EPA/play and 2nd in sacks per game.
Austin Ekeler (O/U 47.5 rushing yards, FD) and Joshua Kelley (O/U 26.5 rushing yards, FDO/) will face a Chicago run defense that’s been awful in everything except stopping the run ,where they rank 5th in rushing YPG allowed (83.7 YPG) and 2nd in YPC. That said, these totals reflect a difficult matchup for either back, but don’t rely heavily on Ekeler or Kelley for much production on the fantasy or DFS fronts in Week 8 unless it’s through the air.
Best WR Matchups
Rashee Rice (O41.5 receiving yards, FD) has emerged as a favorite target of Mahomes recently and has cleared this number in each of the L2 weeks, catching 5 balls for 60 yards in Week 7 against the Chargers and 4 balls for 72 yards in Week 6 against Denver. Denver’s defense ranks 31st in passes of 10+ yards allowed, which leaves the door open for Rice to break out for some chunk yardage in Week 8.
Travis Kelce (O75.5 receiving yards, FD) has cleared this number in each of the L2 weeks, catching 9 balls for 124 yards on 9 targets in Week 6 against Denver and 12 balls for 179 yards and a TD on 13 targets in Week 7 against the Chargers. Denver ranks 32nd in the league in TE receiving yards allowed in 2023.
AJ Brown (O/U 89.5 receiving yards, FD) has amassed at least 125+ yards in each of his L5 games on a ridiculous tear where he’s averaging 8 catches and 12 targets for over 140 yards. He had his best game of the season against WAS in Week 4, where he caught 9 balls for 175 yards on 14 targets. He has an excellent matchup against a WAS secondary that ranks 28th in passing YPG and YPA allowed thus far in 2023. DeVonta Smith (O/U 51.5 receiving yards, FD) similarly will have an excellent opportunity to do some damage against a bad secondary in Week 8 – he caught 7 balls for 78 yards against WAS in Week 4.
George Pickens (O/U 52.5 receiving yards, FD) has an excellent matchup against a Jacksonville secondary that ranks 31st in passing YPG allowed and 27th in passes of 10+ yards allowed in 2023. Pickens benefits from Diontae Johnson’s return, as his presence will provide more opportunities in single coverage for Pittsburgh’s home run hitter at WR who caught 5 balls for 107 yards in the 4th quarter alone against the Rams in Week 7.
Head over to our Dashboard section of the site to comb through game matchup dashboards for every game on the board in Week 7, and browse our Player Matchup Analysis dashboards to optimize your DFS / FF lineups and target the player prop markets.
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