Tell your friends (just not your leaguemates until next week)

by Optimus Staff

Published On: October 24th, 2025

Hey, have you heard? It’s the Bye-Mageddon! Of course you have, Dear Reader, because you’re savvy! After all, you’re here reading this and getting a leg up on your competition. Bully for you!

It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, though. In fact, it’s the polar opposite. It’s downright bleak out there, y’all. But that means there are opportunities to be had. Edges to skate to gain the advantage over your competitors. That’s exactly what we do in this section—we highlight a few players we are outside the norm on to help you stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.

Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 8

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Players We Are Higher On:

Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Consensus Rank: TE16

Evan’s Ranking: TE9

Embed from Getty Images

Emeka Egbuka is the only real competition for targets Otton faces against their NFC South rival, the New Orleans Saints, on Sunday afternoon. The Saints’ defense surrendered an average of 11.1 fantasy points per game (Half-PPR) so far this season. Otton has a total of 12 catches out of 15 targets thrown by Baker Mayfield in his last two games against the 49ers and Lions, respectively. Those are not easy defenses to face. He may not have fallen into the end zone yet this season, but when you’re getting double-digit fantasy points in PPR leagues with Otton, you don’t have to worry. Treat yourself on National Tight Ends Day and stick him in your starting lineups as a TE1 against a pitiful Saints defense.

Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants

Consensus Rank: WR25

Lou’s Rank: WR20

Did you know that the Giants did something kinda strange last week? In their Week 7 game against Denver, only five non-QBs touched the ball for the Giants. If you’re relatively new to fantasy football, that’s called funneling. In short, it means the vast majority of touches are consolidated among only a few players, not spread out among many. Think of the Rams, how Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Kyren Williams make up so much of the offense. Well, we saw a similar thing with the Giants last week.

In fact, Wan’Dale Robinson was the only WR even to catch a pass! Jaxson Dart is obviously still developing as a passer, but any time you can start a WR who their QB targets ~10 times/game, you’re in a good spot. This week, when we have so many teams on bye and we’re missing even more higher-end WRs than usual, that bumps Robinson up my ranks even more than usual. Is it reasonable to expect this kind of funneling to continue? No, it’s not. But considering the dearth of other WRs on the Giants, I don’t have any reason to expect his number of targets to fall off much, if at all.

Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots

Consensus Rank: WR40

Nate’s Rank: WR29

It’s Boutte time! Okay, I’ll let myself out…

But seriously, folks, third-year Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte is being undervalued in fantasy football right now. Yes, he is in an offense that features veteran WR Stefon Diggs AND is in the bottom third of the league in pass play percentage. That hasn’t mattered much for Boutte over the last few weeks, though. 

While Diggs leads the team in targets (44), he has yet to get into the end zone. Boutte, who is third on the team in targets (25) behind Diggs and Hunter Henry (33), has a team-leading four receiving TDs, with three coming in the last two weeks. 

Week 8 brings the Browns’ vaunted run defense to Foxboro, which should lead to a more pass-heavy game script for the Patriots’ offense. Diggs will still likely lead the team in target share, but Boutte should have WR3/Flex value this week. He continues to put himself into high-value target situations, and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here.

Players We Are Lower On:

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

Consensus Rank: WR19

Evan’s Ranking: WR23

I no longer have faith in the Miami Dolphins’ offense, even against a very beatable Atlanta Falcons team. Jaylen Waddle is an NFL talent I hold in high regard, but this Dolphins team has reached a new low under Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Nobody is playing well, nobody cares about quality control, and there is no leadership worth a damn on this Dolphins team. If you can believe it, the Atlanta Falcons’ defense is 2nd in fewest fantasy points allowed to wide receivers through Week 7 (20.3 in Half-PPR leagues). It’s bad enough that Tua Tagovailoa is his quarterback; this is not a good matchup for Jaylen Waddle in general. Even while serving as the top wide receiver for the Dolphins, treat Waddle as a high-end WR3 in your lineups this week.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Consensus Rank: WR15

Lou’s Rank: WR29

Embed from Getty Images

Sometimes, the carriage turns back into a pumpkin at midnight. And sometimes, George Pickens turns back into a boom/bust WR3 once target hog CeeDee Lamb returns from injury. What, you didn’t get that bedtime story growing up? Hunh, must’ve just been me.

At any rate, we say Pickens’ targets drop from ~10 down to 6 for only the 3rd time this season, and that was against a bad passing defense. Denver is a weird team—I’m looking at you, Sean Payton—but the one thing they do is funnel teams towards the run. They do this thanks to their outstanding but light defensive line and their excellent defensive secondary. Considering Javonte Williams‘ resurgence in 2025, this seems like a perfect opportunity for Dallas to lean on the run, limiting Dak Prescott‘s overall passing volume. Then we add Lamb’s target-hoggy-ness on top of it, and this is a week where Pickens simply doesn’t have the high floor we’ve grown accustomed to over the past month.

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Consensus Rank: QB3

Nate’s Rank: QB12

Before you yell at me, I want to make this clear: this has no bearing on what I think Lamar Jackson’s outlook is for the rest of the 2025 season. It’s simple math.

Jackson is, and will continue to be, an elite fantasy football QB. However, Jackson is known for his rushing upside and is returning after two games and a bye week on the mend from a hamstring injury. If Jackson is going to provide fantasy upside this week (and he will), it’s unlikely to be on the ground. 

As I always do, I tend to rank players returning from injury at their floor, which is how I’m handling Jackson this week. Don’t shy away from starting the should-have-been-reigning-MVP this week – even in 1QB formats. However, this is a good week to be more aggressive chasing points in your Lamar Jackson-led lineups. 

Lamar Jackson has officially been listed as QUESTIONABLE for Week 8.

[image or embed]

— Optimus FF News (@news.optimusfantasy.com) October 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

Hey, have you heard? It’s the Bye-Mageddon! Of course you have, Dear Reader, because you’re savvy! After all, you’re here reading this and getting a leg up on your competition. Bully for you!

It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, though. In fact, it’s the polar opposite. It’s downright bleak out there, y’all. But that means there are opportunities to be had. Edges to skate to gain the advantage over your competitors. That’s exactly what we do in this section—we highlight a few players we are outside the norm on to help you stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.

Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 8

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Players We Are Higher On:

Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Consensus Rank: TE16

Evan’s Ranking: TE9

Embed from Getty Images

Emeka Egbuka is the only real competition for targets Otton faces against their NFC South rival, the New Orleans Saints, on Sunday afternoon. The Saints’ defense surrendered an average of 11.1 fantasy points per game (Half-PPR) so far this season. Otton has a total of 12 catches out of 15 targets thrown by Baker Mayfield in his last two games against the 49ers and Lions, respectively. Those are not easy defenses to face. He may not have fallen into the end zone yet this season, but when you’re getting double-digit fantasy points in PPR leagues with Otton, you don’t have to worry. Treat yourself on National Tight Ends Day and stick him in your starting lineups as a TE1 against a pitiful Saints defense.

Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants

Consensus Rank: WR25

Lou’s Rank: WR20

Did you know that the Giants did something kinda strange last week? In their Week 7 game against Denver, only five non-QBs touched the ball for the Giants. If you’re relatively new to fantasy football, that’s called funneling. In short, it means the vast majority of touches are consolidated among only a few players, not spread out among many. Think of the Rams, how Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Kyren Williams make up so much of the offense. Well, we saw a similar thing with the Giants last week.

In fact, Wan’Dale Robinson was the only WR even to catch a pass! Jaxson Dart is obviously still developing as a passer, but any time you can start a WR who their QB targets ~10 times/game, you’re in a good spot. This week, when we have so many teams on bye and we’re missing even more higher-end WRs than usual, that bumps Robinson up my ranks even more than usual. Is it reasonable to expect this kind of funneling to continue? No, it’s not. But considering the dearth of other WRs on the Giants, I don’t have any reason to expect his number of targets to fall off much, if at all.

Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots

Consensus Rank: WR40

Nate’s Rank: WR29

It’s Boutte time! Okay, I’ll let myself out…

But seriously, folks, third-year Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte is being undervalued in fantasy football right now. Yes, he is in an offense that features veteran WR Stefon Diggs AND is in the bottom third of the league in pass play percentage. That hasn’t mattered much for Boutte over the last few weeks, though. 

While Diggs leads the team in targets (44), he has yet to get into the end zone. Boutte, who is third on the team in targets (25) behind Diggs and Hunter Henry (33), has a team-leading four receiving TDs, with three coming in the last two weeks. 

Week 8 brings the Browns’ vaunted run defense to Foxboro, which should lead to a more pass-heavy game script for the Patriots’ offense. Diggs will still likely lead the team in target share, but Boutte should have WR3/Flex value this week. He continues to put himself into high-value target situations, and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here.

Players We Are Lower On:

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

Consensus Rank: WR19

Evan’s Ranking: WR23

I no longer have faith in the Miami Dolphins’ offense, even against a very beatable Atlanta Falcons team. Jaylen Waddle is an NFL talent I hold in high regard, but this Dolphins team has reached a new low under Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Nobody is playing well, nobody cares about quality control, and there is no leadership worth a damn on this Dolphins team. If you can believe it, the Atlanta Falcons’ defense is 2nd in fewest fantasy points allowed to wide receivers through Week 7 (20.3 in Half-PPR leagues). It’s bad enough that Tua Tagovailoa is his quarterback; this is not a good matchup for Jaylen Waddle in general. Even while serving as the top wide receiver for the Dolphins, treat Waddle as a high-end WR3 in your lineups this week.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Consensus Rank: WR15

Lou’s Rank: WR29

Embed from Getty Images

Sometimes, the carriage turns back into a pumpkin at midnight. And sometimes, George Pickens turns back into a boom/bust WR3 once target hog CeeDee Lamb returns from injury. What, you didn’t get that bedtime story growing up? Hunh, must’ve just been me.

At any rate, we say Pickens’ targets drop from ~10 down to 6 for only the 3rd time this season, and that was against a bad passing defense. Denver is a weird team—I’m looking at you, Sean Payton—but the one thing they do is funnel teams towards the run. They do this thanks to their outstanding but light defensive line and their excellent defensive secondary. Considering Javonte Williams‘ resurgence in 2025, this seems like a perfect opportunity for Dallas to lean on the run, limiting Dak Prescott‘s overall passing volume. Then we add Lamb’s target-hoggy-ness on top of it, and this is a week where Pickens simply doesn’t have the high floor we’ve grown accustomed to over the past month.

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Consensus Rank: QB3

Nate’s Rank: QB12

Before you yell at me, I want to make this clear: this has no bearing on what I think Lamar Jackson’s outlook is for the rest of the 2025 season. It’s simple math.

Jackson is, and will continue to be, an elite fantasy football QB. However, Jackson is known for his rushing upside and is returning after two games and a bye week on the mend from a hamstring injury. If Jackson is going to provide fantasy upside this week (and he will), it’s unlikely to be on the ground. 

As I always do, I tend to rank players returning from injury at their floor, which is how I’m handling Jackson this week. Don’t shy away from starting the should-have-been-reigning-MVP this week – even in 1QB formats. However, this is a good week to be more aggressive chasing points in your Lamar Jackson-led lineups. 

Lamar Jackson has officially been listed as QUESTIONABLE for Week 8.

[image or embed]

— Optimus FF News (@news.optimusfantasy.com) October 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

Hey, have you heard? It’s the Bye-Mageddon! Of course you have, Dear Reader, because you’re savvy! After all, you’re here reading this and getting a leg up on your competition. Bully for you!

It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, though. In fact, it’s the polar opposite. It’s downright bleak out there, y’all. But that means there are opportunities to be had. Edges to skate to gain the advantage over your competitors. That’s exactly what we do in this section—we highlight a few players we are outside the norm on to help you stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.

Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 8

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Players We Are Higher On:

Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Consensus Rank: TE16

Evan’s Ranking: TE9

Embed from Getty Images

Emeka Egbuka is the only real competition for targets Otton faces against their NFC South rival, the New Orleans Saints, on Sunday afternoon. The Saints’ defense surrendered an average of 11.1 fantasy points per game (Half-PPR) so far this season. Otton has a total of 12 catches out of 15 targets thrown by Baker Mayfield in his last two games against the 49ers and Lions, respectively. Those are not easy defenses to face. He may not have fallen into the end zone yet this season, but when you’re getting double-digit fantasy points in PPR leagues with Otton, you don’t have to worry. Treat yourself on National Tight Ends Day and stick him in your starting lineups as a TE1 against a pitiful Saints defense.

Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants

Consensus Rank: WR25

Lou’s Rank: WR20

Did you know that the Giants did something kinda strange last week? In their Week 7 game against Denver, only five non-QBs touched the ball for the Giants. If you’re relatively new to fantasy football, that’s called funneling. In short, it means the vast majority of touches are consolidated among only a few players, not spread out among many. Think of the Rams, how Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Kyren Williams make up so much of the offense. Well, we saw a similar thing with the Giants last week.

In fact, Wan’Dale Robinson was the only WR even to catch a pass! Jaxson Dart is obviously still developing as a passer, but any time you can start a WR who their QB targets ~10 times/game, you’re in a good spot. This week, when we have so many teams on bye and we’re missing even more higher-end WRs than usual, that bumps Robinson up my ranks even more than usual. Is it reasonable to expect this kind of funneling to continue? No, it’s not. But considering the dearth of other WRs on the Giants, I don’t have any reason to expect his number of targets to fall off much, if at all.

Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots

Consensus Rank: WR40

Nate’s Rank: WR29

It’s Boutte time! Okay, I’ll let myself out…

But seriously, folks, third-year Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte is being undervalued in fantasy football right now. Yes, he is in an offense that features veteran WR Stefon Diggs AND is in the bottom third of the league in pass play percentage. That hasn’t mattered much for Boutte over the last few weeks, though. 

While Diggs leads the team in targets (44), he has yet to get into the end zone. Boutte, who is third on the team in targets (25) behind Diggs and Hunter Henry (33), has a team-leading four receiving TDs, with three coming in the last two weeks. 

Week 8 brings the Browns’ vaunted run defense to Foxboro, which should lead to a more pass-heavy game script for the Patriots’ offense. Diggs will still likely lead the team in target share, but Boutte should have WR3/Flex value this week. He continues to put himself into high-value target situations, and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here.

Players We Are Lower On:

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

Consensus Rank: WR19

Evan’s Ranking: WR23

I no longer have faith in the Miami Dolphins’ offense, even against a very beatable Atlanta Falcons team. Jaylen Waddle is an NFL talent I hold in high regard, but this Dolphins team has reached a new low under Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Nobody is playing well, nobody cares about quality control, and there is no leadership worth a damn on this Dolphins team. If you can believe it, the Atlanta Falcons’ defense is 2nd in fewest fantasy points allowed to wide receivers through Week 7 (20.3 in Half-PPR leagues). It’s bad enough that Tua Tagovailoa is his quarterback; this is not a good matchup for Jaylen Waddle in general. Even while serving as the top wide receiver for the Dolphins, treat Waddle as a high-end WR3 in your lineups this week.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Consensus Rank: WR15

Lou’s Rank: WR29

Embed from Getty Images

Sometimes, the carriage turns back into a pumpkin at midnight. And sometimes, George Pickens turns back into a boom/bust WR3 once target hog CeeDee Lamb returns from injury. What, you didn’t get that bedtime story growing up? Hunh, must’ve just been me.

At any rate, we say Pickens’ targets drop from ~10 down to 6 for only the 3rd time this season, and that was against a bad passing defense. Denver is a weird team—I’m looking at you, Sean Payton—but the one thing they do is funnel teams towards the run. They do this thanks to their outstanding but light defensive line and their excellent defensive secondary. Considering Javonte Williams‘ resurgence in 2025, this seems like a perfect opportunity for Dallas to lean on the run, limiting Dak Prescott‘s overall passing volume. Then we add Lamb’s target-hoggy-ness on top of it, and this is a week where Pickens simply doesn’t have the high floor we’ve grown accustomed to over the past month.

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Consensus Rank: QB3

Nate’s Rank: QB12

Before you yell at me, I want to make this clear: this has no bearing on what I think Lamar Jackson’s outlook is for the rest of the 2025 season. It’s simple math.

Jackson is, and will continue to be, an elite fantasy football QB. However, Jackson is known for his rushing upside and is returning after two games and a bye week on the mend from a hamstring injury. If Jackson is going to provide fantasy upside this week (and he will), it’s unlikely to be on the ground. 

As I always do, I tend to rank players returning from injury at their floor, which is how I’m handling Jackson this week. Don’t shy away from starting the should-have-been-reigning-MVP this week – even in 1QB formats. However, this is a good week to be more aggressive chasing points in your Lamar Jackson-led lineups. 

Lamar Jackson has officially been listed as QUESTIONABLE for Week 8.

[image or embed]

— Optimus FF News (@news.optimusfantasy.com) October 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

By Published On: October 24th, 2025

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