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Welcome to the Week 8 NFL CheatChart. In this article, I provide an easy-to-use positional match ups table and highlight potentially exploitable Week 8 fantasy football match ups. Use this for fantasy football start/sit decisions, to make DFS lineups, and place the best player prop bets.
If you’re curious about the process you can find a full introduction HERE where I lay out the NFL CheatChart methodology.
Week 8 Fantasy Football Matchup Cheat Sheet
First, find YOUR PLAYER’S TEAM in the first column. Next, follow that line to THEIR POSITION’S column. That percentage is how much better or worse you can expect them to do compared to what they typically score.
Example: Let’s say you’re deciding between Chase Brown (RB-CIN) and DK Metcalf (WR-PIT). For Brown, find CIN in the first column. Follow that row over to the RB column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is 23%. That’s a very positive matchup. Next, for Metcalf, find PIT in the first column. Follow that row over to the WR column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is -12%, which is a mildly negative matchup. Given both players are averaging around 11.5 points per game, I would lean Brown.
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Best Week 8 Fantasy Football Match ups to Target
Unstoppable Force meets Immovable Object
Kyler Murray has been disappointing on the season but this could end up being one of his best weeks. He gets Detroit who has been initiating shootout games all season. The Lions offense versus the Vikings defense is an “unstoppable force versus immovable object” situation, but with a solid over/under and the Vikings expecting to trail in a close game, Murray becomes a higher upside QB2, borderline QB1.
Bengals Big Run Game
Chase Brown has been painful to start so far this year, but Week 8 could change that. He gets a great 23% matchup against the Titans, and the Bengals are expected to play from very far ahead. That means a lot of burning-the-clock runs and while the Bengals have been spreading around their carries, we may finally see him hit 20+ carries for the first time since Week 2.
Reaching Deep into Indianapolis
If you’re reaching deep for a wide receiver this week, you may consider the Colts. The Indianapolis fire sale has begun and they’ve already shipped off Guard Quenton Nelson and DT DeForest Buckner so things are fragile to say the least. Josh Downs had requested a trade, but he and Keenan Allen are desperation plays for Week 8. You may want to pick up LaQuon Treadwell in deeper leagues as a future flex play should Josh Downs be traded, but it’s not a high-priority pickup. Regardless the Colts will be playing from behind and will likely be trying to play catch up all game, so the volume should at least be there to support a few fantasy receivers.
The Eagles Other Top Target
Dallas Goedert is back! Last week he looked like he was back in form with backup QB Tanner McKee under the helm. Both he and Makai Lemon benefited from DeVonta Smith being out. Goedert had 7 targets, and while he didn’t score, that volume is exactly what we strive for. In Week 8 he has a very good 46% matchup and while the over/under on the game is poor, the Eagles are expected to play from behind. With DeVonta Smith out, you can confidently start Goedert.
Toughest Week 8 Fantasy Football Match ups to Avoid
New England Passing Troubles
New England wide receivers are a difficult bunch to manage right now. A.J. Brown is back from his ankle sprain but clearly not 100%, and WR2 DeMario Douglas has failed to capitalize in good match ups. Kyle Williams is still just seeing the field on a third of snaps so he’s unusable at the moment, too. In Week 8 they have a bad matchup of -26% and are expected to lead. That mean’s it will likely be a Rhamondre Stevenson game, with the Patriots receivers fighting over scraps.
The Gesickest Stat Line of 2026
Mike Gesicki might look like a decent pickup on paper but he’s had two targets, for two receptions, and two touchdowns the last two weeks. Total. This week he has a bad matchup of -29% which isn’t the worst at tight end, but you cannot trust his usage. Plus they’re expected to play from ahead by a whole lot.
Week 8 IDP Fantasy Football Match ups
For additional IDP waiver adds I’d recommend checking out Jon Glosser’s Week 8 IDP Waiver Wire.
NFL Week 8 Matchup Trends | Run Funnels, Pass Funnels & IDP
Notable Rush Funnel Teams: The Panthers, Browns, Texans, Vikings, and Seahawks are the most prevalent rush-funnel teams going into Week 8.
Pass Funnel Teams: The Ravens, Bills, Lions, and Eagles are the largest pass-funnel teams at present.
IDP Targets: The Rams are top target for DBs, but the Bears, Lions, Jets, and Saints are all plus match ups. The Buccaneers are emerging as the best target for LBs, with only the Bills being close. Target teams for DL will be the Vikings, Raiders, and Browns.
Final Word | Week 8 NFL CheatChart
Thank you for joining me for another year of the CheatChart…
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Don’t miss the Week 8 Start/Sit Rankings by Steven Pintado!
