Bijan Robinson & Ja'Marr Chase Lead Top Week 8 DFS Studs to Anchor DraftKings/FanDuel Lineups

Our Week 8 DFS breakdown highlights the top studs for DraftKings and FanDuel, including Bijan Robinson and Ja’Marr Chase — all primed for elite fantasy production in this weekend’s matchups.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) carries the ball during the second half of a game between Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Last Sunday, multiple free square players performed as expected in the DFS market. These core pieces of the winning puzzle gave many roster builds the foundation to score over 200.00 fantasy points, but one wrong choice left daily gamers wondering why they didn’t make that one extra move to increase the dynamics of their roster.

• Jonathan Taylor (34.20 fantasy points – 28.6%)
• Quinshon Judkins (26.40 fantasy points – 44.3%)
• Rashee Rice (23.20 fantasy points – 37.0%)
• Browns Defense (25.00 fantasy points – 14.6%)

There were many outs at wide receiver in Week 7, but these two offensive stacks gave DFS players the best chance to gain an advantage over their competitors.

Los Angeles Chargers

• Justin Herbert (32.90 fantasy points – 6.0%)
• Keenan Allen (31.90 fantasy points – 6.2%)
• Oronde Gadsden (32.40 fantasy points – 1.4%)

Total Salary at DraftKings ($15,200/97.20 FPTs = 6.4 X per $1,000 invested)

Philadelphia Eagles

• Jalen Hurts (27.04 fantasy points – 2.8%)
• DeVonta Smith (36.30 fantasy points – 1.9%)
• AJ Brown (31.10 fantasy points – 7.1%)

Total Salary at DraftKings ($18,200/04.44 FPTs = 5.2X per $1,000 invested)

Winning in fantasy football in the DFS market can sometimes come down to only four components – Passing Stack, Foundation Players, a Correlated Player, and Correct Filler options, which include the defense.

Jonathan Taylor fit the foundation category and was a correlated player to the Chargers’ passing stack. Jordan Addison (24.80 fantasy points) paired well with the Eagles' passing stack.

Here’s a look at the winning roster this season at DraftKings Millionaire Maker:

Shawn Childs

Top Week 8 NFL DFS Studs

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs with the ball in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts (DK: $9,500/FD: $10,200)

For those not paying attention at home, the Colts have been a great offensive team this year. They lead the NFL in scoring (232 points) while outscoring their opponents by a league-high 92 points. Indianapolis has scored 26 touchdowns and kicked 15 field goals over its 65 offensive possessions.

Taylor has been on the winning Millionaire Maker roster four times this year, thanks to his high floor in fantasy points in those weeks (29.50, 32.80, 31.60, and 34.20). In three of those outcomes, his edge came from scoring three times. Game score has led Indianapolis to taper his snaps and touches in some games. His best showing in yards came in Week 2 (25/165 with two catches for 50 yards and one touchdown). Taylor is averaging 22 touches a game. 

Shawn Child

The Tennessee Titans rank 31st in fantasy points allowed to running backs (200.10) in PPR formats. They’ve given up a league-high 11 rushing touchdowns while already falling to stop Taylor in Week 3 (17/102/3 with three catches for 16 yards). Running backs are gaining 4.8 yards per carry while being somewhat controlled in the receiving department (27/165/1 – 6.1 yards per catch). The Titans haven’t allowed over 100 rushing yards to any other player. Woody Marks (119 combined yards with two touchdowns and four catches) had the other impact running back day vs. Tennessee.

Taylor should have a two-touchdown floor in this matchup, highlighted by the Colts' scoring ability and the Titans' weakness on both sides of the ball. Indianapolis is favored by over two touchdowns, suggesting plenty of runs in the second half. His high salary requires almost 38.00 fantasy points at DraftKings to be an edge, along with more challenging roster builds. His most significant downside risk in this contest could be the Colts’ passing game, and Daniel Jones sniping him for touchdowns at the goal line.

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons (DK: $8,800/FD: $10,000)

There is no dismissing the greatness of Robinson in 2025. He is on a massive pace in combined yards (914) while averaging 21.2 touches per game. He gained his edge over Jonathan Taylor in the passing game (30/390/2), but Robinson is getting run over in touchdowns (4 to 12) by the Colts’ star running back. The Falcons have scored only 11 touchdowns this year over their 63 possessions, but nine of those events have happened at home in three matchups. 

When at his best this season, Robinson scored 28.10 and 35.80 fantasy points at home against the Commanders and Bills. His third-best outcome also came in Atlanta in Week 1 (24.40 fantasy points). His running mate, Tyler Allgeier, picked up hip and knee issues over the past week, which may lead to the Falcons leaning on their top running back more against the Dolphins.

In the above running back defense graph, the Dolphins rank last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (937), with backs gaining 5.3 yards per carry. They rank 29th in fantasy points allowed to the running back position (191.60). Miami held Jonathan Taylor to 98 combined yards and three catches in Week 1. Rhamondre Stevenson (5/88) had success catching the ball.

Over the past five games, the Dolphins' running back defense has started to fade.

• James Cook (19/108/1 with three catches for 10 yards)
• New York Jets (164 combined yards with seven catches)
• Rico Dowdle (23/206/1 with three catches for 28 yards)
• Kimani Vidal (18/124 with three catches for 14 yards and one touchdown)
• Quinshon Judkins (25/84/3)

Robinson has the look of a player who will score at least twice in this matchup, but the Falcons may only give him three scoring chances to reach that feat. I have projected to score 33.24 fantasy points at DraftKings this week, making him the top running back in Week 8.

With six teams on a bye this week, the top end of the wide receiver pool looked more challenging to handicap. I only have three wideouts projected to score over 20.00 fantasy points, and Justin Jefferson (7/74) fell a touchdown short of reaching that level on Thursday night. 

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (DK: $8,100/FD: $9,600)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) reacts after catching a touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Joe Flacco (16) (not pictured) against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

After two big games (10/94/1 and 16/161/1 on 35 targets) with Joe Flacco behind center, Chase jumped to second in wide receiver scoring (150.80) in PPR leagues, even with the Bengals giving away three offensive games vs. the Browns (17 points), Vikings (10 points, and Broncos (three points), and losing Joe Burrow. Cincinnati has been a much better team at home (31, 24, and 33 points), with each game featuring three passing scores. 

In his three home games, Chase had 36 catches for 436 yards and four touchdowns on 49 targets, leading to 103.60 fantasy points (34.53 per game). He’s gaining only 8.3 yards per catch in the road over four matchups (20/167/1).

Last week, Joe Flacco showed a willingness to get the ball out quickly to Chase near the line of scrimmage, increasing Chase's catch opportunity. He’s gained over 20 yards on five of his 58 catches (8.6%), an area of more strength in 2024 (19-for-127 ~ 14.9%). So is he due to hit on some long catches against the Jets?

Shawn Child

New York played much better defensively over the last two games (13 points allowed to Denver and Carolina), but their defense only mustered three sacks in those games (10 on the season). The Jets rank 12th against wide receiver (71/1,010/5 on 110 targets), but they are allowing 14.3 yards per catch (a plus for Chase) despite having one stud cornerback (Sauce Gardner – 13/225/2 on 28 targets). Gardner left last week’s game with a concussion, but New York expected him to play after returning to practice this week.

• Calvin Austin (4/70/1)
• Emeka Egbuka (6/85)
• Tyreek Hill (6/67)
• Ryan Flournoy (6/114)
• Xavier Legette (9/92/1)

The above wide receivers had the most success against the Jets this year, but only Tyreek Hill graded as a WR1. I have Chase ranked lower due to him matching up with Gardner on many plays. In a way, he is almost an against-the-grain player this week for me, but one that could also beat me in the DFS market. 

The Bengals will surely try to get him matched up with the Jets’ secondary receiving options, which may be what he needs to reach impact status. I sense that Tee Higgins shines in this matchup, highlighted by New York struggling with some secondary wideouts. Here are the other top wide receivers the Jets have faced this year:

• DK Metcalf (4/83)
• Mike Evans (4/33/1)
• George Pickens (2/57/1)
• Courtland Sutton (1/17)
• Tetairoa McMillan (3/33)

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos (DK: $6,200/FD: $7,700)

Based on his salary, Sutton has more of a mid-tier value price point, but his matchup vs. the Cowboys screams foundation player in the DFS market. He has six catches or more in four of his seven starts with a floor of 17.5 fantasy points (PPR) in four contests (6/61/1, 6/118/1, 5/81/1, and 8/99). The Broncos have given him double-digit targets twice (10 and 10). Last season, Sutton gained over 100 yards in only three (8/100, 7/122, and 6/100) of his 18 matchups while delivering one impact fantasy game (8/97/2) for his salary.

Shawn Child

The Cowboys’ defense allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers (273.20) in PPR formats due to giving up a league-high 12 touchdowns to wideouts and 14.0 yards per catch. Three wide receivers have gained over 100 yards.

• Wan’Dale Robinson (8/142/1)
• Malik Nabers (9/167/2)
• Luther Burden (3/101/1)

Dallas faced two teams (GB and WAS) with wide receiver injuries. In addition, the Jets and Panthers brought subpar quarterback play. Garret Wilson (6/71/) and Romeo Doubs (6/58/3) posted competitive games.

Sutton brings a high floor to a favorable matchup, but he must score at least once to put him in the winning DFS category in Week 8.