James Cook III and Jonathan Taylor Best Week 8 Fantasy Football Leaderboard
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Week 8 of the NFL season proved there was way more upside than usual despite six fewer teams playing. Yes, we give our salute to the tops for each position from a fantasy football perspective. Quarterbacks lead us off!
Please note that we use standard point scoring with PPR. Okay, let's ride!
Quarterbacks
Player | Points |
|---|---|
Jordan Love (GB) | 28.3 |
Drake Maye (NWE) | 26.28 |
Jalen Hurts (PHI) | 25.36 |
Justin Herbert (LAC) | 25.28 |
Joe Flacco (CIN) | 24.32 |
It was a pretty good week for quarterbacks but not like Week 7. For perspective, Bo Nix scored 30+ fantasy points in one quarter against the New York Giants. This week saw Jordan Love turn in the top performance on Sunday Night Football against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
Love did air the ball out to the tune of 360 yards and three scores. That led all quaterbacks on Sunday. Drake Maye had 50 yards rushing on seven carries to boost his fantasy numbers while Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert got across the 25 point plateau by a nose.
Joe Flacco made the list too as the only quarterback in the Top 5 who lost. If you were wondering about Bo Nix, he had 23.78 points. An early interception kept him outside the Top 5. Hey, he threw four touchdowns though.
Running Backs
Player | Points |
|---|---|
Jonathan Taylor (IND) | 37.4 |
James Cook III (BUF) | 33.6 |
Saquon Barkley (PHI) | 33.4 |
Breece Hall (NYJ) | 32.86 |
Chase Brown (CIN) | 25.5 |
It was the week of the running backs as Jonathan Taylor again led the way. Taylor had the most fantasy points of any player in Week 8 with 37.4. Taylor crossed the endzone three times (two rush, one receiving), ran the ball for 153 yards, and added 21 receiving yards. He only ran the ball 12 times. Talk about efficiency and also how bad Tennessee is defensively.
The Colts barely had the ball 25 minutes in this game. Also, James Cook III took most of the fourth quarter off but not before running for over 200 yards in Carolina. The Buffalo running back racked up 216 yards and two scores on just 19 carries. All Top 5 running backs had fewer than 20 carries on Sunday.
Breece Hall double clutches and throws a touchdown to Mason Taylor!
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025
NYJvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/yQ6gDM4nen
Sorry, a running back throwing to a tight end for a touchdown is still the highlight of the day. Hall had time to double clutch to fake more defenders. Yes, Saquon Barkley, Taylor, and Cook III had better fantasy bylines but this was by far the highlight.
Wide Receivers
Player | Points |
|---|---|
Troy Franklin (DEN) | 26.9 |
Michael Pittman Jr. (IND) | 23.5 |
Ja'Marr Chase (CIN) | 21.1 |
Jaylen Waddle (MIA) | 20.9 |
Ladd McConkey (LAC) | 20.8 |
Week 8 was not quite as kind to wideouts but there were still some noteworthy days. Troy Franklin feasted on the Dallas seconday (sorry Michael Irvin) with 26.9 points. He had two scores on the day along with six catches for 89 yards. No one in the Top 5 here broke the 100-yard barrier. Ja"Marr Chase was targeted a week-high 19 times, had 12 catches and 91 yards in the loss to the Jets.
Most leagues had Chase projected for around 20 points so he was almost a given for the list this week. Jaylen Waddle bounced back after looking lost in Cleveland. He caught five balls for 99 yards with one touchdown. Michael Pittman Jr. had eight catches for 95 yards and a score from Indianapolis in their easy win over Tennessee.
Tight Ends
Player | Points |
|---|---|
Tucker Kraft (GB) | 33.3 |
Oronde Gadsden II (LAC) | 18.7 |
Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE) | 18.4 |
Dallas Goedert (PHI) | 17.8 |
Kyle Pitts (ATL) | 14.3 |
Tucker Kraft wishes he could play the Pittsburgh Steelers every week. For all the world to see on Sunday Night Football, Kraft had his second 100+ yard receiving night of 2025. He also scored two touchdowns with seven catches and 143 yards. This was all on nine targets. It is the second time Kraft appeared in the overall Top 5.
Dallas Goedert only caught three balls but scored twice. Oronde Gadsden continued his momentum from his breakout performance. Finally, Kyle Pitts racked up some late yards and caught all nine targets to slide into this list.
Kickers
Player | Points |
|---|---|
Chris Boswell (PIT) | 20.0 |
Chase McLaughlin (TB) | 17.0 |
Cameron Dicker (LAC) | 14.0 |
Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU) | 14.0 |
Tyler Loop (BAL) | 13.0 |
Chris Boswell made four field goals which was enough to top kickers for Week 8. Oh wait, he boomed three of them from 50+ yards out. None were wind-aided although this was at Lambeau. If this was in Pittsburgh, he might have gotten a statue. Their grass field has had some issues. Just ask Mike Tomlin.
Chase McLaughlin also made three kicks from beyong 50 yards in New Orleans as Tampa Bay won pretty easily despite some woes on offense.
Defense/Special Teams
Team | Points |
|---|---|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 25.0 |
Buffalo Bills | 15.0 |
Los Angeles Chargers | 13.0 |
New England Patriots | 12.0 |
Miami Dolphins | 8.0 |
With six fewer teams, this Sunday was a low bar for defenses. However, Tampa Bay easily slowed down New Orleans. The Buccaneers held the Saints to three points, scored a touchdown, picked off two passes, recovered two fumbles, and had five sacks. The surprise of the season may be the Miami Dolphins here. Miami gave up only 213 net yards and 10 points in a 34-10 road rout of Atlanta.
