Tee Higgins teamed with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase to post huge numbers for the Bengals. Ian Johnson/Icon SportswireMatt BowenCloseMatt BowenESPN WriterMatt Bowen is a fantasy football and NFL writer for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2015, writes regularly for ESPN+ and spent multiple years on “NFL Matchup.” After graduating from the University of Iowa, Matt played safety in the NFL for St. Louis, Green Bay, Washington and Buffalo over seven seasons. and Tristan H. CockcroftCloseTristan H.
CockcroftESPN Senior WriterTristan H. Cockcroft is senior writer for fantasy baseball and football at ESPN. Tristan is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. He is also two-time LABR and four-time Tout Wars champion.Multiple AuthorsNov 1, 2026, 08:04 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsWeek 8 of the 2026 fantasy football season featured huge games by three Cincinnati Bengals — Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase — as well as massive days by Bhayshul Tuten and Brock Bowers.
Meanwhile, Bijan Robinson, Ashton Jeanty and Jonathan Taylor all underperformed Sunday.So, who were the big winners and losers around the league? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.Jump to a topic: Ranking winners | Ranking losers Biggest injuries and what’s nextRanking fantasy winners of Week 81. Joe Burrow, QB; Tee Higgins, WR; Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati BengalsBurrow scored a season-high 39.48 points in the OT win over Tennessee (despite throwing three interceptions), finishing with 462 yards passing and five touchdowns, plus he rushed for 10 yards and another score.
Higgins also had a season-best day, posting 37.5 points and catching 11 of 12 targets for 155 yards and two touchdowns. And Chase’s 31.1 points were his highest total of the season, too. Big-time numbers for a Bengals offense that must be pass-heavy given its lack of rushing efficiency. With a Week 9 matchup in Atlanta, Burrow will remain a high-end QB1 while both Chase and Higgins are WR1 options. — Bowen2.
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville JaguarsTuten dropped a season-high 29.9 points on the Colts’ defense, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He also had two receptions for 55 yards and another score. Tuten has now posted 24 or more points in back-to-back games, with multiple touchdowns in each. The arrow is pointing up on Tuten, who is seeing steady volume (16 or more touches in five straight games).
Tuten should be locked in as an upper-tier RB2 for the Week 9 matchup versus the Ravens’ defense Thursday night. — Bowen3. Kirk Cousins, QB, and Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas RaidersEven with chatter increasing surrounding the Raiders’ timetable to give 2026 No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza starts, Cousins continues to perform, both for his NFL and fantasy teams. Cousins’ 28.18 fantasy points are a season high and his fifth game out of eight with 20-plus, while Bowers’ 28.2 points are also his season best. The two are showing excellent chemistry, and Bowers now has 123.7 fantasy points for the season, the fifth most scored by any tight end through his first six games. (Note that that’s his and not the team’s first six, as he missed the Raiders’ first two because of a knee injury.) Bowers would be universally regarded as fantasy’s No. 1 tight end if not for the threat of a quarterback change to Mendoza at some point, but it hardly looks imminent after the team’s 38-33 win.
Cousins, meanwhile, remains a superflex option for as long as he holds the job. — Cockcroft4. Tyler Allgeier, RB, Arizona CardinalsSeizing upon an expanded opportunity (see injuries below), Allgeier scored a career-high 36.1 fantasy points. While much of it came thanks to two plays — a 63-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 52-yard run in the fourth — they were rather significant. Allgeier reestablished that he’s the Cardinals’ best-suited running back to serve as Jeremiyah Love’s primary backup, which could be relevant in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks should Love’s injury cost him additional time.
Certainly Allgeier is a must-have insurance policy for Love’s managers, and a fantasy RB2/flex option anytime he’s called upon to start. — Cockcroft5. Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee TitansWith Tyjae Spears (knee) sidelined for the past two games, Pollard has gone off statistically, scoring 28.7 fantasy points in Week 8 after totaling 36.5 the week before. With little else of note on the Titans’ running back depth chart (Michael Carter, Nicholas Singleton), Pollard has played at least 75% of the offensive snaps with at least a 75% rushing share in each of those games. The bye week could afford Spears enough time to heal for the team’s Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Pollard has demonstrated his start-worthiness, both in the real and fantasy games. — Cockcroft6.
Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona CardinalsWilson made some big plays late in the Cardinals’ OT win over the Cowboys, scoring a season-best 26.8 points, catching eight of a team-high 15 targets for 111 yards and adding 17 yards on a rushing attempt. Wilson and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew II, who relieved starter Jacoby Brissett, took advantage of the positive matchup versus the Dallas defense. However, for a matchup against a Seahawks defense that ranks No.1 versus wide receivers coming up in Week 9, Wilson can be played as a WR2/Flex. — Bowen7. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay BuccaneersThe brutal rain/weather in Tampa really impacted the game plan in the win over the Falcons, as the Bucs became the first team since the 1974 Bills to win without completing a pass.
However, Irving is still running the ball at a really high rate. He finished with 21 points in this one, rushing 27 times for 170 yards and a touchdown. Irving now has 21 or more points — and at least one touchdown — in three of his last four games. I expect the run game to stay at the top on the call sheet for the Week 9 game at Chicago, as managers can play Irving there as a lower-tier RB1. — Bowen8.
Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver BroncosThough his day got off to a sluggish start, Coleman exploded for a pair of big, late plays to seal the team’s 28-24 victory and likely a leading role going forward. He finished with 20.4 fantasy points, pacing the Broncos’ backfield in snap rate (68%), carries (11) and touches (15) for the second consecutive week. Coleman’s receiving usage was notable (16 routes, five targets), and he’s a must-add in the 48% of leagues in which he’s still available. — CockcroftRanking fantasy losers of Week 81. Bijan Robinson, RB; Drake London, WR; Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Atlanta FalconsThe weather — and really poor quarterback play from Michael Penix Jr. — limited the opportunities for the top skill players on the Atlanta offense.
Robinson scored 7.6 points as he rushed 19 times for 76 yards, and he didn’t record a reception. London caught one of six targets for 8 yards (1.8 points), and Pitts brought in two of five for 6 yards (2.6 points). This group will look to rebound next week in the home matchup versus the Bengals. — Bowen2. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas RaidersThe Raiders went in an unexpected direction at running back in Week 8, giving Mike Washington Jr. the start as well as 25 rushing attempts and 63% of the offensive snaps to usual starter Jeanty’s two and 37%.
The reasons for Jeanty’s in-game benching are unclear, but Washington’s usage — both this week and in earlier games — signals his importance as an insurance policy. That said, it seems likely that Jeanty will resume his starter’s role in Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers, being that Washington averaged only 3.3 yards per carry and was stuffed at the line six times, while Jeanty provided the Raiders some utility in the receiving game (three catches, 64 yards). Keep tabs on the practice-week news, but Jeanty should be a high-end RB2 for Week 9. — Cockcroft3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis ColtsHis fantasy managers are — and should be — rooting for a trade ahead of the Nov.
