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Fantasy Football: 10 biggest reactions to NFL Week 8

2T49D0E Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers with wide receiver Jamal Agnew (39) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Zach Charbonnet’s role increased: Charbonnet led the Seahawks backfield in snaps played, and it wasn’t just because of Kenneth Walker III‘s injury status.  

Two star backs from the AFC set season-highs in snaps played: Two young running backs are getting more opportunities. 

The Dallas Cowboys started to make a wide receiver change: Jalen Tolbert saw his role increase at the expense of a longtime Cowboys receiver.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes


PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2023. Here, we touch on only players who are relevant in fantasy football leagues.

These are my 10 biggest reactions to the games from the Sunday slate. To get a more in-depth breakdown, check out the full Sunday Week 8 recap.

WR:CB Matchup Chart

Monitor the Seahawks backfield: Kenneth Walker III didn’t practice earlier in the week because of a calf injury, so he played less than usual in Week 8.

  • Walker ran eight times for 66 yards, adding a 4-yard catch. Zach Charbonnet ran five times for 53 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards.
  • Charbonnet received a slight increase in playing time on early downs and in short-yardage situations, likely because of Walker's injury.
  • The big difference in snaps occurred on third downs and in two-minute drills. Charbonnet and DeeJay Dallas had been sharing that role. This week, Charbonnet completely took over.
  • Dallas was not on the injury report this week. He played on special teams and didn’t play a snap on offense, so Charbonnet's increased role in passing situations should be here to stay.
  • Charbonnet is worth a waiver wire target, thanks to his increased role if Walker's injury lingers.

Chuba Hubbard leads the Panthers backfield: Miles Sanders was a full participant in practice all week, but that didn’t stop this from being Hubbard’s backfield.

  • Hubbard was the primary early down back, which he was in the last game Sanders was healthy.
  • Sanders was restricted to passing down work in his last game as the primary third-down back. Hubbard was on the field more often than not on third downs, but Sanders' primary usage was to run routes.
  • Raheem Blackshear also was involved in the offense, playing nearly as many snaps this week as he did in Week 6 when Sanders was out.
  • Hubbard ran the ball 15 times and caught two passes but wasn’t very effective.
  • Hubbard is a must-add for fantasy football purposes due to his playing time. Sanders should probably be held onto one more week just to see if this continues, but he is close to being droppable.

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