Before we get into my favorite tight ends for fantasy football Week 8, let's take a look back at some of the players I liked in Week 7.

I'm just trying to set expectations appropriately low.

As of Tuesday evening, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 8 fantasy plays—the guys who (in some combination) …

  • Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
  • Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
  • Must be added if they are on waivers.
  • Possess underappreciated upside.
  • Have advantageous matchups.
  • Should be considered in daily fantasy.
  • Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
  • Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
  • Catch my eye with their player projections.
  • Stand out in our Fantasy Life Player Prop Tool.

Some notes.

Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and my projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.

Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players are ordered within position roughly (but maybe not precisely) according to my rankings.

Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Bye Week: This week, every team is in action. Why? Nobody knows.

Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 11:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.

Freedman's Favorites: Although we publish this piece as four separate articles broken out by position, I think of it as one cohesive whole and write it as such. With that in mind, please be sure to check out the rest of my favorite Week 8 fantasy football plays in the other positional previews.

Best TEs for Fantasy Football Week 8

David Njoku (Browns) vs. Ravens

  • Browns: +9
  • O/U: 44.5
  • TT: 17.75

Last year, David Njoku played 13 games after the Week 5 bye—all but three of them without QB Deshaun Watson (Achilles, IR)—and in that span he had 72-837-6 receiving on 116 targets.

More impressively, he had 50-598-4 receiving on 80 targets in his final eight games of the campaign (including playoffs) starting in Week 11, when Watson's shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Without Watson now—as well as traded WR Amari Cooper—there's a chance Njoku could regain his end-of-season 2023 form as the No. 1 pass catcher for the Browns. Indeed, last week he had a team-high 14 targets, which he leveraged into 10-76–1 receiving.

In 2023, the Ravens were No. 8 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (-11.5%), but this year under new DC Zach Orr they have disappointed, dropping to No. 29 (27.5%).

Why? Here's my theory: Last year, the Ravens had former DC Mike Macdonald and No. 3 S Geno Stone, and Macdonald used Stone heavily in nickel packages. With 1,000 snaps, Stone often served as the unit's primary TE defender when SS Kyle Hamilton played in the slot, and Stone had a near-elite 85.3 coverage grade (per PFF).

Without him, the Ravens this year have used Hamilton as less of a hybrid slot corner/safety and more of a true box enforcer. And in his new role as the team's primary TE defender, Hamilton has suffered a year-over-year 90.1-to-72.1 coverage grade decline.

As big home dogs, the Browns might need to throw the ball heavily, giving Njoku an excellent opportunity to capitalize on his matchup.

The Hot Route

Brock Bowers (Raiders +10, TT: 15.75) vs. Chiefs: WR Davante Adams (traded) is gone, TE Michael Mayer (personal) is away from the team, and without them Bowers has 29-280-1 receiving on 39 targets (plus a 12-yard carry) with an elite 9.3 Utilization Score since Week 4. He could additionally be without WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) and TE Harrison Bryant (elbow) this week, and the Chiefs are No. 2 in largest fantasy boost allowed to TEs (+3.1).

T.J. Hockenson (Vikings -3, TT: 25.5) at Rams: Hockenson (knee, PUP) has until Friday to be activated, so it's likely he'll suit up for Thursday Night Football against the Rams, who are No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (42.5%) and missing FS John Johnson (shoulder, IR). Last year, Hockenson balled out with 95-960-5 receiving on 127 targets in 15 games before suffering a season-ending injury.

Noah Gray (Chiefs -10, TT: 25.75) at Raiders: This one's for the sickos. Gray has steadily improved as a pass catcher across his three-plus NFL seasons, and since 2022 he has averaged an explosive 8.8 yards per target. Last week without WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring), Gray had a season-high 50% route rate and 19% air share, which he translated into a career-best 4-66-0 receiving on 4 targets. The Raiders are No. 30 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (31.1%) and without SS Marcus Epps (knee, IR).

Abbreviations

  • Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
  • Against the Spread (ATS)
  • Over/Under (O/U)
  • Team Total (TT)
  • Moneyline (ML)
  • Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
  • Expected Points Added (EPA)
  • Success Rate (SR)
  • Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
  • Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
  • AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
  • Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
  • Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
  • Short Down and Distance (SDD)
  • Long Down and Distance (LDD)