Week 8 Flex Rankings

We are officially in the second half of the 2025 fantasy football regular season. With fantasy managers jockeying for position, this week will present some unique challenges and circumstances. Week 8 is the week many refer to as “Byemaggedon”, as a season-high six NFL teams are off. That, in and of itself, will thin out the pool of options we generally consider for our Flex spots. Throw in the ever-increasing list of players dealing with injuries, and this can be a tough week to manage. I have still listed enough players to accommodate leagues of all sizes. However, my Week 8 Flex rankings feature fewer players than usual. As always, I base my rankings on Half-PPR scoring. Feel free to adjust as needed, based on your league settings.

I am never in favor of punting a week. You should always strive to maximize your lineup potential. At the same time, we must be prudent when making roster moves at this time of year. Just because I would start Troy Franklin this week does not mean I am dropping a player such as Garrett Wilson to grab him where he is available. Keep in mind that there are also four NFL teams on bye in Weeks 9, 10, and 12. We are all likely to be playing some roster gymnastics over the next month or so. This is yet another reason why I limit the number of non-Flex players (quarterbacks, kickers, and defenses) on my roster. OK, enough preaching from me. Let’s get to the rankings.

Running Back Notes

The Minnesota Vikings opened up the 21-day window for Aaron Jones to return from Injured Reserve. However, the Vikings are playing on Thursday this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. I don’t expect to see Jones play in this game. As such, I do not have him listed. Jordan Mason is an RB2 for me in 10 and 12-team leagues. The same goes for his counterpart on Thursday, Kimani Vidal. Vidal did not get much done from a fantasy perspective in last week’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts. But it was a good sign that he touched the ball 13 times in a game the Chargers trailed throughout. Hassan Haskins only earned three touches and is well outside the top 100 overall in my Week 8 Flex rankings.

I discussed the Carolina Panthers backfield situation in this week’s MOP Rankings article, so I do not want to repeat myself here. But I did watch the entire game last week, because I am a masochistic Jets fan. My takeaway is that Rico Dowdle looked significantly better than Chuba Hubbard. Perhaps Hubbard is still shaking off some rust after being out for a couple of weeks due to injury. He may still be working his way back to full strength. Either way, if I am starting a Panthers running back this week, it’s Dowdle. I still think Hubbard is a serviceable Flex play this week. I project Dowdle to score roughly two more fantasy points this week than Hubbard.

Another situation that could be shaping up to be more of a timeshare than anticipated is in Tennessee. Over the past two weeks, Tony Pollard has touched the ball 24 times compared to 17 for Tyjae Spears. What I find interesting about this split is that it is not a standard situation where one player is featured as a runner and the other as a pass-catcher. Pollard has 16 carries and eight receptions over those two games, while Spears has 10 carries and seven catches. This week, Tennessee faces the Indianapolis Colts. Given that the Titans are unlikely to stop the Colts’ offense, I expect them to rely on both backs to try to control the clock in this game. I prefer Pollard here, but Spears could be a sneaky Flex play this week.

Wide Receiver Notes

So, yes, I would start Troy Franklin this week in 12-team leagues with three starting wide receiver spots. It doesn’t feel great, considering he has exactly three catches for 19 yards in each of his last two games. But with the bye week crunch and his upcoming matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, Franklin is a viable play. I also lean towards starting Marvin Mims Jr., depending on your roster construction. Dallas has allowed the most receiving touchdowns, the third-most yards, and the fourth-highest yards per catch to opposing wide receivers this season. Franklin has earned a higher target share than Mims, while Mims has a higher average depth of target. In short, Franklin likely has the higher floor and Mims the higher ceiling. I ranked both players well within the top half overall in my Week 8 Flex rankings.

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has been out since Week 3 due to a quad injury. He is expected to get a whole week of practice in before Washington’s Week 8 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is questionable for this game after leaving last week’s contest due to a hamstring injury. These factors have me hedging a bit in my ranking of McLaurin. I currently have him 36th among wide receivers based on Half-PPR scoring. If he is a full go and Daniels plays, I will bump him up a few spots. If not, the decision on whether to trust him in lineups this week may depend on other available options.

Tight End Notes

Rookie tight ends Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin Jr. are not the only ones making waves in fantasy circles. Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II was the overall TE1 last week in all formats. At the risk of being labeled the ‘fun police,’ last week’s effort had some very extenuating circumstances. Los Angeles dropped back to pass 60 times while their running backs accounted for 10 carries. That will not repeat itself. And with the Chargers having a trio of above-average wide receivers, Gadsden may find himself on the outside looking in more often than not. Having said that, I do not have an issue with starting him this week. In fact, I have him inside my top-10 tight ends in the hopes that he can build on last week’s outing.

If you are into chasing narratives, Sunday is the unofficial National Tight Ends Day holiday. While I do not want to put too much stock into these things, 18 touchdowns were scored by tight ends last season during this week. And the NFL is promoting it as an actual entity. This does not mean that I am going out of my way to start a tight end in my Flex spot. However, I have a total of 19 tight ends ranked in the 50-100 overall range in my Week 8 Flex rankings. That means they should at least be considered, depending on how your lineup shapes out.

Check out all of our Week 8 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings