Aaron Rodgers faces off against his former team in Week 8. Both QBs will get a key deep threat back when Christian Watson and Calvin Austin return to the field. From a struggling Steelers secondary, to Micah Parsons’ DPOY resume, there is a lot to look out for in this game. Few players on either team have produced consistent fantasy football results. Who can you trust, and which matchups can you take advantage of on Sunday Night Football?
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Green Bay Packers (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers O/U: 45.5
Clear Starts: Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft, DK Metcalf
Fantasy Football Players to Watch
Christian Watson – WR, Green Bay Packers
Watson tore his ACL in Week 18 of the 2024 season. After only playing 38 regular-season games since 2022, Watson is expected to make his season debut on Sunday Night Football. If he does, he gets a matchup against a Steelers defense allowing the 4th most fantasy points to WRs.
Green Bay’s WR room is as crowded as ever. The team drafted Matthew Golden with the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 draft. Golden has been used as a deep threat, but his 12.7 aDOT ranks behind Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs. Watson’s 17.8 aDOT and 21.4 yards per reception ranked 2nd in the league last year. He could take back that deep role, but he has always been inconsistent as a fantasy asset. Additionally, he may take some time to return to form following the injury.
This is a great matchup for all Packers pass-catchers, but trusting Watson is difficult. He may be worth a speculative stash in deeper leagues in case he looks good in Week 8. However, he could also burn a bench spot. It’s hard to know which Packers receiver to start each week, and he may not have big games until late in the fantasy season. Approach Watson with caution.
Romeo Doubs – WR, Green Bay Packers
It’s always hard to tell which Packers receiver will go off in a given week. Romeo Doubs is a rare model of consistency. Doubs has drawn 4+ targets in 5 games and 8+ targets in his last 3 games. It’s worth noting that he had fairly good matchups against the Cowboys and Bengals during that span. However, Doubs had a 25.51% target share in those games, better than his season-total 21.95%.
Importantly, Doubs leads the Packers WRs with 7 red zone targets. In fact, the only other Packer with more than 2 red zone targets is Tucker Kraft with 8. This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Doubs. He led the team with 18 red zone targets back in 2023. Jayden Reed’s eventual return could cut into that work but it seems like Doubs and Kraft own that work for now. The Steelers have only allowed 5 TDs to opposing WRs, but they allow the 4th most fantasy points to the position.
Aside from his 3-TD performance in Week 4, Doubs has not exceeded 13.2 PPR points in a game this season. He has the scoring opportunities and the targets to post another strong performance, though, and this week is a great opportunity. With bye weeks and injuries hitting hard, he can even be started as a WR2, but he could be a reliable FLEX too.
Check out all of our Week 8 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings
Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell – RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
With Najee Harris gone, Jaylen Warren is having his best season yet. Why doesn’t it feel that way? After going undrafted in 2022, Warren immediately made an impact as a change-of-pace back for the Steelers. Amongst RBs with at least 50 carries in a season, Warren has ranked 23rd, 3rd, 22nd, and now 7th in yards after contact per attempt, per PFF. He’s a short, elusive back who can make defenders miss and he’s finally getting double-digit attempts per game. Unfortunately, Kenneth Gainwell joined the Steelers and has been cutting into some of his work.
Where Gainwell hurts Warren the most is in the receiving game and in the red zone. Gainwell is averaging a career-high 3.5 receptions per game and has been targeted 24 times in 6 games. He also has 7 red zone rush attempts. Warren leads the team with 15 red zone rushes, but the numbers get incredibly close as you get within 10 and 5 yards of the end zone. Gainwell has also had more luck in the area, scoring 3 times, while Warren has been scoreless.
In an ideal world, Warren would dominate a lot more of the work that impacts fantasy the most. That isn’t the case, unfortunately, and he usually won’t save your week. He also won’t sink it, and that’s why he can be a solid RB2. Gainwell is not going to get many rushes outside of an injury to Warren, but his receiving work and abilities in the red zone give him fantasy appeal. You can use Gainwell as a desperation fill-in for bye weeks or injuries in 12+ team leagues. He isn’t just a dart throw; he has the usage to back it.
The matchup isn’t the best for either of them, but they are both usable every week. Expect lower-end results in Week 8.
Calvin Austin III – WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
After going down with a shoulder injury in Week 4, Calvin Austin enters Week 8 without an injury designation. He will play on Sunday Night Football.
The Steelers have lacked a great WR2 to play alongside DK Metcalf. Sophomore Roman Wilson has been getting a few more looks, but he only has 5 targets this year. Of Pittsburgh’s 12 players to record a target, 5 are WRs, 4 are TEs, and 3 are RBs. Austin and Metcalf are the only WRs on the team with double-digit targets. It’s clear this is a two-man show.
Austin had a quiet rookie season in 2023 before breaking out in the second half of 2024. While he only finished the season with 58 targets, that ranked second amongst Steelers WRs. Before going down halfway through Week 4, Austin was on pace for over 80 targets this year. He also scored 2 TDs and saw a slight increase in yards per game. The Steelers are still not an elite passing attack, but there is a glaring need for another receiver for Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers have allowed the 18th-most points to opposing WRs, but they are notably stingy against slot WRs. They haven’t faced too many elite slot receivers, but they did limit Amon-Ra St. Brown to 4 receptions and 45 yards on 6 targets in Week 1. Deebo Samuel was targeted 8 times in Week 2, catching 7 for 44 yards and a TD. Like most slot receivers, though, Austin does not exclusively line up there. However, his upside may be limited if he is going to face Javon Bullard on a lot of his routes.
I don’t expect the Steelers to limit Austin’s playing time in this one, so he has WR3 and FLEX appeal in a fair matchup. The Steelers defense has struggled to contain their better opponents, so this could turn into a game where Rodgers needs to throw to keep up with his former team. Austin is playable this week as the team’s clear WR2.
Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth – TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Packers allow the 2nd most fantasy points to TEs. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, it’s difficult to tell how the team will target them. Darnell Washington only had a single target in his first 3 games, but then drew a combined 13 in his next 3 games. He is the least likely to offer you fantasy points, though, which leaves Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth as the only players you would consider in most leagues.
Jonnu Smith was never a top fantasy TE when he was in Tennessee and New England. That all changed when he went to Atlanta in 2023. Smith set career-highs in targets, receptions, and yards. That also happened while he split time with Kyle Pitts. He then went to Miami, where he exploded and finished as the PPR TE4. He isn’t having the same type of season with Pittsburgh, but he is getting 3-6 targets a game. Pat Freiermuth has been targeted 3 or more times in most of his games, but he has also posted a few duds.
Darnell Washington leads the TE room with 4 red zone targets, but Smith and Freiermuth are right behind him with 3 each. All three TEs scored against a Bengals team that allows the most fantasy points to TEs. We could see multiple Steelers TEs feast in another great matchup.
The tight end position is surprisingly deep this season, but you may be a situation where you still need to stream one. As far as matchup and upside goes, you can start either one of these guys this week as a desperation play. Of the two, Jonnu Smith is the slightly safer start. Not only does he get more consistent work, but he has magnets for hands in the red zone. Within 10 yards of the end zone, Smith scored 9 times on 15 targets over the past two seasons. You should still be ready for TE2/3 numbers from either player.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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