Byemaggedon. Or is it the Byepocalypse? Whatever you call it, Week 8 is a test of the strength of fantasy football benches. In dynasty, this means throwing some young players into the fire and seeing if they can put up a number that can help you get a win. There have been many big hits and some misses from the 2025 rookie class, with plenty of more tilting moments to come.
Bye weeks can also bring with them newfound opportunities, as teams self-scout, see what is working and what is not, often resulting in younger players seeing second-half-of-the-year increases in usage and touches. Who can forget the second half of the year rookie surges from players like Amon-Ra St.Brown or year-two Trey McBride? Reputations will be made, and dynasty rankings will adjust over the second half of the season.
Last week, I discussed several players who could be moved at the NFL trade deadline, which is now less than two weeks away. Dynasty managers need to continue to roll with the punches and quickly adjust to the changing values.
Here are some players gaining and losing value, as well as a few we need to watch this week.
Stock Up
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Is DeVonta Smith overtaking A.J. Brown in the Eagles’ wide receiver hierarchy? Scheme-wise, it appears we could be headed in that direction. Smith has recorded double-digit targets in two of his last three games. He finished with a career-high 183 receiving yards on nine catches, including a touchdown, in Week 7’s win over Minnesota.
This marks the second time Smith has reached double-digit targets this season. Over the last three games, he leads Philadelphia in air yards share, target share, and first-read rate — a notable trend after Brown dominated all three categories in 2024.
Smith is also two years younger and doesn’t have the recent off-field trade speculation hanging over him like Brown does. Keep an eye on this one — the tides could be shifting in the Philly pecking order. Smith looks poised for a very strong second half of the season, especially as the Eagles’ passing volume has trended upward with Jalen Hurts throwing for 280+ yards in three straight games.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones continues to lead one of the most remarkable offensive turnarounds in recent NFL history. The Colts are averaging 33.1 points per game — a dramatic improvement from their 22.2 PPG average last season.
Jones not only looks like a quarterback who’s firmly reestablished himself as an NFL starter, but also one who’s quickly climbing the dynasty rankings. His resurgence is reminiscent of early Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay. While some dynasty managers may still feel apprehensive based on where Jones’ value was before, that hesitation appears to be fading fast, given his current environment in Indianapolis.
“Indiana Jones” currently ranks as the QB7 in points per game, and the Colts show no signs of slowing down. The supporting cast — from the skill positions to the offensive line to the coaching staff — appears locked in for 2026 as well.
Where should Jones rank in dynasty QB rankings? Somewhere around QB15 feels appropriate — a massive leap from where he was valued this past offseason, when fantasy managers were drafting him as a QB3.
Oronde Gadsden, TE, LA Chargers
Gadsden joins Cam Skattebo as a Day 3 pick rapidly climbing the dynasty rankings this season. Unlike Skattebo — who carried plenty of preseason hype and enthusiasm — Gadsden was often a steal in rookie drafts. His profile is outstanding: 6’5” with 4.6 speed, and now he has the production and volume to match.
His Week 7, 7-164-1 performance was one of the best fantasy outings by a rookie tight end in NFL history. Just a few days late on Thursday night football, Gadsden followed it up with another impressive stat line: 5-77-1 as LA trounced the Vikings. He’s seen at least seven targets in three games this season, despite stiff competition from Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston.
Even in a small sample size, Gadsden should now be considered a top-eight dynasty tight end moving forward. And — though this might come back to haunt me — there’s a real chance he’s the next Day 3 unicorn: a player who smashes his draft capital and achieves high-end fantasy success. You know the type: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Puka Nacua, George Kittle.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Addison was suspended to start the season, so I included him in the Week 4 watch list and wrote this:
“Jordan Addison makes his 2025 debut after serving a three-game suspension. Addison was electric in 2024, finishing with a career-high 14.2 PPG and an outstanding run in the fantasy playoffs. Addison is already a strong dynasty asset, but does the 23-year-old take the next step in terms of usage this season? He has scored 19 TDs in 32 career games and instantly makes Minnesota a more dynamic and explosive offense.”
After three games played, the 23-year-old Addison is taking his game to new heights in 2025. He finished with 9 catches for 128 yards on 12 targets — all season highs — as Minnesota tried to rally in their loss to Philadelphia. He followed it up with a touchdown catch, the 21st of his career, in Minnesota’s big loss to LA on Thursday.
Addison is now 18th all-time in Vikings history for touchdown catches and is closing in on some big games. He needs nine to tie Stefon Diggs’ (30) Minnesota total.
Per Scott Barrett, Addison has now outscored Justin Jefferson in six of their last 12 games played together. He’s averaging a career-best 16.0 PPG this season and could be on the verge of the first WR1 finish of his career.
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys
Ferguson continues to put up numbers at a historical pace. He became the first TE in NFL history with 50+ catches and 6 touchdown catches in their first 7 games played of the season. Ferguson put up another big scoring line, despite the strong return of CeeDee Lamb in Dallas’ dominant win over Washington, finishing with 7-29-2. The yardage was low, but Ferguson continues to dominate in the red zone for an offense that could live there.
Stock Down
Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
For the second straight season, Justin Fields has been benched midyear. Unlike last year in Pittsburgh, there’s no controversy this time — he was simply playing awful. My enthusiasm for the Jets’ offense in Week 1 was severely misguided. This team is an absolute train wreck, but Fields was certainly not helping the situation.
At this point, it feels far less likely that we’ll see him as anything more than a backup quarterback heading into the 2026 season. While Fields still has some traits that translate well for fantasy purposes, when it comes to real-life quarterback play, he just isn’t it.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
Like many others this August, I was drawn in by the appeal of Henderson in redraft leagues. He not only possessed the traits and draft capital to become the offensive focal point in New England, but he was also one of the most impressive players in the entire NFL preseason — seemingly scoring at will multiple times and looking every bit like a future fantasy star.
While his Ohio State teammate Quinshon Judkins is setting the dynasty world on fire, Henderson has left managers holding the bag — and there’s really nothing they can do at this point. Rhamondre Stevenson isn’t just leading the backfield; he’s dominating it. Despite coughing the ball up at multiple inopportune times, the Patriots’ coaching staff seems completely content with Stevenson taking on a massive bell-cow role.
Even with Antonio Gibson’s injury — which briefly gave Henderson managers a glimmer of hope — it appears New England simply isn’t going to use him. I’m hopeful the situation turns around, but it’s hard to be optimistic that anything short of a Stevenson injury will lead to more touches for Henderson in the short term.
Watch List
Tez Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Back-to-back weeks on the Watch List! Buccaneers GM Jason Licht may have struck gold again with Johnson. The rookie has scored in back-to-back games and has posted 9.9 or more fantasy points in three straight. With Mike Evans likely done for the season and headed to injured reserve, Johnson is expected to take on a more consistent weekly role moving forward.
Brashard Smith, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Smith finished with his best, and highest volume game, as a pro. He had 19 touches, including 5 catches for 42 yards. While most of his rushing work came in garbage time with Gardner Minshew at QB, his role is growing and there is a chance that he is locked into our lineups in the fantasy football playoffs. Kansas City’s offense is trending up and had another big win with a 31-0 romp over Vegas. Keep an eye on Smith’s expanded role when KC hosts Washington on Monday Night Football.
Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans
Noel is coming off his best game of the year in Week 7 and has a chance to lead the Houston wide receiver room in Week 8 with Nico Collins sidelined by a concussion. I was very high on him as a prospect — as was Brett Whitefield — and we were both disappointed to see him fall to the third round after grading him as a second-round talent throughout the process.
There’s a real chance Noel emerges as Houston’s second-leading target over the second half of the season. Stash him now.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Like Johnson, Otton will take on a larger role following the Evans injury. We saw him excel for a stretch during the 2024 season when multiple Buccaneers wideouts were sidelined. We want exposure to Baker Mayfield’s skill-position players — and Otton is clearly trending up.
Devin Neal, RB, New Orleans Saints
Kendre Miller is done for the season, and Neal will step right into the Saints' backup RB role. A 6th round pick out of Kansas, Neal had many dynasty managers hoping for late day two or early day three draft capital, but he fell to New Orleans in the 6th round. Neal is now an Alvin Kamara injury (or trade) away from a prominent weekly role.
Games to Watch
A new weekly feature in the Market Report! I’ll single out a few games dynasty managers should watch, including at least one college football matchup. Our 2026 dynasty rookie drafts are only eight months away — between now and then, we’ll get you fully up to speed on the prospects you need to dominate and make the right picks.
Boston College at Louisville, 7:30 PM EST Saturday
Chris Bell is rising up NFL draft boards and dynasty rookie draft rankings. The explosive WR moves differently than college players (pop this one into the old YouTube) and has been running away from defenses. He has excellent size at 6’2”, 220, drawing comparisons to players like Deebo Samuel and AJ Brown. In Louisville’s win over Miami, Bell finished with 9-136-2 after posting 12-170-2 against and 10-135-1against UVA and Pittsburgh, respectively. As an added bonus, RB Isaac Brown is one of the better RB prospects in the 2027 class.
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 PM EST Sunday
Of all the games on the schedule, the Giants and Eagles matchup is the one to watch for dynasty managers. Can Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart pull off the sweep?
The last time these teams squared off, Skattebo was dominant — racking up three rushing touchdowns and 110 total yards on his way to a 31-point fantasy explosion. Dart was also outstanding, adding two touchdowns, 58 rushing yards, and finishing as the QB3 for the week.
The Eagles will have revenge on their minds back home at Lincoln Financial Field, where they haven’t lost to New York since 2013. If Dart and Skattebo can pull this one off, their legend will only continue to grow.
