Football
Week 8 – NFL Fantasy Football: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not!
Welcome Back! Big Guy Fantasy Sports is thrilled to bring you another year of the best in NFL consistency rankings and championship fantasy football strategy.
Week 9 in NFL Fantasy Football means we need to take a look at Week 8’s “Who’s Hot & Who’s Not” based on the consistency model.
Each week, Colby Conway shares his insights on player consistency in your season-long leagues! Find out who’s been (HOT) consistent and (NOT HOT) inconsistent in order to help you make waiver wire claims and start/sit decisions this year. Follow Colby on X @colbyrconway.
Week 8 of the NFL season is in the books, and fantasy managers are doing their best not to overreact to the first few weeks, both positively and negatively. I strongly urge you not to get too high or too low this early, because overreacting too soon could sink your season. In this week’s edition of Who’s Hot and Who’s Not, we’ll dive into standout performances from Tee Higgins and Jonah Coleman, while determining the appropriate level of concern for guys like Justin Herbert and Xavier Worthy.
Don’t forget, you can see how consistent your players are in your league with your scoring method by checking the Consistency Report.
Big Guy VIP Tools
Who’s Hot & Who’s Not – 11/4/26 – Week 9 NFL Fantasy Football
Who’s Hot!
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are top-10 wide receivers in fantasy points per game, but it’s Higgins (19.94) who is above Chase (18.31). Higgins has been exceptional this year, posting 2.98 yards per route run with a 22.8% target share, not to mention a 71% clutch rate. As long as Higgins (and quarterback Joe Burrow) stay healthy, I expect Higgins to continue his consistent play, en route to what could be a career year. Currently, over 17 games, he’s on pace for 104.4 receptions on 148.1 targets, 1,763.1 yards, and 9.7 touchdowns, all of which, except for the touchdowns, would easily be career highs.
Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos
Coleman is now the lead back for the Denver Broncos, and that should bring clutch games galore moving forward. Coleman can play all three downs, and with checkdown king Bo Nix under center, his anticipated role in the receiving game should help elevate his fantasy floor. Albeit on a small sample to date, he’s posted nearly 4.5 yards per carry, forces missed tackles above the league mark, and has an elite 3.23 yards per route run, per FantasyPoints Data. His clutch game in Week 8 should be the first of many for the rookie running back, as long as Denver doesn’t make a big splash at the position before the trade deadline.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Despite subpar play from quarterback Kyler Murray, Hockenson has a 57% clutch rate this year, and he’s put up at least 13 fantasy points in three of his last four games. His 0.27 targets per route run is the best at his position, per FantasyPoints Data, and if you remove the Week 5 game where he left early, he’s averaged two red zone targets per game since Week 4! There’s certainly week-to-week volatility with Hockenson while Murray is his quarterback, but he has a role where it matters most, and Murray has a 128.6 passer rating when targeting his big tight end, per FantasyPoints Data.
Who’s Not!
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is outside the top 25 quarterbacks, has yet to record a clutch game, and hasn’t finished inside the top 20 at the position in any week this season! This Chargers offense was supposed to be high-octane and score at will, but it hasn’t looked anything like that so far under Mike McDaniel! His 3.79 adjusted net yards per attempt is miserable; he has one of the higher turnover-worthy play rates among all quarterbacks, and the only saving grace is that he’s actually a QB2 in expected fantasy points per game, per FantasyPoints Data. However, I don’t know if that translates to actual fantasy points, because everything seems out of sync with Los Angeles, and I’m not sure there’s any light at the end of the tunnel here, because if McDaniel gets fired, Adam Gase could be calling plays. Do with that what you will.
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
With Rashee Rice active, Worthy has averaged 29.2 receiving yards per game, and in two games without Rice, that number is only 42, per FantasyPoints Data. He’s not a focal point in the passing attack, and now there are reports that Kansas City is interested in acquiring an impact receiver at the trade deadline. That can’t be good for Worthy! If Rice stays healthy, Worthy will see a sub-20% target share, and likely post a clutch rate below 50% (currently at 43% on the year).
Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets
Like Worthy above, Sadiq’s numbers have been greatly impacted by one player. In two games Mason Taylor hasn’t played this season, Sadiq posted 11.75 fantasy points per game, 52.5 receiving yards per game, and 2.84 yards per route run per FantasyPoints Data. In the six games Taylor has played, Sadiq has averaged 3.90 fantasy points per game, 13.5 receiving yards per game, and 1.05 yards per route run, per FantasyPoints Data. Furthermore, his snap share and route participation have taken a significant hit when Taylor is active, and it is likely no surprise that Sadiq’s clutch rate sits at just 25%.
Week 8 of the NFL Fantasy season is in the books, and now we’re on to Week 9! Check back next week for my weekly in-season series, “Who’s Hot & Who’s Not,” to see who’s flying under the radar! Until then, follow me on X, @ColbyRConway, for more football!
