The Los Angeles Chargers will face the New Orleans Saints in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB J.K. Dobbins.
Is J.K. Dobbins Playing in Week 8?
Dobbins is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Chargers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit J.K. Dobbins in Week 8?
Dobbins is healthy, and that’s good to see as we approach the midway point in the season, but his production has fallen off a cliff.
- Weeks 1-2: 27 carries for 266 yards (9.9 YPC)
- Weeks 3-6: 68 carries for 212 yards (3.1 YPC)
Of course, there are two sides to every matchup. As much as Dobbins has struggled, I’d argue that the Saints’ run defense is even more alarming. Javonte Williams scored 26.1 points against them last Thursday, coming on the heels of Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving combining for 52.7 points against them in Week 6.
For the season, New Orleans is allowing the most yards per carry before contact to opposing running backs, a flaw that figures to rear its head at some point in this game given the sheer volume of attempts that they are likely to face.
I think Dobbins provides viable numbers this week, and if I’m right on that, I’d be looking to get out of the Dobbins business.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
J.K. Dobbins’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Dobbins is projected to score 13.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 12.7 rushing attempts for 62.2 yards and 0.7 touchdowns. It also includes 1.9 receptions for 10.8 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
J.K. Dobbins’ Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 12:45 AM ET on Friday, December 27. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. DAL)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at SF)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (at HOU)
4) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at WAS)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (at MIN)
6) De'Von Achane | MIA (at CLE)
7) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NYG)
8) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. DEN)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. ARI)
10) James Conner | ARI (at LAR)
11) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. CAR)
12) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (at TB)
13) James Cook | BUF (vs. NYJ)
14) Breece Hall | NYJ (at BUF)
15) Joe Mixon | HOU (vs. BAL)
16) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at CHI)
17) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. GB)
18) Jerome Ford | CLE (vs. MIA)
19) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
20) Tony Pollard | TEN (at JAX)
21) Rico Dowdle | DAL (at PHI)
22) D'Andre Swift | CHI (vs. SEA)
23) Isaac Guerendo | SF (vs. DET)
24) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. LAC)
25) Rachaad White | TB (vs. CAR)
26) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at NE)
27) Alexander Mattison | LV (at NO)
28) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at PIT)
29) Kendre Miller | NO (vs. LV)
30) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at JAX)
31) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
32) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. KC)
33) Javonte Williams | DEN (at CIN)
34) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. TEN)
35) Gus Edwards | LAC (at NE)
36) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at NE)
37) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. KC)
38) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at NO)
39) Kareem Hunt | KC (at PIT)
40) Devin Singletary | NYG (vs. IND)
41) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at WAS)
42) Audric Estimé | DEN (at CIN)
43) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. NYJ)
44) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at CLE)
45) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. LAC)
46) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. DAL)
47) Craig Reynolds | DET (at SF)
48) Cam Akers | MIN (vs. GB)
49) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. NYJ)
50) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. ARI)
51) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (vs. DET)
52) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. SEA)
53) Braelon Allen | NYJ (at BUF)
54) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. ATL)
55) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at CIN)
56) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (at BUF)
57) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (vs. MIA)
58) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LV)
59) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. KC)
60) Emanuel Wilson | GB (at MIN)
61) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at LAR)
62) Chris Brooks | GB (at MIN)
63) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (vs. MIA)
64) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at HOU)
65) Trey Benson | ARI (at LAR)
66) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (vs. DET)
67) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. CAR)
68) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (vs. IND)
69) Israel Abanikanda | SF (vs. DET)
70) Samaje Perine | KC (at PIT)
71) Michael Carter | ARI (at LAR)
72) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (at PHI)
73) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (vs. BAL)
75) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at CLE)
76) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (vs. DET)
77) Trey Sermon | IND (at NYG)
78) Mike Boone | CAR (at TB)
79) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
80) Sione Vaki | DET (at SF)
81) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. BAL)
82) Hunter Luepke | DAL (at PHI)
83) Alec Ingold | MIA (at CLE)
84) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NYG)
85) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. DAL)
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers Insights
New Orleans Saints
Team: The Saints have lost five straight since starting 2-0. They’re the first team since the 2015 Dallas Cowboys to lose at least five in a row after starting 2-0 (that Cowboys team fell to 2-7 after starting QB Tony Romo was injured in Week 2).
Team: The Saints have won the past 11 games played in Week 8, out-scoring opponents 361-227 (+12.2 PPG) during that run.
QB: In the first two weeks of this season, Derek Carr completed 61.5% of his deep passes with a 113.0 passer rating on such passes. His numbers since (45.4 passer rating and 35% complete) look more like Spencer Rattler than an MVP candidate.
Offense: All the passing game injuries have also killed the running game. Since Week 3, the Saints are averaging 3.1 yards per carry on running back carries, second-worst in the NFL. That includes the third-fewest yards before contact per carry (2.2).
Defense: The Saints have allowed 502 rush yards in the last two games, their most in a two-game span since 1980. For the first time since 2012, New Orleans has given up 200+ rush yards in consecutive games; the last team to allow 200+ rush yards in three straight games was the 2019 Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fantasy: Alvin Kamara has not had a 10-plus-yard carry in three straight games, and over his past four, despite having a pair of rushing touchdowns, the majority (56.9%) of his fantasy points have come as a receiver.
Betting: The Saints have seen 13 of their past 14 games played on extended rest go under the projected total (most recently, Week 5 at Chiefs, a 26-13 loss with a 43.5-point closing total).
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: The average NFL game this season has seen 44.8 points scored – not a single Chargers game has reached 40 points yet.
QB: On Monday night, Justin Herbert became the first QB since Ryan Tannehill (Week 2, 2021) to throw for 345 yards without a touchdown or interception.
Offense: JK Dobbins was the story of the first two weeks this season (27 carries for 266 yards, 9.9 yards per carry), but he has failed to average even 4.0 yards per carry in the four games since, checking in under 3.0 in three of those games.
Defense: Los Angeles allows a score on just 25% of drives this season, the lowest rate in the league and 13 percentage points better than the league average.
Fantasy: The Chargers are amongst the most run-centric offenses, and on Monday night, when they took to the air, the early passes weren’t exactly going to the players on fantasy rosters – Will Dissly and Simi Fehoko saw eight of Justin Herbert’s first 10 targets.
Betting: Seven of Justin Herbert’s last eight home starts have finished under the total, including each of the past four.