Where is your favorite pick in drafts? What about your least favorite? Even picking after the eighth spot, this analysis might help — let’s dive into who to pick at the No. 8 spot in fantasy football drafts.
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The Top Players To Target With the No. 8 Pick
Getting a first-round pick right is huge for your fantasy football success. You likely won’t win your league on that pick but you can absolutely lose it. At the very least, trying to recover from a bad pick is hard to do. Examining the eighth pick, let’s start by discussing how earlier draft picks could go.
Every year and every draft is different, but several players are unlikely to fall to the eighth pick. Expect Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase to all be long off draft boards. All four are smash selections at eight if not.
The grouping of Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Bijan Robinson all may well be gone too, but are more likely to fall to the eighth pick. Hill and Robinson are both easy selections as well over the players considered, though passing on Robinson for a WR is reasonable. Kelce is a hit-or-miss guy, as early TE isn’t for all but well worth the eighth pick if you like it (try a mock and see).
If you’re uncomfortable taking any of those guys at eight or maybe the top seven picks go with exactly those guys, we’ll examine the list of players available at eighth overall.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Prior to the Kupp hamstring issue in camp, this article would’ve had Kupp with the seven above players. Talent-wise, he’s clearly ahead of the rest of this list and the player most likely to not be here in favor of another player discussed above. This all comes down to injury risk.
August 15 reminder that Cooper Kupp is good at football
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 16, 2023
While he has plenty of time to recover from an August 1 hamstring injury, several fantasy football injury doctors state he’s low-risk. But aging players also don’t suffer fewer injuries. Additionally, Matthew Stafford is supposedly healthy, but he’s been a big injury risk the last couple years.
When healthy, Kupp is battling for the WR1 overall, so is the upside worth the risk? He may well be! In 2021, Kupp broke fantasy football scoreboards with a whopping 25.9 PPR points, 4.4 more points than any other WR. Last year, that fell to 22.4 PPR points per game, but that still was higher than any other player.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
If looking for another fantastic WR, the top option in one of the best offenses in football is a fantastic pick. Last year’s WR4 overall is only WR5 in drafts and has not seen his situation change much.
This offseason, the Bills let the starting RB go and promoted their former second-rounder in James Cook, as well as drafted a first-round TE (potentially big slot WR) Dalton Kincaid. Diggs is still the alpha on the team, though.
MORE: Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
If you like the sound of 150 targets, 100 catches, 1,300 yards, and 10 TDs, draft Bills WR Stefon Diggs. He’s been fantastic for so many years, fantasy gamers get name fatigue and draft the “next” guy. Instead of drafting the next Diggs, draft the real one who you know can put those stats up.
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
This likely could be Saquon Barkley or someone else too, essentially whoever the RB4 is to you. Nick Chubb feels primed to have a massive year this year and finish with the highest point total of his career.
The Browns finally have a team around Chubb to take focus off the run and make it hard to stack the box. Adding Elijah Moore to Amari Cooper and David Njoku gives Deshaun Watson a fantastic group of weapons in his first full season starting in Cleveland.
The biggest change for Chubb, though, is the loss of Kareem Hunt. Coaches have made it clear that Chubb will finally be used in the passing game in 2023. With his typical strong 250 carries and 1,300 yards, along with about 10 TDs, if you can get him towards 40 catches, he can challenge for top overall RB with a safe floor.
Who Should You Draft?
We’ve gone through most of the typical first round with all of these players. While not all drafts play out this way, Kupp still feels like a risky pick that many might pass to someone else.
Having read the injury risks, though, as long as he continues practicing before draft day, he’s a smash pick there. The Rams have no one else to run an offense through, so Kupp is going to eat.
Kupp has shown for two years now that his volume and ability to get open make him the top WR when healthy. If he’s low re-injury risk and on track for Week 1, this is about as straightforward as a pick this late can be. Smash that draft button on Kupp.
Who Should You Draft In Other Slots?
Have another league where you’re drafting in a different slot? Want to see what options might be available before or after your pick? We have you covered.
- Who Should Be the First Pick?
- Who Should Be the Second Pick?
- Who Should Be the Third Pick?
- Who Should Be the Fourth Pick?
- Who Should Be the Fifth Pick?
- Who Should Be the Sixth Pick?
- Who Should Be the Seventh Pick?
- Who Should be the Ninth Pick?
- Who Should be the 10th Pick?
- Who Should Be the 11th Pick?
- Who Should Be the 12th Pick?