Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman is not among the top-50 fantasy receivers in half-PPR scoring through the first seven weeks of the season, having caught only 18 of his 26 targets for 266 yards and one touchdown in seven games played. Outside of his seven-catch, 88-yard performance with his only touchdown of the season in the Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Bateman has done very little for fantasy managers and has not been consistent enough to warrant consideration as a flex option in 12-team leagues. That is more true than ever now that rookie Ja'Kobi Lane is back from Injured Reserve following a wrist injury. Bateman played 73% of the offensive snaps in last week's loss to the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals, but in Lane's first game back from IR in Week 6, he played a season-low 30% of the Ravens' snaps. The return of starting quarterback Lamar Jackson (ankle) in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills is good news for Bateman and the rest of Baltimore's pass-catchers, but it probably is not going to be enough to convince fantasy managers to throw Bateman into their starting lineups. RotoBaller has Bateman ranked as the No. 57 option at his position this weekend.

Indianapolis Colts backup running back Seth McGowan hasn't seen more than a handful of touches in any of his games this season, and that's unlikely to change in Week 8. The Colts will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis RB1 Jonathan Taylor, who remains with the team for now despite trade rumors swirling, will be the clear workhorse running back as long as he is under contract with them. Taylor is one of the NFL's best running backs, and would be the clear starter on any team that was willing to trade for him or the Colts if they decide to keep him. McGowan saw 11 rushes and one target in Week 7, totaling a season-high 12 touches, but even that was uncharacteristically high for him. McGowan is a priority waiver pickup in all leagues before Week 8's Sunday slate of games, as many fantasy managers are flocking to pick him up with Taylor's potential exit looming. But he should be left on benches as long as Taylor is still with the Colts and expected to start.

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (illness) is listed as questionable for Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, and he can be benched in most fantasy football leagues even if he plays. Henderson has been one of the biggest busts in fantasy football this season, ranking as the overall RB49 in PPR leagues. He has fewer than 5.0 PPR points in all but one of his games this season, surrendering the lead-back role to Rhamondre Stevenson and also ceding some work to third-string running back Corey Kiner. It's worth acknowledging that this week's matchup against the Dolphins is favorable; mostly because of game script, Miami has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs in 2026. However, a massive portion of that production has come in the passing game, and Stevenson is a far more productive pass catcher than Henderson. Given Henderson's recent track record, we'd advise against starting him in fantasy football, despite New England being favored by seven points on the road.

Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader missed his first field goals of the season in Week 7, as he made only one of his three field goal attempts while whiffing on tries of 48 and 56 yards out. He'd previously not missed a single field goal attempt -- all six of his attempts from 50 or more yards and all seven of his attempts from between 40 and 49 yards away went through the uprights. Shrader's misses were very uncharacteristic of him this season, which is why it's still feasible to start him in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have a solid defense this season, especially in the red zone. It may be hard for the Colts to score much on them, but the Jaguars red zone defense is one of the best in the NFL, and for opposing kicker scoring, a good red zone defense is actually a positive. We'll assume that Shrader's recent misses were an aberration and hope they don't become part of a larger trend. He slides in the kicker rankings a bit, but still retains starting value in fantasy football for Week 8 as a top-10 option at his position.