Who Should I Draft With the 8th Pick in Fantasy Football?

Fantasy managers who don’t receive one of the top picks in their draft shouldn’t panic. A championship squad can still be built from the back half of the first round. Let’s examine the eighth pick in the draft and highlight which players to target based on league format. We’ll also highlight some late-round targets to consider.

Our Perfect Draft series covers multiple draft spots in various scoring formats and league sizes using Draft Hero software. Find your perfect draft today!

Standard League: Justin Jefferson, WR (MIN)

Our Multi-Site ADP tool has Jefferson as the eighth player being selected in drafts. He is sandwiched between two other stellar receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown at seven and A.J. Brown at nine. St. Brown and Brown have better quarterback situations with Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts under center for their respective teams. Jefferson will be catching passes from Sam Darnold with J.J. McCarthy (knee) out for the season.

Having Darnold as Jefferson’s quarterback isn’t exactly ideal. Darnold has never thrown for more than 3,024 yards and 19 touchdowns in a season. Still, he’s not a reason to shy away from taking Jefferson. Despite playing in just 10 games last year, Jefferson finished with 68 receptions, 1,074 yards, and five touchdowns on 100 targets. He received at least 125 targets and finished with at least 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in each of his first three seasons in the league.

I wouldn’t argue with anyone who wants to take Brown over Jefferson based on their quarterback situations. Since joining the Eagles, Brown has produced back-to-back seasons of at least 88 receptions, 1,456 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. However, I don’t think that he has the same upside as Jefferson, who had 1,809 receiving yards in 2022.

Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, and Bijan Robinson are the top three running backs in drafts and none of them have an ADP of lower than six. If one were to fall to eight, take them over Jefferson. However, in that unlikely event, the next tier of running backs including Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, and Jahmyr Gibbs all come with some question marks that don’t make them worth selecting over Jefferson.

Best Alternative Pick: A.J. Brown, WR (PHI)

PPR Scoring: Justin Jefferson, WR (MIN)

Jefferson might be even more appealing in PPR formats. Prior to last season, he had posted back-to-back campaigns with at least 108 receptions and 167 targets. He averaged 10 targets per game last year and his workload isn’t likely to decline this season. The Vikings did upgrade at running back with Aaron Jones, but their wide receivers behind Jefferson and Jordan Addison leave a lot to be desired. Tight end T.J. Hockenson is still recovering from offseason knee surgery and is expected to miss time at the beginning of the season.

Taking a wide receiver early is important for PPR scoring, so it’s not much of a decision to select Jefferson over the likes of Taylor, Barkley, and Gibbs. For those who want to then take a running back in the second round, there are still some great options. There is Isiah Pacheco (ADP 20), who caught 44 of 49 targets last year and should have plenty of opportunities to score touchdowns for the potent Chiefs’ offense. There is also Travis Etienne (ADP 19), who rushed for over 1,000 yards and caught 58 passes for the Jaguars last season.

For those who want a big upside running back in the second round to pair with Jefferson, don’t overlook De’Von Achane (ADP 23). While he only played in 11 games last year, he caught at least three passes in six of them. He also averaged an insane 7.8 yards per carry and is a part of one of the most potent offenses in the league.

Best Alternative Pick: Garrett Wilson, WR (NYJ)

Half-PPR Scoring: Justin Jefferson, WR (MIN)

This is the beauty of Jefferson. Whether it’s a standard, PPR, or half-PPR scoring system, he can carry fantasy managers in each of them. He has a massive target share, can rack up yards in bunches, and is the best receiving option that the Vikings have when they get in close, especially with Hockenson set to miss the beginning of the season. Jefferson has never averaged fewer than 14.1 yards per reception, so he can also find his way into the end zone with his big-play upside.

In half-PPR scoring, I’m looking to pair a second-round running back with Jefferson. If you’re shooting for upside, Achane has the potential to finish as a top-five running back. If you want a safer choice, Etienne and Pacheco have high floors. This format is also better for Derrick Henry, even though he is the most valuable in standard scoring. Henry has compiled at least 10 rushing touchdowns in each of the last six seasons and should get plenty of red zone opportunities with the Ravens. Last year, Gus Edwards racked up 13 rushing touchdowns and 39 rushing attempts inside the red zone for them. Of those red zone rushing attempts, 23 of them came from within five yards of the end zone.

Best Alternative Pick: A.J. Brown, WR (PHI)

Superflex: Anthony Richardson, QB (IND)

We’re finally going to avoid Jefferson with the eighth pick. In this format, it’s extremely important to grab at least one quarterback within the first two rounds. By the time the eighth pick has rolled around, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes are likely off the board. Lamar Jackson is also likely gone in most superflex leagues by the time the eighth pick is on the clock. If he is available, take him over Richardson. Jackson has run for at least 695 yards in every season of his career and at least 821 yards three times. Last year, he threw 24 touchdown passes to go along with his career-high 3,678 passing yards.

To an extent, Jackson is what fantasy managers should hope that Richardson becomes. Even in his injury-shortened rookie season, Richardson had four rushing touchdowns across four games. While his passing yardage totals weren’t great, he did also chip in three passing touchdowns. Now that he is healthy again, his rushing upside gives him the potential to develop into a top-tier quarterback.

Best Alternative Pick: C.J. Stroud, QB (HOU)

Top Late-Round Targets

I like the depth better at wide receiver than running back, so I’m usually targeting wide receivers in the late rounds. In my Fantasy Football Sleepers to Target After Pick 150 article, four of my five targets were wide receivers. Another wide receiver to consider who is going inside the top 150 is Khalil Shakir (ADP 121). Stefon Diggs is now a member of the Texans and Gabe Davis departed in free agency to join the Jaguars. Those two combined for 241 targets last year on the Bills. Shakir, who averaged 15.7 yards per reception last year, has the potential to receive around 100 targets as the Bills’ top wide receiver.

While he’s not the player that he was in his prime, Ezekiel Elliott (ADP 114) isn’t someone who should be ignored by fantasy managers who decide to wait until later in the draft to add running back depth. Playing in a horrible Patriots offense last year, Elliott still produced 955 total yards and five touchdowns. Now he’s part of a much more potent Cowboys offense that had helped Elliott amass at least 12 total touchdowns in three of his final four seasons with the team. Rico Dowdle has two career rushing touchdowns, so while he should also see work out of the backfield, expect the Cowboys to turn to Elliott when they get in close.

In terms of overall strategy in a 12-team league, take your defense/special teams and kicker in the last two rounds. Don’t draft a backup at either position. I also usually tend to draft just one tight end. The preference is to take just one quarterback, especially if you select one of the options in the first couple of tiers at the position. However, if you decide to wait until outside of the top 100 to select a quarterback, it’s ok to take two of them and stream them based on who has the best matchup each week.

Here is a realistic 16-round draft with the eighth overall pick in a 12-team half-PPR league. Each player is listed with the corresponding round that they would be selected in.