I love picking eighth. You don't have to pigeonhole yourself into any particular strategy with the eighth pick. Instead, you can let the board fall to you and pluck value where you see it. I started with an RB/RB build with James Cook and Saquon Barkley. Cook was actually not an easy pick with Jonathan Taylor and Chase Brown on the board. Brown will almost certainly have more catches than Cook and has displayed a higher ceiling, while Taylor and Cook have similar profiles but with Taylor playing more on third down. I went with Cook because I think the Bills offense makes him incredibly safe, and he averaged about 19.2 PPR points per game in Weeks 1-17. He's a stud.
Barkley is in for a big bounce back season as the Eagles will have a better offensive line and offensive coordinator, but that pick didn't have to be Barkley. If any of the top 11 RBs had been available to me in Round 2, I would have felt comfortable drafting that position.
However, you can easily go WR-heavy to start your draft, or go with one RB and one WR. Do whatever the heck you want! That's the freedom of Pick 8! In Rounds 3 and 4, you should find a plethora of RBs and WRs that appeal to you. The dream scenario for me would be DeVonta Smith in the third round, but that scoundrel Jamey Eisenberg selected him just before my pick. Even if you are looking at my team and don't love the players I selected, focus on the build instead. You should have no problem finding the players that appeal to you.
How do you approach quarterback and tight end from the eighth pick? I'm not going to get Brock Bowers or Trey McBride unless one of them falls to the third round. Colston Loveland is absolutely in play, and I would have taken him in the fourth round had he been available. Pick 3.8 for Loveland is a touch early for me. I would also take Tyler Warren at 5.8 if available (and I almost did, but I decided to go with Christian Watson instead). After those four TEs are off the board, I'm just waiting.
At quarterback, I'd take Josh Allen at 4.5 (lol, not happening) and Lamar Jackson at 5.8 (also unlikely). And I would consider Joe Burrow, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels in Rounds 5 and 6. Of course, QB is so deep that I never feel like I need to reach. In this draft, I built up my WR and RB stables before selecting TE and QB.
Here's how my team looks from the eighth pick:
1.8: James Cook, RB, BUF
2.5: Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI
3.8: Tee Higgins, WR, CIN
4.5: Kyren Williams, RB, LAR
5.8: Christian Watson, WR, GB
6.5: Chris Godwin, WR, TB
7.8: Blake Corum, RB, LAR
8.5: George Kittle, TE, SF
9.8: Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, TEN
10.5: Dak Prescott, QB, DAL
11.8: Ray Davis, RB, BUF
12.5: Juwan Johnson, TE, NO
13.8: Jaxson Dart, QB, NYG
14.5: Samaje Perine, RB, CIN
One thing I like about this team is the collection of offenses I've drafted. I've got (in order), Buffalo, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Rams (again), San Francisco, and so on. And Dak Prescott is my starting QB.
It's worth noting that this is a 3-WR league, and I'm a little weak at that position. I think the Josh Jacobs situation helps Christian Watson, and I think Chris Godwin is going to be a very reliable PPR WR. These are players I recommend in Rounds 5 and 6 of a 12-team league.
In summary, you can go in so many different directions from this spot in the draft. I think the best way to do it is by starting with a combination of two RBs and two WRs (unless Colston Loveland enters the equation in Round 3 or 4). From there, just take the best values and don't reach for any position. Of course, I drafted Kyren Williams in Round 4 instead of a WR because Williams should be a third round pick and the value was too good. Again, take the value when it falls to you!
Favorite pick: Dak Prescott
Prescott in Round 10? Are you serious? That was an unexpected steal. Prescott was on pace for 4,761 yards and 32 TD passes from Weeks 1-17 (he played only half of Week 18). He could lead the NFL in passing and has one of the best WR tandems in the league. Booya.
Pick I'm already regretting: Blake Corum
I don't mind having both Rams RBs. They both have value individually, but if one of them gets hurt, the other becomes a potential league-winner. Having said that, I think Round 7 may have been too early for Corum, particularly with Joe Burrow still on the board. RBs were being drafted fairly early in this draft, and I didn't like the RBs who were left after Corum. Still, I didn't need to take him because I was so strong at the position to begin with.
Pick that could make or break my team: George Kittle
Kittle was TE2 per game in 2025. In fact, Kittle has been a top 3 TE per game in 7 of the last 8 seasons. If he is back to being himself after a torn achilles, he'll be one of the best picks in Fantasy drafts this season. Of course, there is plenty of risk including the additions of Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling as target competition. That's why I thought it was important to draft Juwan Johnson as a second tight end.
