There's nothing quite like Halloween. Remember when you used to go trick-or-treating? I remember dressing up as a Power Ranger, Ghostface, or some skeleton, eagerly walking up to the front doors of all the houses in the neighborhood, and wondering what kind of candy my brother and I were about to get.
Would it be a KitKat bar, Reese's, M&M's? Maybe they'd even be king-sized!
That feeling of stepping up to those front doors, not knowing what was in store for us, is a bit like how we approach each week in the NFL. We have no clue what's going to happen when that door opens. You could receive your favorite candy in the world or — in NFL terms — see your favorite team pull out a win. Or, you could be handed an apple by that crunchy neighbor who reminds you to brush your teeth — the equivalent of your first-round pick in fantasy suffering a season-ending injury.
It's that unknown that makes the NFL a must-watch experience every week, and we do our best here to help give you some clues as to what may be coming around the bend to avoid a jump-scare. For instance, last week we said we wouldn't be shocked if J.J. McCarthy impressed in his first start with the Giants, and that's exactly what happened. We also highlighted the possibility of Kenneth Walker III having a muted return to Seattle.
We'll look to take the momentum of nailing those two predictions into Week 8, where we'll call our shots on some storylines and/or individual performances that we wouldn't be shocked to see happen.
Colts split Jonathan Taylor's reps with Seth McGowan
The Colts have started to clean house ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. On Tuesday, the club shipped out star left guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and pass rusher DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for draft compensation. Those are two heavy-hitters being shown the door amid the organization's 2-5 start to the year and impending rebuild, but they won't be the last to be dealt.
Jonathan Taylor is another name that has been spinning in the rumor mill as he'd fetch a pretty penny for Indianapolis and no longer fits its timeline as it looks to tear down the roster to the studs. The 27-year-old is still among the best running backs in the NFL and has rushed for 587 yards and eight touchdowns through seven games in 2026.
With a Taylor trade looming, I wouldn't be surprised if Indy starts managing the asset and holds him back a bit more as the deadline draws near. If Taylor gets hurt while he takes on his typical workload of 20-plus touches per game, the Colts, who do not have a first-round pick in 2027, lose one of their biggest chips in helping springboard their rebuild and filling the cupboard back up with draft picks. It makes a lot of sense to effectively put Taylor in bubble wrap until a trade is made.
Indy won't outright bench Taylor, but I think it'll start giving backup running back Seth McGowan more work. We already started to see this last week as Taylor played a season-low 67.2% of the offensive snaps. His 18 carries were also his second-lowest of the season. Meanwhile, McGowan's 32.8% offensive snap rate in Week 7 was his highest of the year, as were his 11 carries.
I expect that only to grow as these rumors around Taylor heat up.
Gambling angle to note: Jonathan Taylor's O/U rushing yards total is set at 63.5 (-109 to the Under).
Lamar Jackson shows no rust in return
Lamar Jackson is set to make his return to the field on Sunday against the Bills after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury. Given the injury and the time away, there's an argument to be made that Jackson could be a little rusty as he works his way back, particularly in what is billed as a high-stakes AFC matchup. However, I think this goes the other way. I can see Lamar Jackson showing little to no rust in his return and possibly even leading the Ravens to a road win in Buffalo.
Jackson wasn't just looking like an MVP candidate through his first four games of the season before dealing with the injury; the two-time NFL MVP was arguably playing the best football of his career. Jackson seemed right at home in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's offense, as his yards per attempt (10.1), air yards per attempt (10.9), and 70.8% completion rate are all on pace to be career highs. Meanwhile, his 119.6 passer rating is on pace to tie his career-high, which came back during his MVP runner-up season in 2024.
Jackson nearly played last week, so I don't think he's as cold as the absence would suggest. On top of that, he has a pretty soft landing spot in his return as the Bills' defense has been one of the worst units in the league entering Week 8. So far, Buffalo's 386.8 total yards allowed is the second-highest in the NFL, while its 28.5 points per game allowed are the third-highest.
| Bills defense | Stat | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
PPG | 28.5 | 30th |
Points per drive | 2.76 | Last |
Third down | 45% | 27th |
Penalties per game | 3.7 | 31st |
Look for Jackson to have a thunderous return in Week 8.
Gambling angle to note: Lamar Jackson's O/U passing touchdown total is 1.5 (-112 to the Over). Jackson's O/U passing yards total is 237.5 (-113 to the Over).
T.J. Hockenson hauls in two touchdowns
A lot will be made about the Lions' high-flying offense squaring off against Minnesota's top-ranked defense, and rightfully so. That'll be what gets people in the door to watch this NFC North game, but I believe it'll be the other two sides of the ball that determine the game.
Specifically, I see this as a golden opportunity for the Vikings offense to break out against what is a poor Lions defense. Coming into Week 8, Detroit has the worst total defense (391.0 total yards allowed) and passing defense (291.8 passing yards allowed) in the NFL. As he looks to exploit that, Kyler Murray should be looking at one target in particular: T.J. Hockenson.
The Lions are at the bottom of the league in covering tight ends. Despite playing six games (when accounting for the bye vs. some teams who have played seven contests), Detroit has still given up the most receptions (56) and receiving yards (602) to tight ends this season. For the purposes of this prediction, it's noteworthy that they're also giving up a league-high 10 receiving touchdowns to tight ends.
The Lions are allowing touchdowns on 72% of opponents' red zone trips in 2026, which is the fifth-highest in the league. Hockenson leads the Vikings in red zone targets (6) this season, and he's tallied two touchdowns in the process. I wouldn't be shocked if he finds paydirt twice in this advantageous matchup.
Gambling angle to note: T.J. Hockenson is +230 to score one anytime touchdown and +2000 to score 2+ touchdowns (via DraftKings Sportsbook).
Antonio Williams breaks out for Commanders
Washington was on the bye in Week 7, so Sunday's primetime matchup against the Eagles will be their first full game since wideout Terry McLaurin suffered his season-ending injury. McLaurin was the No. 1 weapon in the Commanders offense, so they'll need players in that receiver room to step up and adopt the 5.4 targets per game he was seeing this season.
While some will point to that target share shifting toward Stefon Diggs, I believe it could go to rookie Antonio Williams. The third-round pick out of Clemson has already flashed at points this season, but he hasn't seen a ton of opportunity, averaging about four targets per game. During that Week 6 loss to the 49ers, when McLaurin went down, Williams led the receiver room with 34 routes run. Thirty-one of those routes run were in the second, third and fourth quarters when McLaurin was already out of the game.
That suggests Williams could be the beneficiary of McLaurin's absence, and having a bye week to prepare for an added workload only emboldens the idea of a breakout for the young pass catcher. Coming into Week 8, the Eagles are giving up 239.9 passing yards per game, which is the seventh-highest in the NFL.
Falcons jump to first place in NFC South
When the dust settles on Week 8, the Falcons will be the birds perched atop the NFC South. Atlanta has an opportunity to leap atop the division this weekend, if a few things break its way over the course of the slate.
Starting on Thursday, the Falcons will need an assist from the Packers, who are hosting the Panthers. Carolina currently is in first place in the NFC South, but they are barely clinging onto it with a 3-3 regular season record. Green Bay is a 3.5-point favorite at home, so the odds suggest that the Panthers will fall in primetime and drop to 3-4 on the year.
Then, Atlanta will need to take care of business when it travels to Tampa to face the Buccaneers. The Falcons are a slight underdog, catching 2.5 points on the road. However, they are a strong upset candidate in Week 8.
Baker Mayfield only threw 11 passes in Sunday's 43-13 win over the Panthers. That victory was largely sprung by a comedy of errors made by Carolina, so Mayfield didn't need to prove that he's fully healthy from a right thumb injury. He will this week. The Bucs won't find many running lanes against a Falcons defense that is allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game. When Mayfield drops back to pass, he'll face a pass rush that ranks fourth in pressure rate.
Tampa Bay is also 0-4 to begin the year at Raymond James Stadium. With an upset win and a Packers victory on Thursday night, the 4-4 Falcons (2-1 in the NFC South) would be in first in the division, and they may not look back.
Gambling angle to note: A Falcons + Packers moneyline parlay is +229 (via DraftKings Sportsbook).
