Fantasy football Week 8 fallout: Rashee Rice, DJ Moore feast while George Pickens leaves managers famished

Rashee Rice and DJ Moore deliver huge performances in Week 8, while George Pickens and Parker Washington frustrate Fantasy managers Nov 2, 2026 at 1:39 pm ET • 3 min read It was great to get DJ Moore and Rashee Rice back from injuries in Week 8 because wide receivers had a rough scoring period. Parker Washington (3.6 PPR points), Drake London (1.8), DK Metcalf (1.4), Zay Flowers (zero), Tre Tucker (zero) and Omar Cooper Jr. (zero) might as well have taken the week off.Moore returned in Week 8 after a two-game absence with a shoulder injury and scored 16.6 PPR points, and Rice was back after a two-game absence with a hamstring injury and scored 18.3 PPR points. I mentioned both of them as winners on our Sunday night Fantasy Football Today podcast.Washington was one of the losers that I talked about, as well as George Pickens, who actually scored 6.8 PPR points. While you're still going to start Washington and Pickens every week in most leagues, both had down games in Week 8. Week 8 Fantasy WinnersChiefs WR Rashee Rice I was concerned about Rice going into Week 8 at Denver. Not only was he coming back from the hamstring injury, but this was a tough matchup, especially with the Broncos getting back standout cornerback Patrick Surtain II (ankle). But Rice was great right from the start of Week 8 and finished with seven catches for 53 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. Rice should have even added a second touchdown late in the game if not for a false start penalty. It is clear how crucial Rice is to Patrick Mahomes and the offense, and he should be considered a high-end No. 2 Fantasy receivers with borderline top-12 upside moving forward. I love him heading into Week 9 against the Jets. Bills WR DJ Moore I thought Moore had the chance to play well in Week 8 against Baltimore, but we just needed to see him on the field after being out with the shoulder injury. He stepped up against the Ravens with four catches for 82 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, including a 49-yard reception from Josh Allen. The upcoming schedule is tough for Moore, starting with Week 9 at Minnesota, so there is a sell-high window here if you want to trade him. But as long as Moore is healthy he should remain a go-to option for Allen and a solid No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.Week 8 Fantasy LosersJaguars WR Parker Washington Fantasy managers should continue to start Washington in the majority of leagues, but he's gone from a potential top-10 receiver to more of a top-20 option of late. He had one catch for 16 yards on two targets and a 10-yard run Sunday against the Colts, and he has now scored 10.4 PPR points or less in three of his past four games. Trevor Lawrence is playing like a potential NFL MVP, but he's also spreading the ball around a lot. For example, 11 players had a target against the Colts, with Jakobi Meyers the leader with three. I'm not ready to panic yet, and Washington has scored at least 13 PPR points in four of seven games this season. He should still be started with confidence in Week 9 at Baltimore.Cowboys WR George Pickens It finally looked like Pickens had turned the corner and was back as a borderline top-15 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. Prior to Week 8 against Arizona, he had scored at least 13.3 PPR points in three games in a row, and Fantasy managers were thrilled with the production. Then came Sunday against the Cardinals with two catches for 48 yards on four targets. Granted, he had a 35-yard reception negated due to a holding penalty, but I hope we're not going back to what we saw early in the season when he had eight targets or less in three of his first four games and scored 10 PPR points or less in three of those outings. I'm still confident in Pickens, especially heading into Week 9 against the Colts, and there should be a buy-low window here. He still should be considered a must-start Fantasy receiver in all leagues. For a deeper dive into the full game-by-game breakdown and additional start/sit advice, check out the full episode on the Week 8 Winners & Losers Fantasy Football Recap.