Welcome to the Positional Matchups Report, aka POSAFPA. In this article, I provide an easy-to-use positional matchups table and highlight potentially exploitable matchups. If you’re curious about the process you can find a full introduction HERE where I lay out the methodology.
Positional Matchups | Best Running Back Matchups for Week 8
No. 1 RB Matchup | Javonte Williams | 36% | 11.1 PPG | RB31 PPG
No. 2 RB Matchup | J.K. Dobbins | 27% | 14.7 PPG | RB19 PPG
No. 3 RB Matchup | Kenneth Walker | 22% | 22.3 PPG | RB2 PPG
How to Use the Positional Matchups Table
First, find YOUR PLAYER’S TEAM in the first column. Next, follow that line to THEIR POSITION’S column. That percentage is how much better or worse you can expect them to do compared to what they typically score.
Example: Let’s say you’re deciding between Romeo Doubs (WR-GB) and Bucky Irving (RB-TB). For Doubs, find GB in the first column. Follow that row over to the WR column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is 37%. That’s an extremely positive matchup. Next, for Irving, find TB in the first column. Follow that row over to the RB column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is -16%, which is a moderately negative matchup. Given both players are averaging about 11 points per game, I’d lean Doubs.
Offensive Positional Matchups
Offensive Positional Matchups to Target
Jordan Love is in the best position to deliver for fantasy this week and it’s not even close. Jacksonville has been the premium matchup for opposing passing games and the over/under currently sits at 51. While Green Bay’s receivers might be more difficult to pick, Jordan Love will benefit regardless of who he’s throwing to.
Amari Cooper went to Buffalo, leaving work on the table for an unclear depth chart with a new quarterback. Cedric Tillman had a career-high 12 targets in Week 7. Elijah Moore saw a respectable 7 targets, and Jerry Jeudy had 5. All three should be rostered as we don’t know how this receiving corps will hash out. A great positional matchup and an implied game script that says they’ll be playing from behind makes all the Cleveland WRs viable as deep flex plays this week.
Javonte Williams has been tough to project this season, but he just showed that he can deliver in advantageous matchups. He has an equally good matchup this week against Carolina. Implied game script has the Broncos playing from ahead, so there’s a good chance that Williams is used early and often. Touchdown upside is just “okay” but his volume looks exceptional.
The Jaguars are in a unique position where the situation for passing is great, but the positional matchups at quarterback and wide receiver are poor. Tight end on the other hand is quite nice. Evan Engram is likely the biggest benefactor. The over/under is highest of the week at 51 and they project to play from behind, so Engram could see a larger-than-usual target share and could easily be TE1 on the week with a touchdown.
Offensive Positional Matchups to Avoid
Jayden Daniels bruised his ribs and is week-to-week. That means Marcus Mariota could start in Week 8. If you’re in bye week hell or just lost your quarterback, Mariota might seem like a cheap pickup, but he’s a risky desperation play at best. He faces the Bears who are the second toughest matchup for opposing QBs. Their secondary is banged up, but they will still be able to bring pressure. Mariota did pretty well in Week 7, scoring 19.6 points, but it was against the Panthers who were a very good matchup. It’s unlikely he will repeat this week in a much tougher matchup.
Jameson Williams is expected to miss two games. That might make you think about slotting Tim Patrick or Kalif Raymond into your flex spot if your roster is particularly injury ridden. You could get lucky with a touchdown. Their positional matchup this week is moderately negative and implied game script has them playing from ahead, so it’s more likely to be a David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs game.
Rhamondre Stevenson disappointed last week because the Patriots ran the ball just 18 times total. He captured a respectable 54% rush share, but if this is how the Patriots operate with Drake Maye under center, it’s reason for concern. This week they take on the Jets and are expected to play from behind again. That makes Stevenson’s workload floor very low. Avoid starting him if you have another viable option.
Pat Freiermuth came through with an okay 7.1 points in Week 7, but the outlook for Week 8 is not good. The Steelers are expected to play ahead of the Giants in a low-scoring game. That means very little touchdown opportunity for **Freiermuth—**something necessary for his fantasy relevance.
IDP Positional Matchups
IDP Positional Matchups to Target
Denver’s defensive backs have a good matchup on paper, and possibly an even better one in reality. Andy Dalton is banged up (and on top of that was in a car accident). It’s seeming like Bryce Young is set to start this week. Either QB would be a good matchup for opposing DB’s, but Young is the best outcome for them. Brandon Jones is a must-start this week, but you can take shots on any of Denver’s DBs. Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, P.J. Locke, and Pat Surtain—assuming he plays—can all be viable streamers.
Jets defensive linemen are a solid streaming choice this week. With a good positional matchup, both Will McDonald and Quinnen Williams should be nice floor plays. Leonard Taylor could be used as a desperation play. Watch for practice reports on Haason Reddick who just ended his holdout. While his limited reps with the team could limit his snaps, the ceiling he offers is hard to come by.
Detroit’s linebackers are set up for a nice week. They have a solid positional matchup against Tennessee. Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell are both solid starters in Week 8. Trevor Nowaske has been on a hot streak and he’s deep enough to be on waivers in some leagues. Malcolm Rodrigues has been a boom or bust player this season, but it looks up for him this week.
For additional IDP waiver adds I’d recommend checking out Jon Glosser’s IDP Waiver Wire series for Week 8:
Positional Matchup Team Trends
Notable Rush Funnel Teams: The Bills, Rams, Raiders, and Patriots are all acting as rush funnels for their opponents.
Pass Funnel Teams: The Cardinals, Falcons Texans, and Buccaneers are all giving up more points through the air than on the ground.
IDP Targets: The Browns’ change at QB will likely affect this score moving forward, but for now, they remain a great matchup for DLs and LBs. The Titans are the single best matchup for linebackers, and the Patriots are the top matchup for opposing defensive linemen. The best teams to target for streaming DBs are the Seahawks, Panthers, Raiders, and Falcons.
Final Word
At this point in the year our trends are pretty well entrenched and predictable. Now the biggest factors moving forward will be trades and injuries. We’ve already seen several big names change teams and we will likely see many more before the November 5th trade deadline. A single player can completely change the trajectory of how a teams performs against specific positions. Now is not the time to to become lax and assume what was true in week 4 is still true in week 8. That’s how you keep an edge in setting your lineups.
If you’re interested in rookie content for the upcoming draft, check out our recent SuperFlex Mock Draft where we go through two rounds of the top QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs for the incoming 2025 NFL Draft class:
