Week 8 features 14 Power Four teams on Bye, which is the most byes of the college football regular season. Here are the most impactful games from a CFF perspective:

Colorado at Oklahoma State 

Drew Mestemaker is a matchup-proof QB1 who leads a dangerous Cowboys offense that averages 46 yards per drive (4th in FBS) with 10% of all plays gaining 20+ yards (5th). His pinpoint accuracy has elevated both slot WR Wyatt Young (WR16) and X-WR Justin Bowick (WR21) into weekly fantasy starters, while RB Caleb Hawkins (RB17) has justified his first-round ADP. 

Colorado has lost four straight, led by a gambling-oriented defense that ranks seventh nationally with a 21% overall havoc rate, but also 110th in marginal explosiveness. WR Joseph Williams is the Buffaloes’ most dangerous offensive player, commanding a 32% target share with 35 receptions, 485 yards and five touchdowns over his last five games. RB JeQuail Smith seems to be the best runner in OC Brennan Marrion’s backfield, having accrued 141 total yards last week.

Smith is still too risky to start in all but the deepest formats, though. Oklahoma State just gave up 343 passing yards and five touchdowns to Houston and ranks 104th nationally with 18% of completions gaining 20+ yards. 

Kansas State at Arizona State 

The Wildcats have scored 26+ points in all but one game this season, with a devastating run game that ranks third nationally in rushing success rate and 3.65 yards before contact (2nd). Avery Johnson (QB17) is an excellent starting option this week, while their split-backfield RB duo of Rodney Fields (RB40) and Joe Jackson (RB35) are each boom-or-bust flex options where one of them is likely to produce 15+ points. WR Jaron Tibbs has posted 11+ points in three of the last four games and is only 2% rostered if you need an emergency bye week WR.

Kansas State’s D is an excellent 15th in success rate allowed (34.5%), but also ranks a dismal 129th in yards per successful play allowed (13.7) and has created just four turnovers (126th).

ASU has big-play ability with WR Reed Harris (WR7) performing at an All-American level, as they rank 24th in yards per successful play (13.3). However, their offense has struggled to stay on schedule, going three-and-out 29% of the time (93rd) and converting just 31% of third-down situations (128th). QB Cutter Boley got replaced by Mikey Keene last game, with Keene looking competent and possibly creating a QB controversy. Starting RB Kyson Brown is getting pressured by freshman Cardae Mack, who is averaging 8.3 YPC with 28% of his carries generating 10+ yards. The Sun Devils defense has given up 53 points to Texas Tech and 55 points to Baylor in their last two B12 contests, and is ripe for the taking. 

TCU vs. West Virginia

West Virginia is the classic good offense (23rd in SP+), bad defense (126th SP+) archetype that produces massive fantasy performances for everyone involved. Every single one of West Virginia’s games has sailed over its designated game total, and done so by an average of 13.9 points. QB Michael Hawkins is the No. 1 overall scorer in all of college fantasy football and RB Cam Cook is RB7, averaging 20.4 PPG. Both are must-start players. WR DJ Epps has scored 20+ points in four of his last six games and would be hard to bench in this shortened Week 8 game slate. 

TCU has fielded one of the best defenses in the B12 thus far, allowing more than 17 points just one time all season, while ranking top-10 overall with 1.03 points per drive and 4.3 yards per play allowed. QB Jaden Craig has thrown for 290+ yards in four of his last five games, but his lack of rushing utility has suppressed his fantasy upside. He’s still a respectable streaming option when scanning the wire, though.

The run game has struggled, averaging 4.2 YPC (128th) and 6.5 yards per successful rush, which ranks a dreadful 137th nationally. Starting RB Jeremy Payne got injured on his first carry of the game last weekend, with the team gaining just 33 yards on the ground in his absence. Freshman RB Amante Martin is nothing more than a dart throw if Payne can’t suit up. WR Jordan Dwyer is back and has produced 250 receiving yards in his two games back, and slot WR Ed Small has put up 13.0+ points in three of his last five games. Both are excellent streamers against Arizona State’s awful defense. 

You can also read my College Fantasy Football Game of the Week: Houston at Utah.

Risers

Byrum Brown, QB, Auburn

I had major reservations about Brown’s ability to transition from South Florida to the SEC. From a passing perspective, I suppose my concerns have been founded, with Brown throwing seven interceptions and a passer rating that plummeted from 114.7 last season to 81.5. However, what he lacks in passing acumen, offensive svengali HC Alex Golesh makes up for with an exhausting rushing load that has produced a steady stream of impactful fantasy performances. Brown has scored 27+ points in four of his last five contests with at least 57 rushing yards in all five, providing a stable weekly fantasy floor. He is the QB17 and a suitable streamer against LSU if your regular QB1 is affected by the Week 8 Bye-mageddon.

Mason McKenzie, QB, Boston College

I can’t help but think McKenzie (18% Rostered) has better days ahead of him, as he gives off Anthony Colandrea vibes with his ability to use his legs to create outside of structure. He ranks fourth among all P4 signal callers in rushing yards with 444 and three touchdowns despite running behind a troubled offensive line that ranks 135th in stuff rate (25.5%) and 126th in pressures allowed (3.5%). McKenzie is a premium athlete who extends plays but keeps his eyes downfield and is constantly hunting for a big play. The problem is his penchant for throwing interceptions (7), of which he threw two in the red zone last game against Pitt.

Miscues aside, McKenzie has scored 19+ points in every game against a P4 opponent and has a much lighter schedule featuring Georgia Tech this weekend. McKenzie is a low-risk streamer this weekend at a stunning 1% roster rate. He is talented well beyond his reputation right now. 

Umari Hatcher, WR, Syracuse

CFF prognosticators weren’t sure which Syracuse WR would break out as their high-volume WR1, which kept Hatcher’s ADP in the 12th-round range. That question has been emphatically answered, as Hatcher has commanded a 34% target share, leading the Orange with 74 targets in six games; the second-most targeted pass catcher is TE Daunte Bacheyie at 24. Hatcher has scored double digits in every game and produced at least 125+ receiving yards in four of six contests despite rotating through four different quarterbacks. He is a weekly auto-start heading into the back half of the 2026 schedule. 

Fallers

Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon

Not only was he ruled out of playing in Oregon’s 17-14 nail-biter victory over Nebraska on Saturday, but Stewart was also cited for a DUI at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning. With both arrows pointing down to a possible suspension or injury that could hold him out this weekend, he also has to deal with the rotating cast of backup QBs until QB Dante Moore can return. Stewart had been an integral part of the Ducks WR corps and a steady fantasy contributor who scored 11+ points in every game this season. However, the events of last weekend and questions at QB have me benching him against Illinois. 

Arch Manning, QB, Texas

You know things are getting dicey in Austin when HC Steve Sarkisian is giving extra first-team reps to backup QB KJ Lacey Jr. in the lead-up to their momentous tilt against Ole Miss this weekend. It’s not hard to understand why, as Texas is going three-and-out 34% of the time (122nd) and ranks 124th in plays of 20+ yards (5%). Manning is not running as much as last year, clearing 25 yards just once all season and getting sacked 13 times over his last three games, which kills his rushing upside. Arch has scored under 25 Points in each of his last five games, with a high of 24.4 points in a losing effort versus Oklahoma where he threw two touchdowns. He should be viewed as a high-variance QB2 against a solid Ole Miss defense that just held Missouri to three points last weekend. 

Dawson Pendergrass, RB, Baylor

Baylor is trotting out a three-way RB committee that is hammering the fantasy viability of nominal starting RB Pendergrass. The Bears are coming off a disappointing 17-6 loss to TCU where Pendergrass managed only 11 yards on nine carries, with Caden Knighten and Ryelan Morris splitting 17 carries for 60 yards. His workload has steadily dwindled from 17 totes versus Colorado, to eight against ASU and then nine last week against TCU with his 3.6 YPC average being overshadowed by both his contemporaries. Baylor ranks 116th in rushing success rate and 114th averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The Bears gave Pendergrass his chance, but they’re clearly pivoting to a committee approach, which renders him unrosterable going forward. 

Injuries

Duke Scott, RB, NC State

Scott has been ruled out for Friday night’s game at Stanford, leaving an opportunity for backup RB Davion Gause to make an impact against the Cardinal’s 111th-ranked SP+ defense that is allowing 5.8 YPC (130th) and a 49.4% rushing success rate (131st). Gause split carries 7-3 with backup RB Dylan McCoy, with the two combining for just 16 yards in a 38-14 beating at the hands of Wake Forest last game. Prior to that, Gause handled 21 carries for 69 yards along with catching three passes for 45 yards in a 31-28 upset victory over Louisville, so the possibility of a bigger workload is very much in play considering how soft Stanford’s front seven is. Gause is a worthwhile flex streamer for bye-afflicted managers. 

Khobie Martin, RB, Indiana

Martin was Indiana’s RB3 last season and was expected to have a defined role in the offense before fracturing his right forearm in the preseason, causing him to miss the first six games. He rushed 78 times for 505 yards, 6.5 YPC and six touchdowns in 2025, and should slide in to handle 5-8 touches after HC Curt Cignetti stated, “We are optimistic on him” in regards to Martin playing against Michigan this weekend. His arrival creates uncertainty among an already divided RB room, so downgrade Beebe and Richard a bit in your rankings. 

Chris Marshall, WR, Arkansas

Marshall suffered a right leg injury on his first reception against Vanderbilt, briefly attempting to return but ultimately spending the second half in street clothes. Arkansas is on Bye this week, but Marshall has been a legitimate weekly starter and his loss would be significant. WR Antonio Jordan emerged as the next man up with five receptions for 74 yards in Marshall’s absence.