At this point in the fantasy football season, Close Calls can become a matter of life and death.
It's like that time you were out driving on a country road, and you blew a tire. After walking for what seemed like hours, you noticed that there were buildings on both sides of the road. On one side of the road, there was a brightly lit, bustling Buc-ee's. On the other, there was a dilapidated farmhouse that was dark save for one candlelit window. At first, it seemed an easy decision—but in the farmhouse's front yard was a sign that read "Free Jerky."
Sure, Buc-ees has Beaver Nuggets. But they aren't free Beaver Nuggets.
Suddenly, you had a Close Call. And had you chosen incorrectly, it could have been curtains.
And you could have been free jerky.
The stakes in fantasy are just as high. Whether it's due to bye weeks, injuries, or players who have failed to meet expectations, there's no shortage of managers facing less-than-obvious lineup calls this week. Many of them can't afford to take another loss, or the season's sunk and it's off to the jerky factory.
There's no margin for error. They have to hit on those Close Calls.
And we're here to help.
Every week, we're going to look at some of the closest calls. Make the case for both players. And then offer up this analyst's take on which player is the correct play.
For the sake of this exercise, we'll only consider quarterbacks and tight ends outside the top 10, running backs outside the top 20, and wide receivers outside the top 30 in Footballguys' Weekly Rankings. If you are trying to decide between Trey McBride of the Cardinals and Brock Bowers of the Raiders at tight end, then someone needs to drop you off across the road from that Buc-ee's.
Week 8 Close Calls
Bo Nix, Denver (QB24) vs. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta (QB25)
The Case for Nix: It's not especially easy to make a case for Nix—the third-year pro has yet to throw for 250 yards and has thrown multiple touchdown passes just once this season. Nix had his best fantasy outing of the season last week in Arizona, but even he acknowledged to reporters that he has to play better.
"It starts with me," he said. We're going to correct it. We're going to get the job done. At the end of the day, we're not satisfied. I think that's the most important thing, and you can tell by the way we practice — and how we're working and how we're preparing — [that] we're not satisfied. I don't feel like anybody on the team is, from the coaches on down. That's where you want to be at this point in the season."
The Case for Penix: Penix has been on a bit of a heater recently—he has thrown three touchdown passes in back-to-back games and was just named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. While speaking to reporters, Penix credited offensive coordinator Tommy Rees with his success in 2026.
"We've been very close since he got here. It's always been, with the quarterback and offensive coordinator, y'all got to be hand in hand," Penix said. "With Tommy, he's always like, 'Hey, tell me things that you don't like, and it won't be called. We'll take it off the play sheet.' So, he's always thinking about the things that I like."
The Call: Penix. Nix topped 24 fantasy points last week against the Cardinals, but half of that production came on a 62-yard touchdown run. Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is questionable for Week 8 with a chest injury. And while Penix admittedly draws an unfavorable fantasy matchup this week in Tampa, Nix actually has an even worse one with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Omarion Hampton, LA Chargers (RB29) vs. Elijah Mitchell, Philadelphia (RB30)
The Case for Hampton: Hampton was the ninth running back drafted on average this summer, and seven weeks in, he is—not ninth in fantasy points among running backs. The Chargers rank 13th in the league in rushing, though, and Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters that he's pleased with how L.A.'s three-headed backfield has played this season.
"It's three different backs that are playing really well and rotating carries," Harbaugh said. "Pleased with the way our running backs are playing. We think it's best for our team. That's what we think is best for our team. Yeah. And yeah, all three running backs are playing good wanting to utilize their skill sets."
The Case for Mitchell: This is where we're at with Eagles running backs. Saquon Barkley is nursing multiple injuries. Tank Bigsby and Dameon Pierce are both on injured reserve. The next man up is Elijah Mitchell, who had six touches last week against the Dallas Cowboys. Per Mark Morales-Smith of SI, the 28-year-old is a solid desperation play in Week 8, at least as desperation plays go.
"Mitchell should be picked up in all fantasy leagues," he wrote. "He is likely to be the Eagles' RB1 this week, a role we just saw Pierce have success in. There is no reason to believe that Mitchell can't have just as much success as Pierce, and the team is going to continue leaning on their rushing attack with Tanner McKee under center regardless of who is in the backfield."
The Verdict: Mitchell. Even if Barkley plays (which would make about as much sense as the Chargers keeping Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator), he's going to be limited and then some. Yep. A fourth-string practice-squad back is a better fantasy start this week than a guy drafted in the top-10 at his position in 2026. That's nice.
