NFL Snap Count Week 8 Report for Fantasy Football: Jonah Coleman is here

October 28, 2026 6 Min Read

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The Week 8 Snap Count report is highlighted by two rookie running backs who could become key fantasy contributors throughout the season. And that makes sense. This is about the time when the rookies of the season, for whatever reason, start to emerge.

Let’s take a look at the backfields that stood out the most in Week 7.

NFL Snap Count report for Week 8

Jonah Coleman has arrived (again)

Throughout the offseason, HC Sean Payton has praised his rookie running back. So it wasn’t too surprising to see Payton, who now calls the plays, get Jonah Coleman involved a bit in his first game back from a sprained ankle.

It was Coleman, not JK Dobbins or RJ Harvey, who led the Denver backfield in snap shares (50%), carries (9) and touches (11). And after the game, Payton said they need to give him more touches in the future. Considering he had 11 touches in his first game back from injury, that’s pretty exciting. It was Dobbins who scored the goal-line touchdown and Harvey who set a screen 50 yards to the house, but Coleman handled 100 percent of the short and distance snaps. And he continued to look much more explosive than Dobbins.

In 87 carries this year, Dobbins has only rushed for more than 10 yards five times and has yet to record a run of more than 20 yards. Coleman, meanwhile, has the same number of runs of 10+ yards on nearly 70 fewer carries. Harvey’s role as the team’s running back isn’t going to change, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Broncos fully commit to Coleman as an early game and short yardage option, eliminating Dobbins from the offense. And it appeared takeover might have been on the horizon in Week 2 when Coleman saw 13 touches to Dobbins’ 10 in a close game against Jacksonville. That’s the positive case for Coleman, who is the best waiver wire addition of the week in leagues where he was waived.

Can we trust Cam Skattebo?

Honestly? I’m not sure yet.

Once again, there are a lot of moving parts in the Giants backfield. The team went from Najee Harris last week, but it was still a three-man backfield. After a week 6 of benching, Cam Skattebo recorded 55% of the snaps and 50% of the rushing attempts last Sunday, totaling 124 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. It was an impressive game from Skattebo, who ran with power and determination, but it wasn’t like the Giants were fully committed to Skattebo as their primary running back.

The game started with Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy splitting of work. In the first two quarters, Skattebo recorded 8 carries to Tracy’s 6, while outscoring him 20-14. Tracy suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter and did not return. But instead of relying solely on Skattebo for the rest, the Giants turned to Devin Singletarywho outscored Skattebo 18-15 over the final two quarters plus overtime.

Skattebo hit a long run in overtime to set up Singletary’s score, but he apparently injured his hamstring in the process. We don’t think it’s serious and the Giants have a bye for Week 8, but it really doesn’t seem like this team wants to put all the work on Skattebo. Tracy was placed on injured reserve, which should allow Skattebo to see a bump, but the (no, really) first-place Giants have been one of the top teams mentioned as running back trade candidates. Despite last week’s excellent stat line, there is still a lot of uncertainty in the Giants backfield right now. I would look to sell high if you can.

The Indianapolis Colts backfield

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Over the past two weeks, no football player has been talked about more in trade rumors than Jonathan Taylor. At first I laughed it off, thinking there was no chance the Colts would move on from their All-Pro running back. But then they lost to the Titans. And again to the Vikings, bringing their record to 2-5. With no first-round pick until 2028 and the Colts in disarray, a Taylor trade is starting to become more and more possible.

And the use of Week 8 has only intensified the speculation. Taylor still led the way in Indianapolis, recording 69% of snaps and 56% of rushing attempts. However, both rates are well below his season averages of 80% and 74%, respectively. Seth McGowan, meanwhile, set season highs in snap share (31%), rushing share (34%) and touches (12). And it was in a game that the Colts only lost by 6 points. Given the ongoing trade talks, I find this drop in Taylor’s usage very interesting, and I’m not sure it’s a coincidence.

Going into Week 8, McGowan is expected to be added to most fantasy leagues in case Taylor is traded and he becomes a starting running back in the future. He would be in line for an Ollie Gordon-type increase in usage, with likely more usage in the passing game. The Colts offense is a mess right now, but they have a great schedule for the rest of the season for fantasy running backs.

Dylan Sampson returns for Cleveland

In Week 6, Cleveland’s top two running backs were Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. It’s safe to say they were very happy to have back not only Quinshon Judkins last week, but also Dylan Sampson, who had been sidelined since Week 1. The usage of the backfield was about as you’d expect: Judkins dominating first downs and goal-line work, while Sampson operated as the clear pass-catching option.

Judkins recorded 52% of the snaps and 61% of the rushing attempts against the Titans on Sunday, carrying the ball 17 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, his recent surge in targets ended with the return of Sampson, who played 47 percent of snaps, to the lineup. He recorded 80% of the long distance work, as well as all the two-minute exercises. Sampson was efficient with his 9 touches, accumulating 77 yards from scrimmage.

In seven weeks, Cleveland has a surprising 5-2 record. The fact that the Browns are a winning football team is a massive development for Judkins, who depends on the game script when Sampson is available. Moving forward, Cleveland has Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Houston and Las Vegas on the schedule, all games where they likely won’t end up with multiple scores. Sampson, meanwhile, is a player you should look to add off waivers, especially if Judkins is on your roster.

Gn sports

NFL Snap Count Week 8 Report for Fantasy Football: Jonah Coleman is here