Should I start DK Metcalf or Jaylin Noel in Week 8?
Updated Nov 3, 12:06 AM ET. Week 9 answers post Tuesday.
Latest
- : Texans put WR Jaylin Noel on IR with expected season-ending turf toe injury (ESPN)
- : Jaylin Noel: Questionable to IR (Toe, Sprain) (Sleeper injury feed)
Start DK Metcalf: 93 percent of the snaps and 25 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against Jaylin Noel's 42 percent of the snaps and 12 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.
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Your next move
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Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
WR · PIT · on bye this week
2026 vs anytime td line 1-7
- Market-based projection
- 12.1 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 248
WR · HOU · bye 8
2026 vs anytime td line 2-5
- Overall rank
- 249
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The gap
- Board size297 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on DK Metcalf, and the board ranks him 248th overall on the rest of his evidence.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Jaylin Noel, and the board ranks him 249th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
No season market is posted for DK Metcalf, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.
No season market is posted for Jaylin Noel, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.
Neither carries a posted market, so this page rests on the draft room and on what the two have already done.
This season so far
Through Week 8, DK Metcalf has been on the field for 95 percent of PIT snaps, drawn 24 percent of the targets and had 8 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 20 of the offence's 61 third down targets, had 2 of its 12 chances inside the five and seen 5 of its 44 two minute targets.
His 64 targets have averaged 12.6 air yards.
In Week 6 against TB he caught 11 of 15 targets for 93 yards and did not score.
In Week 7 against NO he caught 2 of 6 targets for 56 yards and did not score.
In Week 8 against CLE he caught 1 of 6 targets for 4 yards and did not score.
Through Week 7, Jaylin Noel has been on the field for 44 percent of HOU snaps, drawn 10 percent of the targets and had 7 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 6 of the offence's 54 third down targets, had 0 of its 14 chances inside the five and seen 8 of its 41 two minute targets.
His 23 targets have averaged 9.8 air yards.
In Week 5 against TEN he carried 1 time for 1 yards, caught 5 of 5 targets for 41 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 6 against JAX he caught 4 of 4 targets for 107 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 7 against NYG he caught 2 of 2 targets for -3 yards and did not score.
Their 2025 seasons
In 2025 DK Metcalf played 15 games and scored 187.2 PPR points, 12.5 a game, finishing WR26.
He caught 59 of 99 targets for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 13 red zone targets.
That came to 6.6 targets a game, a 60 percent catch rate and 14.4 yards a catch.
He was on the field for 87 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
In 2025 Jaylin Noel played 17 games and scored 68.4 PPR points, 4.0 a game, finishing WR91.
He caught 26 of 35 targets for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 5 red zone targets.
That came to 2.1 targets a game, a 74 percent catch rate and 11.2 yards a catch.
He was on the field for 27 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Jaylin Noel was available for 2 games more.
Head to head
In 2025 DK Metcalf scored 12.5 PPR points a game and Jaylin Noel 4.0, 8.5 a game between them.
DK Metcalf finished WR26 that year and Jaylin Noel WR91.
DK Metcalf had 64 more targets than Jaylin Noel, 99 to 35.
DK Metcalf had 558 more receiving yards than Jaylin Noel, 850 to 292.
This season DK Metcalf holds the bigger snap share, 95 percent against 44 percent.
This season DK Metcalf holds the bigger target share, 24 percent against 10 percent.
Byes and availability
DK Metcalf is off in Week 9 and Jaylin Noel in Week 8, so either can cover the other's bye.
Jaylin Noel is listed as ir on the injury report.
Both players in full
Week 8 on the board
- Is DK Metcalf playing Week 8?
- Is Jaylin Noel playing Week 8?
- Steelers depth chart
- Texans depth chart
- Week 8 WR rankings
- Week 8 fantasy rankings
- Week 8 start or sit
- Week 9 waiver wire
- Week 9 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 8
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 8 kicker rankings
- Week 8 defense rankings
