Start Gunnar Helm or Brevyn Spann-Ford? Week 8

Updated Oct 29, 1:21 AM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 9 answer posts Tuesday.

Start Gunnar Helm over Brevyn Spann-Ford

Start

Gunnar Helm

TE · TEN · at CIN

Market projects: 5.1; fantasy pts
CIN D vs TE: 15.7; 11th most to TEs (2026)
Upside: Moderate; 61 of 100 at TE
Snap share: 78%; Through Week 7
Target share: 9%; Through Week 7

Sit

Brevyn Spann-Ford

TE · DAL · vs ARI

Market projects: 4.4; fantasy pts
ARI D vs TE: 16.6; 7th most to TEs (2026)
Upside: Rising; 70 of 100 at TE
Snap share: 39%; Through Week 7
Target share: 5%; Through Week 7

Should I drop Brevyn Spann-Ford for Gunnar Helm?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Gunnar Helm projects 46 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (5.1 a game over 9 games), Brevyn Spann-Ford 27 (3.0 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Gunnar Helm over Brevyn Spann-Ford, 5.1 to 4.4 projected PPR points.

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Our Week 8 call

Start Gunnar Helm over Brevyn Spann-Ford in Week 8.

Market-based projections have Gunnar Helm at 5.1 points and Brevyn Spann-Ford at 4.4, a gap of 0.7. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 5.1 fantasy points for Gunnar Helm, with 100 percent of the markets a TE needs posted.

The market-based projection for Gunnar Helm is 17 receiving yards, 2-3 receptions and 0.2 touchdowns (12, 10 and 13 market sources).

Player markets imply 4.4 fantasy points for Brevyn Spann-Ford, with 100 percent of the markets a TE needs posted.

The market-based projection for Brevyn Spann-Ford is 16 receiving yards, 1-2 receptions and 0.2 touchdowns (6, 7 and 9 market sources).

That puts Gunnar Helm 0.7 points ahead of Brevyn Spann-Ford on the market projections.

Week 8 matchups

Gunnar Helm and TEN visit CIN on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

CIN allowed 15.7 fantasy points a game to TEs this season over 6 games, the 11th most in the league.

Tight ends caught passes for 85 yards and no touchdowns a game against CIN.

Brevyn Spann-Ford and DAL host ARI on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

ARI allowed 16.6 fantasy points a game to TEs this season over 7 games, the 7th most in the league.

Tight ends caught passes for 60 yards and 0.7 touchdowns a game against ARI.

By points allowed to the position, Brevyn Spann-Ford has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Gunnar Helm is not on the injury report.

Brevyn Spann-Ford is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, Gunnar Helm played 78 percent of TEN snaps, drew 9 percent of the targets, earned 6 percent of the air yards and had 5 percent of the red zone chances.

Gunnar Helm, Week 4 against BAL: 46 of 64 snaps, 1 target and 1 catch for 5 yards.

Gunnar Helm, Week 5 against HOU: 45 of 63 snaps, 1 target and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Gunnar Helm, Week 6 against IND: 33 of 46 snaps, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Gunnar Helm, Week 7 against CLE: 53 of 63 snaps, 4 targets and 3 catches for 24 yards.

Through Week 7, Brevyn Spann-Ford played 39 percent of DAL snaps, drew 5 percent of the targets, earned 2 percent of the air yards and had 1 percent of the red zone chances.

Brevyn Spann-Ford, Week 4 against HOU: 31 of 78 snaps, 1 target and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Brevyn Spann-Ford, Week 5 against TB: 20 of 60 snaps, 2 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Brevyn Spann-Ford, Week 6 against GB: 36 of 78 snaps, 5 targets and 4 catches for 35 yards.

Brevyn Spann-Ford, Week 7 against PHI: 36 of 68 snaps, 2 targets and 2 catches for 11 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Gunnar Helm played 16 games for TEN and scored 91.7 PPR points, 5.7 a game, finishing TE31.

He caught 44 of 55 targets for 357 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 7 red zone targets and 198 air yards.

He was on the field for 53 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Brevyn Spann-Ford played 17 games for DAL and scored 24.0 PPR points, 1.4 a game, finishing TE73.

He caught 9 of 13 targets for 90 yards and 1 touchdown, with 2 red zone targets and 57 air yards.

He was on the field for 25 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 8 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 8, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Brevyn Spann-Ford for Gunnar Helm?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Gunnar Helm projects 46 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (5.1 a game over 9 games), Brevyn Spann-Ford 27 (3.0 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Gunnar Helm over Brevyn Spann-Ford, 5.1 to 4.4 projected PPR points.
Should I drop Gunnar Helm for Brevyn Spann-Ford?
No. Keep Gunnar Helm: he projects 46 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (5.1 a game over 9 games), Brevyn Spann-Ford 27 (3.0 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Gunnar Helm over Brevyn Spann-Ford, 5.1 to 4.4 projected PPR points.