2026 Week 8 Fantasy Football Breaking News: Daniel Jones Benched, Anthony Richardson Sr. Re-enters Picture

According to ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports), Colts head coach Shane Steichen said the team is "evaluating everything" after Sunday's 42-7 loss to the Jaguars — a loss that ended with Daniel Jones on the bench and Anthony Richardson Sr. taking snaps in his place. Jones was pulled in the fourth quarter after his second interception of the game, marking Richardson's first action of the 2026 season.

Daniel Jones

Jones is a drop or benching candidate in any fantasy format right now. Steichen declined to commit to him as the starter going forward, and the source story notes he "bares almost no resemblance" to the quarterback who helped the Colts start strong in 2025 — possibly still hampered by the torn Achilles that ended that season. With no confirmed starter and a "we'll evaluate everything" non-answer from the coach, Jones carries massive uncertainty heading into a Week 9 home game against the Cowboys. Don't start him until there's clarity.

Anthony Richardson Sr.

Richardson re-entered the conversation in a real way on Sunday. He's a 2023 first-round pick on a rookie deal that's running out, and the story notes there's already speculation about whether he'll reclaim the starting job. If Steichen makes a change, Richardson would be next in line for the starting role — and as a rushing quarterback, he carries standalone fantasy upside that Jones does not. Nothing is confirmed yet, but Richardson is worth stashing in deeper leagues right now. Watch for any depth chart news out of Indianapolis this week.

Riley Leonard is listed third on the depth chart behind both quarterbacks. If the Colts decide to move on from both Jones and Richardson — unlikely but possible given the broader "evaluating everything" language — Leonard would be next in line for snaps, though he has no usage this season to point to as a fantasy indicator.