Week 8 Fantasy Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy QB Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Josh Allen (vs. GB)
Tier 2
Jalen Hurts (vs. PIT)
Tier 3
Lamar Jackson (@ TB)
Joe Burrow (@ CLE)
Kyler Murray (@ MIN)
Tier 4
Tua Tagovailoa (@ DET)
Dak Prescott (vs. CHI)
Kirk Cousins (vs. ARI)
Tier 5
Derek Carr (@ NO)
Geno Smith (vs. NYG)
Tom Brady (vs. BAL)
Daniel Jones (@ SEA)
Jared Goff (vs. MIA)
Trevor Lawrence (vs. DEN)
Tier 6
Jimmy Garoppolo (@ LAR)
Jacoby Brissett (vs. CIN)
Sam Ehlinger (vs. WAS)
Matthew Stafford (vs. SF)
Andy Dalton (vs. LV)
Marcus Mariota (vs. CAR)
Justin Fields (@ DAL)
Tier 7
Taylor Heinicke (@ IND)
Russell Wilson (@ JAX)
Kenny Pickett (@ PHI)
Aaron Rodgers (@ BUF)
Davis Mills (vs. TEN)
Bailey Zappe (@ NYJ)
Tier 8
Ryan Tannehill (@ HOU)
Zach Wilson (vs. NE)
Tier 9
P.J. Walker (@ ATL)
Daniel Jones tapped into his massive rushing upside last week and ran 11 times for 107 yards and a score. He has now cleared 65 rushing yards in 3 of 7 games this season and faces a Seahawks defense that allowed Kyler Murray to rush for 100 yards two weeks ago. Jones is the top streaming option for Week 8.
As someone who projects every game/player in the preseason and subsequently watches most of every game, I was extremely excited when Matt Ryan was benched for Sam Ehlinger.
Ehlinger plays with reckless abandon and has the dual-threat ability we salivate over in fantasy. Don’t take my word on his rushing ability, see it for yourself:
https://twitter.com/nfl/status/1563697752952844288
Ehlinger’s ability to scramble, escape pressure and his strong arm also allows for him to buy time and make throws like this:
https://twitter.com/nfl/status/1431412198262198274
Ehlinger has a favorable matchup for his Week 8 start, the Commanders are stout against the run (fourth in DVOA) but have struggled against the pass (29th in DVOA). I view Ehlinger as a mid-range QB2 who has top-10 upside. How he performs this week will dictate how many more starts he gets for the rest of the season.
Fantasy RB Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Derrick Henry (@ HOU)
Josh Jacobs (@ NO)
Saquon Barkley (@ SEA)
Tier 2
Christian McCaffrey (@ LAR)
Alvin Kamara (vs. LV)
Travis Etienne (vs. DEN)
Kenneth Walker (vs. NYG)
Dalvin Cook (vs. ARI)
Dameon Pierce (vs. TEN)
Nick Chubb (vs. CIN)
Joe Mixon (@ CLE)
Tier 3
Leonard Fournette (vs. BAL)
Jonathan Taylor (vs. WAS)
Raheem Mostert (@ DET)
Rhamondre Stevenson (@ NYJ)
Miles Sanders (vs. PIT)
Tier 4
Ezekiel Elliott (vs. CHI)
Michael Carter (vs. NE)
Aaron Jones (@ BUF)
Devin Singletary (vs. GB)
Najee Harris (@ PHI)
Tier 5
Tyler Allgeier (vs. CAR)
D’Andre Swift (vs. MIA)
Tier 6
Tony Pollard (vs. CHI)
David Montgomery (@ DAL)
Darrell Henderson (vs. SF)
Melvin Gordon (@ JAX)
Damien Harris (@ NYJ)
James Conner (@ MIN)
Kareem Hunt (vs. CIN)
Brian Robinson Jr. (@ IND)
D’Onta Foreman (@ ATL)
Gus Edwards (@ TB)
Jamaal Williams (vs. MIA)
Latavius Murray (@ JAX)
Tier 7
Chuba Hubbard (@ ATL)
Eno Benjamin (@ MIN)
A.J. Dillon (@ BUF)
Tier 8
Antonio Gibson (@ IND)
Chase Edmonds (@ DET)
Khalil Herbert (@ DAL)
Rachaad White (vs. BAL)
Tier 9
Rex Burkhead (vs. TEN)
Nyheim Hines (vs. WAS)
Jeffery Wilson (@ LAR)
Dontrell Hilliard (@ HOU)
Caleb Huntley (vs. CAR)
Tier 10
Mark Ingram (vs. LV)
Kenyan Drake (@ TB)
J.D. McKissic (@ IND)
Alexander Mattison (vs. ARI)
James Robinson (vs. NE)
Malcolm Brown (vs. SF)
Kenneth Gainwell (vs. PIT)
Samaje Perine (@ CLE)
JaMycal Hasty (vs. DEN)
Jaylen Warren (@ PHI)
It was devastating to see Breece Hall tear his ACL in the midst of his breakout. He’s going to be a stud and hopefully he’s 100% by Week 1 of the 2023 season. Fortunately, we have a couple of other rookie RBs who look set to provide RB1 value rest of season in Dameon Pierce and Kenneth Walker. You can also include Travis Etienne who redshirted his true rookie season.
Rhamondre Stevenson seems to have leapfrogged Damien Harris as the lead back on early downs, while also continuing to dominate passing down work. He will settle in as an every week high-end RB2 if this trend continues and there’s even a chance that the Patriots end up trading Harris away, which would instantly make Stevenson a potential top 5 back. His stock continues to soar.
Michael Carter was going to offer high end RB2 value with Breece Hall out for the season, but after the Jets traded for James Robinson it likely means Carter will be more on the RB2/3 fringe. It could take Robinson a couple of weeks to have a big enough role to really eat into Carter’s workload, so he should be viewed as a mid-range RB2 in the meantime.
Ezekiel Elliott is dealing with a knee injury and his Week 8 status is up in the air. If he’s ruled out, Tony Pollard would potentially be a top-five back this week. Even if ‘Zeke suits up, Pollard should see an increased workload as the Cowboys will likely lean on the run game as 9.5-point favorites against the Bears.
Chuba Hubbard got the start for the Panthers in the first game post-CMC trade, but was forced out of the game due to an ankle injury. It’s not believed to be serious and he should be good to go for Week 8. D’Onta Foreman benefited from the positive game script Hubbard’s departure to rush for 15/118/0 while chipping in two catches for 27 yards receiving.
Considering the Panthers will likely be involved in more trailing game scripts going forward, I would give the slight edge to Hubbard for the rest of the season since he should see more of the passing-down work. However, with a more neutral game script expected against the Falcons and Hubbard possibly being less than 100% due to his ankle injury (assuming he plays), Foreman is the preferred play this week.
Khalil Herbert’s role continues to grow and the Bears backfield is slowly turning into a true RBBC. Rachaad White is quietly doing the same in the Bucs backfield. Both backs carry RB2+ upside if the starting back were ever to miss time, but they will become extremely valuable backs to have if they sneak into the RB3/Flex discussion even while the starters are healthy. They aren’t quite in the same tier of backup RBs as Pollard/A.J. Dillon/Kareem Hunt right now, but they are getting close.
It looks like Cam Akers will be held out again this week, and it seems likely he’s played his last snap for the Rams. Darrell Henderson is likely owned in every competitive league by now, but Malcolm Brown would be a sneaky RB stash if he’s still available. I wouldn’t drop someone like Pollard to add him of course, but there is a chance Brown could see a role big enough to provide RB3/Flex value even if Henderson is fully healthy the rest of the season. He would have RB2/3 value in Henderson was ever to miss time. You can’t say that about many backs widely available this time of year.
Fantasy WR Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Tyreek Hill (@ DET)
Justin Jefferson (vs. ARI)
Stefon Diggs (vs. GB)
Cooper Kupp (vs. SF)
Tier 2
Davante Adams (@ NO)
Ja’Marr Chase (@ CLE)
Tier 3
A.J. Brown (vs. PIT)
Deebo Samuel (@ LAR)
Tee Higgins (@ CLE)
CeeDee Lamb (vs. CHI)
Tier 4
Tyler Lockett (vs. NYG)
Chris Godwin (vs. BAL)
DeAndre Hopkins (@ MIN)
Amon-Ra St. Brown (vs. MIA)
Mike Evans (vs. BAL)
Jaylen Waddle (@ DET)
Amari Cooper (vs. CIN)
Tier 5
Brandin Cooks (vs. TEN)
D.J. Moore (@ ATL)
Christian Kirk (vs. DEN)
Michael Pittman Jr. (vs. WAS)
Courtland Sutton (@ JAX)
Gabe Davis (vs. GB)
Adam Thielen (vs. ARI)
DeVonta Smith (vs. PIT)
Tier 6
Chris Olave (vs. LV)
Brandon Aiyuk (@ LAR)
Wan’Dale Robinson (@ SEA)
Robert Woods (@ HOU)
Diontae Johnson (@ PHI)
Jerry Jeudy (@ JAX)
Drake London (vs. CAR)
Terry McLaurin (@ IND)
Tier 7
Jakobi Meyers (@ NYJ)
Donovan Peoples-Jones (vs. CIN)
Romeo Doubs (@ BUF)
Michael Gallup (vs. CHI)
Rondale Moore (@ MIN)
Tyler Boyd (@ CLE)
Zay Jones (vs. DEN)
Noah Brown (vs. CHI)
Allen Lazard (@ BUF)
Darnell Mooney (@ DAL)
Josh Reynolds (vs. MIA)
Michael Thomas (vs. LV)
Chase Claypool (@ PHI)
Rashod Bateman (@ TB)
Alec Pierce (vs. WAS)
George Pickens (@ PHI)
Tier 8
Curtis Samuel (@ IND)
Hunter Renfrow (@ NO)
Garrett Wilson (vs. NE)
Kalif Raymond (vs. MIA)
Marvin Jones (vs. DEN)
Mack Hollins (@ NO)
Devin Duvernay (@ TB)
Isaiah McKenzie (vs. GB)
Olamide Zaccheaus (vs. CAR)
Darius Slayton (@ SEA)
Parris Campbell (vs. WAS)
Tier 9
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (@ HOU)
Marcus Johnson (@ SEA)
Allen Robinson (vs. SF)
Marquise Goodwin (vs. NYG)
Jarvis Landry (vs. LV)
K.J. Osborn (vs. ARI)
DeVante Parker (@ NYJ)
Chris Moore (vs. TEN)
Tyquan Thornton (@ NYJ)
Sammy Watkins (@ BUF)
Robbie Anderson (@ MIN)
Jahan Dotson (@ IND)
Phillip Dorsett (vs. TEN)
Terrace Marshall (@ ATL)
Braxton Berrios (vs. NE)
Elijah Moore (vs. NE)
Van Jefferson (vs. SF)
D.J. Moore is back in the WR2 discussion this week after posting a 7/69/1 receiving line and dominating the Panthers target share (42%) following the Christian McCaffrey trade. P.J. Walker will remain as the starter, for now, which is good news for Moore’s short-term value. At this point we have to wonder if/when Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold potentially make a start in the coming weeks if that will be a hit to Moore’s value.
Michael Pittman Jr. takes a slight hit with Sam Ehlinger under center this week. The Colts will likely be a bit more run heavy, and Ehlinger’s willingness to pull it down and pick up yards will eat into the overall passing volume. Plus, anytime you have a new QB under center, it can shake up the target distribution, which may only hurt a player like Pittman who has seen a 21% target per route run rate this year. There’s certainly a chance the QB change helps Pittman, but for the first week we need to be a bit cautious and view him as a mid-range WR2.
Wan’Dale Robinson was healthy enough to see his route participation jump up from 34% to 78% last week, and he cashed in with a 6/50/0 receiving line. With Daniel Bellinger (eye) expected to miss some time, it could lead to Robinson picking up an extra target or two as Daniel Jones’ clear No. 1 target.
Drake London’s underlying usage has been phenomenal this season, but the Falcons have been running the ball at a ridiculously high rate, even when trailing this year. I don’t expect that to change this week as they are 4.5-point favorites against the Panthers.
Right now, we are rooting for Desmond Ridder to take over sooner rather than later and for the Falcons to become a bit more balanced. In the meantime, we are witnessing two phenomenal pass catchers in London and Kyle Pitts held back by the current scheme.
Alec Pierce could be a sneaky WR4 play this week, as he could benefit from having the QB change and end up being one of Ehlinger’s top targets. Pierce is coming off a season high 96% route participation and has a ton of upside as a full-time player.
George Pickens is someone who might be worth buying high on right now. Anyone who rostered him knows how much potential he has and might be stubborn about departing with him, but there is a chance Chase Claypool gets traded and becoming an every week WR2/3 option would be in his range of outcomes if that were to happen.
Fantasy TE Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Mark Andrews (@ TB)
Tier 2
Dallas Goedert (vs. PIT)
Zach Ertz (@ MIN)
George Kittle (@ LAR)
Tier 3
T.J. Hockenson (vs. MIA)
Tyler Higbee (vs. SF)
Tier 4
Taysom Hill (vs. LV)
Kyle Pitts (vs. CAR)
Pat Freiermuth (@ PHI)
Hayden Hurst (@ CLE)
Dawson Knox (vs. GB)
Evan Engram (vs. DEN)
Tier 5
Greg Dulcich (@ JAX)
Darren Waller (@ NO)
Dalton Schultz (vs. CHI)
Irv Smith Jr. (vs. ARI)
Hunter Henry (@ NYJ)
Harrison Bryant (vs. CIN)
Tier 6
Noah Fant (vs. NYG)
Robert Tonyan Jr. (@ BUF)
Mike Gesicki (@ DET)
Will Dissly (vs. NYG)
Tier 7
Tyler Conklin (vs. NE)
Cade Otton (vs. BAL)
Cole Kmet (@ DAL)
Jordan Akins (vs. TEN)
Juwan Johnson (vs. LV)
Logan Thomas (@ IND)
Austin Hooper (@ HOU)
It’s going to be tough to trust either Darren Waller or Dalton Schultz until we see them closer to full health and able to make it through a full game. They’re sneaky buy-low candidates if you are in a situation where you can afford to stash a potential late-season top-five TE without harming your chances of making the playoffs.
In the meantime, I would rather start Greg Dulcich, who is fully healthy and is seeing solid underlying usage. He has top-10 upside for the rest of season if/when Russell Wilson breaks out of his slump.
Harrison Bryant will operate as the Browns‘ lead TE as long as David Njoku is out of the lineup. He’s a fairly safe TE2 option. Foster Moreau would also provide similar value if Waller is held out again this week.
Noah Fant should see an increase in target share with DK Metcalf expected to miss some time. Fant has seen a 26% target per route run rate the last three games and could be Geno Smith’s No. 2 target this week.
Mike Gesicki could be on the trade block and depending on the landing spot, he could end up providing TE1/2 fringe value for the rest of the season. I wouldn’t go overboard in trying to stash him outside of TE-premium deeper leagues, but we could see his value shoot up if he goes to a TE needy team.