Prepare for the gauntlet. Week 8 marks the first of back-to-back weeks in which six teams relax at home while fantasy owners everywhere panic to fill their lineups.
Week 7 provided quite the slate with three teams putting up goose eggs and another five teams that scored 10 points or less. Let’s hope this week provides a little more scoring and a little less disappointment. On to the rankings!
Quarterback
Carson Wentz is the real deal after wowing viewers across the nation on Monday Night Football this past week. In my mind, Brady and Wentz are interchangeable at the top spot while being followed by a treasure trove of healthy matchups across the rest of the top 10. Andy Dalton is my big play this week after watching the Colts struggle to contain the likes of Blake Bortles who probably could have thrown for 500 yards had it not been for his team jumping out to a 20 point halftime lead.
Be weary of Deshaun Watson this week, as he heads to Seattle where the Seahawks blitz significantly more — a situation Watson has struggled with during his brief NFL career.
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Tom Brady | NE | LAC |
| 2 | Carson Wentz | PHI | SF |
| 3 | Drew Brees | NO | CHI |
| 4 | Kirk Cousins | WAS | DAL |
| 5 | Russell Wilson | SEA | HST |
| 6 | Dak Prescott | DAL | @WAS |
| 7 | Cam Newton | CAR | @TB |
| 8 | Philip Rivers | LAC | @NE |
| 9 | Andy Dalton | CIN | IND |
| 10 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | OAK |
| 11 | Jameis Winston | TB | CAR |
| 12 | Matt Ryan | ATL | @NYJ |
| 13 | Alex Smith | KC | DEN |
| 14 | Deshaun Watson | HST | @SEA |
| 15 | Matthew Stafford | DET | PIT |
| 16 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | @DET |
| 17 | Derek Carr | OAK | @BUF |
| 18 | Josh McCown | NYJ | ATL |
| 19 | Case Keenum | MIN | @CLV |
| 20 | C.J. Beathard | SF | @PHI |
| 21 | Trevor Siemian | DEN | @KC |
| 22 | Matt Moore | MIA | @BLT |
| 23 | Jacoby Brissett | IND | @CIN |
| 24 | Mitchell Trubisky | CHI | @NO |
| 25 | Joe Flacco | BLT | MIA |
Running Back
This week marks the first in a while that Kareem Hunt finds himself outside of the top 3. Devonta Freeman should enjoy some pass catching success this week against the Jets as the Falcons look to right the ship after last week’s loss to the Patriots. Legarrette Blount and Christian McCaffrey should both put up healthy games this week as solid RB2 options with RB1 upside.
Looking for a sleeper? Look no further than the other Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood, who should serve his 3rd down role well against a bad San Francisco run defense.
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Le’Veon Bell | PIT | @DET |
| 2 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | @WAS |
| 3 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | @NE |
| 4 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | OAK |
| 5 | Kareem Hunt | KC | DEN |
| 6 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @NYJ |
| 7 | Mark Ingram | NO | CHI |
| 8 | Jordan Howard | CHI | @NO |
| 9 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @PHI |
| 10 | Joe Mixon | CIN | IND |
| 11 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | @BLT |
| 12 | Lamar Miller | HST | @SEA |
| 13 | Alvin Kamara | NO | CHI |
| 14 | Chris Thompson | WAS | DAL |
| 15 | Doug Martin | TB | CAR |
| 16 | LeGarrette Blount | PHI | SF |
| 17 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | @CLV |
| 18 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | @KC |
| 19 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | @TB |
| 20 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | PIT |
| 21 | Jalen Richard | OAK | @BUF |
| 22 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @NYJ |
| 23 | Javorius Allen | BLT | MIA |
| 24 | Dion Lewis | NE | LAC |
| 25 | DeAndre Washington | OAK | @BUF |
| 26 | Matt Forte | NYJ | ATL |
| 27 | Frank Gore | IND | @CIN |
| 28 | Latavius Murray | MIN | @CLV |
| 29 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | ATL |
| 30 | Wendell Smallwood | PHI | SF |
| 31 | James White | NE | LAC |
| 32 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLV | MIN |
| 33 | Alex Collins | BLT | MIA |
| 34 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | @TB |
| 35 | Rob Kelley | WAS | DAL |
| 36 | Isaiah Crowell | CLV | MIN |
| 37 | Marlon Mack | IND | @CIN |
| 38 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | @NO |
| 39 | Theo Riddick | DET | PIT |
| 40 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | HST |
| 41 | Eddie Lacy | SEA | HST |
| 42 | Mike Gillislee | NE | LAC |
| 43 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | IND |
| 44 | Jamaal Charles | DEN | @KC |
| 45 | D’Onta Foreman | HST | @SEA |
| 46 | Rex Burkhead | NE | LAC |
| 47 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | IND |
| 48 | Matt Breida | SF | @PHI |
| 49 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | @NE |
| 50 | Mike Tolbert | BUF | OAK |
Wide Receiver
Give me A.J. Green shares everywhere you possibly can this week. Like Dalton, Green should have a field day against the Colts. Same should be said for Keenan Allen among top 10 options this week.
Kelvin Benjamin, Adam Thielen and Nelson Agholor are high on the radar this week thanks to some very enticing matchups. Since moving to the slot, Agholor has looked like a completely different player making the most of his opportunities with a huge differential between expected fantasy points per opportunity and actual points. The trend should continue with Wentz’s current success.
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Antonio Brown | PIT | @DET |
| 2 | A.J. Green | CIN | IND |
| 3 | Mike Evans | TB | CAR |
| 4 | Julio Jones | ATL | @NYJ |
| 5 | Dez Bryant | DAL | @WAS |
| 6 | Keenan Allen | LAC | @NE |
| 7 | Doug Baldwin | SEA | HST |
| 8 | Brandin Cooks | NE | LAC |
| 9 | DeAndre Hopkins | HST | @SEA |
| 10 | Michael Thomas | NO | CHI |
| 11 | Chris Hogan | NE | LAC |
| 12 | Demaryius Thomas | DEN | @KC |
| 13 | Jarvis Landry | MIA | @BLT |
| 14 | Alshon Jeffery | PHI | SF |
| 15 | Michael Crabtree | OAK | @BUF |
| 16 | Kelvin Benjamin | CAR | @TB |
| 17 | Tyreek Hill | KC | DEN |
| 18 | Adam Thielen | MIN | @CLV |
| 19 | Amari Cooper | OAK | @BUF |
| 20 | Pierre Garcon | SF | @PHI |
| 21 | Nelson Agholor | PHI | SF |
| 22 | DeSean Jackson | TB | CAR |
| 23 | Devin Funchess | CAR | @TB |
| 24 | T.Y. Hilton | IND | @CIN |
| 25 | Marvin Jones Jr. | DET | PIT |
| 26 | Stefon Diggs | MIN | @CLV |
| 27 | Will Fuller V | HST | @SEA |
| 28 | Ted Ginn Jr. | NO | CHI |
| 29 | Robby Anderson | NYJ | ATL |
| 30 | Kenny Stills | MIA | @BLT |
| 31 | Danny Amendola | NE | LAC |
| 32 | Mohamed Sanu | ATL | @NYJ |
| 33 | Josh Doctson | WAS | DAL |
| 34 | Paul Richardson | SEA | HST |
| 35 | Jermaine Kearse | NYJ | ATL |
| 36 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT | @DET |
| 37 | Tyrell Williams | LAC | @NE |
| 38 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | HST |
| 39 | Jeremy Maclin | BLT | MIA |
| 40 | Jordan Matthews | BUF | OAK |
| 41 | DeVante Parker | MIA | @BLT |
| 42 | Bennie Fowler III | DEN | @KC |
| 43 | Willie Snead IV | NO | CHI |
| 44 | Cole Beasley | DAL | @WAS |
| 45 | Marquise Goodwin | SF | @PHI |
| 46 | Jamison Crowder | WAS | DAL |
| 47 | Taylor Gabriel | ATL | @NYJ |
| 48 | Torrey Smith | PHI | SF |
| 49 | Kenny Golladay | DET | PIT |
| 50 | Terrelle Pryor Sr. | WAS | DAL |
Tight End
Another typical top three this week with a newcomer to the top five in Kyle Rudolph. Cleveland is a terrible team, but among their worst traits is defending tight ends — take advantage of this matchup wherever possible.
For a deep sleeper, look to Buffalo’s Nick O’Leary who should continue to get looks in the Bills’ offense with Tyrod Taylor prone to throwing short passes both in the flat and middle of the field.
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | LAC |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | DEN |
| 3 | Zach Ertz | PHI | SF |
| 4 | Jordan Reed | WAS | DAL |
| 5 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @CLV |
| 6 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | HST |
| 7 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | ATL |
| 8 | Hunter Henry | LAC | @NE |
| 9 | Cameron Brate | TB | CAR |
| 10 | Jason Witten | DAL | @WAS |
| 11 | Tyler Kroft | CIN | IND |
| 12 | George Kittle | SF | @PHI |
| 13 | Zach Miller | CHI | @NO |
| 14 | Jared Cook | OAK | @BUF |
| 15 | Ed Dickson | CAR | @TB |
| 16 | Austin Hooper | ATL | @NYJ |
| 17 | Benjamin Watson | BLT | MIA |
| 18 | Jack Doyle | IND | @CIN |
| 19 | O.J. Howard | TB | CAR |
| 20 | Vernon Davis | WAS | DAL |
| 21 | Nick O’Leary | BUF | OAK |
| 22 | Julius Thomas | MIA | @BLT |
| 23 | Coby Fleener | NO | CHI |
| 24 | Ryan Griffin | HST | @SEA |
| 25 | A.J. Derby | DEN | @KC |
Defense/Special Teams
Human turnover machine Deshone Kizer gets another start for the Browns making the Vikings the unanimous #1 overall defense this week. Cincinnati isn’t far behind in terms of what should be locks for collecting points from this volatile position. Meanwhile in the middle of the pack, keep an eye on Detroit — always consider Pittsburgh’s struggles on the road, but beyond this week they will take on the Packers, Browns and Bears in their next three games.
| Rank | Name | Opp |
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings | @CLV |
| 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | IND |
| 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | SF |
| 4 | Seattle Seahawks | HST |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | DEN |
| 6 | Baltimore Ravens | MIA |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | CHI |
| 8 | Miami Dolphins | @BLT |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | @DET |
| 10 | Carolina Panthers | @TB |
| 11 | Denver Broncos | @KC |
| 12 | Atlanta Falcons | @NYJ |
| 13 | Buffalo Bills | OAK |
| 14 | Detroit Lions | PIT |
| 15 | Houston Texans | @SEA |
| 16 | Chicago Bears | @NO |
| 17 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | CAR |
| 18 | Oakland Raiders | @BUF |
| 19 | New England Patriots | LAC |
| 20 | Cleveland Browns | MIN |
| 21 | New York Jets | ATL |
| 22 | Dallas Cowboys | @WAS |
| 23 | Washington Redskins | DAL |
| 24 | Indianapolis Colts | @CIN |
| 25 | Los Angeles Chargers | @NE |
(Rankings based on .5 PPR scoring)
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