Fantasy Football Week 8: Top 50 Players for Flex and PPR Rankings

Week 8's byes will prove much easier for most fantasy football players to manage.

Three undefeated teams took Week 7 off, and that doesn't include Matt Forte's Chicago Bears. Gamers were forced to make do without the Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos, even if they secretly welcomed the excuse to bench Peyton Manning.

Anyone ransacked by byes this weekend probably isn't enjoying the best year. While the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins feature useful pieces, missing Jordan Matthews or T.J. Yeldon isn't a crushing hindrance.

As several stars return to the fold, let's take an early look at Week 8's flex rankings for standard and point-per-reception participants:

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
2	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
3	Todd Gurley, RB, STL	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
4	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
5	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
6	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
7	Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
8	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET	Todd Gurley, RB, STL
9	Matt Forte, RB, CHI	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
10	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
11	Doug Martin, RB, TB	Matt Forte, RB, CHI
12	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
13	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA
14	Keenan Allen, WR, SD	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
15	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	Doug Martin, RB, TB
16	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
17	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
18	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
19	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
20	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
21	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
22	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
23	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
24	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
25	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI	Dion Lewis, RB, NE
26	Randall Cobb, WR, GB	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
27	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
28	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ
29	Dion Lewis, RB, NE	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
30	Frank Gore, RB, IND	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
31	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	Mike Evans, WR, TB
32	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI
33	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
34	Charcandrick West, RB, KC	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
35	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN	Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL
36	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
37	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	Frank Gore, RB, IND
38	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
39	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN	Duke Johnson Jr., RB, CLE
40	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN
41	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT	John Brown, WR, ARI
42	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
43	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
44	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
45	Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
46	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
47	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
48	Alfred Blue, RB, HOU	Charcandrick West, RB, KC
49	John Brown, WR, ARI	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN
50	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	Rishard Matthews, WR, MIA

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

One poor game as the Kansas City Chiefs starting running back immediately pushed Charcandrick West into bust territory. If he's not going to magically transform into Jamaal Charles instantaneously, why did anyone bother adding him in the first place?

Those who remained patient saw why they wanted West. A starting running back is the ultimate fantasy possession, especially when given regular touches. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Charles' replacement turned 22 carries into 110 rushing yards and his first career touchdown.

A week removed from compiling 39 yards on 10 touches, West's breakout afternoon caught several observers by surprise, but not the undrafted 24-year-old. Per the Kansas City Star's Vahe Gregorian, West could have helped his fantasy investors by revealing his prediction.

“Jamaal told us last week … to write on a piece of paper what you’re going to do,” West said, “and I wrote 100 yards and a touchdown down.”

Most importantly for his future value, Week 7 shattered any illusions of a committee unfolding in Kansas City's backfield. Knile Davis received one handoff during the Chiefs' 23-13 victory, failing to vulture West's one-yard score. Such usage justifies the waiver-wire bidding war spurred by Charles' season-ending ACL tear.

The Detroit Lions also present a better matchup than Pittsburgh, allowing 123.4 rushing yards per game and 10 scores on the ground, tied for an NFL-high Atlanta Falcons. Just as one subpar game didn't make West a dud, one great one doesn't vault him into a superstar. Anyone projected to receive 15-25 touches against an exploitable opponent, however, falls comfortably into starting territory.

Following another stellar display, Stefon Diggs has etched out a permanent spot on the season's flex rankings. The rookie continued to shine with six catches, 108 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown over the Lions.

After blowing free from the secondary, Diggs bailed out Teddy Bridgewater by diving for an overthrown pass on the run, securing his first career end-zone visit.

Through three games, the new arrival has corralled 19 catches for 324 yards, which prorates to 101 receptions and 1,728 yards over 16 games. He has won over the fantasy community, drawing praise from Footballguys.com's Sigmund Bloom and NFL.com's Matt Harmon:

OK, so three games is too soon to anoint him a savior. But here's the list of wideouts registering more yards per game: Alshon Jeffery (through two weeks) and DeAndre Hopkins. A lucrative matchup this weekend only sweetens the pot.

According to ESPN.com, the Bears have allowed the NFL's sixth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Only the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens have yielded as many touchdowns to wideouts (11) as Chicago, and Mike Wallace represents Minnesota's only other receiver with a 2015 score. Diggs is currently a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver who may finish the season as a top-15 option.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

He's not a young stud doused in hype like Diggs, but Eric Decker keeps producing. In his first game of the season shielded from the end zone, the New York Jets wide receiver caught six passes for 94 yards against the New England Patriots.

This is hardly out of nowhere. In his first season away from Manning's Broncos, Decker posted a quiet 962 yards and five touchdowns on 74 receptions. Now he's averaging 4.8 catches and 66.6 yards per game with four scores. 

Even if he's not as alluring a PPR option as teammate Brandon Marshall, no other Jets receiver has double-digit catches this season. New York's offense is a fantasy manager's dream, virtually ignoring everyone other than Decker, Marshall and running back Chris Ivory.

The Oakland Raiders, ranked No. 14 in opposing yards per attempt, present a neutral matchup. But according to Football Outsiders, they rate No. 20 in Defensive-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) against No. 2 wideouts with 69.3 yards relinquished per game. Besides, Decker has earned enough trust to utilize against all but the most treacherous opponents.