Fantasy Football Week 8: Big Board and Advice for 'MNF'

I'm pretty sure Week 8 ruined a ton of fantasy football teams, seeing as multiple key players seemed to have suffered long-term injuries.

As we've already learned, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith has torn his Achilles and will miss the rest of the season, according to ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley. However, speculation now turns to whether or not Smith will return in 2016 after announcing that 2015 would be his last season.

Another injury owners are heartbroken over is Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell. As you likely saw from the never-ending replays, Bell went down very awkwardly and had his right knee landed on. He left the game, and according to Steelers Depot' Alex Kozora, Bell has a "badly torn" MCL and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

So, two top-tier running backs—Bell and Houston Texans star Arian Foster—have gone down with injuries over the past two weeks.

Looking ahead to Monday Night Football, the Indianapolis Colts will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on the Carolina Panthers.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has been tough to watch this season. Will he turn it around in Carolina? Probably not.

I'm taking the Panthers, 24-13.

Big Board

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Monday Night Big Board

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team
1	Greg Olsen	TE	Carolina Panthers
2	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina Panthers
3	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts
4	Jonathan Stewart	RB	Carolina Panthers
5	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts
6	Ted Ginn Jr.	WR	Carolina Panthers
7	Donte Moncrief	WR	Indianapolis Colts
8	Frank Gore	RB	Indianapolis Colts
9	Coby Fleener	TE	Indianapolis Colts
10	Andre Johnson	WR	Indianapolis Colts

Injury Report

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts

Player		Status
Phillip Dorsett	WR	Out
Mike Adams	SS	Questionable

Carolina Panthers

Clean injury report

Injury reports courtesy of ESPN.com.

Quarterbacks

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck

Coming into Week 8, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is averaging over 20 fantasy points per game, though he has missed two games this season due to injury.

Luck has thrown for over 300 yards in his past two games. However, he'll be going up against a Panthers defense that is the second-stingiest unit against opposing quarterbacks, giving up just five total passing touchdowns and surrendering an average of 245 passing yards per game.

Luck will struggle against this formidable foe.

Projections: 235 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 15 rushing yards

Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton

Believe it or not, and say what you want, but the Carolina Panthers are 6-0.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been having a stellar season, running for a touchdown in four of his last five games.

The lack of weapons has been no secret, but Newton is just able to get it done.

The Colts lead the league in surrendering plays of 25 or more yards, and we may see Newton fling it more often than we're used to. Either way, Newton could turn in a top-10 fantasy performance at the quarterback position.

Projections: 240 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 40 rushing yards

Running Backs

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts Starter: Frank Gore

Looking at the stat sheet, Colts running back Frank Gore is having a solid season, as he's averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

However, Gore has received 20 or more carries just once this season.

The Panthers defense seems to be completely healthy, and that will not bode well for Gore.

Projections: 50 total yards, 2 receptions

Carolina Panthers: Jonathan Stewart

Heading into Week 8, the Colts are giving up an average of over 104 rushing yards per game.

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart has been on an absolute tear lately, running for over 100 yards in Week 7 and scoring two touchdowns in Week 6.

The Colts gave up over 10 yards per carry to New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram in Week 7. Expect a fine game from Stewart.

Projections: 88 total yards, 1 reception, 1 TD

Wide Receivers

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts: T.Y. Hilton

Running nearly 40 percent of his routes out of the slot, Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton should be able to avoid Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. Just like we consider benching wide receivers if they go up against Darrelle Revis, we need to put Norman in the same company.

Because he's able to avoid Norman, Hilton will be the beneficiary of Luck's lone touchdown strike.

Projections: 5 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 1 TD

Indianapolis Colts: Donte Moncrief

Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief is going to have a long night. Why? Well, he appears to be the lucky guy set to deal with Norman on Monday Night Football.

Moncrief is a low-end WR2 option going up against Norman. Proceed with caution.

Projections: 4 receptions, 45 receiving yards

Carolina Panthers: Ted Ginn Jr.

Remember earlier when the whole "Colts giving up long plays" stat was put out there? Well, Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. could, and probably will become a part of that statistic.

Ginn appears to be the No. 1 wide receiver on the Panthers as well.

Projections: 4 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 1 TD

Tight Ends

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts: Coby Fleener

Seemingly the tight end option on the Colts roster, Coby Fleener hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4.

Where the Colts have both Fleener and fellow tight end Dwayne Allen, picking the right Colts tight end is always a fun game.

However, the Panthers are pretty stiff competition against opposing tight ends, giving up just four receptions per game to the position.

Fleener is a TE2.

Projections: 3 receptions, 30 receiving yards

Carolina Panthers: Greg Olsen

Truly the top pass-catching option for the Panthers, tight end Greg Olsen is a top-tier tight end option each week.

The Colts give up over 60 yards per game to the position, but Olsen is in a much different circumstance. He plays nearly every snap and has seen double-digit targets in half of his team's games this season.

It's a no-brainer here—start Olsen with confidence.

Projections: 7 receptions, 70 receiving yards, 1 TD

Defense/Special Teams

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts Defense/Special Teams

Giving up an average of nearly 25 points per game, the Indianapolis Colts are a fairly mediocre defense. The real bright spot on this defense—cornerback Vontae Davis—has had a solid year, but still ranks 18th among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's versatility is going to be too much for this defense in a losing effort.

Projections: 24 points allowed, 1 INT

Carolina Panthers Defense/Special Teams 

The Carolina Panthers manhandled the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Sam Bradford in Week 7, and they run into another quarterback who has had his fair share of turnover issues in Week 8.

When you have a cornerback like Josh Norman on your side, a pick-six can happen at any time.

Projections: 13 points allowed, 1 INT

Best Sleeper Add

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers (Owned in 37.8 percent of ESPN Leagues)

Going up against a team in the Indianapolis Colts that gives up the long ball more often than any other team in the sport, Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. should be able to use his speed to exploit this secondary. Don't be afraid to start him this week.

Start or Sit?

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

While Colts running back Frank Gore has been fairly efficient to this point, he's going to run into a brick wall in Week 8.

Verdict: Sit

Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers

He's my top sleeper add, and I'm pegging him to score a touchdown. If that's not enough for you, what is?

Verdict: Start

All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Pro-Football-Reference and Sporting Charts. Fantasy numbers courtesy of ESPN.com.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.