Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Top Players, Sleepers and Positional Guide

One of the best things about fantasy football is the unpredictability of it all.

Sure, you drafted players in the first or second round this past summer that have fell below expectations, which is never a good place to be, but there's nothing better than having one of your bench players step up and become a top scorer. 

We're looking at you, Michael Crabtree, Jack Doyle and Matt Ryan owners. 

Let's break down each position and take a look at the projected top players and biggest sleepers in fantasy football for Week 8. 

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Week 8 Opponent
1	Tom Brady	NE	@ BUF
2	Andrew Luck	IND	vs. KC
3	Matt Ryan	ATL	vs. GB
4	Aaron Rodgers	GB	@ ATL
5	Drew Brees	NO	vs. SEA
6	Cam Newton	CAR	vs. ARI
7	Russell Wilson	SEA	@ NO
8	Derek Carr	OAK	@ TB
9	Jameis Winston	TB	vs. OAK
10	Andy Dalton	CIN	vs. WAS
11	Matthew Stafford	DET	@ HOU
12	Marcus Mariota	TEN	vs. JAC

Top Player: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts (3-4) are not very good.

But quarterback Andrew Luck is very good.

Luck was the top-scoring quarterback in fantasy in Week 8, with 27.82 points in standard-scoring leagues. That was thanks to 353 passing yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. That's only Luck's third game of the season with no picks.

In fact, Luck is the second-best quarterback of the season in fantasy with 149.86 points so far. Sure, he's had four interceptions, but he's also had 14 touchdowns. 

The Colts host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8—a tough matchup against the league's 11th-ranked pass defense. But Luck and the Colts are at home, basking in the glow of a 34-26 win over the Tennessee Titans. And their shot at the playoffs may be on the line.

Expect Luck to deliver. 

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Week 8 Opponent
1	David Johnson	ARI	@ CAR
2	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	vs. PHI
3	DeMarco Murray	TEN	vs. JAC
4	Spencer Ware	KC	@ IND
5	Christine Michael	SEA	@ NO
6	Devonta Freeman	ATL	vs. GB
7	Lamar Miller	HOU	vs. DET
8	Jacquizz Rodgers	TB	vs. OAK
9	LeGarrette Blount	NE	@ BUF
10	Matt Forte	NYJ	@ CLE
11	Melvin Gordon	SD	@ DEN
12	C.J. Anderson	DEN	vs. SD
13	Frank Gore	IND	vs. KC
14	Jeremy Hill	CIN	vs. WAS
15	Mark Ingram	NO	vs. SEA
16	Latavius Murray	OAK	@ TB
17	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. WAS
18	Matt Jones	WAS	@ CIN
19	James White	NE	@ BUF
20	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	vs. NYJ
21	Jordan Howard	CHI	vs. MIN
22	Mike Gillislee	BUF	vs. NE
23	Ryan Mathews	PHI	@ DAL
24	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	@ CHI
25	Matt Asiata	MIN	@ CHI
26	LeSean McCoy	BUF	vs. NE
27	Chris Ivory	JAC	@ TEN
28	Devontae Booker	DEN	vs. SD
29	Duke Johnson	CLE	vs. NYJ
30	T.J. Yeldon	JAC	@ TEN
31	Chris Thompson	WAS	@ CIN
32	Knile Davis	GB	@ ATL

Top Sleeper: Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay's Jacquizz Rodgers is only owned in 53.4 percent of leagues heading into Week 8, so it's safe to say that few fantasy owners anticipated him becoming a workhorse back for the Bucs this year. 

Yet that seems to be what's happening; Rodgers has 56 carries in Tampa Bay's last two games, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times pointed out: 

Of course, it was Doug Martin's hamstring injury that opened the opportunity for Rodgers in the first place, and his fantasy dominance will be in question once the Bucs get a healthy Martin back. There's no update on Martin's status for Week 8, but if he's ruled out, you'd better have Rodgers ready to go on your bench. 

As it stands, though, NFL.com's Michael Fabiano likes Rodgers as an RB2 in Week 8, via NFL Fantasy Football:

Rodgers had 154 rushing yards and nine receiving yards in Week 7, good for 16.30 points.  

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Week 8 Opponent
1	Julio Jones	ATL	vs. GB
2	Mike Evans	TB	vs. OAK
3	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. WAS
4	T.Y. Hilton	IND	vs. KC
5	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	@ CLE
6	Amari Cooper	OAK	@ TB
7	Doug Baldwin	SEA	@ NO
8	Michael Crabtree	OAK	@ TB
9	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	@ CAR
10	Marvin Jones	DET	@ HOU
11	Jordy Nelson	GB	@ ATL
12	Randall Cobb	GB	@ ATL
13	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	vs. DET
14	Dez Bryant	DAL	vs. PHI
15	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. SD
16	Ty Montgomery	GB	@ ATL
17	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	vs. ARI
18	Brandin Cooks	NO	vs. SEA
19	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. SD
20	Allen Robinson	JAC	@ TEN
21	Terrelle Pryor	CLE	vs. NYJ
22	Julian Edelman	NE	@ BUF
23	Stefon Diggs	MIN	@ CHI
24	Will Fuller	HOU	vs. DET
25	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	vs. MIN
26	Jeremy Maclin	KC	@ IND
27	Golden Tate	DET	@ HOU
28	Jamison Crowder	WAS	@ CIN
29	Davante Adams	GB	@ ATL
30	Quincy Enunwa	NYJ	@ CLE
31	Michael Thomas	NO	vs. SEA
32	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	@ CHI

Top Sleeper: Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers wideouts have become tricky business in fantasy. You'll notice there are four of them included in the Week 8 top 32 players.

It used to be that fantasy owners could depend on Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb to rack up yards and touchdowns between the two of them, but as Green Bay has had to reinvent its passing game in the face of struggles over the last calendar year, Aaron Rodgers has had to change the way he uses his weapons, as well.

Ty Montgomery had a big day with the Packers in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears...as both a wide receiver and a running back, via the Packers' Twitter account:

Whether you start Montgomery in Week 8, however, might depend on which fantasy platform you use. ESPN fantasy has granted Montgomery running back eligibility, as ESPN's Matthew Berry shared on Twitter, making him a great flex option there.

But Yahoo Sports fantasy still lists Montgomery as only a wide receiver; in that case, he's an iffy start in Week 8 as a WR2, especially given the unexpected emergence and success of highly available targets such as San Diego's Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles' Kenny Britt and Green Bay's own Davante Adams. 

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Week 8 Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	@ BUF
2	Jimmy Graham	SEA	@ NO
3	Greg Olsen	CAR	vs. ARI
4	Travis Kelce	KC	@ IND
5	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. JAC
6	Jack Doyle	IND	vs. KC
7	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	@ CHI
8	C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	vs. DET
9	Hunter Henry	SD	@ DEN
10	Martellus Bennett	NE	@ BUF
11	Vernon Davis	WAS	@ CIN
12	Tyler Eifert	CIN	vs. WAS

Top Player: Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks

It's been a disappointing year-and-a-half for tight end Jimmy Graham since the New Orleans Saints traded him to the Seahawks.

Graham had just 605 yards and two touchdowns in the 2015 season before tearing his patellar tendon, and he has spent much of the 2016 season proving he can produce in Seattle post-injury. 

He's the 10th-ranked tight end in fantasy this season, with 44.80 points thanks to 408 yards and a touchdown. 

But now Graham faces his old team in Week 8, and expectations are high. The Saints are expecting their former tight end to be "determined" and "dangerous," as ESPN's Mike Triplett reported:

Graham actually has more receiving yards than all the tight ends ranked ahead of him this season, save for New England's Rob Gronkowski. If he can find the end zone versus New Orleans, he'll be more consistently ranked as a top target each week. Get ahead of the curve and play him in Week 8. 

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit	Week 8 Opponent
1	MIN	@ CHI
2	DEN	vs. SD
3	TEN	vs. JAC
4	KC	@ IND
5	NYJ	@ CLE
6	NE	@ BUF
7	ARI	@ CAR
8	SEA	@ NO
9	CIN	vs. WAS
10	HOU	vs. DET
11	PHI	@ DAL
12	OAK	@ TB

Top Unit: Minnesota Vikings

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

The Vikings boast the best defense in fantasy (and in the NFL) this season, with 91 total points.

Those points reflect 19 sacks, nine interceptions, seven fumble recoveries, a safety, two defensive touchdowns and allowing just 84 points on the year. That latter stat is tied with Seattle for the fewest in the league this season.

The Vikings, somewhat surprisingly, fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, allowing the Carson Wentz-led Eagles to score 21 points, while Minnesota's offense put up just 10. 

However, that shouldn't be a problem in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, who are averaging just 15.9 points per game—the lowest in the league. 

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Week 8 Opponent
1	Mason Crosby	GB	@ ATL
2	Adam Vinatieri	IND	vs. KC
3	Steven Hauschka	SEA	@ NO
4	Matt Bryant	ATL	vs. GB
5	Josh Lambo	SD	@ DEN
6	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	@ BUF
7	Blair Walsh	MIN	@ CHI
8	Dan Bailey	DAL	vs. PHI
9	Mike Nugent	CIN	vs. WAS
10	Cairo Santos	KC	@ IND
11	Brandon McManus	DEN	vs. SD
12	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	@ CIN

Top Player: Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts

James Kenney/Associated Press

There are no sure things in fantasy, but if you want reliability from week to week, it doesn't get much better than Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.

The veteran is the top-scoring kicker in fantasy this season by a wide margin, with 82 points on the year. The next-closest player is the San Diego Chargers' Josh Lambo, with 72 points.

Vinatieri has scored in the double digits in every week this season except for Week 3 against the Chargers.  

Rankings, scoring leaders, average draft position and ownership stats via NFL.com and current as of Wednesday, Oct. 26.