Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings: Projections and Matchups to Love
Week 8 kicked off with the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. It's going to be a pivotal week for many fantasy football managers, and quite a few could be playing catch-up on Sunday and Monday.
The good news is that all 32 teams will be in action this week, which means most managers will have their top options available. Of course, that doesn't mean that every lineup decision will be an easy one.
Below, you'll find a look at our top plays at each key position—quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end—for the remaining Week 8 schedule. You'll also find our favorite matchups of the week, along with projections for the players we love most.
All rankings and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
Quarterback
1 of 4
1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 275 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 45 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 255 passing yards, 3 TDs, 67 rushing yards
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: 280 passing yards, 2 TDs, 48 rushing yards
4. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: 313 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 26 rushing yards
5. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears: 342 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 15 rushing yards
6. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: 333 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 12 rushing yards
7. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: 276 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 16 rushing yards
8. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: 209 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 66 rushing yards
9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: 249 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 22 rushing yards
10. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons: 312 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Matchup to Love: Jalen Hurts at Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't post the most impressive passing numbers (114 yards, 1 TD) during last week's blowout win over the New York Giants. However, he did rush for a pair of scores.
Against a potent Cincinnati Bengals offense this week Hurts will likely need to put a little more emphasis on his passing game. Fortunately, he has both A.J. Brown and DeVana Smith back in the lineup.
Hurts also faces a very favorable matchup. The Bengals have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season—and that's after playing underwhelming offenses in back-to-back weeks.
Cincinnati faced the Giants (sans Malik Nabers) in Week 6 and the Cleveland Browns in Week 7. The Giants and Browns rank 30th and 29th in scoring offense, respectively.
Running Back
2 of 4
1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles: 6 receptions, 178 scrimmage yards, 2 TDs
2. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens: 2 receptions, 188 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
3. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks: 4 receptions, 134 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
4. Breece Hall, New York Jets: 5 receptions, 109 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
5. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: 6 receptions, 92 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
6. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans: 5 receptions, 98 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
7. Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers: 2 receptions, 122 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
8. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: 6 receptions, 69 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
9. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins: 5 receptions, 72 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
10. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers: 5 receptions, 148 scrimmage yards
Matchup to Love: Kenneth Walker III vs. Buffalo Bills
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Baltimore Ravens back Derrick Henry have become weekly must-starts in fantasy this season. Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III isn't there quite yet, but he's getting close.
Walker missed two games with an obliques injury, but when healthy, he's been fantastic. His "worst" outing of the year was a seven-reception, 76-yard game against the Giants in Week 5. Walker has found the end zone in every other game this season and has tallied no fewer than two receptions or 69 scrimmage yards in a game.
This week, Walker and the Seahawks will host the Buffalo Bills. While Buffalo is one of the better teams in its conference, it's done a poor job of limiting opposing ball carriers.
Only the Carolina Panthers have allowed more fantasy points to RBs this season than the Bills. Walker should challenge for the RB1 spot in fantasy this week.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
1. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: 9 receptions, 162 yards, 1 TD
2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: 8 receptions, 157 yards, 1 TD
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: 9 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD
4. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys: 7 receptions, 122 yards, 1 TD
5. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons: 6 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD
6. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins: 5 receptions, 128 yards, 1 TD
7. Malik Nabers, New York Giants: 6 receptions, 106 yards, 1 TD
8. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans: 6 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD
9. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers: 5 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD
10. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears: 5 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD
Matchup to Love: Jayden Reed at Jacksonville Jaguars
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed probably won't be the top WR in fantasy this week. However, we're inclined to highlight his status and his matchup.
Reed has been dealing with an ankle injury (suffered in Week 6) and is coming off an underwhelming two-catch, 10-yard performance. However, he's remained a big part of the offensive game plan.
Last week, Reed was targeted four times and played 74 percent of the offensive snaps.
The second-year receiver should be healthier than he was last week and back to the level of production in Weeks 4-6. He caught touchdown passes in two of three games during that stretch and had four catches for 78 yards in the other one.
This week, Reed and the Packers will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs.
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Tight End
4 of 4
1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: 9 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: 6 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD
3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: 5 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD
4. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: 6 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
5. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars: 6 receptions, 88 yards
6. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers: 3 receptions, 34 yards, 1 TD
7. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns: 6 receptions, 63 yards
8. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons: 5 receptions, 69 yards
9. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys: 6 receptions, 58 yards
10. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions: 4 receptions, 52 yards
Matchup to Love: Brock Bowers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Rookie Brock Bowers was already playing like one of the league's top tight ends before the Las Vegas Raiders traded away receiver Davante Adams. Now, the Georgia product is firmly entrenched as Las Vegas' top receiving option.
"Even when he's covered, he's open," Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.
Over the past three weeks, Bowers has seen no fewer than 10 targets, eight receptions or 71 receiving yards. He's now on pace for over1,100 yards, which would break Mike Ditka's rookie record that has stood since 1961.
Expect Bowers to put up more prolific numbers on Sunday against a Kansas City Chiefs team that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2024.
*Fantasy scoring information via FantasyPros.
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