Week 8 Fantasy Football Projections: Stat Predictions for Top 100 Players

With another chapter of the 2013 fantasy football season in the books, it's time to check out some early stat projections for the top 100 players in Week 8.

Since six teams are on a bye week, fantasy football general managers everywhere will have to reach into their bag of tricks and pull out one heck of a lineup in order to secure a win.

So what are you waiting for? Start the slideshow below and check out stat projections for the top 100 fantasy football players in Week 8.

*All stats and fantasy football scoring information courtesy of ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.

*All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless noted otherwise.

Quarterback

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.		Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Interceptions	Rushing Yards
1	Peyton Manning, DEN	WAS		360	4	0	0
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	MIN		318	3	0	25
3	Drew Brees, NO	BUF		338	3	1	4
4	Matthew Stafford, DET	DAL		310	3	0	12
5	Tony Romo, DAL	DET		325	3	1	3
6	Robert Griffin III, WAS	DEN		290	3	1	68
7	Cam Newton, CAR	TB		245	2	0	52
8	Russell Wilson, SEA	STL		254	2	0	47
9	Michael Vick, PHI*	NYG		238	2	0	41
10	Matt Ryan, ATL	ARI		282	2	0	0
11	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	OAK		280	2	0	11
12	Tom Brady, NE	MIA		278	2	0	8
13	Eli Manning, NYG	PHI		271	3	2	0
14	Colin Kaepernick, SF	JAX		240	1	0	58
15	Andy Dalton, CIN	NYJ		280	2	2	4

Coming off a fantastic performance against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has another outstanding matchup. If you have him, start him with confidence against the St. Louis Rams and their 17th-ranked pass defense.

Even without star wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons standout Matt Ryan threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Thanks to his poise in the pocket and uncanny ability to read a defense, Ryan should continue to put up points for fantasy owners in Week 8.

Running Back

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Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Rush Yards	Rec.	Rec. Yards	Total TDs
1	LeSean McCoy, PHI	NYG	140	6	42	2
2	Frank Gore, SF	JAX	120	1	13	1
3	Adrian Peterson, MIN	GB	129	2	20	1
4	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	STL	128	3	27	1
5	Knowshon Moreno, DEN	WAS	58	4	36	2
6	Jamaal Charles, KC	CLE	91	5	42	1
7	Reggie Bush, DET	DAL	88	5	40	1
8	Eddie Lacy, GB	MIN	86	5	39	1
9	Fred Jackson, BUF	NO	67	6	60	1
10	Stevan Ridley, NE	MIA	85	2	21	1
11	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	OAK	80	3	22	1
12	Joseph Randle, DAL	DET	76	3	18	1
13	Alfred Morris, WAS	DEN	72	0	0	1
14	Jacquizz Rodgers, ATL	ARI	50	8	51	1
15	Darren Sproles, NO	BUF	38	7	60	0
16	Pierre Thomas, NO	BUF	67	3	36	0
17	Giovani Bernard, CIN	NYJ	30	5	46	0
18	Lamar Miller, MIA	NE	52	3	31	0
19	DeAngelo Williams, CAR	TB	50	4	26	0
20	Darren McFadden, OAK	PIT	48	3	27	0

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore will look to keep things rolling this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Scoring four touchdowns in his last four games, Gore should be able to add on to that total going up against the NFL's worst-ranked run defense.

Without wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons have gotten Jacquizz Rodgers more involved in the offense. A dual-threat out of the backfield, Rodgers should get plenty of touches this week against a talented Arizona Cardinals defense.

Facing the New England Patriots' 31st-ranked run defense should finally give Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller a chance to shine. Although the talent is there, sadly the production hasn't followed suit. That's why it's hard to project Miller having a big game even against the Patriots.

Wide Receiver

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Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Rec.	Rec. Yards	Rec. TDs
1	Calvin Johnson, DET	DAL	6	136	2
2	Jordy Nelson, GB	MIN	6	132	2
3	Dez Bryant, DAL	DET	5	130	1
4	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	WAS	5	119	1
5	Victor Cruz, NYG	PHI	6	118	1
6	DeSean Jackson, PHI	NYG	5	116	1
7	Wes Welker, DEN	WAS	5	112	1
8	A.J. Green, CIN	NYJ	5	106	1
9	Pierre Garcon, WAS	DEN	6	99	1
10	Marques Colston, NO	BUF	5	85	1
11	Eric Decker, DEN	WAS	5	82	1
12	Vincent Jackson, TB	CAR	5	80	1
13	Antonio Brown, PIT	OAK	7	72	1
14	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	ATL	6	71	1
15	Hakeem Nicks, NYG	PHI	6	102	0
16	Jarrett Boykin, GB	MIN	5	76	1
17	Justin Blackmon, JAX	SF	6	100	0
18	Harry Douglas, ATL	ARI	7	87	0
19	Terrance Williams, DAL	SF	6	68	1
20	Percy Harvin, SEA*	STL	7	82	1
21	Jeremy Kerley, NYJ	CIN	8	74	1
22	Anquan Boldin, SF	JAX	6	76	0
23	Cecil Shorts, JAX	SF	6	72	0
24	Josh Gordon, CLE	KC	5	68	0
25	Mike Wallace, MIA	NE	5	67	0
26	Sidney Rice, SEA	STL	4	70	0
27	Steve Smith, CAR	TB	5	63	0
28	Ruben Randle, NYG	PHI	5	61	0
29	Kris Durham, DET	DAL	6	54	0
30	Kenny Stills, NO	BUF	4	63	0

Pro Football Focus' 12th-best wide receiver, DeSean Jackson, is looking to get back on track after a disappointing performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7. With the potential return of starting quarterback Michael Vick, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jackson should rebound nicely against the 1-6 New York Giants.

Second-year wide receiver Jarrett Boykin played incredibly well for the Green Bay Packers in Week 7. Racking up 10 receptions for 103 yards, on film it appears that Boykin already has Aaron Rodgers' trust. Facing a depleted Minnesota Vikings team in Week 8 should bode well for Boykin's fantasy numbers.

As CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin could return to action in Week 8 against the St. Louis Rams. An elite playmaker by design, if Harvin is healthy, he should be able to burst back onto the fantasy scene with a vengeance this week.

Tight End

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Rec.	Rec. Yards.	Rec TDs
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	MIA	8	126	2
2	Julius Thomas, DEN	WAS	6	96	1
3	Jimmy Graham, NO*	BUF	6	94	1
4	Vernon Davis, SF	JAX	5	85	1
5	Jason Witten, DAL	PHI	5	78	1
6	Jordan Reed, WAS	DEN	5	72	1
7	Jordan Cameron, CLE	KC	6	92	0
8	Tony Gonzalez, ATL	ARI	5	68	1
9	Greg Olsen, CAR	TB	5	62	1
10	Heath Miller, PIT	OAK	6	72	0
11	Tyler Eifert, CIN	NYJ	4	42	1
12	Brandon Pettigrew, DET	DAL	5	60	0
13	Jeff Cumberland, NYJ	CIN	7	52	0
14	Charles Clay, MIA	NE	5	50	0
15	Jared Cook, STL	SEA	4	48	0

To the relief of many fantasy football owners, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski made his triumphant return to football in Week 7.

Catching eight passes for 114 yards on 17 targets, it's clear that Gronkowski is going to be the centerpiece of this New England offense. With another week of practice under his belt, look for the man they call "Gronk" to put up big numbers against the Miami Dolphins.

Washington Redskins rookie tight end Jordan Reed has exploded onto the fantasy scene over the last two weeks. Coming off a stellar 134-yard performance against the Chicago Bears, Reed will be looking to stay hot against the Denver Broncos' 32nd-ranked pass defense. 

Kicker

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Makes	40+	XP
1	Steven Hauschka, SEA	STL	4	2	3
2	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	MIA	3	2	3
3	Alex Henery, PHI	NYG	3	1	4
4	Dan Carpenter, BUF	NO	3	1	2
5	Shaun Suisham, PIT	OAK	2	2	3
6	Nick Folk, NYJ	CIN	3	1	2
7	Matt Prater, DEN	WAS	1	1	6
8	Dan Bailey, DAL	DET	1	1	5
9	Garrett Hartley, NO	BUF	2	0	4
10	Matt Bryant, ATL	ARI	2	0	3

Going up against the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles kicker Alex Henery should get his chance to rebound in Week 8. If you own him, you're starting him with confidence this week.

Defense

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Rank	Player	Opp.	Points Allowed	Sacks	Turnovers
1	Seattle	STL	6	6	3
2	San Francisco	JAX	6	5	2
3	Green Bay	MIN	9	4	3
4	Kansas City	CLE	10	4	2
5	Carolina	TB	13	3	2
6	Pittsburgh	OAK	14	3	2
7	New England	MIA	17	3	2
8	Atlanta	ARI	14	3	1
9	New Orleans	BUF	23	3	2
10	Cincinnati	NYJ	23	2	2

Now that the St. Louis Rams have officially confirmed starting quarterback Sam Bradford has a torn ACL, things are about to get even worse for this franchise. Going up against an outstanding Seattle Seahawks defense, it's hard to imagine the Rams scoring more than six points in Week 8.

If you own the Green Bay Packers defense, you're playing it this week against the Minnesota Vikings. With a lethargic offense led by quarterback Josh Freeman, look for the Packers to rack up a ton of fantasy points in Week 8.