2013 Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Top 25 Quarterbacks

Injuries to quarterbacks really started to accumulate in Week 7, with Sam Bradford, Jay Cutler and Nick Foles going down.  Cutler is on his bye this week, but the loss of Bradford and Foles is going to be felt.  

Throw in six teams being on bye, and things are going to look different than we are all accustomed to.  Let’s take a look at how things shake out for the coming week:

1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos, vs. Washington
2. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins, at Denver
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, vs. Buffalo
4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, at Minnesota
5. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys, at Detroit
6. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions, vs. Dallas
7. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, at Arizona
8. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks, at St. Louis
9. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, at Tampa Bay
10. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, vs. Miami
11. Eli Manning, New York Giants, at Philadelphia
12. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, vs. New York Giants
13. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals, vs. New York Jets
14. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers, at Jacksonville
15. Terrelle Pryor, Oakland Raiders, vs. Pittsburgh
16. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, at Oakland
17. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals, vs. Atlanta
18. Geno Smith, New York Jets, at Cincinnati
19. Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars, vs. San Francisco
20. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins, at New England
21. Josh Freeman, Minnesota Vikings, vs. Green Bay
22. Thaddeus Lewis, Buffalo Bills, at New Orleans
23. Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, vs. Carolina
24. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs, vs. Cleveland
25. Bradon Weeden, Cleveland Browns, at Kansas City

Thoughts

• The injuries continue to pile up for the Packers, but it doesn’t appear like it’s going to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the offense.  With a favorable matchup against the Vikings, against whom he threw for at least 274 yards in all three of their games in 2013, there’s no reason to downgrade him.  He’s a top-five option for the coming week.
• Robert Griffin III appears to be back, throwing for 298 yards in Week 7 while adding 84 yards on the ground.  It comes a week after he rushed for 77 yards, so there’s no longer the concern that he’s not going to run the football.  He hasn’t found the end zone yet, but it’s only a matter of time.  With a shootout against the Broncos on deck and having led the offense to 45 points in Week 7, Griffin can safely return to being a top-three option.
• It hasn’t been a great season for Eli Manning, but the Eagles passing defense is poor, the Giants rushing attack is banged up and the Giants continue to throw the football.  With the bye weeks really taking effect, Manning is looking like a viable QB1 this week.
• Rob Gronkowski is back, and that should mean better days are ahead for Tom Brady.  It keeps him as a viable option, though he has just one touchdown over the past three weeks.  Did anyone really see things getting that bad, even with the injuries?  It’s hard to bench him, but fantasy owners need to consider their alternatives.
• With Nick Foles looking like he’s battling a concussion, there’s a good chance Michael Vick returns to the starting lineup.  While he still may be banged up, the matchup with the Giants should be a favorable one.
• The Steelers passing defense have allowed five passing touchdowns this season.  While Terrelle Pryor’s ability with his legs keeps him a top-end QB2, he’s not more than that.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 rankings:

• Running Backs (Top 40)
• Wide Receivers (Top 50)
• Tight Ends (Top 20)