Fantasy Football Week 8: Rankings, Projections and Waiver-Wire Tips

Fantasy football is like marriage. Every year brings a combination of pain, happiness, glee and sorrow. There is the moment you pilfer Calvin Johnson in a long-term keeper league, which I can only imagine is what it feels like when your first child is born. And then there is watching Calvin Johnson hang on the injury list and ruin your season, an agony akin to actually giving birth.   

(Kidding. Obviously. Losing Calvin is much worse.)

Fantasy football's mixture of emotional highs and lows was on full display in Week 7, which saw some of the world's best players ascend and others flop. Peyton Manning set another NFL touchdown record, this time breaking Brett Favre's all-time mark of 508 scores. Aaron Rodgers continued his (probably futile) attempt to catch Manning on the tally sheet, throwing three-plus touchdowns for the fourth straight game.

Jimmy Graham? Well, he played. Kind of. The New Orleans Saints tight end failed to record a single catch and was targeted only twice in a loss to the Detroit Lions. Brandon Marshall became so frustrated with his team's performance that he was berating teammates in the locker room, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.

Again, you take the good with the bad. But for those looking to save their real-life marriage and avoid lengthy divorce proceedings due to fantasy football-related neglect, let's take a look at our Week 8 preview and see if we can pick up the pieces.

Thursday, Oct. 23	Time (ET)
Sunday, Oct. 26	Time (ET)
Monday, Oct. 27	Time (ET)
Bye Week
San Diego at Denver	8:25 p.m.
Detroit at Atlanta	9:30 a.m.
St. Louis at Kansas City	1 p.m.
Houston at Tennessee	1 p.m.
Minnesota at Tampa Bay	1 p.m.
Seattle at Carolina	1 p.m.
Baltimore at Cincinnati	1 p.m.
Miami at Jacksonville	1 p.m.
Chicago at New England	1 p.m.
Buffalo at NY Jets	1 p.m.
Philadelphia at Arizona	4:05 p.m.
Oakland at Cleveland	4:25 p.m.
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh	4:25 p.m.
Green Bay at New Orleans	8:30 p.m.
Washington at Dallas	8:30 p.m.
San Francisco	NY Giants

(Note: Please keep in mind any highlighted players when checking out the rankings; it means they're either an injury risk heading into Week 8 or are on the schedule for Monday night.)

Rank	Player	Projections
1	Peyton Manning, DEN	23 Points
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	23 Points
3	Andrew Luck, IND	22 Points
4	Drew Brees, NO	20 Points
5	Russell Wilson, SEA	19 Points
6	Tom Brady, NE	19 Points
7	Philip Rivers, SD	18 Points
8	Nick Foles, PHI	17 Points
9	Tony Romo, DAL	17 Points
10	Cam Newton, CAR	17 Points
11	Matthew Stafford, DET	16 Points
12	Carson Palmer, ARI	16 Points
13	Ryan Tannehill, MIA	15 Points
14	Matt Ryan, ATL	15 Points
15	Jay Cutler, CHI	14 Points
16	Andy Dalton, CIN	14 Points
17	Joe Flacco, BAL	14 Points
18	Kyle Orton, BUF	14 Points
19	Alex Smith, KC	14 Points
20	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	14 Points

Top Dog: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning is a ridiculous human being. His four touchdowns in Denver's 42-17 shellacking of the San Francisco 49ers Sunday night puts him at 510 overall for his career, which sounds like a lot but needs better perspective.

A stat I'm stealing from myself: Sonny Jurgensen and Dan Fouts rank 13th and 14th on the all-time passing touchdowns list. Their combined career total is 509 touchdown passes. Manning is one (and counting) better than the 13th and 14th most productive players at his position. Not even Wayne Gretzky, who scored nearly 1,000 career points more than anyone else in NHL history, can make such a statement.

As Chase Stuart tweeted last night, Manning is the greatest quarterback of all time. The least we can do in return is rank him atop a fantasy football column, though Thursday night games typically make me wary.

Sleeper: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Cardinals' mostly incomprehensible streak without an interception ended Sunday, as Palmer tossed a ball to Oakland's Charles Woodson in what would've been an excellent battle of wits a decade ago. It won't be Palmer's last interception. His interception rate has never dipped lower than 2.4 percent, has been well above three in three of the last four seasons, and he plays in Bruce Arians' aggressive downfield passing system.

A mean regression is coming. 

Until we actually see it, though, it's hard not to be encouraged by Palmer's performance. The former No. 1 overall pick is completing 66.1 percent of his passes at a career-high 7.9 yards per attempt, doing an excellent job of mixing intermediate throws with checkdowns to his running backs.

Arizona hosts an aggressive, mistake-prone Philly secondary this week. Look for Palmer to add to his pick total but produce enough positive outcomes to be the top bye-week replacement on most waiver wires.

Beware: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

After a stellar Week 6 performance against Carolina made you think Dalton may still be productive without A.J. Green, Dalton went full Dalton in a shutout loss to the Colts. He completed 18 of 38 passes for 126 yards, good for a 3.32 yards-per-attempt rate that would make Will Muschamp proud.

Credit is due to the Indianapolis defense, but Dalton and his receivers were plain bad. Only three of Dalton's 38 pass attempts traveled 20-plus yards, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and his continued force-feeding of Jermaine Gresham underneath will go down in the Captain Checkdown Hall of Fame. Mohamed Sanu didn't help matters, either, turning in a mess of a performance as Dalton's top receiver.

A.J. Green's status hasn't been determined for Sunday's division game with Baltimore, and Albert Breer of NFL Network reported he has a "shot" of playing. Regardless, he won't be close to 100 percent. Dalton playing with Green at anything less than 100 percent is, umm, not ideal.

Rank	Player	Projection
1	DeMarco Murray, DAL	20 Points
2	Jamaal Charles, KC	19 Points
3	Arian Foster, HOU	17 Points
4	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	17 Points
5	Matt Forte, CHI	16 Points
6	Andre Ellington, ARI	16 Points
7	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	16 Points
8	LeSean McCoy, PHI	14 Points
9	Lamar Miller, MIA	14 Points
10	Ben Tate, CLE	14 Points
11	Eddie Lacy, GB	13 Points
12	Ronnie Hillman, DEN	13 Points
13	Ahmad Bradshaw, IND	12 Points
14	Giovani Bernard, CIN	12 Points
15	Justin Forsett, BAL	11 Points
16	Jerick McKinnon, MIN	11 Points
17	Shane Vereen, NE	10 Points
18	Joique Bell, DET	10 Points
19	Branden Oliver, SD	9 Points
20	Chris Ivory, NYJ	9 Points
21	Alfred Morris, WAS	8 Points
22	Anthony Dixon, BUF	8 Points
23	Bishop Sankey, TEN	8 Points
24	Mark Ingram, NO	8 Points
25	Denard Robinson, JAX	7 Points
26	Tre Mason, STL	7 Points
27	Trent Richardson, IND	6 Points
28	Doug Martin, TB	6 Points
29	Darren McFadden, OAK	5 Points
30	Bernard Pierce, BAL	5 Points

Top Dog: DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys

Murray's legs are going to fall off at some point. When you're running at such a clip that you're breaking records Jim Brown set in 1958—a year in which I believe they still used heating lamps to light stadiums—something is probably going awry. There will be a time when that ankle injury doesn't require a mere taping and Scott Linehan gets raked over the coals for over-using his star back.

Until then? WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

No, seriously. WHEEEEEEEE!!!! Anyone who drafted Murray is on a seven-week endorphin high. The former Oklahoma star has 913 rushing yards. That is 410 more than the next player who has participated in all seven weeks this season. On a per-game basis, he's 27.8 yards per game better than Arian Foster.

Quick math: That's nearly 445 yards more over a 16-game sample. Murray is the best. Until he isn't.

Sleeper: Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Meet Lamar Miller, your latest victim of post-hype bias. You have probably owned Mr. Miller sometime over his three NFL seasons, very likely in 2013 when he was viewed as a possible breakout candidate. Perhaps you wasted a third-round pick on his 709 yards and two touchdowns, thus forever consigning him to your Do Not Own List.

Understandable reaction. As someone who spent weeks looking at Justin Forsett with a skeptical eye, let's just say I understand the mindset.

But it's time to forgive and forget with Miller, who is emerging as an RB1 for the second half. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in four straight games, scoring in his last three. The Dolphins appear tepidly committed to giving Daniel Thomas work for some unexplainable reason, but Miller has received the vast majority of the snaps and will continue to do so while healthy.

The Jaguars have very quietly fixed most of their defensive woes over the last three weeks, so don't expect a massive breakout. Something on par with his last four games seems realistic and puts him in must-start status.

Beware: Anthony Dixon, Buffalo Bills

The Bills' running back depth chart turning into an infirmary became an instant opportunity for Dixon, who responded with 51 yards on his 13 carries. C.J. Spiller will reportedly miss the remainder of the season with a broken collarbone, per Pro Football Talk, and Fred Jackson is expected to miss roughly four weeks with a groin injury, per ESPN.com's Mike Rodak. So Dixon has understandably been thrown around as a promising waiver claim.

While he's certainly worth grabbing in most formats, I'd express caution throwing him instantly into the lineup. Bryce Brown, a talented running back acquired in an offseason trade with Philadelphia, will have an undetermined role as he's activated for the first time in 2014. Brown is the more explosive of the two backs and is a fine pass-catcher who could slip into either role vacated by Spiller or Jackson.

Dixon is still the guy you want and should get the goal-line work. The situation just isn't as clear as it seemed Sunday. 

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Jordy Nelson, GB	16 Points
2	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	16 Points
3	Antonio Brown, PIT	16 Points
4	Dez Bryant, DAL	15 Points
5	Jeremy Maclin, PHI	14 Points
6	Julio Jones, ATL	14 Points
7	Golden Tate, DET	13 Points
8	Randall Cobb, GB	13 Points
9	T.Y. Hilton, IND	12 Points
10	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	11 Points
11	Sammy Watkins, BUF	11 Points
12	Steve Smith, BAL	10 Points
13	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	10 Points
14	Vincent Jackson, TB	8 Points
15	Mike Wallace, MIA	8 Points
16	Brandon Marshall, CHI	8 Points
17	Doug Baldwin, SEA	8 Points
18	Andre Johnson, HOU	8 Points
19	Reggie Wayne, IND	8 Points
20	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	7 Points
21	Mohamed Sanu, CIN	7 Points
22	Roddy White, ATL	7 Points
23	Julian Edelman, NE	7 Points
24	Marques Colston, NO	7 Points
25	Pierre Garcon, WAS	6 Points
26	Wes Welker, DEN	6 Points
27	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	6 Points
28	Michael Floyd, ARI	6 Points
29	Greg Jennings, MIN	6 Points
30	Andrew Hawkins, CLE	6 Points
31	DeSean Jackson, WAS	6 Points
32	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	5 Points
33	James Jones, OAK	5 Points
34	Cecil Shorts, JAX	5 Points
35	Keenan Allen, SD	5 Points
36	Brian Quick, STL	5 Points
37	Kendall Wright, TEN	5 Points
38	Percy Harvin, NYJ	5 Points
39	Eric Decker, NYJ	5 Points
40	Torrey Smith, BAL	4 Points

Top Dog: Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

It's an insult to Nelson that he isn't mentioned more often among the NFL's most talented wide receivers. Playing with Rodgers is a major boon, but Nelson has nearly every trait you'd want in a top wideout. He doesn't have 4.3 top-end speed but is lightning quick off the ball and cuts as beautifully underneath as anyone in football. His size and open-field toughness are never in question, either.

Luckily for Nelson, he's proving his worth with his numbers. He leads the NFL with 712 receiving yards, is tied for second among wide receivers in touchdown grabs and has been targeted more than anyone not named Julio Jones.

With the Green Bay offense firing on all cylinders and the New Orleans secondary doing the opposite of that, there's no reason to think Nelson will slow down in Week 8.

Sleeper: Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

One of the major byproducts of Percy Harvin's trade to New York was an increased responsibility level for Doug Baldwin. He responded with one of the best games of his career, making seven receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown in Seattle's loss to St. Louis.

The Seahawks played from behind for most of the game, so it's unlikely he'll see 11 targets on a weekly basis. But Baldwin was battling Harvin for the lead in targets before the trade, and it's likely he'll be as close to a No. 1 target as Wilson has going forward.

Even if this is a blip on the radar as Baldwin's middling career numbers would suggest, Seattle visits Carolina next week. The Panthers secondary is the gift that keeps on giving, until the point you have to purchase a storage locker to keep all their presents. Baldwin is a solid WR2 this week.

Beware: DeSean Jackson, Washington

Richard Lipski/Associated Press

Jackson is a high-variance play as is. Three times this season he's blown open a big play en route to a huge week. He ranks ninth in receiving yards despite having 26 receptions and is behind only Malcom Floyd in yards per reception.

The change at quarterback for Washington, though, could be a temporary death knell for Jackson's fantasy value. Whereas Kirk Cousins was aggressive to a fault—a perfect fit for the deep pops on which Jackson thrives—Colt McCoy is the polar opposite. McCoy, who led Washington to a comeback victory over Tennessee after taking over for Cousins, has a 6.3 yards per attempt average for his career.

In 2011, his most recent season with a significant attempts number, McCoy had the third-lowest downfield attempt rate among qualifying quarterbacks, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). This is not a relationship conducive to Jackson's success.

There's still a chance of Robert Griffin suiting up in Week 8, per Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com, but a rusty RGIII coming off an injury wouldn't be much more promising for Jackson's immediate outlook.

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Julius Thomas, DEN	13 Points
2	Rob Gronkowski, NE	12 Points
3	Jimmy Graham, NO	9 Points
4	Greg Olsen, CAR	8 Points
5	Martellus Bennett, CHI	7 Points
6	Antonio Gates, SD	7 Points
7	Delanie Walker, TEN	7 Points
8	Dwayne Allen, IND	6 Points
9	Jordan Reed, WAS	6 Points
10	Jared Cook, STL	5 Points
11	Travis Kelce, KC	5 Points
12	Heath Miller, PIT	5 Points
13	Jordan Cameron, CLE	5 Points
14	Jason Witten, DAL	4 Points
15	Jermaine Gresham, CIN	4 Points

Top Dog: Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos

For the first time all season, Thomas went without a touchdown reception Sunday night. So it's obviously time to mourn his fantasy death. Put on the black veil and break out the tissues. He's done. It's over. Great run while it lasted.

Oh, there are 10 weeks left? And he gets to play with Peyton Manning for all of them? That seems unfair. Nvm. Fantasy funeral canceled.

Sleeper: Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Usual caveats about tight end sleepers—e.g. there are none at this position—apply, and about the only thing we know about Gresham at this point is that he is not to be trusted. But with Green out, we've seen two straight weeks of Dalton force-feeding his tight end the ball.

After compiling eight receptions for 61 yards in Cincinnati's first four games, Gresham has 16 grabs for 116 yards in his last two. The Ravens have been good against opposing tight ends this season, but he'll be fine as a low-ceiling replacement play. At the very least, all those targets should make him a threat to score a touchdown.

Beware: Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Assuming Graham plays, he has to be in every fantasy lineup. He follows the Calvin Johnson Corollary from earlier this season. Odds are, he'll probably struggle to produce and it'll plant seeds of resentment that result in an irrational trade.

And then there is the other side, where you bench your banged-up stud, he goes off and suddenly you need a new flatscreen.

Graham did nothing Sunday. It would be a lie to call him a decoy because the Lions smartly did not devote a whole lot of coverage Graham's way when he was on the field. Perhaps they've learned from their own game plan experience with Johnson, but either way it resulted in a pile of frustration for Graham owners.

The Packers are yet to allow a touchdown to an opposing tight end this season. Normally, I'd ignore all that and throw Graham atop the tight end rankings. This week...ehh.

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projection
1	Buffalo Bills	at New York Jets	14 Points
2	Cleveland Browns	vs. Oakland Raiders	13 Points
3	Miami Dolphins	at Jacksonville Jaguars	12 Points
4	Philadelphia Eagles	at Arizona Cardinals	11 Points
5	Dallas Cowboys	vs. Washington	11 Points
6	Seattle Seahawks	at Carolina Panthers	10 Points
7	New England Patriots	vs. Chicago Bears	9 Points
8	Detroit Lions	at Atlanta Falcons (London)	8 Points
9	Minnesota Vikings	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8 Points
10	Arizona Cardinals	vs. Philadelphia Eagles	7 Points
11	Baltimore Ravens	at Cincinnati Bengals	7 Points
12	Houston Texans	at Tennessee Titans	6 Points
13	Kansas City Chiefs	vs. St. Louis Rams	6 Points
14	Indianapolis Colts	at Pittsburgh Steelers	5 Points
15	New York Jets	vs. Buffalo Bills	5 Points

Top Dog: Buffalo Bills

Six straight losses and a Harvin trade later, the Jets enter their Week 8 clash with Buffalo desperate for a win. Desperation typically only works when it comes paired with talent. New York has one of the worst collections of offensive players league-wide, led by a second-year quarterback in Geno Smith, who seems headed for Bust Town.

Harvin isn't going to learn the Jets terminology well enough by Sunday to make a difference. He'll learn a few packages and probably be used a ton when he's actually on the field, but there is a reason midseason wide receiver trades are rarely successful.

The Bills are tied for third in the NFL with eight interceptions and have sacked opposing quarterbacks a league-high 24 times. There will be no sudden renaissance for the Jets in Week 8.

Sleeper: Miami Dolphins

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Matchups are everything when it comes to team defense rankings. Such is the case with an ascent for Miami, which is owned in 12.6 percent of ESPN.com leagues.

The Jaguars have been competitive for three straight weeks, but are nowhere near a finished product offensively. Blake Bortles has thrown at least two interceptions in four of his five career starts, including three in Sunday's win over Cleveland. Those mistakes aren't going away anytime soon, especially with Cameron Wake barreling into Bortles' pocket.

Beware: Carolina Panthers

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

Umm...why is a team that's produced negative fantasy points four of the last five weeks owned in more than 80 percent of leagues? Laziness? An internal faith that Luke Kuechly will clone himself 10 times and take over the defense? Is your team so good that your league enacted a Carolina penalty, wherein you're forced to start the Panthers defense to spot your opponent points?

I would like an answer.

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	12 Points
2	Dan Bailey, DAL	11 Points
3	Cody Parkey, PHI	11 Points
4	Adam Vinatieri, IND	10 Points
5	Justin Tucker, BAL	10 Points
6	Chandler Catanzaro, ARI	10 Points
7	Nick Novak, SD	9 Points
8	Brandon McManus, DEN	9 Points
9	Caleb Sturgis, MIA	9 Points
10	Dan Carpenter, BUF	8 Points
11	Mason Crosby, GB	8 Points
12	Steven Hauschka, SEA	8 Points
13	Matt Prater, DET	7 Points
14	Blair Walsh, MIN	7 Points
15	Matt Bryant, ATL	7 Points

(Weekly reminder that you have a SLIGHTLY better chance at predicting kicker production than winning the Powerball. Again: SLIGHTLY. We'll keep this quick.)

Top Dog: Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots

Gostkowski is both leading the NFL in field goals and is the league's best kicker. That's a rare combination. Good for him.

Sleeper: Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona Cardinals

Still have no earthly idea how to pronounce dude's last name. He can kick footballs, though. Pretty good at it, too. 

Beware: Keeping Two Kickers On Your Roster Is a Bad Idea

Phil Dawson, owned in 94.6 percent of leagues, is on a bye. Drop him. Do not get cute and attempt to keep him around by jettisoning someone at a skill position. That is bad team management. Kickers are inherently replaceable—both in fantasy and real-life football. It's silly to hold onto one like a prized possession.

Week 8 Waiver-Wire Advice

Here is a list of players owned in 50 percent or fewer of ESPN.com standard leagues who deserve a roster spot:

Player	Position	Team	Ownership
Carson Palmer	QB	Arizona Cardinals	9.6%
Ronnie Hillman	RB	Denver Broncos	12.0%
Jerick McKinnon	RB	Minnesota Vikings	11.7%
Tre Mason	RB	St. Louis Rams	2.3%
Bryce Brown	RB	Buffalo Bills	1.3%
Denard Robinson	RB	Jacksonville Jaguars	0.5%
Anthony Dixon	RB	Buffalo Bills	0.2%
Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	New York Giants	20.2%
Doug Baldwin	WR	Seattle Seahawks	19.4%
Andrew Hawkins	WR	Cleveland Browns	10.1%

Grab Them Now: Jerick McKinnon (RB, Minnesota Vikings) and Ronnie Hillman (RB, Denver Broncos)

The ownership percentages for McKinnon and Hillman are low enough to make you think owners are being willfully ignorant. Or maybe that four-team leagues became the standard and no one told me yet. Whatever the case, McKinnon and Hillman are available in a whole lot of leagues they shouldn't be.

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

The running back pair each earned their first start of 2014 in Week 6 and have gone 2-for-2 with solid performances. McKinnon scrambled together 82 total yards in an ugly 17-3 loss to the Lions in his first start before coming back with a 104-yard rushing performance against Buffalo this week. The rookie third-rounder has clearly surpassed Matt Asiata outside of obvious passing downs, where the Vikings prefer the veteran's blocking ability.

Hillman took over for an injured Montee Ball and may never give the job up. He's gone over 100 total yards in each of his starts and was even kept in the game for a short-yardage touchdown against the 49ers' stout front. That's a promising sign for Hillman's value going forward, as his biggest skeptics pointed to his size being a touchdown deterrent.

Either way, here are two talented starting running backs available in more than 80 percent of leagues. Get to it.   

Stash Him While You Can: Tre Mason (RB, St. Louis Rams)

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Weekly frustration is the only predictable trait that can be given to the Rams' running back situation.

Zac Stacy, the waiver-wire glory boy of 2013, opened the year with what looked like a clear path to a starring role. Whoops. Stacy is yet to break a play of 20 yards on the ground or through the air, and he's apparently been excised without warning from the lineup. He was on the field for one snap and went without a carry in the Rams' win over Seattle.

In his place was rookie Tre Mason, who rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on his 18 carries. The only other player to receive more than two carries was wide receiver Tavon Austin. 

One would think, then, that Mason is the starting running back going forward? Sure. That's probably the case. But Jeff Fisher has been tinkering with that spot all season and has a weird affinity for Benjamin Cunningham, who is yet to show any plus NFL skills. It's possible Mason will become the Stacy of 2014. He's a must add in every league—especially dynasty formats.

Just be wary about throwing him right in your lineup.

Wondering who to drop? Here is a list of players owned in 50 percent or more of ESPN.com leagues you can feel free throwing back into the waiver pool:

Player	Position	Team	Ownership
Zac Stacy	RB	St. Louis Rams	95.0%
C.J. Spiller	RB	Buffalo Bills	94.3%
Toby Gerhart	RB	Jacksonville Jaguars	84.2%
Chris Johnson	RB	New York Jets	86.6%
Adrian Peterson	RB	Minnesota Vikings	79.4%
Donald Brown	RB	San Diego Chargers	65.8%
Ray Rice	RB	Free Agent	66.6%
Danny Woodhead	RB	San Diego Chargers	63.7%
LeGarrette Blount	RB	Pittsburgh Steelers	72.5%
Maurice Jones-Drew	RB	Oakland Raiders	79.9%
Stevan Ridley	RB	New England Patriots	77.2%
Knowshon Moreno	RB	Miami Dolphins	69.5%
Victor Cruz	WR	New York Giants	82.1%
Danny Amendola	WR	New England Patriots	77.1%
Hakeem Nicks	WR	Tennessee Titans	67.0%
Dennis Pitta	TE	Baltimore Ravens	59.5%
Kyle Rudolph	TE	Minnesota Vikings	57.4%

Top Drop of the Week: Zac Stacy (RB, St. Louis Rams)

As you can tell from the preponderance of injured/suspended/whatever players listed above, it's difficult to drop a top draft pick. Owners will hang onto the slimmest of hopes that their talented star will make it back into the lineup, at times passing up less talented but more productive players. It's an even more difficult move to pull off when the player in question is fully healthy.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Take it from someone who owns and is planning to drop Stacy this week: There is nothing more cathartic than dropping an under-performing player. Missed draft picks and auction overpays who stay on your roster can be haunting.

The gut punches aren't too physically painful, but the mental strain lasts just as long. Fortunately, dropping a fantasy football player has less significant consequences than you might have tricked yourself into believing. Stacy will just go on the waiver wire, where some other unsuspecting person will pick him up and take on that burden.    

It's OK to let go. In fact, it's advised.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter

All ownership percentages are via ESPN.com