Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 8 Big Board

You have made it through half of the fantasy season, surviving injuries, suspensions and slow starts. Now the real fun—maybe trouble—will begin.

It is time to push for your fantasy playoffs, and you will have to do it with the prospect of 16 teams—half of the entire NFL—heading to their bye within the next three weeks after this one. When the going gets tough, the tough get...their bye week.

No worries, though—Bleacher Report has you covered.

We unveil the initial top 100 plays for Week 8, including position-by-position rankings of all the fantasy options. You can use these rankings to weigh your starts and sits or gear up for your daily fantasy football lineups, drafts and rosters. These rankings represent our predictions for the highest scorers—relative to their use, game plan, health and matchup.

Top 100: Trade to the Jets Might Not Be so Bad for Percy Harvin's Value

The Seattle Seahawks, behind Russell Wilson's huge Week 7 that led all fantasy scorers, per CBSSports.com, proved they didn't need Percy Harvin. We know the New York Jets do, so it might not take a while for him to impact fantasy leagues.

Harvin will need some time to learn the Jets system and grow accustomed to working with quarterback Geno Smith, but it is an opportunity for Harvin. The Jets and Smith sorely need a playmaker to pair with healing wideout Eric Decker (hamstring).

You might not want to start Harvin right away, but the Jets might have to. Even if he won't be ready for the any of the complexities the Jets offense might have, he can get a simplified package of plays designed to get him the ball in space. We believe he can get into the end zone in his Jets debut Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, a team that is seventh-worst against fantasy wide receivers, per FFToday.com.

Ironically, those simplified short-yardage plays he might be able to score on are the precisely the reason he became frustrated with the Seahawks. His role "definitely was" frustrating in Seattle, Harvin told ESPN.com's Rich Cimini: 

"

Not that I didn't like what I was doing, I just wanted to do a little more as a receiver. I wanted to just get downfield, just a little bit more than what I was doing, so that definitely caused frustration a little bit.

"

While it might seem like the Jets were the worst place for Harvin's fantasy value—they have the NFL's second-worst passing offense—they need him to make plays for them, particularly by sticking the ball in the end zone. Clearly, the Seahawks didn't.

Jets offensive lineman Breno Giacomini played with Harvin in Seattle last season and is his teammate once again. He stated things in the most obvious manner.

"He catches the ball, and he can run really fast, so it's pretty good," Giacomini told The New York Times' Ben Shpigel.

One team's trash can be another team's treasure. We list Harvin, barely, among Bleacher Report's Top 100 plays for Week 8:

Week 8 Top 100 - Eric Mack

Rank	Flex Rankings	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	vs. SD	1	0
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at NO	2	0
3	Drew Brees	NO	vs. GB	4	+1
4	Matt Forte	CHI	at NE	9	+5
5	DeMarco Murray	DAL	vs. Was	5	0
6	Dez Bryant	DAL	vs. Was	27	+21
7	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. StL	17	+10
8	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. SD	20	+12
9	Arian Foster	HOU	at Ten	11	+2
10	Rob Gronkowski	NE	vs. Chi	55	+45
11	Andrew Luck	IND	at Pit	3	-8
12	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at Ari	28	+16
13	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at Car	18	+5
14	Jordy Nelson	GB	at NO	23	+9
15	Antonio Brown	PIT	vs. Ind	32	+17
16	Julius Thomas	DEN	vs. SD	56	+40
17	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	vs. Ind	24	+7
18	Andre Ellington	ARI	vs. Phi	29	+11
19	Julio Jones	ATL	vs. Det	35	+16
20	Eddie Lacy	GB	at NO	42	+22
21	Lamar Miller	MIA	at Jac	30	+9
22	Philip Rivers	SD	at Den	7	-15
23	Brandon Marshall	CHI	at NE	44	+21
24	Ben Tate	CLE	vs. Oak	33	+9
25	Randall Cobb	GB	at NO	38	+13
26	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	at NE	54	+28
27	Tom Brady	NE	vs. Chi	8	-19
28	Russell Wilson	SEA	at Car	6	-22
29	T.Y. Hilton	IND	at Pit	43	+14
30	Jimmy Graham	NO	vs. GB	81	+51
31	Joique Bell	DET	at Atl	39	+8
32	Ronnie Hillman	DEN	vs. SD	41	+9
33	Jordan Reed	WAS	at Dal	87	+54
34	Tony Romo	DAL	vs. Was	10	-24
35	Matthew Stafford	DET	at Atl	13	-22
36	Shane Vereen	NE	vs. Chi	47	+11
37	Golden Tate	DET	at Atl	48	+11
38	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. Bal	36	-2
39	DeSean Jackson	WAS	at Dal	70	+31
40	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	at TB	45	+5
41	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at Ari	53	+12
42	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	at Pit	52	+10
43	Nick Foles	PHI	at Ari	12	-31
44	Pierre Garcon	WAS	at Dal	74	+30
45	Jordan Cameron	CLE	vs. Oak	102	+57
46	Mike Wallace	MIA	at Jac	57	+11
47	Alfred Morris	WAS	at Dal	62	+15
48	Michael Floyd	ARI	vs. Phi	61	+13
49	Justin Forsett	BAL	at Cin	50	+1
50	Roddy White	ATL	vs. Det	72	+22
51	Mark Ingram	NO	vs. GB	75	+24
52	Steve Smith	BAL	at Cin	63	+11
53	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at NYJ	58	+5
54	Jay Cutler	CHI	at NE	14	-40
55	Reggie Bush	DET	at Atl	71	+16
56	Doug Baldwin	SEA	at Car	79	+23
57	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. Bal	123	+66
58	Carson Palmer	ARI	vs. Phi	15	-43
59	Doug Martin	TB	vs. Min	80	+21
60	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	vs. Ind	22	-38
61	Vincent Jackson	TB	vs. Min	64	+3
62	Branden Oliver	SD	at Den	49	-13
63	Cam Newton	CAR	vs. Sea	16	-47
64	Greg Olsen	CAR	vs. Sea	67	+3
65	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. SD	60	-5
66	Chris Ivory	NYJ	vs. Buf	66	0
67	Matt Ryan	ATL	vs. Det	25	-42
68	Andre Johnson	HOU	at Ten	68	0
69	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. Hou	85	+16
70	Julian Edelman	NE	vs. Chi	73	+3
71	Keenan Allen	SD	at Den	86	+15
72	Antonio Gates	SD	at Den	78	+6
73	Tre Mason	STL	at KC	77	+4
74	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	vs. Sea	65	-9
75	Eric Decker	NYJ	vs. Buf	83	+8
76	Denard Robinson	JAC	vs. Mia	110	+34
77	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	vs. Oak	108	+31
78	Trent Richardson	IND	at Pit	94	+16
79	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	at Jac	19	-60
80	Joe Flacco	BAL	at Cin	21	-59
81	Martellus Bennett	CHI	at NE	90	+9
82	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	vs. Phi	82	0
83	Marques Colston	NO	vs. GB	91	+8
84	Darren McFadden	OAK	at Cle	69	-15
85	Terrance Williams	DAL	vs. Was	76	-9
86	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	vs. Bal	84	-2
87	Jason Witten	DAL	vs. Was	129	+42
88	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. Hou	98	+10
89	Torrey Smith	BAL	at Cin	95	+6
90	Owen Daniels	BAL	at Cin	115	+25
91	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	at Ten	88	-3
92	Zach Ertz	PHI	at Ari	113	+21
93	Cecil Shorts	JAC	vs. Mia	100	+7
94	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. Hou	116	+22
95	Zac Stacy	STL	at KC	194	+99
96	Steven Jackson	ATL	vs. Det	131	+35
97	Travis Kelce	KC	vs. StL	104	+7
98	Percy Harvin	NYJ	vs. Buf	112	+14
99	Brandin Cooks	NO	vs. GB	92	-7
100	Wes Welker	DEN	vs. SD	93	-7

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Quarterbacks: Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers Primed for Big-Time Shootout

Drew Brees' fantasy owners might have said this a few times through the first half of this season: What is wrong with Brees?

Usually, 300-yard passing games in four of six and five consecutive games of at least two touchdown passes are enough for people. It is not enough for Brees and his fantasy owners. This goes down as a rough stretch amid his remarkably stellar time with the New Orleans Saints and offensive guru Sean Payton.

With Jimmy Graham (shoulder) banged up, Brees has scored like a fantasy backup, ranking just 13th in standard scoring, per FFToday.com, albeit because he has already had his bye. If you look at fantasy points per game, though, Brees is actually one step ahead of the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers (23.7-23.5).

There is nothing wrong with Rodgers...or Brees.

Both should light up the Superdome scoreboard in their matchup Sunday night. We cannot wait to watch this shootout.

The future Hall of Fame quarterbacks sit second and third to Peyton Manning, as they did in the preseason, in Bleacher Report's quarterback rankings this week:

Week 8 Quarterback Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	vs. SD	1	0
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at NO	2	0
3	Drew Brees	NO	vs. GB	4	+1
4	Andrew Luck	IND	at Pit	3	-1
5	Philip Rivers	SD	at Den	6	+1
6	Tom Brady	NE	vs. Chi	7	+1
7	Russell Wilson	SEA	at Car	5	-2
8	Tony Romo	DAL	vs. Was	8	0
9	Matthew Stafford	DET	at Atl	10	+1
10	Nick Foles	PHI	at Ari	9	-1
11	Jay Cutler	CHI	at NE	11	0
12	Carson Palmer	ARI	vs. Phi	12	0
13	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	vs. Ind	17	+4
14	Cam Newton	CAR	vs. Sea	13	-1
15	Matt Ryan	ATL	vs. Det	16	+1
16	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	at Jac	14	-2
17	Joe Flacco	BAL	at Cin	15	-2
18	Andy Dalton	CIN	vs. Bal	20	+2
19	Brian Hoyer	CLE	vs. Oak	23	+4
20	Austin Davis	STL	at KC	24	+4
21	Alex Smith	KC	vs. StL	18	-3
22	Derek Carr	OAK	at Cle	27	+5
23	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	at TB	21	-2
24	Mike Glennon	TB	vs. Min	22	-2
25	Jake Locker	TEN	vs. Hou	25	0
26	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	at Ten	32	+6
27	Blake Bortles	JAC	vs. Mia	30	+3
28	Kyle Orton	BUF	at NYJ	19	-9
29	Geno Smith	NYJ	vs. Buf	29	0
30	Colt McCoy	WAS	at Dal	33	+3
31	Kirk Cousins	WAS	at Dal	28	-3
32	Charlie Whitehurst	TEN	vs. Hou	31	-1

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Running Backs: New Starters Might Not Be All They Are Cracked Up to Be

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

The fantasy waiver wire has fed us Tre Mason, Denard Robinson and Bryce Brown. Now we are left to wonder if their respective teams will keep feeding them so they can feed us fantasy points.

The three most-added running backs in CBSSports.com leagues this week might not be the sure things we are hoping for, as we wrote in B/R's Insider Notebook on Tuesday. 

"It'll be a week-to-week thing. Zac (Stacy) could get 25 carries this week," head coach Jeff Fisher told CBSSports.com's Larry Hartstein.

Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 AM Buffalo tweeted "don't be surprised if Anthony Dixon leads the way" against the New York Jets.

Only Robinson has some kind of favorable quote attached to him, as head coach Gus Bradley told The Florida Times-Union's Vito Stellino when asked if Robinson was going to remain the feature back: "Yeah, I think so. We'll look at the film. He did a good job, and we hope to get Toby (Gerhart) back."

These running backs are still potentially timeshare guys in rushing attacks in the bottom half of the league. Heck, the Jags are 30th ranked.

We consider all three merely flex plays for fantasy owners in B/R's running back rankings this week:

Week 8 Running Back Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Matt Forte	CHI	at NE	2	+1
2	DeMarco Murray	DAL	vs. Was	1	-1
3	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. StL	4	+1
4	Arian Foster	HOU	at Ten	3	-1
5	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at Ari	8	+3
6	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at Car	5	-1
7	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	vs. Ind	6	-1
8	Andre Ellington	ARI	vs. Phi	7	-1
9	Eddie Lacy	GB	at NO	14	+5
10	Lamar Miller	MIA	at Jac	9	-1
11	Ben Tate	CLE	vs. Oak	10	-1
12	Joique Bell	DET	at Atl	12	0
13	Ronnie Hillman	DEN	vs. SD	13	0
14	Shane Vereen	NE	vs. Chi	16	+2
15	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. Bal	11	-4
16	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	at TB	15	-1
17	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	at Pit	18	+1
18	Alfred Morris	WAS	at Dal	20	+2
19	Justin Forsett	BAL	at Cin	19	0
20	Mark Ingram	NO	vs. GB	23	+3
21	Reggie Bush	DET	at Atl	24	+3
22	Doug Martin	TB	vs. Min	26	+4
23	Branden Oliver	SD	at Den	17	-6
24	Chris Ivory	NYJ	vs. Buf	21	-3
25	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. Hou	28	+3
26	Tre Mason	STL	at KC	25	-1
27	Denard Robinson	JAC	vs. Mia	27	0
28	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	vs. Oak	31	+3
29	Trent Richardson	IND	at Pit	29	0
30	Darren McFadden	OAK	at Cle	22	-8
31	Zac Stacy	STL	at KC	52	+21
32	Steven Jackson	ATL	vs. Det	35	+3
33	Bryce Brown	BUF	at NYJ	30	-3
34	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	vs. Sea	32	-2
35	Bernard Pierce	BAL	at Cin	37	+2
36	Jeremy Hill	CIN	vs. Bal	34	-2
37	Chris Johnson	NYJ	vs. Buf	38	+1
38	Anthony Dixon	BUF	at NYJ	33	-5
39	Darren Sproles	PHI	at Ari	43	+4
40	James Starks	GB	at NO	36	-4
41	Knile Davis	KC	vs. StL	50	+9
42	Khiry Robinson	NO	vs. GB	45	+3
43	Alfred Blue	HOU	at Ten	62	+19
44	Bobby Rainey	TB	vs. Min	39	-5
45	Travaris Cadet	NO	vs. GB	40	-5
46	Benny Cunningham	STL	at KC	42	-4
47	Roy Helu	WAS	at Dal	44	-3
48	Stepfan Taylor	ARI	vs. Phi	55	+7
49	Matt Asiata	MIN	at TB	46	-3
50	Antone Smith	ATL	vs. Det	47	-3
51	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL	at Cin	56	+5
52	Maurice Jones-Drew	OAK	at Cle	61	+9
53	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	vs. Sea	70	+17
54	Storm Johnson	JAC	vs. Mia	48	-6
55	Jonas Gray	NE	vs. Chi	49	-6
56	Brandon Bolden	NE	vs. Chi	63	+7
57	LeGarrette Blount	PIT	vs. Ind	51	-6
58	Daniel Thomas	MIA	at Jac	53	-5
59	Terrance West	CLE	vs. Oak	54	-5
60	Joseph Randle	DAL	vs. Was	57	-3
61	Devonta Freeman	ATL	vs. Det	58	-3
62	Shonn Greene	TEN	vs. Hou	59	-3
63	Robert Turbin	SEA	at Car	69	+6
64	Dexter McCluster	TEN	vs. Hou	60	-4
65	Juwan Thompson	DEN	vs. SD	66	+1
66	Jacquizz Rodgers	ATL	vs. Det	67	+1
67	Ka'Deem Carey	CHI	at NE	71	+4
68	James White	NE	vs. Chi	72	+4
69	Darrin Reaves	CAR	vs. Sea	74	+5
70	De'Anthony Thomas	KC	vs. StL	64	-6

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Wide Receivers: Division Matchup Gives A.J. Green a Chance to Produce

David Kohl/Associated Press

As much as the ominous bye-week clouds hang over fantasy in the next three weeks after this one, the ones over Calvin Johnson (ankle) and A.J. Green (toe) seem worse. Fantasy owners still hope it won't rain on them in Week 8.

Megatron might not play against the Atlanta Falcons in London, while Green told the NFL Network's NFL AM on Tuesday he won't be 100 percent for the rest of the season, as NFL.com's Kevin Patra reported:

"

It's still up in the air, but it definitely feels better. We'll see about this week. ... It's probably not gonna be 100 percent, but I hope it's just manageable. I can get through the season and be fine and still play at a high level.

"

That last part is the good news for Green, perhaps. Meanwhile, Megatron owners have to like hearing Johnson made the trip to London, according to NFL.com's Conor Orr. It can be their saving grace for their wide receiver savior.

Good luck.

We don't expect Johnson to play until after the Detroit Lions' Week 9 bye, but the fact Green's Cincinnati Bengals are facing the division rival Baltimore Ravens gives his fantasy owners a shred of hope for him to play this week.

Green is among B/R's top wide receiver plays for Week 8, while Megatron is not:

Week 8 Wide Receiver Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Dez Bryant	DAL	vs. Was	3	+2
2	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. SD	1	-1
3	Jordy Nelson	GB	at NO	2	-1
4	Antonio Brown	PIT	vs. Ind	4	0
5	Julio Jones	ATL	vs. Det	5	0
6	Brandon Marshall	CHI	at NE	9	+3
7	Randall Cobb	GB	at NO	6	-1
8	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	at NE	11	+3
9	T.Y. Hilton	IND	at Pit	7	-2
10	Golden Tate	DET	at Atl	8	-2
11	DeSean Jackson	WAS	at Dal	20	+9
12	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at Ari	10	-2
13	Pierre Garcon	WAS	at Dal	23	+10
14	Mike Wallace	MIA	at Jac	13	-1
15	Michael Floyd	ARI	vs. Phi	15	0
16	Roddy White	ATL	vs. Det	22	+6
17	Steve Smith	BAL	at Cin	16	-1
18	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at NYJ	12	-6
19	Doug Baldwin	SEA	at Car	25	+6
20	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. Bal	32	+12
21	Vincent Jackson	TB	vs. Min	17	-4
22	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. SD	14	-8
23	Andre Johnson	HOU	at Ten	19	-4
24	Julian Edelman	NE	vs. Chi	21	-3
25	Keenan Allen	SD	at Den	30	+5
26	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	vs. Sea	18	-8
27	Eric Decker	NYJ	vs. Buf	26	-1
28	Denard Robinson	JAC	vs. Mia	42	+14
29	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	vs. Phi	27	-2
30	Marques Colston	NO	vs. GB	31	+1
31	Terrance Williams	DAL	vs. Was	24	-7
32	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	vs. Bal	28	-4
33	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. Hou	37	+4
34	Torrey Smith	BAL	at Cin	33	-1
35	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	at Ten	29	-6
36	Cecil Shorts	JAC	vs. Mia	39	+3
37	Percy Harvin	NYJ	vs. Buf	41	+4
38	Brandin Cooks	NO	vs. GB	34	-4
39	Wes Welker	DEN	vs. SD	35	-4
40	Brandon LaFell	NE	vs. Chi	45	+5
41	Brian Quick	STL	at KC	43	+2
42	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	at TB	47	+5
43	Andre Holmes	OAK	at Cle	36	-7
44	Mike Evans	TB	vs. Min	38	-6
45	James Jones	OAK	at Cle	40	-5
46	Dwayne Bowe	KC	vs. StL	48	+2
47	Justin Hunter	TEN	vs. Hou	55	+8
48	Hakeem Nicks	IND	at Pit	56	+8
49	Malcom Floyd	SD	at Den	50	+1
50	Davante Adams	GB	at NO	49	-1
51	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	at Car	57	+6
52	Riley Cooper	PHI	at Ari	62	+10
53	Greg Jennings	MIN	at TB	54	+1
54	Allen Robinson	JAC	vs. Mia	44	-10
55	Jordan Matthews	PHI	at Ari	59	+4
56	Eddie Royal	SD	at Den	51	-5
57	Miles Austin	CLE	vs. Oak	64	+7
58	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	vs. Oak	53	-5
59	John Brown	ARI	vs. Phi	65	+6
60	Kenny Stills	NO	vs. GB	58	-2
61	Brian Hartline	MIA	at Jac	66	+5
62	Tavon Austin	STL	at KC	60	-2
63	Robert Woods	BUF	at NYJ	67	+4
64	Jarius Wright	MIN	at TB	69	+5
65	Kenny Britt	STL	at KC	70	+5
66	Danny Amendola	NE	vs. Chi	84	+18
67	Jarvis Landry	MIA	at Jac	63	-4
68	Devin Hester	ATL	vs. Det	78	+10
69	Mike Williams	BUF	at NYJ	90	+21
70	Martavis Bryant	PIT	vs. Ind	79	+9
71	Donte Moncrief	IND	at Pit	72	+1
72	Nate Washington	TEN	vs. Hou	80	+8
73	Allen Hurns	JAC	vs. Mia	81	+8
74	Louis Murphy	TB	vs. Min	61	-13
75	Paul Richardson	SEA	at Car	76	+1
76	Jeremy Ross	DET	at Atl	74	-2
77	Jerricho Cotchery	CAR	vs. Sea	77	0
78	Markus Wheaton	PIT	vs. Ind	71	-7
79	Marqise Lee	JAC	vs. Mia	82	+3
80	Jeremy Kerley	NYJ	vs. Buf	85	+5
81	Andre Roberts	WAS	at Dal	87	+6
82	Dexter McCluster	TEN	vs. Hou	88	+6
83	Travis Benjamin	CLE	vs. Oak	89	+6
84	Chris Hogan	BUF	at NYJ	68	-16
85	Taylor Gabriel	CLE	vs. Oak	86	+1
86	Corey Fuller	DET	at Atl	73	-13
87	Brian Tyms	NE	vs. Chi	83	-4
88	Brandon Tate	CIN	vs. Bal	75	-13

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Tight Ends: Better Health, Weeks Ahead for New Orleans Saints' Jimmy Graham

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Jimmy Graham's fantasy owners thought it was a blessing he was active last Sunday. It wound up being a curse.

He was held without a catch and scored the fantasy goose egg. So much for him being a red-zone threat.

ESPN.com's Mike Triplett reported Graham is not limited when catching the football as much as what could happen after that: "It's tough to predict how much Graham’s role will increase in the coming weeks. He doesn't appear to have any limitations when it comes to catching the ball, but his ability to block and absorb contact will likely be bigger determining factors."

Head coach Sean Payton suggested to Triplett there are enough opportunities for Graham to score:

"

He was in the nickel, some of the third down, some of the red zone. We kind of did the same thing a year ago [when Graham returned from a plantar fasciitis injury] against Buffalo. We kind of had a set plan in place for him, and the challenge is just making sure you're ready if you're not playing on a more frequent basis.

"

All it takes is one catch for a touchdown for Graham to prove to be the right choice to start in fantasy lineups.

That is enough for us to rank Graham as a start, if not a star, at the thin tight end position. Here are the B/R's top tight end plays for Week 8:

Week 8 Tight End Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	vs. Chi	1	0
2	Julius Thomas	DEN	vs. SD	2	0
3	Jimmy Graham	NO	vs. GB	5	+2
4	Jordan Reed	WAS	at Dal	6	+2
5	Jordan Cameron	CLE	vs. Oak	8	+3
6	Greg Olsen	CAR	vs. Sea	3	-3
7	Antonio Gates	SD	at Den	4	-3
8	Martellus Bennett	CHI	at NE	7	-1
9	Jason Witten	DAL	vs. Was	14	+5
10	Owen Daniels	BAL	at Cin	13	+3
11	Zach Ertz	PHI	at Ari	11	0
12	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. Hou	12	0
13	Travis Kelce	KC	vs. StL	9	-4
14	Dwayne Allen	IND	at Pit	10	-4
15	Coby Fleener	IND	at Pit	19	+4
16	Heath Miller	PIT	vs. Ind	18	+2
17	Jace Amaro	NYJ	vs. Buf	22	+5
18	Charles Clay	MIA	at Jac	15	-3
19	Jared Cook	STL	at KC	16	-3
20	Gavin Escobar	DAL	vs. Was	23	+3
21	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	vs. Bal	17	-4
22	Clay Harbor	JAC	vs. Mia	20	-2
23	Ladarius Green	SD	at Den	28	+5
24	Cooper Helfet	SEA	at Car	26	+2
25	Scott Chandler	BUF	at NYJ	21	-4
26	Tim Wright	NE	vs. Chi	25	-1
27	Andrew Quarless	GB	at NO	24	-3
28	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	vs. Min	30	+2
29	Eric Ebron	DET	at Atl	29	0
30	Luke Willson	SEA	at Car	31	+1
31	Niles Paul	WAS	at Dal	27	-4
32	Garrett Graham	HOU	at Ten	32	0

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Defense/Special Teams: Fantasy Points, Turnovers Coming for Dallas Cowboys

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys defense has held together better than anyone other than their players and families could have imagined. Now fantasy owners might want to jump on the bandwagon.

The Washington Redskins are next up on Big D for the Dallas D...with Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback, according to ESPN.com's John Keim. Expect sacks, turnovers and potential touchdowns—the things fantasy owners want from their defense/special teams.

If you stream defenses, the Cowboys are the play this week. They are at least available. The Cowboys are owned in just 9.3 percent of ESPN.com leagues.

We go so far as to suggest the Cowboys are No. 1 in B/R's top defense/special teams plays for Week 8:

Week 8 Defenses and Special Teams Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Defenses and Special Teams	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Dallas Cowboys	Dal	vs. Was	3	+2
2	Seattle Seahawks	Sea	at Car	6	+4
3	Miami Dolphins	Mia	at Jac	1	-2
4	Buffalo Bills	Buf	at NYJ	2	-2
5	Denver Broncos	Den	vs. SD	14	+9
6	Houston Texans	Hou	at Ten	5	-1
7	Cleveland Browns	Cle	vs. Oak	7	0
8	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	vs. StL	8	0
9	Detroit Lions	Det	at Atl	4	-5
10	New England Patriots	NE	vs. Chi	9	-1
11	Baltimore Ravens	Bal	at Cin	10	-1
12	New York Jets	NYJ	vs. Buf	16	+4
13	St. Louis Rams	StL	at KC	23	+10
14	Minnesota Vikings	Min	at TB	15	+1
15	Indianapolis Colts	Ind	at Pit	11	-4
16	Tennessee Titans	Ten	vs. Hou	19	+3
17	Cincinnati Bengals	Cin	vs. Bal	18	+1
18	Carolina Panthers	Car	vs. Sea	26	+8
19	Arizona Cardinals	Ari	vs. Phi	12	-7
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Phi	at Ari	13	-7

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Kickers: Stephen Gostkowski Remains Steady for Fantasy Owners

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

The New England Patriots offense might have had some early season issues, but it is rolling now. Through it all, one thing that has been consistent with the Pats, though, has been kicker Stephen Gostkowski.

Offensive struggles or not, he remains the No. 1 fantasy scorer at the position in standard leagues, per FFToday.com. He has attempted the most scoring kicks, missed just one and has a league-high 18 made field goals.

He is also a regular No. 1 in B/R's top kicker plays, as he is again for Week 8:

Week 8 Kicker Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	vs. Chi	1	0
2	Steven Hauschka	SEA	at Car	4	+2
3	Dan Bailey	DAL	vs. Was	2	-1
4	Justin Tucker	BAL	at Cin	3	-1
5	Mason Crosby	GB	at NO	5	0
6	Adam Vinatieri	IND	at Pit	6	0
7	Nick Novak	SD	at Den	7	0
8	Matt Prater	DET	at Atl	13	+5
9	Shayne Graham	NO	vs. GB	17	+8
10	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	vs. Phi	9	-1
11	Caleb Sturgis	MIA	at Jac	14	+3
12	Brandon McManus	DEN	vs. SD	10	-2
13	Cody Parkey	PHI	at Ari	8	-5
14	Blair Walsh	MIN	at TB	12	-2
15	Matt Bryant	ATL	vs. Det	16	+1
16	Mike Nugent	CIN	vs. Bal	19	+3
17	Shaun Suisham	PIT	vs. Ind	15	-2
18	Robbie Gould	CHI	at NE	18	0
19	Greg Zuerlein	STL	at KC	24	+5
20	Dan Carpenter	BUF	at NYJ	11	-9

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

 

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.