Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings: Positional Overview, Guide and Advice

Numerous NFL teams will already be halfway through the 2015 season once Week 8 concludes. Contenders are truly beginning to distinguish themselves, as are dependable fantasy commodities.

Certain players have been roto bosses all year long as expected, but there have been a fair amount of surprise breakout stars who have garnered respect due to consistent production. Daily sleepers and the best possible values are what make the biggest fantasy impact, though.

Check out the comprehensive fantasy rankings for every major position in Week 8, accompanied by analysis regarding the best players in each group.

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Tom Brady, NE	@ Dallas Cowboys
2	Philip Rivers, SD	@ Baltimore Ravens
3	Carson Palmer, ARI	@ Cleveland Browns
4	Andy Dalton, CIN	@ Pittsburgh Steelers
5	Cam Newton, CAR	Indianapolis Colts
6	Drew Brees, NO	New York Giants
7	Aaron Rodgers, GB	@ Denver Broncos
8	Eli Manning, NYG	@ New Orleans Saints
9	Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ	@ Oakland Raiders
10	Russell Wilson, SEA	@ Dallas Cowboys
11	Andrew Luck, IND	@ Carolina Panthers
12	Brian Hoyer, HOU	Tennessee Titans

Someone must have forgotten to tell Tom Brady he was facing perhaps his toughest matchup of the season in Week 7 against the New York Jets. Brady led the New England Patriots to a 30-23 victory with a magnificent fourth quarter and threw for 355 yards against an elite secondary.

Pro Football Focus indicated how Brady's performance could have been even better with more help from his supporting cast:

Brady also isn't dreading the quick turnaround, as he said in an interview on WEEI (via ESPN.com's Mike Reiss):

"

I don't think it's as tough as some people make it out to be, personally. Maybe I'm a quarterback, I'm different; I think if you're an interior offensive lineman you may feel differently about that. But it's also nice knowing if you win the game, on the back end of it you have a lot of extra days to prepare for the next opponent.

"

Miami has been playing better under interim coach Dan Campbell, but hasn't had to deal with a short week of preparation since taking over for Joe Philbin. The team has also beaten Tennessee and Houston; traveling to Foxborough is an entirely different matter.

As Brady continues to light it up in Week 8, expect two of the year's other prolific passers to continue on strong.

Arizona star Carson Palmer will face a Cleveland defensive backfield that could again be without Joe Haden and Tashaun Gipson. If those Browns cornerstones are fit enough to play, they may be banged up and are facing a loaded Cardinals receiving corps.

San Diego signal-caller Philip Rivers has been simply putting up monster numbers of late. ESPN.com projects him to throw for 5,605 yards this season. So, yes, play Rivers against a Baltimore defense that ranked 29th against the pass entering Week 7.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Adrian Peterson, MIN	@ Chicago Bears
2	Justin Forsett, BAL	San Diego Chargers
3	Todd Gurley, STL	San Francisco 49ers
4	Matt Forte, CHI	Minnesota Vikings
5	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	@ Dallas Cowboys
6	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	Cincinnati Bengals
7	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	Indianapolis Colts
8	Duke Johnson, CLE	Arizona Cardinals
9	Devonta Freeman, ATL	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10	Doug Martin, TB	@ Atlanta Falcons
11	Mark Ingram, NO	New York Giants
12	Chris Ivory, NYJ	@ Oakland Raiders
13	Lamar Miller, MIA	@ New England Patriots
14	Chris Johnson, ARI	@ Cleveland Browns
15	LeGarrette Blount, NE	Miami Dolphins
16	Danny Woodhead, SD	@ Baltimore Ravens
17	Giovani Bernard, CIN	@ Pittsburgh Steelers
18	Frank Gore, IND	@ Carolina Panthers
19	Carlos Hyde, SF	@ St. Louis Rams
20	Latavius Murray, OAK	New York Jets

The Minnesota Vikings proved they could air it out in Week 7 while Adrian Peterson struggled to get going. Then Peterson broke off a 75-yard run against Detroit to confirm his greatness again.

Peterson takes on an NFC North rival in Chicago who ranks 25th against the run and 31st in scoring defense. ESPN Stats & Info highlights how Peterson has torn up the competition within his own division:

To mask their lack of receiving weapons and keep their struggling defense off the field, one can bet the Baltimore Ravens will ride Justin Forsett as much as they can in Week 8 against San Diego. It should work against the NFL's second-worst rush defense.

Look for Todd Gurley's magnificent rookie campaign to continue. San Francisco's cornerbacks aren't good and ought to be worried about Nick Foles beating them downfield. That only makes Gurley's job easier.

Even if the 49ers key in on him, Gurley can create yards after contact with the best of them. He gained 97 YAC out of his 128-yard rushing total against Cleveland this past Sunday, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Julio Jones, ATL	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2	A.J. Green, CIN	@ Pittsburgh Steelers
3	Keenan Allen, SD	@ Baltimore Ravens
4	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	@ New Orleans Saints
5	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	@ Cleveland Browns
6	Julian Edelman, NE	Miami Dolphins
7	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	@ Oakland Raiders
8	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	Tennessee Titans
9	Jeremy Maclin, KC	Detroit Lions
10	Antonio Brown, PIT	Cincinnati Bengals
11	Calvin Johnson, DET	@ Kansas City Chiefs
12	T.Y. Hilton, IND	@ Carolina Panthers
13	James Jones, GB	@ Denver Broncos
14	Brandin Cooks, NO	Indianapolis Colts
15	John Brown, ARI	@ Cleveland Browns
16	Steve Smith, BAL	San Diego Chargers
17	Jarvis Landry, MIA	@ New England Patriots
18	Eric Decker, NYJ	@ Oakland Raiders
19	Donte Moncrief, IND	@ New Orleans Saints
20	Stefon Diggs, MIN	@ Chicago Bears
21	Danny Amendola, NE	Miami Dolphins
22	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	Minnesota Vikings
23	Marvin Jones, CIN	@ Pittsburgh Steelers
24	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	Green Bay Packers
25	Mike Evans, TB	@ Atlanta Falcons
26	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	Green Bay Packers
27	Amari Cooper, OAK	New York Jets
28	Randall Cobb, GB	@ Denver Broncos
29	Nate Washington, HOU	Tennessee Titans
30	Martavis Bryant, PIT	Cincinnati Bengals

Save for one 227-yard game against Baltimore earlier in the season, Cincinnati stud receiver A.J. Green hasn't quite been himself. With a bye week to rest and extra time to prepare, expect him to get back on track with a flaming-hot QB in Andy Dalton delivering him the ball often against a hapless Pittsburgh secondary.

Since Rivers and Palmer were high up in the QB rankings, it only makes sense to put their top wideouts in Keenan Allen and Larry Fitzgerald, respectively, in the top five of the receiver hierarchy. Both have favorable matchups and are all but guaranteed double-digit targets.

Cardinals rising star John Brown is worth a gamble as well in any fantasy format. He plays bigger than his size and can blow the top off a defense.

It's also time to take the New York Jets passing game seriously. There are enough targets to go around for both Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall, making Ryan Fitzpatrick a top-10 fantasy QB facing Oakland's last-ranked pass defense.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	Miami Dolphins
2	Greg Olsen, CAR	Indianapolis Colts
3	Travis Kelce, KC	Detroit Lions
4	Tyler Eifert, CIN	Pittsburgh Steelers
5	Martellus Bennett, CHI	Minnesota Vikings
6	Antonio Gates, SD	@ Baltimore Ravens
7	Gary Barnidge, CLE	Arizona Cardinals
8	Eric Ebron, DET	@ Kansas City Chiefs
9	Benjamin Watson, NO	New York Giants
10	Jason Witten, DAL	Seattle Seahawks

This is one of the harder positions to gauge every week. One consistent producer has been Cleveland Browns pass-catcher Gary Barnidge, but his value is in question since Josh McCown suffered a shoulder injury in Week 7's loss at St. Louis.

Greg Olsen didn't perform as well as expected with three receptions against Philadelphia. He figures to make up for that against a slow Indianapolis defense that ranks 29th in sacks and will give Cam Newton more time to find Olsen for big plays.

Another big name who was quiet until this past Sunday was Rob Gronkowski. That promptly changed against the Jets when he hauled in 11 receptions and a TD. Gronk appears to be back and will be able to gash Miami more than a few times.

Since Antonio Gates didn't play in Week 7, his ranking isn't as high as it otherwise would be. Jason Witten is among the most dependable players at the position, but a bad QB situation in Dallas diminishes his ranking until Tony Romo returns.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Seattle Seahawks	@ Dallas
2	New York Jets	@ Oakland
3	St. Louis Rams	San Francisco
4	Arizona Cardinals	@ Cleveland
5	Cincinnati Bengals	@ Pittsburgh
6	Carolina Panthers	Indianapolis
7	Kansas City Chiefs	Detroit
8	Atlanta Falcons	Tampa Bay
9	New England Patriots	Miami
10	Green Bay Packers	@ Denver

A perfect transition into this section—the Cowboys are in trouble with Matt Cassel under center. Even though they're at home for Week 8, Dallas is facing the Seattle Seahawks' vaunted defense.

Cassel threw three interceptions in Week 7 even with the benefit of a rushing attack that managed well over 200 yards. It's bound to be ugly for America's Team against the Legion of Boom Seahawks secondary.

The Jets are going to bounce back against an inexperienced opposing QB in Derek Carr and devastate the Raiders this next Sunday. Rookie Amari Cooper is going to be marked by Darrelle Revis—his first trip to Revis Island.

After a magnificent performance versus Cleveland, one can only imagine what St. Louis will do against the Colin Kaepernick-led 49ers offense. Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and the Rams front four should have a field day against San Francisco's embattled field general.

Kicker

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Justin Tucker, BAL	San Diego Chargers
2	Steven Hauschka, SEA	@ Dallas Cowboys
3	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	Miami Dolphins
4	Ryan Succop, TEN	@ Houston Texans
5	Mike Nugent, CIN	@ Pittsburgh Steelers
6	Adam Vinatieri, IND	@ Carolina Panthers
7	Chandler Catanzaro, ARI	@ Cleveland Browns
8	Brandon McManus, DEN	Green Bay Packers
9	Mason Crosby, GB	@ Denver Broncos
10	Travis Coons, CLE	Arizona Cardinals

This position is always a bit of a wild card. In year-long fantasy leagues, depending on how points are rewarded, a strong performance by a kicker could swing a matchup.

It's often wise to go with the kickers who are on teams with offenses bound to have good weeks. Another wise strategy is deploying someone whose team is likely to struggle punching it in near the goal line or upon reaching the red zone.

That is why Justin Tucker and Steven Hauschka headline these rankings. Tucker is among the most reliable kickers in football, but Baltimore ranks 20th in touchdown percentage in the red zone, per TeamRankings.com.

Seattle ranks last in TD percentage in the red zone. Perhaps that trend will reverse in Week 8, but the smart money is on Hauschka to continue pulling through. Hauschka has converted all 16 of his field-goal attempts this season.