Week 8 Fantasy Football Projections: Flex, PPR Stat Predictions for Top 100

Week 8 of the NFL's regular season means it's the halfway point in the fantasy football season. It's time to make that push toward a championship.

Given the circumstances of injuries and lackluster play of top stars, figuring out your lineup going forward will be a giant headache the rest of the way. 

Let's take a look at the possible top 100 players in fantasy for Week 8.

Fantasy Projections

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Tom Brady	Miami Dolphins	28
2	Matt Ryan	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	26
3	Carson Palmer	Cleveland Browns	25
4	Aaron Rodgers	Denver Broncos	24
5	Andy Dalton	Pittsburgh Steelers	22
6	Drew Brees	New York Giants	21
7	Joe Flacco	San Diego Chargers	20
8	Teddy Bridgewater	Chicago Bears	19
9	Ryan Tannehill	New England Patriots	18
10	Cam Newton	Indianapolis Colts	16

At first glance, Aaron Rodgers might be too high this week.

The Green Bay Packers travel to Denver to take on the Broncos, anchored by their dominant defense. This is your friendly reminder that the Broncos have allowed only 17 points per game (third-fewest in the NFL) and have allowed a season-best 192 passing yards per game.

Those reasons alone should cause red flags to be waved. However, Rodgers may be a great play this week and could crack the code of Denver's defense.

First, more help is on the way for Rodgers. Wide receiver Davante Adams should be back for Green Bay on Sunday, according to head coach Mike McCarthy per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. Adams hasn't played since Sept. 28 against the Kansas City Chiefs. While Rodgers has thrown five touchdowns to two interceptions in the last three games since then, he's thrown fewer than 300 yards in each contest.

Second, while Denver's defense has been dominant, it's given up numerous penalties in bad situations.

ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold notes that while the Broncos are near the bottom in penalties; it's the timing of them that's been the problem.

"

It isn’t really the total number of penalties that has derailed the Broncos, but rather the timing of some of them. Denver has been flagged 52 times this season, well behind the league-leader, Buffalo (72). Seventeen other teams have been flagged at least 50 times this season.

In all the six most-penalized Broncos players this season are defensive players, with Miller and safety David Bruton Jr. -- who has a full plate of special teams duties as well -- leading the way. And the Broncos’ defenders have had a knack for ill-timed 15-yarders, those of the roughing-the-passer or personal foul variety.

"

If the Broncos give Rodgers enough chances, he's going to make Denver pay. The return of Adams will provide the reigning MVP another weapon to test the Broncos' talented secondary of Chris Harris and Aqib Talib. And if there's one quarterback who could outduel Peyton Manning and keep Green Bay rolling, it's No. 12.

Fantasy Projections

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Devonta Freeman	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	27
2	Mark Ingram	New York Giants	26
3	Chris Johnson	Cleveland Browns	26
4	Adrian Peterson	Chicago Bears	25
5	Todd Gurley	San Francisco 49ers	24
6	Marshawn Lynch	Dallas Cowboys	23
7	Jonathan Stewart	Indianapolis Colts	22
8	Doug Martin	Atlanta Falcons	22
9	Le'Veon Bell	Cincinnati Bengals	21
10	Lamar Miller	New England Patriots	20
11	Giovani Bernard	Pittsburgh Steelers	19
12	Matt Forte	Minnesota Vikings	18
13	Eddie Lacy	Denver Broncos	17
14	Justin Forsett	San Diego Chargers	16
15	Danny Woodhead	Baltimore Ravens	16
16	Thomas Rawls	Dallas Cowboys	15
17	Carlos Hyde	St. Louis Rams	14
18	DeAngelo Williams	Cincinnati Bengals	13
19	Latavius Murray	New York Jets	13
20	Charcandrick West	Detroit Lions	12
21	Ameer Abdullah	Kansas City Chiefs	11
22	James Starks	Denver Broncos	10
23	Khiry Robinson	New York Giants	10
24	Melvin Gordon	Baltimore Ravens	9
25	Frank Gore	Carolina Panthers	8
26	C.J. Spiller	New York Giants	7
27	Alfred Blue	Tennessee Titans	7
28	Orleans Darkwa	New Orleans Saints	6
29	Jeremy Hill	Pittsburgh Steelers	6
30	Darren McFadden	Seattle Seahawks	5

How great of a year has it been for Chris Johnson? James Palmer of NFL Network gives us an idea.

The former 2,000-yard rusher has found new life with the Arizona Cardinals and is one of the key reasons why the Cardinals lead the NFC West and are a legitimate contender later this year.

CJ2K ran for 122 yards on 18 carries Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens, with 62 of those coming on one long run.

If Johnson runs well for the Cardinals, they win. Johnson averaged 4.2 yards per carry in the month of October, which is impressive, but the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he had 14 carries for 40 yards dropped that average considerably.

After a big-time day on the ground for Johnson on Monday, he'll get a chance to surge for the rushing lead on Sunday when the Cardinals travel to Cleveland to take on a Cleveland Browns team that is dead last in the league defending the run.

The Browns give up an average of 151 rushing yards per game. 

If you're afraid of any inconsistencies from Johnson this week, no need. Cleveland gave up 111 yards to Ronnie Hillman two weeks ago, and Todd Gurley gashed the Browns' front seven for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

In short, give Johnson some space and he'll make Cleveland pay on Sunday.

Fantasy Projections

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Julio Jones	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	22
2	Calvin Johnson	Kansas City Chiefs	22
3	A.J. Green	Pittsburgh Steelers	21
4	Keenan Allen	Baltimore Ravens	20
5	Antonio Brown	Cincinnati Bengals	19
6	Brandon Marshall	Oakland Raiders	19
7	Odell Beckham, Jr.	New Orleans Saints	18
8	Larry Fitzgerald	Cleveland Browns	18
9	Randall Cobb	Denver Broncos	18
10	Stefon Diggs	Chicago Bears	17
11	Amari Cooper	New York Jets	16
12	Tyler Lockett	Dallas Cowboys	16
13	Brandin Cooks	New York Giants	15
14	Steve Smith, Sr.	San Diego Chargers	15
15	DeAndre Hopkins	Tennessee Titans	15
16	Mike Evans	Atlanta Falcons	14
17	T.Y. Hilton	Carolina Panthers	14
18	Travis Benjamin	Arizona Cardinals	13
19	Rishard Matthews	New England Patriots	12
20	Alshon Jeffery	Minnesota Vikings	11
21	Eric Decker	Oakland Raiders	10
22	Kendall Wright	Houston Texans	10
23	Michael Crabtree	New York Jets	9
24	Martavis Bryant	Cincinnati Bengals	9
25	Jermaine Kearse	Dallas Cowboys	8
26	Terrance Williams	Seattle Seahawks	7
27	Demaryius Thomas	Green Bay Packers	7
28	John Brown	Cleveland Browns	6
29	Donte Moncrief	Carolina Panthers	5
30	Rueben Randle	New Orleans Saints	5

Stefon Diggs is the first Minnesota Vikings rookie receiver with two consecutive 100-yard games since 1998. Some guy named Randy Moss was the one to do that.

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk had the best compliment for the rookie out of Maryland.

With Mike Wallace being inconsistent, Diggs has become the No. 1 target for Teddy Bridgewater. Diggs has caught 13 passes for 237 yards in his last two games, and caught his first career touchdown pass Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

While the Vikings are heading to Soldier Field to take on the disappointing Chicago Bears, the Minnesota offense could be in for a rough day. Despite Chicago's lack of winning early on, the defense is still good. The Bears have allowed 220 passing yards per game, which is sixth-best in the NFL.

Fortunately for Minnesota, it has a guy named Adrian Peterson who can take the pressure off the passing game. Peterson had 98 yards on 19 carries Sunday in Detroit, which was a bounce-back performance from his 60-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs a week prior.

If Peterson can have a remotely decent game, that should give Bridgewater enough time to find Diggs in the passing game. That should happen, because the Bears allow 125 rushing yards per game. This time next week, we should be talking about Diggs with three straight 100-yard games.

Fantasy Projections

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Rob Gronkowski	Miami Dolphins	18
2	Greg Olsen	Indianapolis Colts	15
3	Travis Kelce	Detroit Lions	12
4	Jason Witten	Seattle Seahawks	10
5	Jimmy Graham	Dallas Cowboys	10
6	Gary Barnidge	Arizona Cardinals	9
7	Jermaine Gresham	Cleveland Browns	8
8	Kyle Rudolph	Chicago Bears	8
9	Ladarius Green	Baltimore Ravens	7
10	Ben Watson	New York Giants	6

Who says Cam Newton doesn't have anyone to throw the ball to? When in doubt, find Greg Olsen.

The Carolina Panthers' star tight end only had six fantasy points on Sunday in the win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but he got his numbers. Olsen had three catches for 65 yards. A touchdown would've made for a great day.

Olsen's day was slightly forgotten behind Newton's three-interception night. No doubt, the Carolina quarterback needs to play better. One way to do that is get No. 88 the ball, and that will be a recipe for success Monday night when the Panthers take on the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts defense rebounded in the second half on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, holding Drew Brees and company to only seven second-half points after falling behind 27-0 in the third quarter. Chalk that up to the Saints taking their foot off the gas.

If Newton can find Olsen early and get into a rhythm, the tight end could have a game like he did in Seattle, where he caught seven passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

This should be a big night for the Panthers.

Fantasy Projections

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Seattle Seahawks	Dallas Cowboys	18
2	Minnesota Vikings	Chicago Bears	15
3	Arizona Cardinals	Cleveland Browns	15
4	Atlanta Falcons	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	14
5	New York Jets	Oakland Raiders	13
6	Denver Broncos	Green Bay Packers	12
7	Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	12
8	St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers	11
9	Tennessee Titans	Houston Texans	10
10	Carolina Panthers	Indianapolis Colts	10

All it may take for the Seattle Seahawks to get back on the right track is to play a couple of inept offenses.

They got that last week against the San Francisco 49ers, and that should be the case on Sunday when the defending NFC champions head to AT&T Stadium to take on the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys supposedly cracked the code behind the Legion of Boom's blueprint in Dallas' stunning win last year in Seattle. Dez Bryant, Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray were all in uniform for the Cowboys that day.

This year, the Cowboys will trot out Matt Cassel, possibly Darren McFadden and Terrance Williams against the Seahawks. After the New York Giants picked off Cassel three times in five pass attempts, this is the perfect two-game stretch for the Seahawks defense to establish its dominance once again.

It's going to be a long day for Cassel, especially if he doesn't put enough strength on the ball like he did in New York, as evidenced from Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News.

If you have Seattle's defense in your back pocket, now would be the time to start it.

Fantasy Projections

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski	Miami Dolphins	14
2	Justin Tucker	San Diego Chargers	13
3	Steven Hauschka	Dallas Cowboys	13
4	Blair Walsh	Chicago bears	12
5	Dan Bailey	Seattle Seahawks	12
6	Mike Nugent	Pittsburgh Steelers	11
7	Mason Crosby	Denver Broncos	10
8	Brandon McManus	Green Bay Packers	10
9	Josh Brown	New Orleans Saints	9
10	Chandler Catanzaro	Cleveland Browns	9

When in doubt, trust Stephen Gostkowski. The Patriots will forever score plenty of points, and this Thursday against the Miami Dolphins will be no different.

Miami's defense will play well enough to force New England to kick some field goals. Gostkowski is the closest thing to automatic that there is in the NFL.

All fantasy stats courtesy of ESPN.com.