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Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Final Outlook for Sunday's Flex, PPR Players
November 1, 2015
This is the last week an early London game will ruin fantasy football managers' Sunday routine.
The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs conclude 2015's International Series with a game kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET. Given this article's 9 a.m. publishing time, it's probably too late to talk about Charcandrick West's outlook and Golden Tate's flex appeal. As a result, they're excluded from this final batch of Week 8 rankings.
If not, Golden Tate would have received praise as a bye-week replacement against a defense that has allowed an NFL-high 108 receptions to wideouts this year, per ESPN.com. Unless he fizzled, in which case everyone should have left the slumping receiver on the bench.
| Week 8 Flex Rankings | ||
| Rank | Standard | PPR |
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT | Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT |
| 2 | Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL | Julio Jones, WR, ATL |
| 3 | Todd Gurley, RB, STL | Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL |
| 4 | Julio Jones, WR, ATL | Antonio Brown, WR, PIT |
| 5 | Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN | DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU |
| 6 | DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU | Keenan Allen, WR, SD |
| 7 | Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA | Todd Gurley, RB, STL |
| 8 | Matt Forte, RB, CHI | Matt Forte, RB, CHI |
| 9 | Doug Martin, RB, TB | Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG |
| 10 | Justin Forsett, RB, BAL | Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN |
| 11 | Mark Ingram, RB, NO | Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ |
| 12 | Antonio Brown, WR, PIT | Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI |
| 13 | Keenan Allen, WR, SD | Justin Forsett, RB, BAL |
| 14 | Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG | Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA |
| 15 | Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ | Doug Martin, RB, TB |
| 16 | Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ | A.J. Green, WR, CIN |
| 17 | Chris Johnson, RB, ARI | Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN |
| 18 | A.J. Green, WR, CIN | Randall Cobb, WR, GB |
| 19 | Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI | Mark Ingram, RB, NO |
| 20 | Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN | Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN |
| 21 | Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI | Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI |
| 22 | Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR | Danny Woodhead, RB, SD |
| 23 | Randall Cobb, WR, GB | Mike Evans, WR, TB |
| 24 | Frank Gore, RB, IND | Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN |
| 25 | Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN | Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ |
| 26 | Mike Evans, WR, TB | T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND |
| 27 | T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND | Chris Johnson, RB, ARI |
| 28 | Danny Woodhead, RB, SD | Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL |
| 29 | Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT | Amari Cooper, WR, OAK |
| 30 | Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN | Greg Olsen, TE, CAR |
| 31 | Latavius Murray, RB, OAK | Eric Decker, WR, NYJ |
| 32 | Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN | Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN |
| 33 | Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN | Brandin Cooks, WR, NO |
| 34 | Amari Cooper, WR, OAK | Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT |
| 35 | Darren McFadden, RB, DAL | Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR |
| 36 | Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL | Frank Gore, RB, IND |
| 37 | Eric Decker, WR, NYJ | Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN |
| 38 | Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN | Donte Moncrief, WR, IND |
| 39 | Eddie Lacy, RB, GB | Latavius Murray, RB, OAK |
| 40 | Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN | Willie Snead, WR, NO |
| 41 | Greg Olsen, TE, CAR | Travis Kelce, TE, KC |
| 42 | Brandin Cooks, WR, NO | Darren McFadden, RB, DAL |
| 43 | Travis Kelce, TE, KC | Marvin Jones, WR, CIN |
| 44 | Alfred Blue, RB, HOU | Duke Johnson Jr., RB, CLE |
| 45 | Donte Moncrief, WR, IND | Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN |
| 46 | Marvin Jones, WR, CIN | Martellus Bennett, TE, CHI |
| 47 | Willie Snead, WR, NO | John Brown, WR, ARI |
| 48 | Antonio Andrews, RB, TEN | Eddie Lacy, RB, GB |
| 49 | John Brown, WR, ARI | Kendall Wright, WR, TEN |
| 50 | Dez Bryant, WR, DAL | Jason Witten, TE, DAL |
| Author's Rankings | ||
Danny Woodhead, RB, San Diego Chargers
A point-per-reception standout, Danny Woodhead is commanding more attention across the board.
The 30-year-old running back is averaging 85 total yards per game, with a majority coming as a pass-catcher. Outside of his old stomping grounds in Foxborough, there's no better place for him than the San Diego Chargers, who have completed an NFL-high 220 passes this season.
Last weekend, 12 of Philip Rivers' 58 throws went to Woodhead, who corralled 11 receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Those scores, his first end-zone visits since opening the season with a pair of Week 1 touchdowns, may look like a mere fluke. Don't be so quick to write them off.
Melvin Gordon, who has lost three fumbles this season, has received just seven carries in each of the past two weeks. Rather than trusting this year's first-round pick, the Chargers are relying on the 5'8" veteran inside the red zone. ESPN.com's Eric Williams noted their current usage:
In particular, expect Woodhead to continue to receive the lion’s share of the touches in the red zone for the Chargers. Woodhead has 14 touches for four total touchdowns inside the 20-yard line so far this season, compared to Melvin Gordon’s three touches and no touchdowns in the red zone through seven games
The Baltimore Ravens rank No. 28 in pass defense and No. 11 against the run, so San Diego will continue to air it out regularly on Sunday. This bodes well for Woodhead, a strong start in all leagues.
Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Before news broke earlier this week of Joseph Randle facing a possible suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, the Dallas Cowboys had already declared Darren McFadden their Week 8 starter, per DallasCowboys.com's David Helman.
“I’ve just been wanting to go out there and show it to everybody on the field, because I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of doing,” McFadden told Helman. “My big thing is just going out there and being able to show it.”
Against a New York Giants defense ranked No. 1 against the run earlier this season, McFadden translated 29 carries into 152 yards and a touchdown. For all the chatter of Christine Michael stealing the spotlight, the newcomer received just five handoffs.
These Cowboys fed DeMarco Murray 392 times last season, and now they have even more reason to run with Matt Cassel under center. If McFadden keeps the gig, he's a sturdy No. 2 back going forward. However, Week 8 won't prove to be an easy matchup.
The Seattle Seahawks limit opposing running backs to 3.7 yards per rush and 10.3 ESPN.com fantasy points per game, the second-lowest rate behind the New York Jets. A game with blowout potential could also silence Dallas' running game during the second half.
McFadden isn't a must-start on Sunday, but the safety net of opportunity makes him a solid flex play, particularly in leagues using standard scoring.
Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints
For all the preseason buzz, Brandin Cooks' sophomore season feels like a colossal letdown. Yet the 22-year-old wide receiver is averaging five catches and 63.4 receiving yards per game, putting him on pace for a 1,000-yard tally.
After the luster faded, he has quietly excelled over the last three games, including a 100-yard, one-touchdown display against the Philadelphia Eagles and a season-high 13 targets last weekend.
| Brandin Cooks' Last Three Games | |||||
| Week | OPP | REC | TAR | YDS | TD |
| 5 | @ PHI | 5 | 9 | 107 | 1 |
| 6 | ATL | 4 | 5 | 41 | 0 |
| 7 | @ IND | 6 | 13 | 81 | 0 |
| ESPN.com | |||||
Cooks, who started the season lined up against star corners Patrick Peterson and Josh Norman, believes the emergence of Willie Snead and Benjamin Watson have shifted the attention from him in the New Orleans Saints' egalitarian offense.
"Now defenses are seeing that we've got guys like Snead making plays, Watson, [Marques] Colston," Cooks told ESPN.com's Mike Triplett. "But at the same time, we have such a great coach, he's getting me into space, he's getting me into position where essentially I can't be double-teamed."
New Orleans will host the New York Giants' No. 30 passing defense inside the Superdome, presenting a golden opportunity for the offense to explode.