Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Top 50 Players from Consensus Experts

The fantasy football regular season has officially reached the second half, and Week 8 of the NFL campaign should be a valuable measuring stick for every league.

Only two teams―the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys―are idle, so Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Mark Ingram, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Mark Andrews aren't available. That's a pretty large group of players, but this is practically a full-strength week in the fantasy realm.

Courtesy of FantasyPros' consensus tool―an evolving list of expert rankings―the following order is the top 50 players in points-per-reception leagues for Week 8.

Week 8 Expert Rankings

1. Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN (vs. WAS)
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, CAR (at SF)
3. Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG (at DET)
4. Leonard Fournette, RB, JAC (vs. NYJ)
5. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU (vs. OAK)
6. Julio Jones, WR, ATL (vs. SEA)
7. Chris Carson, RB, SEA (at ATL)
8. Michael Thomas, WR, NO (vs. ARI)
9. James Conner, RB, PIT (vs. MIA)
10. Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR (vs. CIN)
11. Chris Godwin, WR, TB (at TEN)
12. Tyreek Hill, WR, KC (vs. GB)
13. Le'Veon Bell, RB, NYJ (at JAC)
14. Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA (at ATL)
15. T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND (vs. DEN)
16. Keenan Allen, WR, LAC (at CHI)
17. Kenny Golladay, WR, DET (vs. NYG)
18. Todd Gurley, RB, LAR (vs. CIN)
19. George Kittle, WR, TE (vs. CAR)
20. Julian Edelman, WR, NE (vs. CLE)
21. Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN (vs. WAS)
22. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, CLE (at NE)
23. David Johnson, RB, ARI (at NO)
24. Mike Evans, WR, TB (at TEN)
25. Aaron Jones, RB, GB (at KC)
26. Nick Chubb, RB, CLE (at NE)
27. D.J. Chark, WR, JAC (vs. NYJ)
28. John Brown, WR, BUF (vs. PHI)
29. Austin Hooper, TE, ATL (vs. SEA)
30. Evan Engram, TE, NYG (at DET)
31. Josh Jacobs, RB, OAK (at HOU)
32. Derrick Henry, RB, TEN (vs. TB)
33. Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN (at IND)
34. Robert Woods, WR, LAR (vs. CIN)
35. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI (at NO)
36. Darren Waller, TE, OAK (at HOU)
37. Travis Kelce, TE, KC (vs. GB)
38. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, PIT (vs. MIA)
39. Allen Robinson, WR, CHI (vs. LAC)
40. Zach Ertz, TE, PHI (at BUF)
41. Hunter Henry, TE, LAC (at CHI)
42. Marlon Mack, RB, IND (vs. DEN)
43. Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS (at MIN)
44. Brandin Cooks, WR, LAR (vs. CIN)
45. Latavius Murray, RB, NO (vs. ARI)
46. Phillip Lindsay, RB, DEN (at IND)
47. Tevin Coleman, RB, SF (vs. CAR)
48. Tyler Boyd, WR, CIN (at LAR)
49. Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL (vs. SEA)
50. Golden Tate, WR, NYG (at DET)

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

Even in PPR leagues, DeAndre Hopkins hasn't lived up to its WR1 expectations. Prior to Week 7, he'd only cracked 14 points three times in six games this season.

Perhaps this was the turning point.

Though the Texans lost to the Indianapolis Colts, Hopkins caught nine passes for 106 yards and a score. He also had a second touchdown called back due to a controversial whistle to protect Deshaun Watson, but it was one that might have sounded too early.

Beyond the uptick in production, some unfortunate news has also boosted Hopkins' status. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, speedy wideout Will Fuller V is set to miss several weeks because of a hamstring injury.

While only a minor percentage of fantasy players benched Hopkins in a moment of panic, any small number is too high considering his talent and opportunity. "Nuk" is a must-start.

Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks

Rashaad Penny returned to the lineup in Week 7 but logged only two snaps. Chris Carson, meanwhile, handled 24 touches.

That's a massive discrepancy, and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll didn't provide much help on whether it's significant, per Ben Arthur for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Panic alarms should probably be ringing in regard to Penny, a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft who might already be out of the Seahawks' plans.

"It's grown increasingly clear that the Seahawks don’t believe in Rashaad Penny," said Adam Levitan of DraftKings.

As a result, Carson seems to be trending toward holding the title of a featured back. Up next for Seattle is the Atlanta Falcons, who are relatively stingy against the run at 3.7 yards allowed per carry. However, they also surrender 31.9 points per game, the second-highest clip in the NFL.

Carson may need 20-some touches to provide a solid performance, but the latest indication is he'll receive that hefty workload.

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Are you removing George Kittle from the lineup? Almost certainly not, unless you somehow have an elite alternative.

Despite his top ranking, a low-scoring day in Week 8 is possible.

This isn't a reaction to his subpar display at Washington—forget the numbers when weather is so unkind. Not many defenses are capable of limiting Kittle to three catches and 38 yards like his rain-soaked showing, but the Carolina Panthers are one.

So far in 2019, no opposing tight end has secured more than four receptions against the Panthers, and only two have caught a touchdown. Tyler Higbee and Cameron Brate are the lone players at the position to reach double digits.

Kittle has garnered eight-plus targets in four of San Francisco's five pleasant-weather games, and chasing targets is usually a sound strategy for tight ends. Sticking with Kittle is even the advisable decision, but the risk is clear.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.