Week 8's fantasy football rankings
Plus, the latest injury news and a preview of Thursday night's game to help you prepare your lineups.
Week 8 news you might be able to use…
Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Justin Fields will once again be considered doubtful for Sunday night’s game vs the Chargers due to his dislocated thumb. It sounds like it will be Tyson Bagent drawing another start next week against the Chargers.
With Ryan Tannehill still out, Will Levis is expected to start for the Titans, make his NFL debut, and serve as the ‘primary’ quarterback Sunday against Atlanta. Fantasy managers should expect that Levis will likely see the bulk of the work, with Malik Willis having specific plays and packages that get him onto the field.
Jerome Ford was diagnosed with what a source described as a “low-grade, high ankle” sprain that is expected to sideline him for 1-to-2 weeks. It will likely be Kareem Hunt as the biggest beneficiary for fantasy managers.
Chris Godwin was limited in practice on Tuesday. Godwin was upgraded from a non-participant on Monday. The veteran wide receiver will need to log at least one more limited practice to be able to suit up Thursday against Buffalo.
View the latest FantasyPros player news on 5thDownFantasy.com.
Steamweaving Week 8
Survive the bye weeks with these streaming options, courtesy of 5th Down’s Martin Grisko…
Quarterbacks
Jared Goff: Goff had a really rough week against the Ravens but we’ll go right back to him with a matchup against the Raiders at home (where Goff plays much better). With Montgomery still set to be out, Goff should be expected to throw more, hopefully leading to more fantasy points. The only negative here could be if the Lions get up big and run the clock out, but hopefully, if that’s the case, Goff already has a good game anyway. Forget about the dud of a game last week and start Goff with confidence against the lowly Raiders.
C.J. Stroud: The matchup isn’t the best, but coming out of a bye week, I expect Stroud to have a very good game. Bye weeks are most important for rookies as it gives them an extra week just to work on themselves instead of game planning for the next team. The Texans will also get Tank Dell back, giving Stroud his speedy deep threat. He cooled off a little before the bye, but expect Stroud to bounce back nicely this week.
Check to see if available: With his top two running backs down and Cooper Kupp at full health, this seems to be the time for Matthew Stafford to have better games; tough Cowboys match-up this week, though. Gardner Minshew had his best game of the season in a wild shootout with the Browns. He had some rough turnovers but if you are in a real pinch, he’s an option as a spot start.
Defense/Special Teams
Chiefs D/ST: The Chiefs’ defense is playing amazingly, and get to see the Denver team they just dominated two weeks ago. I don’t think this is enough time for the Broncos to make this second matchup end up any different with adjustments; start the Chiefs D with confidence.
Lions D/ST: The Lions’ defense will be looking forward to this one after getting embarrassed by the Ravens this past Sunday. Getting a Raiders team at home with potentially a backup QB again (Check for Jimmy G’s health status) makes for a must-start defense.
Check to see if available – Texans D/ST: They were on a bye last week, so they should be dropped but come out of the bye week facing the Panthers, great spot start. Chargers D/ST will get the Bears this week; while Tyson Bagent looked solid in his debut, the Chargers will try to force him into some rookie turnovers on Sunday Night Football.
Who else should you add to your roster this week? Check out Week 8 waiver wire picks from 5th Down’s Martin Grisko.
What to expect Thursday night
Fantasy analysis for Thursday night’s matchup between the Buccaneers and Bills courtesy of 5th Down’s Neil Forbord…
Elite start
Josh Allen – Even in a loss, Allen had a nice bounce-back game last week against the Patriots. There are clearly some things that need to be tweaked for the Bills to get back on track as a team, but for Allen, he should be just fine. His running ability can help him turn most dicey situations into a positive one. Look for Allen to stay on track in this one.
Projection: 290 passing yards, 22 rushing yards, and 3 total touchdowns
Solid start
Mike Evans/Chris Godwin – On a team that had plenty of question marks going into the season, the two things they could rely on were Evans and Godwin. With a combined 15 years of NFL experience heading into the season, these two are the glue that needs to keep this offense together. So far this year Evans has delivered on that front with his 78 yards per game and four touchdowns. Godwin has yet to find the endzone this season, but this may be the week it happens. Tampa Bay will be on the road and should be playing from behind most of the game, causing a pass-heavy game script.
Projections:
Evans – 6 catches for 85 receiving yards and 1 touchdown
Godwin – 6 catches for 70 receiving yards and 1 touchdown
Flex-worthy start
Dalton Kincaid – With Dawson Knox scheduled to get surgery on his wrist, the door is wide open for Kincaid. He’s been held in check for most of the season but finally showed up with 8 catches for 75 yards this past week. I can’t imagine the Bills will want to continue to hide their new shiny toy. This is the same tight end who scored 16 touchdowns in his final two college seasons at Utah. I would love to see him get his first one as a pro this week.
Projection: 5 catches for 63 receiving yards and 1 touchdown
More fantasy analysis of Thursday night’s game on 5thDownFantasy.com.
Week 8 player rankings
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