Editor's Note: Welcome to Week 8, where the top of the quarterback rankings are pretty much unrecognizable. Injuries have turned the position on its head all season, and though Drew Brees is back, we're missing Patrick Mahomes and Matt Ryan in Week 8, last year's top two quarterbacks in Fantasy.
Looking at our experts' rankings, they agree across the board about the top three options for Week 8: Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson and … Matthew Stafford? Yep, strange things are afoot at the quarterback position.
That means you might not have a set plan for the position at this point. Stafford was a low-end option in draft season, and names like Gardner Minshew, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins and Jacoby Brissett are all among the top-10 for this week after being waiver-wire fodder previously. So, there's a pretty good chance you've got a tough decision to make at quarterback no matter how strong you seemed coming into the season.
Jamey Eisenberg has laid out his favorite plays and guys you should avoid at quarterback for his Start 'Em & Sit' Em column right here, including some big names you might actually be sitting for those upstarts.
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
Start 'Em
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Allen just had his best game of the season in Week 7 against Miami with 25 Fantasy points, and he has another favorable matchup this week against the Eagles. Three of the past four quarterbacks against this defense have scored at least 22 Fantasy points, with the lone exception the Jets when Luke Falk started for the injured Sam Darnold (mono) in Week 5. Allen has scored at least 20 Fantasy points in three of his past five games, and he's someone to trust once again at home this week, especially with the Eagles playing their third-consecutive game on the road.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Goff is coming off his best game of the season in Week 7 at Atlanta, and I expect him to have a solid encore this week against the Bengals in London. Cincinnati's defense is banged up in the secondary with Dre Kirkpatrick (knee) and William Jackson (shoulder) hurt, which should allow Goff to post just his fourth game with 20-plus Fantasy points this season. He has yet to do that in back-to-back games, so hopefully that happens this week after he scored 28 Fantasy points in Week 7. The Bengals have allowed four quarterbacks in a row to score at least 21 Fantasy points, and five quarterbacks have hit that mark against Cincinnati in 2019.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Minshew Mania could be coming to an end soon now that Nick Foles (collarbone) is back practicing this week. But we don't have to worry about that for Week 8, and Minshew is a solid starting option against the Jets. He's scored at least 21 Fantasy points in all but two games this year, and I expect Minshew to be the second quarterback to score at least 20 Fantasy points against the Jets this season. They've been stingy against opposing passers, with Tom Brady's 22 Fantasy points in Week 3 the season high, but I don't think that's an indication of this defense being good. Minshew Mania should run wild once again in Week 8.
| ||||||||||||||||||
I'm going back to Winston as a low-end starter this week coming off Tampa Bay's bye, but I can understand if you want to replace him with any of the other streaming options in Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater or Mason Rudolph. They're safer, but I don't know if they present as much upside, especially with the Buccaneers getting right tackle Demar Dotson (calf/hamstring) back for this game. Two of the past three opposing quarterbacks against the Titans have scored at least 20 Fantasy points, and Winston has averaged 28.7 Fantasy points in his past three games coming off a bye. Winston also scored at least 21 Fantasy points in three games prior to his meltdown in Week 6 against Carolina in London. Winston will be better this week, and he's a low-end No. 1 option this week.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Like Winston, I can understand going with Tannehill, Bridgewater or Rudolph this week over Murray. He has a tough matchup at New Orleans, but I still expect him to deliver quality Fantasy production, even if it comes in garbage time. The Saints have allowed an average of 22.1 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and five of seven quarterbacks have scored at least 21 points against this defense. Murray has scored at least 20 Fantasy points in three of his past five games, and I expect he will have to do some heavy lifting this week against the Saints, especially with his legs. I consider him a low-end starting option this week.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Sleepers
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Tannehill did a nice job in his first start for the Titans in place of Marcus Mariota against the Chargers in Week 7. He passed for 312 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and he scored 22 Fantasy points. We'll see what he can do for an encore in Week 8, but Tannehill should be considered a solid streaming option against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have allowed four quarterbacks in a row to score at least 21 Fantasy points, and they allow an average of 22.7 Fantasy points to quarterbacks for the season.
| ||||||||||||||||||
In deeper leagues, consider Jones as a low-end starter this week against the Lions. Detroit has allowed three of the past four opposing quarterbacks, including two in a row, to score at least 22 Fantasy points. Jones has been terrible as a Fantasy quarterback aside from his big outing against Tampa Bay in Week 3. But given the matchup, he could be useful as a low-end starter in Week 8.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Rudolph gets the Dolphins this week on Monday night, which is a great matchup for him. Every quarterback this season against Miami has scored multiple touchdowns, and the Dolphins allow the most Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks for the season at 29.0 points per game. Rudolph only has one game with more than 20 Fantasy points since taking over for Ben Roethlisberger (elbow) in Week 2, but this is a great week to trust him as a streamer.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Sit 'Em
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Garoppolo got a new weapon this week with the 49ers trading for receiver Emmanuel Sanders from Denver. I'm hopeful Sanders will make an immediate impact on San Francisco's passing attack, but it might not happen this week against the Panthers. This is a tough matchup against a good Carolina defense that has allowed just two quarterbacks to score at least 20 Fantasy points this year. Garoppolo has scored at least 20 Fantasy points just once this season, which was Week 2 at Cincinnati, and he's averaging just 14.3 Fantasy points per game for the season. He's barely an option in two-quarterback leagues this week against Carolina, which is coming off its bye.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Wentz is more of a bust alert than a must-sit option, but I would try to bench him if you can. He struggled in Week 7 at Dallas with eight Fantasy points, and his offensive line and receiving corps are banged up. It would be tough taking on Buffalo at full strength, and the Bills defense has allowed just one quarterback to score more than 20 Fantasy points, which was Ryan Fitzpatrick last week. I'm concerned about Wentz scoring multiple touchdowns in this matchup, and I'm replacing him in several leagues of my own.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Even though Patrick Mahomes (knee) is trying to practice this week, he's not expected to play against the Packers. That should give Moore the chance to prove himself in Andy Reid's offense. You can use Moore in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues, but I don't consider him a quality starter in one-quarterback formats. The Packers allow an average of just 15.6 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and the Chiefs offensive line woes should show up even more without Mahomes to bail them out.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Mayfield coming off a bye should be a good thing, but it will be tough for him heading to New England. The Patriots defense is amazing, having allowed just five scoring drives, 3.96 opponents yards per play and leads the NFL in interceptions (18). Mayfield has one game with exactly 20 Fantasy points this season, which was Week 6 against Seattle, and he's averaging just 12.3 Fantasy points per game. He's barely an option in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Bust Alert
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Rivers was better than expected in Week 7 at Tennessee with 25 Fantasy points, and he eliminated the turnovers that plagued him in the previous two games when he had four interceptions. He's still worth using as a low-end starter in most leagues, but I expect him to be under 20 Fantasy points in this matchup at Chicago. While the Bears just gave up 31 Fantasy points against Bridgewater in Week 7, they are allowing just 14.7 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks for the year. Rivers should struggle in his second game in a row on the road, especially against a tough defense like the Bears.
| ||||||||||||||||||
So who should you sit and start in Week 8? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB comes out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
