NFL Player News

Giants running back David Wilson (neck), cornerback Jayron Hosley (hamstring), defensive tackle Shaun Rogers (knee), tight end Adrien Robinson (foot), quarterback Ryan Nassib and center Dallas Reynolds were among the team's inactives Week 8 at Philadelphia.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers heads into Week 8 at Minnesota looking for another big game after he played well in Week 7 against Cleveland.

Rodgers had three down games prior to facing the Browns with less than 20 Fantasy points against Cincinnati, Detroit and Baltimore. He ended that streak with 29 points against Cleveland, and he will look to keep rolling against the Vikings.

Minnesota has allowed four quarterbacks to score at least 23 Fantasy points against them this season, including Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer and Cam Newton. And Rodgers has a good history against the Vikings, as expected.

In his past five games against Minnesota, Rodgers has passed for 1,537 yards, 16 touchdowns and one interception. He has two 300-yard, four-touchdown games at Minnesota over that span.

Even though the Packers will be without Randall Cobb (knee), James Jones (knee) and Jermichael Finley (neck), we still expect Rodgers to shine. Consider him a Top 3 overall quarterback in the majority of leagues this week.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill heads into Week 8 against the Patriots with a shoulder injury, but the expectation is that it will not limit him. That is good, because Miami may need to throw it to have a chance this Sunday.  

The Patriots have done a good job defending the pass this season, but that hasn't stopped their opponents from trying to move the ball through the air. Opposing teams are attempintg 36.1 passes per game against New England, but the Patriots are holding quarterbacks to just 14.6 Fantasy points per game, the sixth-lowest total in the league.

Tannehill struggled in a pair of contests against the Patriots as a rookie, combining for 421 passing yards while completing 51.6 percent of his passes without a touchdown. The Dolphins may air it out against the Patriots, but Fantasy owners should not expect big numbers from Tannehill. 

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (shoulder) remained limited in practice on Thursday. But there has been no indication that his availability for Sunday against New England will be threatened.

Tannehill has slumped following a torrid start. He has completed just 52 percent of his passes the last two games after hovering around 66 percent through Week 4. It's no coincidence that the Dolphins have lost their last three after opening the year at 3-0.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was limited in Wednesday's practice due to a sore throwing shoulder, reports the Sun-Sentinel. The paper says Tannehill likely got hurt "getting pummeled by Buffalo defensive end Mario Williams during two critical fourth-quarter sacks" in the Week 7 loss.

Tannehill, who's been sacked 26 times this season, is fully expected to start Sunday at New England.

A.J. Green is one of those receivers whose matchup Fantasy owners don't bother to check on any given Sunday. But he has struggled at times against the best cornerbacks this season, including Joe Haden and Tramon Williams. Those two corners held him to 11 catches for 97 yards combined in successive games.

Such is the case in Week 8. Green has another tough matchup with Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, whom he has never faced.

He and Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton are on a roll. They have combined for 12 hookups for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the last two weeks. But keep in mind that those explosions came aganst the weak pass defenses of Buffalo and Detroit. The Jets are one of the better units in the league in passing yards allowed (1,574) and among the best in passing yards yielded per attempt (5.4).

The latter stat shouldn't affect Green, who can rack up big yards in a hurry, as he did on an 82-yard scoring strike to put the Lions on their heels in Week 7. Green is always an automatic start, but his numbers could be down a bit against Cromartie and the Jets.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has had back-to-back big games with seven touchdowns and one interception in his last two contests. Heading into Week 8 at home against Dallas, he should be in for another big Fantasy performance.

Stafford, who ranks second in the NFL since 2011 with 12,134 passing yards, has thrown for multiple touchdown passes in all but two games this season. He has one career game under his belt against the Cowboys back in 2011 at Dallas. He had two touchdowns in that one.

Normally a solid start in most Fantasy formats, Stafford is a must-start Week 8 against the team allowing the most Fantasy points per game to the opposition's signal caller. Quarterbacks are netting nearly 27 points per game against the Dallas defense.

Those owners who have had Stafford on their teams all season should continue to start him on Sunday. We rank Stafford as a No. 1 Fantasy QB for Week 8.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith is having an encouraging rookie season. But he is no quality Fantasy play yet, especially against a strong defense.

Such is the scenario for Smith in Week 8 at Cincinnati. Smith is ranked 25th in the NFL in completion percentage (58.3), 13th in yards passing (1,723) and tied for 16th in touchdowns with eight. And only two other quarterbacks have thrown more than his 11 interceptions.

Playing the Bengals on the road won't give Smith a break. They are seventh in the league in points allowed (135) and sixth in average yards surrendered per pass play (5.7). They have yielded 10 or fewer points in two of their three home games this season.

Smith has thrown for just one score and three picks in the last two games. He is unlikely to break out on Sunday. The three CBSSports.com senior Fantasy writer have him ranked between 19th and 22nd among NFL quarterbacks this week. Follow their advice and stick someone else in your lineups.

Andy Dalton is on a roll and his Bengals are on a roll. But be careful. Fantasy owners shouldn't stick him in their Week 8 lineups without at least considering other options.

Dalton has completed 50 of 74 passes for 709 yards, six touchdowns and just one pick in the last two weeks. But keep in mind that those numbers came against porous pass defenses in Buffalo and San Diego.

The New York Jets aren't exactly world-beaters in that department. But they are ranked 10th in passing yards yielded (1,574) and fourth in net yards allowed per attempt (5.4). And Dalton could be victimized by his own team's strong defense, which could keep the feeble Jets offense from scoring much and limit his passing attempts.

Further hindering Dalton is the fact that the Jets rank first in the NFL against the run at 3.1 yards per carry and the Bengals have struggled to gain yards on the ground. The result could be that the Jets can focus on Dalton and his aerial attack.

Not that Dalton should be benched. The three CBSSports.com senior Fantasy writers all have him ranked between 11th and 13th this week among NFL quarterbacks. But be wary of a drop in his point totals from the past two games.

Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert has returned to the practice field, but not to the starting lineup. Gus Bradley has announced that Chad Henne will keep that job.

Henne has thrown for 621 yards in the last two games combined, but no touchdowns. The winless Jaguars scored just six points Sunday against San Diego.

Gabbert has struggled mightily between injuries this season, completing just 49 percent of his passes with one touchdown and seven interceptions. His official benching could threaten his long-term position with the team.