Week 8 is the rare midseason week with all 32 NFL teams in action, so your fantasy football team should be operating at full strength aside from injuries. The injuries do continue to mount and big names continue to go down each week while others are getting close to making their return.
As playoff races start to take shape in the NFL, they’re already undrway in fantasy football leagues, where we’re past the halfway point and quickly approaching the final push to the playoffs. As you look to get a win this weekend, make sure to set your lineups and attack the best matchups. To help you make all your lineup decisions, you can find my positional rankings each Monday right here on DK Network.
As we prepare for Week 8 to kick off Thursday night in L.A. where the Rams host the Vikings, let’s look at some of the biggest risers and fallers in my Week 8 fantasy football rankings.
QB Risers and Fallers
Lamar Jackson is back in the top spot this week while Jayden Daniels tumbles to No. 8 if he tries to play through his rib injury. If Marcus Mariota steps in, he would not be in my top 10 even though he looked decent last week and would be a fill-in option for Daniels’ owners.
Josh Allen is back to the second spot after the Bills upgraded their offense with Amari Cooper. Patrick Mahomes climbs up a spot now that he has Deandre Hopkins to work with. Jalen Hurts also climbs a few spots as he and the Eagles head to Cincinnati in what could be a high-scoring game against Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Daniels is the main faller this week due to his injury, but the other big change is that Baker Mayfield lost his top two receivers on Monday Night Football. Since my rankings came out Monday afternoon, I still had Baker at No. 10 but would now replace him with Kyler Murray, who led his team to a win with another big game Monday and will face the Dolphins this week. Speaking of the Dolphins, if Tua Tagovailoa is cleared to return, I’d slot him into my top 10, landing at No. 8 where Daniels currently is.
Check out my full QB rankings for Week 8.
RB Risers and Fallers
We’ve got a new No. 1 this week in running backs since Breece Hall is on a heater and facing the Patriots very beatable run defense. He takes over the top spot just ahead of Saquon Barkley, who continues to thrive in Philadelphia. Kenneth Walker, J.K. Dobbins, and Joe Mixon are also in the top five in their great matchups. Dobbins takes a huge leap, climbing from No. 14 to No. 4 in a great matchup vs. the Saints.
On the other side of that matchup, Alvin Kamara falls from No. 4 down to No. 19 as he continues to play without Derek Carr. Kendre Miller is also back for the Saints, and he could take some of Kamara’s touches.
James Cook slides down my rankings a little bit this week since he’s stuck in a timeshare with Ray Davis. David Montgomery also drops a few spots as he plays through a knee issue and Jahmyr Gibbs continues his emergence. Gibbs is back in my top 10 once again this week but Bijan Robinson slides to No. 15.
Check out my full RB rankings for Week 8.
WR Risers and Fallers
A.J. Brown takes over the top spot this week switching spots with Ja’Marr Chase as the two star receivers go head-to-head in Cincinnati. Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown stick in the top four as well with Drake London holding steady in the No. 5 spot.
Injuries continued to hit WR hard in Week 7 with Mike Evans (hamstring) lost for multiple weeks and Chris Godwin and Brandon Aiyuk done for the season. On the other side of the injury spectrum, Cooper Kupp is back for the Rams on Thursday, and the Dolphins’ receivers should get a boost if Tua can return for Miami.
Davante Adams rises into the top 10 this week in a great matchup vs. the Patriots, and D.J. Moore and CeeDee Lamb are also in the top 10 as they come back from their bye weeks.
Sliding down the rankings this week, Malik Nabers and Jayden Reed dropped out of my top 10. Nabers is dealing with QB struggles in New York and Reed has more options to share with in Green Bay. I also dropped Diontae Johnson and Josh Downs out of my top 25.
Check out my full WR rankings for Week 8.
TE Risers and Fallers
The top spot at tight end also has a new name this week as rookie Brock Bowers takes over the top spot in his head-to-head matchup with Travis Kelce this week. Kelce is still a strong play at No. 3 while David Njoku crashes into the top 10 and rises all the way to No. 4 since he’s obviously the go-to guy in Cleveland’s passing attack after the Cooper trade.
With all 32 teams playing, it’s a pretty stacked top 10 this week, and I ran out of spots for Kyle Pitts, Dalton Kincaid, and even Sam LaPorta. Both Jake Ferguson and Cole Kmet are back from their bye weeks and slide into my top 10 since their usage has been more consistent than those other options’, and they have more favorable matchups this week.
Check out my full TE rankings for Week 8.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
