2018 Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings

Last week, I had a tough decision to make with the 5 running backs in my money league.  I had to choose three of the following to put in my lineup: Kareem Hunt, Jordan Howard, Matt Breida, Marlon Mack, or Tarik Cohen.  Hunt was a no-brainer, and he ended up finishing as the #1 fantasy RB in Week 7.  However, I started Breida over Marlon Mack, and Mack finished as the #2 fantasy RB in Week 7 (while on my bench).  Meanwhile, Breida had negative points, reinjured his ankle, and didn't even play in the second half.  Luckily I chose correctly between Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen because while both put up solid fantasy numbers, had I started Howard instead of Cohen, I would've lost my matchup by less than a point!

Assuming both are healthy, I'm going to plug in Mack for Breida this week.  And I actually made a trade that involved shipping off Jordan Howard, so I'll no longer need to decide between him and Tarik Cohen.  Hopefully I don't regret the decision to trade Howard, but time will tell how it all shakes out.

For now, let's get right to the rankings!

BYE: Falcons, Cowboys, Chargers, Titans

2018 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ - Expert Consensus Rankings

QUARTERBACKS
Last week I stayed high on Carson Wentz, but my +6 vs the ECR on Thursday turned into just +2 on Sunday.  Still, I said he'd finish as a top-10 fantasy QB for the third week in a row, and he did.  I'm backing off a bit on Wentz this week as he faces the Jags, but he's in the top-10 in my ROS rankings, and he should be a mainstay near the top of my weekly QB rankings after Philly's bye week.  I was also high on Luck and Trubisky last week (+4 vs ECR on each), and they both finished in the top-3.  I was slightly down on Kirk Cousins (-4), and he finished outside of the top-12 (nowhere near the top-5 where the ECR had him).

This week, I'm high on Blake Bortles (+6).  But this is not the Jacksonville Blake Bortles.  This is the London Blake Bortles.  The guy plays out of his mind when he's across the pond, and I don't think this week will be any different against an Eagle defense that is 7th-worst against the pass.  I realize he got benched last week against Houston, but I think that'll be a wake-up call for Bortles.  He could be a sneaky play this week and should easily be a top-20 fantasy QB.  I'm down on Jared Goff (-5) because he hasn't cracked the 20 fantasy point mark since Week 4.  He has a good matchup, but he'll also be without Cooper Kupp for a second straight week.  I just don't see him as a top-5 play this week like the other experts do.


RUNNING BACKS

I continued to be down on Derrick Henry last week (-5), and I'm not mad about him finally finishing as a top-40 RB for the first time this season. I'd still recommend Dion Lewis over Henry ROS, but neither looks to be a must-start for the foreseeable future.  I was high on Tarik Cohen (+7), and he finished as a top-12 RB for his third game in a row.  I was also pretty high on Ito Smith (+9 on Thursday, but only +5 on Sunday).  I guess the other experts started to see his value as well, but he was not a viable fantasy play in Week 7.  Better days are likely ahead after his Week 8 bye though, so don't give up on him just yet! This week, I'm really high on Kenjon Barner (+16).  I don't think anyone expects Sony Michel to play on Monday night, and I don't think Gronk will either.  That leaves Barner to get a decent amount of carries and likely goal line work.  I think double digit fantasy points could be in his future, and he could make a decent FLEX play if you're looking for someone last minute.  I'm down on Javorius Allen (-8), who hasn't had more than 6 fantasy points since Week 3.  His role has been extremely reduced the last couple of weeks, and I'm not sure how you could trust him.  I'd much rather start someone like Trenton Cannon or Nyheim Hines if I had to because I feel like both are at least guaranteed some work in the passing game.

WIDE RECEIVERS
I was high on another Falcon on MNF last week: Mohamed Sanu (+19).  He had double digit fantasy points in each of his previous 4 games, but that streak ended in Week 7.  I was down on Corey Davis though (-11), and he had his worst game of the year against the Chargers.  He had just 1 fantasy point and will also be tough to trust moving forward. I'm pretty high on Danny Amendola this week (+10) because I feel like someone has to catch the ball tomorrow night.  I expect Houston to get up early and keep the lead in this game, so I think Brock will continue to pepper Amendola with targets.  I like him as a borderline FLEX play in Week 8.  I'm down on DeSean Jackson (-10), who is the definition of a boom or bust wide receiver.  He's definitely been more boom than bust this season, and he's averaging 13 fantasy points/game.  I just feel like he's due for a game with 1 catch for 30 yards (and that's it).  I could easily be totally wrong here, but I'm going with my gut on this one. TIGHT ENDS I continued to be down on Antonio Gates in Week 7 (-4), and after just 3.5 fantasy points combined in his last 3 games, he should be on the waiver wire in 100% of leagues.  I was high on Evan Engram in my initial rankings (+8), but that turned into just +2 on Sunday, so I'll dig deeper for some comparisons vs the ECR.  I kind of liked Gerald Everett and Chris Herndon (+7 on each guy).  With Cooper Kupp out, I thought Everett would see extra targets against a Niner defense that was giving up the 4th most points to opposing tight ends this season.  Unfortunately, that didn't pan out and Everett did less than nothing against San Francisco.  On the other hand, Herndon caught a touchdown for the second week in a row and finished as a top-10 play. I'm not sure if Herndon will make it three games in a row with a TD, but I do like him again versus the ECR (+6).  I'm also high on C.J. Uzomah (+5), who faces a Bucs defense giving up the MOST points to opposing tight ends this year.  I'm down on Jeff Heuerman (-8) because I have a hard time trusting him as a top-25 play this week.  That's digging pretty deep into my tight end rankings though, so hopefully you're not looking that far down anyway. DEFENSES

Last week, I liked the Dolphins (+6), but they gave up a ton of points to the Lions and were a terrible fantasy option.  I didn't like the Cowboys though (-6), and they finished almost exactly where I ranked them (20th).  They'll have some good weeks and some bad weeks after their bye, but they didn't do much against Washington.  Alex Smith just might game manage his way to a 9-7 record and maybe even a division title.  It's still too early to tell, but I'm cautiously optimistic after 7 weeks of the season.

This week, most experts have the Cardinals as a top-10 play, but I actually have them in my top-5 (+5 vs ECR).  The Niners imploded last week against the Rams, so we'll see if that was due to LA's tough defense or Beathard's ineptitude.  It's probably a little of both, but I'm doubling down on the latter.  If I'm down on any defense, I guess it's the Jets (-5).  They didn't look good last week, and they've now given up 71 points in their last two games combined.  This week they travel to Chicago to take on a Bears offense that is running on all cylinders right now.  I'd stay away from Gang Green in this matchup.

Good luck to everyone in Week 8!  

(Except you, Andy...)

Cheers,

Bart