In Week 7, we had more players come back from injury than leave injured. We are hoping for more of the same in Week 8. We are expecting Lamar Jackson back against the Bills and view him as a must-start quarterback once again. Elsewhere, there is less certainty. Ladd McConkey, Emeka Egbuka, and DJ Moore could all be back this week at receiver, though they are still questionable as of Monday evening. If all three return, we would start Moore and Egbuka, while viewing McConkey as a low-end WR3. There's less promise at the running back position. It is possible we get Breece Hall and Kyle Monangai back, but that would just create a committee when we already have a workhorse. Most likely, we would have Hall ranked as a low-end RB2 and Braelon Allen as a high-end flex, but Allen has been so good he may hold onto a lot of the early down work. In Chicago, Swift would fall significantly if Monangai returns, partially because of the competition, but also because of the Seahawks' incredible defense.
Prominent players, we had projected last week that we are not projecting to play in Week 8 as of Monday evening:
Aaron Jones, Jaylen Waddle, Jaylin Noel
At the bottom of this article are my Week 8 projections for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. They will be updated throughout the week as we get more information.
Risers
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence JAC • QB • #16 CMP%65.2YDs1480TD14INT4YD/Att8.04 View Profile Last week, Lawrence was on bye, and I don't generally include those guys, but he is QB3 in the early projections, which is much higher than he ranks this season, so I figured it was worth mentioning. His Jaguars have an implied total of 27.5, which is one of the higher marks on the slate, and the Colts defense shouldn't scare anyone. The only way this goes wrong is if they score all their points on the ground. So far this season, 77.8% of their offensive touchdowns have come through the air, so that shouldn't be too big a concern.
Geno Smith, QB, Jets
Geno Smith NYJ • QB • #7 CMP%70.0YDs1623TD10INT2YD/Att7.84 View Profile Smith gets a revenge game against the Raiders. The revenge game portion is not what we are so excited about, even if it is fun to talk about. What is exciting is Smith's collection of weapons after the emergence of Omar Cooper Jr. This could be a legitimately good pass offense. In Week 8, they get a Raiders defense that has given up the sixth-most Fantasy points to QBs this season. Each of the last five QBs they have faced has scored at least 21 Fantasy points. Smith is the top streaming option in Week 8.
Bucky Irving, RB, Buccaneers
Bucky Irving TB • RB • #7 Att120Yds558TD4FL1 View Profile We didn't see the increase in targets I was expecting last week because Tampa Bay completely dismantled the Panthers and Baker Mayfield only threw 11 passes, two of which went to Irving. That only underscores how game-script-independent Irving is. He is running exceptionally well and could have 20 touches on a weekly basis. He's a top 12 running back moving forward and a top 8 back in Week 8.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers
Josh Jacobs GB • RB • #8 Att11Yds36TD0FL0 View Profile Jacobs' shake-the-rust-off game was buoyed by better-than-expected usage in the passing game. The rushing efficiency was bad, but that could change in Week 8 as the Packers face the worst run defense in the NFL on a short week. The Panthers have been gashed all season, including last week by all three of Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell, and Sean Tucker. I would expect 16 to 20 touches per game from Jacobs and perhaps 16 to 20 Fantasy points in Week 8.
Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings
Jordan Mason MIN • RB • #27 Att30Yds127TD1FL0 View Profile Aaron Jones' aggravated his knee injury on Sunday and Mason could be a bell cow for the Vikings in a great matchup against Detroit this week. I am not sure he gets enough work in the passing game to rank as a top 12 back like Jones did, but Mason is certainly a start in Week 8. Expect somewhere around 20 touches and 13 fantasy points, depending on how many times Mason gets into the end zone.
Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders
Tre Tucker LV • WR • #1 TAR47REC29REC YDs474REC TD4FL0 View Profile Tucker had his second huge game in a row as defenses continue to try to find some way to handle Brock Bowers. Tucker has 19 targets in his last two games and 32 over his last four. He is still a bit of a boom/bust WR3, but with the state of the position this week, that may sneak you inside the top 24. This Raiders/Jets game has sneaky shootout potential. Tucker is a must-start in leagues where you start three receivers.
KC Concepcion, WR, Browns
KC Concepcion CLE • WR • #1 TAR45REC30REC YDs315REC TD0FL1 View Profile Concepcion's target share had been good for most of the season. In Week 7, we finally saw him turn those targets into Fantasy points. A big difference was his 10.8 aDOT, which was three yards higher than his season average. Hopefully, Todd Monken ticks with that after the great success the rookie had in Week 7. Concepcion and Denzel Boston are both number three receivers this week, and in full PPR, I would rather start the former.
Fallers
Aaron Rodgers QB, Steelers
Aaron Rodgers PIT • QB • #8 CMP%61.6YDs1699TD13INT5YD/Att6.46 View Profile Rodgers was one of our favorite streamers last week because he was facing the Saints and had been throwing a ton. Unfortunately, the Saints offense didn't show up and the Steelers were able to win the game on the ground. That should be the plan again this week as the Browns pass defense has been above average while they have been one of the worst teams in terms of yards per carry allowed to running backs. Find someone else if you streamed Rodgers last week, preferably Geno Smith.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Broncos
J.K. Dobbins DEN • RB • #27 Att87Yds293TD3FL0 View Profile The return of Jonah Coleman has turned this into a full-blown committee. Dobbins was the lead back early in this game, but Coleman dominated playing time and touches in the second half. That may have been because of the game script, but that is exactly the type of game script we were hoping for for Dobbins. If he's sharing early downs and barely involved on passing downs, he is not someone we really even want to flex, particularly in a bad matchup against the Chiefs.
Malik Washington, WR, Dolphins
Malik Washington MIA • WR • #6 TAR39REC26REC YDs289REC TD0FL1 View Profile Washington saw his target share shrink last week with Caleb Douglas back in the mix. That's part of the problem. Another part is that the Dolphins face a stingy Patriots defense in Week 8. A bad matchup with increased target competition hits a WR3 hard, even with three receivers on bye. Washington is outside of the top 30 at receiver and depending on who comes back from injury this week, he may be outside of the top 36 in the rankings. He was always a high-floor, low-ceiling play, and now it appears the floor is low as well.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams
Tyler Higbee LAR • TE • #89 TAR32REC26REC YDs260REC TD1FL2 View Profile I can't make any sense of the Rams' tight end rotation and the best way to view it is as if none of them are starters. Colby Parkinson was struggling to get through last week's game, but still a much more popular target than Higbee. Davis Allen is also involved and scored two touchdowns. And Terrance Ferguson could be back in a couple of weeks. There may be another good Higbee week coming but it is hard to count on against the Chargers. I would rather drop him than start him.
