Phinsider Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings

Last week, regular fantasy stalwarts such as Le’Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott continued their run of statistical dominance, while others with unfulfilled potential like Jay Ajayi and and T.Y. Hilton are struggling to find consistency. Now, as we approach the halfway point of the NFL season, it’s time to evaluate who we can trust moving forward as we begin the second-half stretch and the fantasy football playoffs inch closer.

Each week, I’ll be giving an updated look at where the top players at each fantasy position stand, with matchups and injury concerns taken into account. For the sake of continuity, I’ll only be using standard scoring when constructing the rankings, so be sure to consider that when setting your lineups.

Quarterback

1. Tom Brady - vs LAC
2. Carson Wentz - vs SF
3. Philip Rivers - @ NE
4. Drew Brees - vs Chi
5. Kirk Cousins - vs Dal
6. Dak Prescott - @ Was
7. Matt Ryan - @ NYJ
8. Alex Smith - vs Den
9. Jameis Winston - vs Car
10. Derek Carr - @ Buf
11. Deshaun Watson - @ Sea
12. Cam Newton - @ TB
13. Matthew Stafford - vs Pit
14. Russell Wilson - vs Hou
15. Ben Roethlisberger - @ Det
16. Andy Dalton - vs Ind
17. Trevor Siemian - @ KC
18. Josh McCown - vs Atl
19. Case Keenum - @ Cle
20. Matt Moore - @ Bal

Another week, another major injury for a top flight fantasy quarterback. Despite the up-and-down nature of the Cardinals’ offense, Carson Palmer had been a steady arm for many at fantasy football’s highest scoring position. Unfortunately, last week, Palmer suffered a broken arm and will be out for the foreseeable future, meaning Drew Stanton (who’s not a viable fantasy option by any measure) will be taking over. On the waiver wire, look to Andy Dalton or Josh McCown as potential replacements.

Running Back

1. Le’Veon Bell - @ Det
2. Ezekiel Elliott - @ Was
3. Melvin Gordon - @ NE
4. Kareem Hunt - vs Den
5. LeSean McCoy - vs Oak
6. Devonta Freeman - @ NYJ
7. Jordan Howard - @ NO
8. Mark Ingram - vs Chi
9. Carlos Hyde - @ Phi
10. Jay Ajayi - @ Bal
11. Doug Martin - vs Car
12. Chris Thompson - vs Dal
13. Christian McCaffrey - @ TB
14. Alvin Kamara - vs Chi
15. James White - vs LAC
16. Latavius Murray - @ Cle
17. Duke Johnson - vs Min
18. Jerick McKinnon - @ Cle
19. Joe Mixon - vs Ind
20. C.J. Anderson - @ KC

The running back position continues to be dominated by the same players week in and week out. The top eight players on this list are must starts each and every week, while Carlos Hyde, Jay Ajayi, and Doug Martin are candidates with plenty of potential that simply need to find some more consistency going forward. Behind them are a slew of PPR monsters (although PPR stats are not considered in these rankings) who are regular contributors in their teams’ offenses.

Keep an eye on the time share between Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon. It’s been uneven of the past two weeks and could become more solidified in this week’s matchup against the Browns.

Wide Receiver

1. Antonio Brown - @ Det
2. A.J Green - vs Ind
3. Julio Jones - @ NYJ
4. Mike Evans - vs Car
5. DeAndre Hopkins - @ Sea
6. Michael Thomas - vs Chi
7. Amari Cooper - @ Buf
8. Keenan Allen - @ NE
9. Brandin Cooks - vs LAC
10. Stefon Diggs - @ Cle
11. Tyreek Hill - vs Den
12. Michael Crabtree - @ Buf
13. Jarvis Landry - @ Bal
14. T.Y. Hilton - @ Cin
15. Kelvin Benjamin - @ TB
16. Adam Thielen - @ Cle
17. Demaryius Thomas - @ KC
18. Doug Baldwin - vs Hou
19. Dez Bryant - @ Was
20. Chris Hogan - vs LAC

Antonio Brown has been far and away the best receiver in fantasy football thus far, but others may soon catch up. A.J. Green has been just about the only consistent performer on Cincinnati’s struggling offense and has a beautiful matchup with the defenseless Colts this week. Fire up Green confidently as your WR1. Stefon Diggs will need to be monitored closely this week. The Vikings playmaker has a nice matchup with the Browns, but can only exploit it if his groin injury has healed. Make sure to have a replacement at the ready if Diggs is in your starting lineup.

Tight End

1. Zach Ertz - vs SF
2. Travis Kelce - vs Den
3. Rob Gronkowski - vs LAC
4. Cameron Brate - vs Car
5. Jordan Reed - vs Dal
6. Hunter Henry - @ NE
7. Jason Witten - @ Was
8. Kyle Rudolph - @ Cle
9. Jimmy Graham - vs Hou
10. Austin Seferian-Jenkins - vs Atl
11. Tyler Kroft - vs Ind
12. Jared Cook - @ Buf
13. Jack Doyle - @ Cin
14. Ben Watson - vs Mia
15. Vernon Davis - vs Dal
16. Zach Miller - @ NO
17. Ed Dickson - @ TB
18. A.J. Derby - @ KC
19. Austin Hooper - @ NYJ
20. David Njoku - vs Min

Jordan Reed finally broke out for his fantasy owners that invested in him way back during drafts over the summer. Reed’s health was always a concern, and it’s nice to see that he might finally be overcoming his various injuries (toe, chest, etc.) that hampered his production. That said, even with his emergence, fellow Washington tight end Vernon Davis will still have some streaming appeal against a weak Dallas defense this week. A.J. Derby is another name to watch out for with the Broncos needing some extra weapons in the passing game.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Minnesota - @ Cle
2. Houston - @ Seattle
3. Pittsburgh - @ Det
4. Seattle - vs Hou
5. Baltimore - vs Mia
6. Philadelphia - vs SF
7. Detroit - vs Pit
8. Kansas City - vs Den
9. Carolina - @ TB
10. Denver - @ KC
11. Cincinnati - vs Ind
12. Miami - @ Bal
13. New Orleans - vs Chi
14. Buffalo - vs Oak
15. Chicago - @ NO
16. Los Angeles (Chargers) - @ NE
17. New England - vs LAC
18. Washington - vs Dal
19. Indianapolis - @ Cin
20. Cleveland - vs Min

Minnesota’s defense is certainly looking like a Super Bowl caliber unit, and their matchup against Cleveland this week makes them the easy pick for the number one play this week. The Patriots and Chargers are teams who are improving their respective defenses as the season goes on, so if they’ve been dropped in your league, it might be time to pick them up and ride with them into the second half of the season.

Kicker

1. Jake Elliot - vs SF
2. Stephen Gostkowski - vs LAC
3. Kai Forbath - @ Cle
4. Will Lutz - vs Chi
5. Harrison Butker - vs Den
6. Chris Boswell - @ Det
7. Mike Nugent - @ Was
8. Justin Tucker - vs Mia
9. Robbie Gould - @ Phi
10. Matt Bryant - @ NYJ
11. Stephen Hauschka - vs Oak
12. Graham Gano - @ TB
13. Matt Prater - vs Pit
14. Adam Vinatieri - @ Cin
15. Cody Parkey - @ Bal
16. Chandler Catanzaro - vs Atl
17. Giorgio Tavecchio - @ Buf
18. Ka’imi Fairbairn - @ Sea
19. Brandon McManus - @ KC
20. Randy Bullock - vs Ind

Two of the top scoring kickers in fantasy (Greg Zuerlein and Ryan Succop) are on bye this week, while another is injured (Dan Bailey), meaning there will be plenty of teams looking for streamers on the waiver wire. Dallas has signed Mike Nugent to replace their star kicker, and the Cowboys’ high scoring offense makes him an immediate starting play. He should be available in just about every league.