Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks (QB) Week 8 Early Updates

October 21, 2025

Fantasy football rankings - quarterbacks (QB) Week 8 rankings early edition for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football QB rankings.

Six NFL teams are out of action this week, so the pool of quarterbacks is smaller. If you don't have a must-start stud, this could make things complicated for your Week 8 lineups. We're here to help you set lineups with our Week 8 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2025. In the initial Week 8 QB rankings below, find out where key signal callers like Bo Nix, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams, and Joe Flacco stand, among all others.

Our quarterback fantasy football rankings for Week 8 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important QB fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.

Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!

Week 8 Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football

Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings 

Week 8 Quarterback Rankings Outlooks

Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields could be in jeopardy of losing his starting job after another rough outing on Sunday against the Panthers. Before the game, coach Aaron Glenn dismissed any discussion about a change at quarterback, but then, midway through the game, Tyrod Taylor came on in place of Fields. Neither QB led a touchdown drive or was especially effective, but Taylor's game does seem to fit the scheme of offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand a little better.

Taylor is more willing to take shots down the field as a traditional pocket passer, while Fields tends to dink and dunk while scrambling around. Taylor started against the Bucs in Week 3 while Fields was out with a concussion, and he almost led the Jets to a road win with 197 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Fields has more individual fantasy upside due to his scrambling and rushing contributions, but Taylor could make the rest of the Jets offense better fantasy contributors if he takes over.

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (leg) is dealing with a bone bruise in his lower leg, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, and the second-year QB should be "good to go" for Sunday's home game against the Dolphins. Penix and the Falcons are looking to bounce back from a 20-10 loss on Sunday Night Football to the 49ers, and they'll be in a very favorable matchup to do that against the 1-6 Dolphins, who were just crushed by the Browns. Penix threw for 241 passing yards and a touchdown in the loss while also turning the ball over once with a fumble.

Since he was able to play through the injury in Week 7, it's no surprise that he should also be able to play in Week 8. If he is surprisingly out, Kirk Cousins would step in and start in his place. Most of the Dolphins' defensive troubles have been against the run, so Penix's injury could mean even more work and more success for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in a smash spot this Sunday.

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was in a tough road matchup against the Denver Broncos in Week 7, but his final numbers were excellent. He threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns while adding a fourth score on the ground with 11 rushing yards. Dart was one of the top scoring quarterbacks of the week, but his day was spoiled by taking the loss to the Broncos, who stormed back with 33 points in the fourth quarter to win 33-32. Dart threw a brutal interception to help fuel the comeback, but the kicking game and his team's defensive struggles ultimately led to the loss.

Dart and the Giants have shown a lot of promise and upside, and they'll head to Philadelphia this week for a rematch against the Eagles. The Giants beat the Eagles in Week 6 in New York, and they'll look to pull off the upset again this week, but this time they'll be on the road. Even in tough environments, Dart has shown enough upside to be considered as a starter in most formats, with his rushing potential keeping both his floor and ceiling very high.

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) could soon have the starting job back after the Minnesota Vikings lost 28-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, after which multiple members of the team highlighted the mistakes in the passing game that proved costly in quarterback Carson Wentz's fourth straight start. Wentz had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and committed a baffling intentional grounding penalty while in the red zone that forced the Vikings into a field goal attempt.

Wentz called his second-quarter interception "dumb" and "not a wise decision," while coach Kevin O'Connell and receiver Justin Jefferson both stressed cleaning up mistakes, which held the Vikings to one touchdown from six trips inside the Eagles' 20-yard line. McCarthy still hasn't been given the full vote of confidence as he returns from his injury and still could miss another week, but Sunday seemed to quell talk of a lingering controversy in Minnesota.

Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore said that quarterback Spencer Rattler will keep starting for the team, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Rattler had a rough game in the Week 7 loss on the road to the Chicago Bears, turning the ball over four times. Moore noted that the Bears have been forcing turnovers all year, so he's not too worried, and that the 25-year-old signal-caller needs to learn from it and move on.

Rattler will head into Week 8 as the starter, but he's going to need to play better to hold off rookie Tyler Shough before the end of the season. He'll get a little bit of leash despite throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble, mainly because he had just one pick and no fumbles before the Week 7 loss to Chicago. From a fantasy perspective, managers should keep ignoring New Orleans' quarterback situation.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers will continue to monitor quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) this week, and there is no certainty that he will return for the Week 8 contest on Sunday against the Houston Texans, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Purdy has been sidelined since aggravating his turf-toe injury in Week 4, and he has only played in two games through the first seven weeks due to the injury. According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, it could be a stretch for the 25-year-old to return this weekend, but it will all depend on how much he can do in practice leading up to Sunday's contest.

Purdy was limited in three practices last week, and he will probably need to put in a full practice this week to have a realistic shot at returning. Fantasy managers should consider him on the wrong side of questionable as of right now. Mac Jones would make his third straight start in a tough matchup against Houston if Purdy misses a fifth game.

LIKE ROTOBALLER?

CLICK HERE, ENTER ROTOBALLER.COM, THEN CHECK THE BOX

More Fantasy Football Rankings