October 31, 2015

RotoBaller's 2015 Week 8 fantasy football rankings analysis and tiered ranks, for both PPR and non-PPR leagues, and all NFL positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF). Rankings advice for your Week 8 matchups.

What's up RotoBallers. Week 7 is complete and we hope you managed to secure the win! To celebrate, today we are bringing you our Week 8 fantasy football rankings to help prepare you for your Week 8 matchups.

Below you will find both PPR rankings and standard league rankings for Week 8, brought to you by Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik).

Lead fantasy football columnist Edward Gorelik also highlights some rankings analysis for Week 8, broken out by position, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 8. You can also check out our 2015 fantasy football ranking dashboard, for more in depth rankings analysis on all positions including rookies and dynasty leagues.

Rankings are subject to change leading up to the games.

Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings - All Positions

Week 8 Quarterback (QB) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

After a rough two weeks against some underrated defenses (well, the Seahawks aren't, but the Eagles are) Cam Newton is ready to rejoin top five rankings relevance.

The Colts have been bad at, well, everything this year and as usual continue to be weak on defense, currently holding the ranking of 21st against the passing game in DVOA. Cam doesn't have many weapons in the passing game anyway, but just being up against one that's this easy will undoubtedly boost his floor.

I'm believing in another good Matthew Stafford week, thanks to the Chiefs allowing the second highest number of passing touchdowns in the league along with the firings of Detroit's coaches. Is it weird to see a mid-season firing as a positive? I don't think so.

I'm feeling it as extra motivation for the Lions, much like the mid-season renaissance the Dolphins are currently going through. It helps that the new OC already has a strong relationship with Stafford considering he was the QB coach.

Week 8 Running Back (RB) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

I'm feeling Matt Forte's lined up for a huge week against the Vikings. It isn't a surprise to say that, but I want to point it out. Minnesota's had one of the easiest schedules when it comes to rushing opponents and yet rank 27th in DVOA against them.

Meanwhile LeGarrette Blount, Eddie Lacy, and Latavius Murray all suffer huge falls this week in their rankings- while two of their three backups are ranked ahead of them.

I had Dion Lewis ranked highly last week against the Jets, assuming he would play- but he ended up sitting out a game that Blount had all to himself. Blount did terribly, to noone's surprise, especially considering the matchup and situation. For all you Blount owners out there (I am one too), here's two questions to ask when considering whether to play Blount:

1. Will the Patriots be ahead?
2. Does the opponent have a superior defensive line?

The answers to these questions should be yes to the first and no to the second. When you get those outcomes, you play Blount. This is a week to stay away from Blount and welcome Dion Lewis into your lineup with open arms.

Meanwhile, McCarthy's old mantra of "we're going to feed the hot hand" finally seems to ring true. He's been supposedly saying it every year since Eddie Lacy was drafted but Lacy just kept on being the hot hand. I've never been a fan of his talent myself, but similarly to Blount- Lacy's becoming more matchup oriented than not. With the Denver interior line being their strong point, the heavy near-plodding running of Lacy isn't going to work out. This should be a James Starks game.

Finally, Latavius Murray is simply in no-man's land against the New York Jets run defense. There just isn't space to operate against a team this good at suffocating opposing run games. The Jets currently rank #1 in DVOA against the run while also giving up the lowest yards per game, yards per carry, and touchdowns to opposing rushers.

Week 8 Wide Receiver (WR) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

In the last two years, Julian Edelman has had some very strong performances against the Dolphins, with only one game under 90 yards (well, two technically but the second was 88 so let's just count it) while also catching a touchdown twice. That was also a very different Edelman, a much worse Edelman. This is a new Edelman, a much better Edelman. See where i'm going?

In case you haven't noticed, John Brown has taken the reigns from Larry Fitzgerald. Yes, it's happened. Brown is now the one making highlight catches, getting goal line targets (two separate slants in the last game were stopped right at the goal line), and gathering the trust of Carson Palmer. Now, he's finally sitting above Fitzgerald in my rankings and just outside of the top 12.

If Johnny Manziel turns out to be this week's starter for the Browns, I'm playing Travis Benjamin where I own him. The Cardinals defense is tough, but what's more important is that their offense will be scoring points and the Browns will be obvious underdogs.

It's games like these where deep bombs happen early on and often, and Manziel has had a good connection with Benjamin all year. He's worth the gamble if you've got a FLEX spot you're unsure of.

Week 8 Tight End (TE) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

I'm just really high on Ladarius Green every week at this point. Gates MCL sprain might be more serious than expected and might even limit his snaps- if not keep him off the field altogether.

Filling in for Gates again last week, Green put up 45 yards and a touchdown while also receiving nine targets - his highest of the year. The Chargers might finally be realizing what nearly everyone who's watched him has: he's open a lot.

Ben Watson is somehow becoming a bigger part of the New Orlean's offense. This really is the year of the ancient TE breaking out. Watson was close to having another two touchdown game last week before getting tackled twice on long gains and this weeks game presents a huge plus matchup against the Giants who are allowing 76 yards per game on average to tight ends. That's currently the 2nd highest in the league.

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