October 29, 2016

Ben Ruppert's 2016 Week 8 quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings analysis and tiered ranks. His rankings and start/sit advice for your Week 8 quarterback matchups.

Below you will find our Week 8 quarterback rankings, to help determine your QB starts/sits for this week, brought to you by Bill Dubiel (@Roto_Dubs), Nick Mariano (@NMariano53) and Ben Ruppert (@Ben_Ruppert_21).

Featured writer Ben Ruppert also highlights some QB rankings and matchups analysis for Week 8, 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 RotoBaller's overall player rankings.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

Week 8 Quarterbacks - Rankings & Matchups Analysis

Tom Brady may be facing one of the toughest teams for opposing QBs, statistics say. However, Buffalo has yet to face anyone in the same stratosphere as Brady this season. Buffalo’s schedule has been full of the likes of Colin Kaepernick, Joe Flacco, and Ryan Tannehill. Brady will be looking for some payback after he watched New England get shut out at home by the Bills earlier this month while he was suspended. He will provide the Bills their biggest test yet, someone the Bills are unlikely to succeed against. Brady has averaged 335 yards passing and three TDs per game since his return. Start him with confidence this week, and every week moving forward.

On the other side of the fence is QB Tyrod Taylor. Normally I would love Taylor in this matchup, given how much he would have to throw and move the ball himself for the Bills to keep up with Brady. This week is going to be a big challenge for him though, with a ton of offensive weapons missing around him. Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, LeSean McCoy, and Marquise Goodwin are all in danger of missing this weekend’s game with various injuries. He will be down to Justin Hunter and Walter Powell as his top two WRs, with Mike Gillislee and Charles Clay being the main threats. Tyrod will need to have the game of his life if the Bills are going to stand any chance, and I just don’t see it happening.

Jameis Winston gets a chance to have big success at home this week against a weak Raiders defense. Oakland has allowed the sixth most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season, allowing 309 passing yards and two TDs per game. Winston has had some up and down performances this season, but had a solid game out of the bye week last week against the 49ers. Derek Carr should also find success this week against the Buccaneers. While they have held opposing QBs to only 250 yards passing per game this season, it has come against mediocre QB competition. Carr will be able to beat this defense with all of the weapons Oakland has in their offense. Both of these QBs have a chance to finish among the top-five options this week.

Russell Wilson has a prime matchup this week against the Saints in the Superdome, but I don’t believe he will have as good of a game as many expect him to. Yes, New Orleans is one of the 10 worst teams at defending opposing QBs this season, and this game is likely to be a high-scoring affair. However, Wilson has faced defenses even softer than the Saints this season and not had great results. On the season, Wilson is only averaging 260 yards passing per game, with five TDs in six games. His passer rating of 94.3 is nice, but that is mainly due to a lack of mistakes more than good fantasy statistics. Wilson has been hobbled all season long with a lingering ankle issue, which has hurt his ability to run and create plays out of nothing. The result has turned him into more of a pocket passer with limited mobility which has not looked good so far. Seattle is only averaging 18.5 PPG this season, meaning their defense will need to stand on its head to limit the Saints offense at home.

If you’re looking for someone to take a flyer on this week, take a chance on Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitz is back in the starting spot after Geno Smith tore his ACL, ending his season. After the benching Fitzpatrick was very upset, which head coach Todd Bowles responded to by saying “"If pissed off is going to stop the turnovers, I'm more than happy to have him pissed off the whole time." If angry Fitz plays like the QB we saw last season, and not what we saw after Week 2, then he will be in line for a big week against the Browns. The Browns have not enjoyed the same successes as the other Cleveland franchises this season; their defense has been putrid, allowing the second most points to opposing QBs this season. It is a roll of the dice, but if you’re stuck in a bye-week pickle he is not a bad answer.

Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks