Fantasy Football Advice: Week 8 Matchups, Picks & Projections

Last week was a bit of anomaly in my predictions.  Andrew Luck was the #1 fantasy QB, so that was a nice play. The RB picks were off, with Minnesota apparently forgetting they have the best RB in the NFL, and Bilal Powell somehow ending up in Rex's dog house. Alshon did pretty well, but didn't score with Cutler out, and Harry Douglas stole the show in Atlanta... who could've predicted that?!

Anyways, let's reboot and start over with Week 8! Below are some play that are outside of the top five (not including bye week players) in their respective positions.

QB1: RGIII: Proj (287y/3TD/1int/79ry,1 RTD.)

Why: Denver's defense is poor (see Andrew Luck) against the pass... very poor.  And RGIII and the Skins are starting to get on a roll.  Jordan Reed (see below) is going to exploit the middle of the field, while the WRs torch the DBs.  And while Denver is solid versus the run, they cannot stop the world-class speed Griffin brings from a broken pocket. Look for RGII to turn in the best QB performance of the week

QB1A: ; Russell Wilson(247y/2TD/0 int/85ry.)

Why: Our numbers show this could be a very nice plus matchup for Wilson. St. Louis has trouble stopping the run, and Seattle can run.  So why is this a good matchup for Wilson? Because Seattle's offense is predicated on play-action (40% of all passes, the highest percentage in the league) and play-action is successful when you have a successful running game.  Russell Wilson is getting hot... If you can't get RGIII, roll with the less expensive option of Russell Wilson... and get ready to dominate!

RB: Frank Gore  Proj( 107/2TD/22ry)

Why: "Jacksonville Jaguars" is really all I should have to say, but there's more. Games across the pond average a total of 46.5 points scored per game.  That leads us to this context, and the question of whether Jacksonville can score 10 points? If so, then that's 30+points from the 49ers. Expect a heavy dose of running from Gore (and possibly Hunter if you need another cheap RB). This is the game the 49ers need to get the running game up to previous levels, as they've averaged 143.3 rushing yards per game this year, down from 2013 when they averaged 155.7.

WR: Calvin Johnson(176/2TD) (yea I know how's he not top 5 so far??)

Why: Megatron is back... last week he showed why he's still the best receiver in the NFL.  And Dallas can't cover anyone! Sure, they give up the 15th-fewest points to WRs, but dig deeper and you'll see how they really do against top-flight WRs.  Check this out: Victor Cruz (118/3TD), Dwayne Bowe (56/TD), Eric Decker (87/TD), Welker (47/TD)... and DeSean Jackson doesn't count, since that QB play last week was just atrocious.  None of these guys is Calvin Johnson, so roll with Megatron-- he's going to go nuts!

TE: Jordan Reed (117/TD)

Why: Jordan Reed looks to enter the group of elite TEs in the league. There isn't much history on him in the NFL, but anyone who saw him in college (full disclosure: I'm a big Gator fan!), and saw him the last two weeks, can see the talent is there. RGIII helps a lot, because he forces LBs to stay honest.  As we stated above, Denver can't cover anyone, especially tight ends. Jordan Reed joins the likes of Jordan Cameron (bad matchup this week) as 2013s version of Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski.

Visit our site for Week 8 picks against the spread and over/unders and our year-to-date record.

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Want more advice? Follow Scott on Twitter or email [email protected] and he will try to run some projections for you on those toss-up plays.  And don’t forget to check back at RotoBaller.com for up-to-date waiver wire pickups and fantasy football analysis. Good luck with your decisions in Week Eight!