X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Potential Booms and Busts for Week 8: The Early Games

It’s starting to become money time in fantasy land – the time for mistakes has passed. If you’re locked in a race for the playoffs right now, the last thing you need is to leave points on the bench or place faith in a guy who is destined to put up a dud. While it’s nearly impossible to know exactly what will happen or who will produce (that’s why they play the games), we can look at trends and other numbers to figure out what will most likely happen.

This weekly list of potential booms and busts for the early Sunday games is just one of many RotoBaller tools to help you make the right lineup decisions and get crucial wins down the stretch.

Potential Booms for Week 8

Quarterbacks:

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons: The often underrated fantasy quarterback has had a bit of a perplexing season so far. In standard scoring he has had three contests where he topped 18 fantasy points, two that were below 10 and a few middling performances. He hasn’t quite had that explosive game owners have been waiting for, and this could be the week for it to happen. Over the last two weeks the Buccaneers have allowed 58.2 fantasy points to Blake Bortles and Kirk Cousins. You have to love Ryan in this one.

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers: Philip Rivers is on pace to have the most prolific passing season in history, averaging 350 passing yards per game so far. He’s facing a Ravens defense that surrenders an average of 21.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, last in the NFL. This is a layup for Rivers, who is likely to throw 40 plus passes easily.

Eli Manning, QB, Giants: Coming off of a pair of sub-standard starts the last two weeks, combining for just 15 fantasy points, Eli Manning is poised for a big game in New Orleans. The Saints have given up seven passing TDs and 320 passing yards to quarterbacks over the last three weeks. There’s no reason to think the Saints defense will play any better on Sunday.

Running Backs:

Todd Gurley, RB, Rams: If you have him on your team, you’re likely patting yourself on the back for taking the chance on Todd Gurley in the draft this season. Over the last three games, he’s amassed 433 rushing YDs and a pair of touchdowns. He’s clearly emerged as a top 5 fantasy back and future star. Oh yeah, he’s facing a Niners team that has been obliterated by running backs this season, so Gurley should be off to the races once again.

Chris Johnson, RB, Cardinals: The running back formerly known as CJ2K, Chris Johnson, has had a couple of turn the clock back performances this fall. In last week’s 122 YD, one TD effort, Johnson looked quick, explosive, powerful and decisive. This week he gets a cupcake matchup against a Cleveland Browns team that has surrendered 470 rushing yards to RBs in the last three weeks. Johnson should continue his impressive comeback season.

Justin Forsett, RB, Ravens: After a slow start to the fantasy season, Justin Forsett has picked things up of late. He has scored two TDs and averaged 92.3 rushing yards per game over the last four weeks. Those aren’t exactly dominant numbers, but they are very respectable. Facing a below average Chargers run defense should lead to a big game for Forsett this week.

Wide Receivers:

Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers: If there’s one thing we’ve learned this season, it’s that the Chargers are obsessed with throwing the ball and Keenan Allen is the number one target. With the ridiculous amount of targets he’s drawing, Allen has become one of the most productive wideouts in the game today. It certainly helps that the Ravens have allowed four TDs, 21 receptions and 402 receiving yards to wide receivers in the last two games. This is a gift matchup for Allen.

Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions: There’s a reason why I always say never to trade early in the season. Eventually, most players perform the way the back of their football card would indicate. Through the first five weeks of the season, Calvin Johnson had put up highly mediocre numbers: 32 receptions, 64.4 yards per game and one TD – hardly Megatron type numbers. In his last two weeks, he’s gone off for two TDs and 252 yards. This week, he will look to keep things going, facing a Chiefs team that has allowed at least one wide receiver TD in six of seven games and 14.34 yards per catch to the position.

A.J. Green, WR, Bengals: A.J. Green hasn’t exactly posted the type of numbers people expected when they drafted him the second round of fantasy drafts. Three total TDs and just two games with more than 80 receiving yards is not exactly Green-esque. The Bengals have looked great this season and a divisional road game against Pittsburgh is the perfect place to show the rest of the league that they are serious contenders. Coming off of a bye week, I’m expecting a big game against a mediocre Pittsburgh passing defense for Green and the rest of the Bengals.

Tight Ends:

Martellus Bennett, TE, Bears: The Black Unicorn has been somewhat quiet this fall, but a home game against Minnesota looks like a great match up. The Vikings have given up over 100 receiving yards to TEs in each of the last two weeks and have also allowed three TDs to the position in 2015. After two poor outings, I think Bennett is due for a nice performance.

Defenses:

St. Louis Rams: This is a simple equation of a very good defense meeting a very questionable and mistake prone offense. The Rams have been a top 5 fantasy defense for most of the season, while the 49ers have been prone to giving up turnovers and sacks. This is about as favorable a matchup as a defense can get.

Potential Busts for Week 8

Quarterbacks:

Colin Kaepernick, QB, 49ers: If you’re in the unfortunate position of having to start Colin Kaepernick this Sunday, I feel for you. St. Louis has allowed just 12.6 fantasy points per game to the position and Kaepernick has been highly inconsistent. It’s very difficult to trust that he will have a good game this week.

Running Backs:

Carlos Hyde, RB, 49ers: He will be a gametime decision anyway, but Carlos Hyde has been highly disappointing since his Monday Night Football performance during opening week. He has just one TD since then and just one game with over 55 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the Rams defense hasn’t given up a rushing TD in three weeks. The Rams haven’t exactly been a stone wall against the run, but it’s too difficult to have faith in Hyde at this point. ***UPDATE: Hyde has been ruled out for Sunday***

Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals: Jeremy Hill was one of the biggest talks of the offseason after he closed out the 2014 season like a beast, winning a lot of fantasy championships for owners in the process. The late first round/early second round pick has fallen well short of expectations. He has not reached 100 rushing yards once this season and has only topped 60 yards one time. He’ll also be facing a Pittsburgh defense that has allowed just one rushing TD this season.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Chargers: Melvin Gordon was drafted this season to be a No. 2 or No. 3 running back for fantasy owners. He’s barely a fifth running back at this point, losing touches to Danny Woodhead and Brandon Oliver. Even if he were going to get enough touches to warrant a start, the Ravens have been pretty good against the run, allowing just three rushing TDs to backs all season. Look elsewhere.

Wide Receivers:

Brandin Cooks, WR, Saints: There were big expectations for Brandin Cooks this season following the departure of Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills. It just hasn’t happened for Cooks, who has just one TD so far this season. The Giants have been fairly good at defending wide outs in 2015, allowing four TDs to the position this season and zero multi-TD games. Go in a different direction if possible.

Tight Ends:

Eric Ebron, TE, Lions: Coming off of his best game of the season, it may be tempting to just plug in Ebron again – don’t do it. The Lions offense and Eric Ebron have been very inconsistent this fall and Chiefs have surrendered just two TDs to TEs and an average of three receptions per game to the position. Don’t chase the numbers. Leave Ebron on the bench.

Defenses:

Cincinnati Bengals: There aren’t a lot of elite options on defense, so many of you have been relying on streaming defenses this season. Avoid the Bengals this week. Not only does their defense not score fantasy points (11 scored in the last four games), the Steelers only allow 3.9 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. The Bengals may have started the season as must own fantasy defensive options, but they have clearly fallen off since.

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Santi Aldama

Bags Double-Double in Losing Effort
Guerschon Yabusele

Erupts for 36 Points Against Poland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia Into Next Round at EuroBasket
NBA

Stanley Umude Signs Training Camp Deal With Spurs
NBA

Reece Beekman Joins Magic for Training Camp
NBA

Justin Minaya Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Magic
Travis Hunter

Jaguars List Travis Hunter as Starting Wide Receiver, Backup Cornerback
Kyle Tucker

Leaves With Calf Tightness on Tuesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Max Scherzer

Blue Jays Confident Max Scherzer Will Make Saturday Start Despite Back Tightness
Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP