Bye Weeks: New York Giants (Eli Manning) and San Francisco (Colin Kaepernick)
It was noted in my 2-QB waiver wire future planning piece for the week that 42 (with Colt McCoy possibly making it 43 this week vs. Dallas) quarterbacks have started at least one game this year.
51 fantasy quarterbacks have scored at least one fantasy point this season, with 41 scoring at least 14.
That’s a lot of turnover.
We’re headed into Week 8 and the NFL looks much different than we imagined it would heading into Week 1. At the quarterback position alone, we have Kyle Orton, Blake Bortles, Derek Carr*, Teddy Bridgewater, Mike Glennon, and Austin Davis entrenched as the full-time starters for their respective teams.
*Carr came on late in preseason, but was expected to be the Week 1 starter at the beginning of training camp this year.
During the preseason, the quarterbacks listed above were either the backup or third-string quarterbacks of their respective teams. Now they’re all starting. Zach Mettenberger may also soon be added to the list.
Part of the fun of 2-QB fantasy football leagues is keeping up with the movement at the quarterback position, which you can also use to your advantage, if you prepare properly.
Stashing someone like Bortles at the beginning of the year might not have seemed like that big of a deal. But all of a sudden you find yourself with a starting fantasy quarterback for your roster, or an enticing trade piece. 2-QB leagues are always making you think. Below you can find my quarterback rankings for the week, followed by the weekly stock report…
Week 8 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings for 2-QB fantasy football leagues:
1. Aaron Rodgers @ New Orleans
2. Russell Wilson @ Carolina
3. Peyton Manning vs. San Diego
4. Tony Romo vs. Washington
5. Andrew Luck @ Pittsburgh
6. Philip Rivers @ Denver
7. Drew Brees vs. Green Bay
8. Kyle Orton @ New York Jets
9. Tom Brady vs. Chicago
10. Nick Foles @ Arizona
11. Jay Cutler @ New England
12. Carson Palmer vs. Philadelphia
13. Ryan Tannehill @ Jacksonville
14. Cam Newton vs. Seattle
15. Teddy Bridgewater @ Tampa Bay
16. Matthew Stafford @ Atlanta
17. Mike Glennon vs. Minnesota
18. Alex Smith vs. St. Louis
19. Joe Flacco @ Cincinnati
20. Matt Ryan vs. Detroit
21. Andy Dalton vs. Baltimore
22. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Indianapolis
23. Austin Davis @ Kansas City
24. Brian Hoyer vs. Oakland
25. Derek Carr @ Cleveland
26. Geno Smith vs. Buffalo
27. Blake Bortles vs. Miami
28. Colt McCoy @ Dallas
29. Zach Mettenberger vs. Houston
30. Ryan Fitzpatrick @ Tennessee
31. Johnny Manziel vs. Oakland
32. Ryan Mallett @ Tennessee
33. Charlie Whitehurst vs. Houston
Week 8 Quarterbacks on the Rise:
Kyle Orton
Since being named the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback, Kyle Orton has completed 84 percent of his passes for 888 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. During that span he is the QB13 in fantasy.
You have to be worried about the sacks Orton has taken so far this year, 13 of them to be exact. But, there’s also a lot to like. In three games, he has thrown 43, 38, and 43 passes, respectively. That’s the third-most attempts, behind only Andrew Luck (135), and Matt Ryan (126). Orion’s also 13th when it comes to fantasy points per drop back (0.39), according to Pro Football Focus.
With both C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson injured, the high passing volume could continue for Orton.
Russell Wilson
I’m not including Russell Wilson here because he all of a sudden has become both a great quarterback in real life or fantasy. Even with an underwhelming performance vs. Dallas in Week 6, Wilson has proven to be one of the best quarterback value picks of 2-QB fantasy football drafts. Philip Rivers is the other. In the offseason, based on 2-QB ADP data, Wilson was the 13th quarterback taken on average, with a 2-Q ADP of 41.1.
He’s been the highest scoring fantasy quarterback in a week twice this year (Week 5 and Week 7), and currently sits as the QB5 on the season in standard scoring fantasy leagues. He’s only 6.02 points behind Aaron Rodgers, who is the QB2.
We’ve seen how Wilson has had to navigate the offense in a season where the Seahawks’ defense hasn’t been the shutdown unit we’ve come to expect.
If Wilson’s asked to throw more [attempting 3 passes more/game this year through six games than he did the first six games of 2013], and the Seahawks defense continues to play at its current level, it’d be hard-pressed to see Wilson not finish the season as a Top-5 fantasy quarterback this year.
Buy now on RW3, if you can.
Week 8 Quarterbacks on the slide:
You lose your job, your stock will go down. It’s pretty simple. Since replacing Robert Griffin III and being replaced by Colt McCoy, Cousins threw for 1,710 passing yards, with a 10:9 passing touchdowns to interceptions ratio.
Washington lost all four games Cousins started and finished this year, and that tends to matter more to NFL coaches than fantasy stats.
Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan’s 11.82 standard fantasy points in Week 7 marked the fourth time this year he has failed to score at least 15 fantasy points in a game. You look at Ryan’s numbers from Week 7: 228 passing yards and one passing touchdown, and you’re not overly disappointed.
But then you see 16 other quarterbacks threw for more yards, and 18 other quarterbacks threw at least two scores in Week 7. Ryan finished the week as the QB23 in fantasy leagues, barely a part of the QB2 tier.
The offensive line woes are a big concern for Ryan, with the most recent loss being Center Peter Konz going on I.R., and being replaced by either James Stones or someone named Harland Gunn. (That might be the greatest name ever for a character that’s not on Justified).
A Week 8 matchup vs. a Detroit Lions defense giving up the fewest fantasy points/game to opposing quarterbacks on the year could lead to another long week for Ryan.
*Stats used in this article courtesy of Pro Football Focus and FantasyData
