Top Tier
Josh Allen, BUF - Coming off a bye and at home we have a great matchup for Allen here who has given us seven total touchdowns over his last two games in matchups against the Chiefs and Titans. We saw Allen struggle in Week 2 against this same Dolphins team but he has since turned things around while the Dolphins defense has struggled. He is the top priced QB on the slate but that could keep the ownership low.
Matthew Stafford, LAR - I can pretty much copy and paste my analysis for Stafford from the last two weeks here once again because it all continues to hold true. This matchup is elite but the Rams are expected to win by double-digits. Fortunately, Stafford has been the one doing all the damage, having thrown for seven touchdowns over the last two weeks. The issue is all about whether or not Stafford can score enough to warrant his price if this one ends up being a blowout. Against the Giants we saw him shut down in the fourth. This is also the most expensive we have seen Stafford this season and Cooper Kupp is $9,000. This is an expensive stack even with the great matchup.
Mid Tier
Jalen Hurts - In terms of fantasy points per game this season Hurts actually ranks third among QB's on this main slate in Week 8 despite being the fifth highest priced option on DK. Even the matchup here against the Lions is pretty elite. The drawback is always going to be his inefficiency when it comes to throwing the football. For the third straight week we saw Hurts complete less than 60% of his passes. He has been able to get away with it because of his running ability but I hate relying on someone that struggles to throw the football like that and this is why I have him in the second tier of plays this week.
Joe Burrow, CIN - Burrow exploded in Week 7 in a matchup against the Ravens, throwing for 416 yards and three touchdowns. The Bengals are on the road for the third straight week which is really the only concerning thing when it comes to their matchup against a Jets defense that just allowed over 50 points to the Mac Jones lead Patriots. Burrow and Chase will be a popular stack this week but we could also see a big day from Joe Mixon after the Patriots had four rushing touchdowns last week and that is keeping me from putting Burrow firmly in the top tier category.
Value Tier
Matt Ryan, ATL - In what should be a surprise to nobody, Ryan continues to quietly put up strong fantasy numbers having now thrown 10 touchdowns with just one interception over the last four games. In Week 8 the Falcons welcome in a reeling Panthers team who will have their hands full with Calvin Ridley, Kyle Pitts and yes, even Cordarelle Patterson this week.
Carson Wentz, IND - Kudos to Wentz for his Week 7 performance as he battled through 40 MPH winds and rain in San Francisco to come out with three total touchdowns for fantasy managers, finishing with 21 fantasy points on the day. In Week 8 the Colts return home to face a Titans defense that had been getting shredded until last week the inexplicably shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. This matchup offers up maybe the most affordable stack of the week on DraftKings with Carson Wentz priced at $5,700 and Michael Pittman at a shockingly low discount of $5,300. If you think the Titans defensive performance last week was more a fluke than anything else then Wentz is mighty appealing.
Trevor Lawrence, JAX - Fresh off a win and a bye the Jaguars are on the road against the Seahawks in Week 8. The Seahawks defense has certainly had their struggles at times this season and we know their offense under Geno Smith is really lacking the punch. Lawrence has had his growing pains this season like most rookie quarterbacks but this is certainly a matchup where he could easily produce one of his better performances of the season. His mobility is also a nice bonus, we saw Jameis Winston last week add eight carries for 40 yards and this is something that Lawrence can certainly match.
Fades
Tom Brady, TB - I know, I know, how could I fade Brady after the season he has been putting together? Well, truthfully, I am just looking at the splits and those splits are showing that Brady has just three passing touchdowns on the road this year and 18 passing touchdowns at home. His QB rating on the road is just 93.7 compared to 120.6 at home and his overall fantasy production is just 20.6 points on the road to 32.0 fantasy points at home. Looking where Brady is priced and compared to the other QB's, I think there may just be higher upside plays this week....Fading the G.O.A.T is always a risk so feel free to fade me if you feel so inclined.