Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings: Positional Overview, Guide and Advice

Seven weeks of the 2016 NFL season are now in the books. This means that seven weeks of fantasy football have also passed and that many of you are about to enter the home stretch of your fantasy regular seasons.

Hopefully, you’re still in the thick of your postseason race. If so, it’s time to mash down on the gas pedal and race down the home stretch. We’re here to help add a little fuel to your excursion with our Week 8 positional breakdowns.

We will be examining our picks for the top performers at each position in Week 8. We will also take a look at some risers and fallers at each skill position. Our choices are based on factors like past performances, projected role, matchup and health, where applicable.

Good luck!

       

Quarterbacks

Up: Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston hasn’t always been a consistent fantasy producer, but when he has a favorable matchup, he can be a solid start.

Such was the case in Week 7 when Winston and the Buccaneers offense had their way with the San Francisco 49ers defense. Winston was regularly on target with his throws and managed to find the end zone three times through the air. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times shared some insight on Winston’s Week 7 performance:

Bucs QB Jameis Winston finished 21 for 30 for 269 yards, 3 TDs vs. 49ers. His 70 percent completion rate is his 3rd-best in 22 career games.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 24, 2016

The issue for Winston is pass protection—he’s been sacked 14 times in six games—which could come into play this week against the Khalil Mack and the Oakland Raiders defense.

However, the back end of Oakland’s defense is average at best—the team is rated 17th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. If Winston can find time in the pocket, he should be on track for a quality fantasy outing.

              

Down: Brock Osweiler, Houston Texans

If you decided to rely on Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler as a bye-week fill-in this past weekend, you paid for it. The former Denver Broncos starter was an absolute disaster against his former team on Monday night, as highlighted by NFL Research:

Brock Osweiler’s 3.2 yards per pass attempt vs @Broncos is 3rd-fewest in a single game by a player with 40+ attempts in the Super Bowl era

— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) October 25, 2016

If you’ve been considering turning to Osweiler for a Week 8 bye replacement, don’t do it. Even with weapons like DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Lamar Miller on the roster, Osweiler hasn’t been a reliable fantasy quarterback.

Sure, Osweiler had a decent outing against the Indianapolis Colts two weeks ago (269 yards, two touchdowns), but that was his best game of the season. Osweiler has topped the 250-yard mark three times, has only tossed multiple touchdowns three times and has thrown an interception in every game except for his most recent outing—a game he finished with 131 yards and no touchdowns.

Pro Football Focus has graded 69 quarterbacks so far this season, and Osweiler is rated last among them. Stay far, far away from him in fantasy.

               

Running Backs

Up: Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs

It’s no surprise that the Kansas City Chiefs are running an offense that is predicated on the running back. What might be a surprise, however, is that the lead back in Kansas City has …

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