Week 8 at quarterback feels a little bit like the haves and the have-nots. There are five QBs who are projected for at least 23 Fantasy points: Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, and Dak Prescott. You should feel fortunate if you have them and expect a big week. There are another five that we are starting, mostly with confidence: Jayden Daniels, Jordan Love, Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and Matthew Stafford. After that it's anyone's guess. You may need a streamer; I have options below.
Even that second tier of quarterbacks comes with some risk. Is Lamar Jackson's high ankle sprain finally healed? Can Jayden Daniels and Matthew Stafford keep it up without their veteran starting receiver? And maybe most troubling, can Jared Goff find success against the Vikings? Minnesota is the number one defense against QBs, and only Jordan Love has scored 20 Fantasy points against them. But they haven't faced anyone who has scored like Goff. He is currently QB3 in CBS leagues. This is a true strength-on-strength matchup that will be fascinating to watch, even if it does make Goff a little scarier to start. Even last year's results tell a mixed story, as Goff threw for 284 yards and two scores in one game and 197 yards and two interceptions in the other. If you want to get away from him, I understand, but there are no streamers I would start over him.
Let's get to the rest of the preview:
Week 8 QB Preview
Numbers to know
- 29.33 -- The Lions have given up a league-worst 29.3 FPPG to opposing QBs. If Kyler Murray is ever going to be startable, this should be the week.
- 2.52 -- Bryce Young's time to pressure is 2.52 seconds, which is the fastest among QBs who have been pressured on at least 40% of their dropbacks.
- 43.1 -- Jacoby Brissett leads the league in dropbacks per game at 43.1. He hasn't played particularly well, but with that type of volume he's generally in the streaming conversation.
- 21 -- Jordan Love has already had 21 passes dropped this season. No other QB has had more than 13 dropped passes.
- 8.0 -- Michael Penix is averaging 8.0 yards per attempt, which ranks sixth amongst qualified starters. This is a big test against a better-than-expected Tampa Bay defense.
- 20.4% -- J.J. McCarthy has a 20.4% explosive per dropback rate. He may be a starter after his bye.
- 24 -- Kirk Cousins has 24 completions of 20+ yards, which is tied with Brock Purdy for fourth-best.
- 5.7 -- Bo Nix is averaging 5.7 air yards per pass attempt, which ranks dead last. Even after his great performance last week, we don't want to start him.
Waiver Wire Targets
 
Geno Smith
QB
NYJ
N.Y. Jets
• #7
Age: 36 • Experience: 14 yrs.
Smith gets a revenge game against the Raiders and it just so happens to be a fantastic matchup. The Raiders have given up the sixth most points to opposing QBs. Smith suddenly has an excellent cast of pass catchers, with the emergence of Omar Cooper and the return of Adonai Mitchell. He's not quite top 12 in my early projections, but I would start him over Caleb Williams and Patrick Mahomes.
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ARI
Arizona
• #7
Age: 33 • Experience: 11 year
Just don't watch the first half. Much like last year, the Cardinals are running more plays than almost anyone and throwing more passes than almost anyone. A lot of those plays are coming in garbage time as their defense cannot stop anyone. This week brings a choice matchup against a Cowboys team that should score a bunch of points and also can't stop anyone. Brissett is a top 15 QB and it shouldn't surprise anyone if he finishes top 10.
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NYG
N.Y. Giants
• #9
Age: 23 • Experience: 3 yrs.
It's rare that a QB has a bad Fantasy day and we suggest him as a stash, but McCarthy's bad Fantasy day is mostly a result of the Giants scoring four rushing touchdowns in Week 7. He has looked better than Jameis Winston, has an elite WR1 in Malik Nabers, and plays on a team that has a propensity to end up in shootouts. If I have the extra roster spot, I would like to have McCarthy on my bench. Don't be surprised if someone else has to drop him because of bye week and injury problems.
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DFS Plays
Geno Smith
QB
NYJ
N.Y. Jets
• #7
Age: 36 • Experience: 14 yrs.
Smith's price hasn't been boosted quite enough to keep him from being chalk this week in a great matchup. The Jets and Raiders are one of my favorite games to stack this week as both teams have great starting and contrarian options. After last week's sideline drama, I would expect Smith to get Garrett Wilson involved early and often, so target him as the top stacking option.
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Kirk Cousins
QB
LV
Las Vegas
• #8
Age: 38 • Experience: 15 yrs.
Cousins is just a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than Smith and my impression is that more people are going to be drawn to Smith because of the narrative and the better matchup. I still prefer Cousins so this looks like a situation where you may get better value and a lower roster rate. Cousins leads the NFL in pass touchdowns and should be in a shootout with the Jets.
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Heath's projections
My full set of Week 8 Fantasy football projections for every position is here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 8. Projected stats for all starting quarterbacks are available and will be updated throughout the week as I make changes.
