NFL Player News

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has had back-to-back big games with seven touchdowns and one interception in his last two contests. Heading into Week 8 at home against Dallas, he should be in for another big Fantasy performance.

Stafford, who ranks second in the NFL since 2011 with 12,134 passing yards, has thrown for multiple touchdown passes in all but two games this season. He has one career game under his belt against the Cowboys back in 2011 at Dallas. He had two touchdowns in that one.

Normally a solid start in most Fantasy formats, Stafford is a must-start Week 8 against the team allowing the most Fantasy points per game to the opposition's signal caller. Quarterbacks are netting nearly 27 points per game against the Dallas defense.

Those owners who have had Stafford on their teams all season should continue to start him on Sunday. We rank Stafford as a No. 1 Fantasy QB for Week 8.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith is having an encouraging rookie season. But he is no quality Fantasy play yet, especially against a strong defense.

Such is the scenario for Smith in Week 8 at Cincinnati. Smith is ranked 25th in the NFL in completion percentage (58.3), 13th in yards passing (1,723) and tied for 16th in touchdowns with eight. And only two other quarterbacks have thrown more than his 11 interceptions.

Playing the Bengals on the road won't give Smith a break. They are seventh in the league in points allowed (135) and sixth in average yards surrendered per pass play (5.7). They have yielded 10 or fewer points in two of their three home games this season.

Smith has thrown for just one score and three picks in the last two games. He is unlikely to break out on Sunday. The three CBSSports.com senior Fantasy writer have him ranked between 19th and 22nd among NFL quarterbacks this week. Follow their advice and stick someone else in your lineups.

Andy Dalton is on a roll and his Bengals are on a roll. But be careful. Fantasy owners shouldn't stick him in their Week 8 lineups without at least considering other options.

Dalton has completed 50 of 74 passes for 709 yards, six touchdowns and just one pick in the last two weeks. But keep in mind that those numbers came against porous pass defenses in Buffalo and San Diego.

The New York Jets aren't exactly world-beaters in that department. But they are ranked 10th in passing yards yielded (1,574) and fourth in net yards allowed per attempt (5.4). And Dalton could be victimized by his own team's strong defense, which could keep the feeble Jets offense from scoring much and limit his passing attempts.

Further hindering Dalton is the fact that the Jets rank first in the NFL against the run at 3.1 yards per carry and the Bengals have struggled to gain yards on the ground. The result could be that the Jets can focus on Dalton and his aerial attack.

Not that Dalton should be benched. The three CBSSports.com senior Fantasy writers all have him ranked between 11th and 13th this week among NFL quarterbacks. But be wary of a drop in his point totals from the past two games.

Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert has returned to the practice field, but not to the starting lineup. Gus Bradley has announced that Chad Henne will keep that job.

Henne has thrown for 621 yards in the last two games combined, but no touchdowns. The winless Jaguars scored just six points Sunday against San Diego.

Gabbert has struggled mightily between injuries this season, completing just 49 percent of his passes with one touchdown and seven interceptions. His official benching could threaten his long-term position with the team.

The Rams announced Wednesday they placed quarterback Sam Bradford (knee) on injured reserve. Bradford suffered a torn ACL Week 7 at Carolina.

Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, has been cleared to practice in full, according to The Florida Times-Union. The Jaguars haven't named a starting quarterback for Week 8 vs. San Francisco, but it could happen Wednesday once coach Gus Bradley arrives in London, where the game is being played.

After throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for one in his first start Week 6 against the Bengals, Bills quarterback Thad Lewis went without a touchdown Week 7 at Miami. But the way those games unfolded had a lot to do with his numbers. In the loss to the Bengals, the Bills had to overcome a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, sending the game to overtime. In the win over the Dolphins, they jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

Most likely, the Bills will be forced into catch-up mode again Week 8 at New Orleans. The Saints are 5-1 and have been as productive offensively as usual this year, ranking sixth in yards per game and sixth in points per game. That doesn't mean Lewis will be as productive as he was against the Bengals -- especially since the Saints rank ninth against the pass, allowing 224.0 yards per game and have surrendered the fourth-fewest Fantasy points per game to quarterbacks -- but at least he has a chance.

None of Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Nathan Zegura have much confidence in him this week, ranking him outside their top 24 at quarterback, but I'd be willing to give him a shot over Chad Henne, Brandon Weeden, Josh Freeman or Kellen Clemens in a two-quarterback league.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson didn't light up the Rams as a rookie last season. He averaged 205 passing yards and 36 rushing yards in two meetings, accounting for two touchdowns against three interceptions.

But Wilson rolls into the Week 8 game at St. Louis with momentum. He threw three touchdown passes in the Week 7 win at Arizona, moving him up to 10th among Fantasy quarterbacks. Wilson has thrown 11 touchdowns and four interceptions while running for 323 yards. He's yet to rush for a score, but it's only a matter of time. Wilson ran for four touchdowns last season.

The Rams rank in the middle of the pack defending quarterbacks. The biggest concern, from a Fantasy perspective, is how bad St. Louis is against the run. Marshawn Lynch should destroy this 30th-ranked run defense, which could limit Wilson's pass attempts.

Still, consider Wilson a top-10 option in Week 8.

The Giants listed seven players as inactive for the game against the Vikings: running backs David Wilson (neck) and Brandon Jacobs (hamstring), cornerback Jayron Hosley (hamstring), quarterback Ryan Nassib, tight end Adrien Robinson (foot), safety Cooper Taylor (shoulder) and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher committed to Sam Bradford as the team's starting quarterback next season. Bradford tore his ACL in the Week 7 loss at Carolina and will undergo surgery in a few weeks when the swelling goes down.

"He'll be back and he's our quarterback," Fisher said.

Bradford was having his best season, with 14 touchdown passes against four interceptions and a 90.9 passer rating.