Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings And Tiers. Breece Hall Moves Into Matchup-Proof Territory.
Dwain McFarland breaks down the Week 8 fantasy football positional rankings with player analysis, team totals and spreads for every game on the slate.
It is time to make those tough lineup decisions for Week 8 of the fantasy football season.
Below, you’ll find positional rankings, player analysis, team totals and spreads for every game on the slate.
Notes:
- Players are now tiered across all positions (RB, WR and TE) to help with flex decisions in larger formats. Because of this, TEs might not have a player deserving of Tier 1 compared to RBs and WRs.
- Defensive yards and TDs allowed exclude overtime play.
- All references to defensive ranks are for this week (bye Week teams excluded).
Last updated: 3:30 p.m. Oct. 26. Please refer to our Rankings page for updates!
Quarterback Rankings & Tiers - Week 8
| Rank | Tier | Player | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread | PPG | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Tier | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread | PPG | Etienne is my RB2 this weekend and is a SMASH play. | Hall is a SMASH play as my RB6 and No. 14 player overall in Week 8. | Michael Mayer | Davante Adams | Jakobi Meyers | The veteran could get lucky, but this is a bad spot in a game where the Raiders carry a bottom-eight team total, leading to a DOWNGRADE to mid-range RB2 status. | J.K. Dobbins | Edwards UPGRADES to a mid-range RB3, making him a viable flex option as a top-75 play. | Rank | Tier | Player | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread | PPG | Adams is a low-end WR1 that still offers high-end WR1 upside (and yes, I love Jakobi Meyers this weekend too.) | You can target Adams in Pick'em contests on Underdog Fantasy, where you can get a 100% deposit match of up to $500 when you sign up with promo code LIFE below! | Derek Carr | Michael Thomas | Alvin Kamara | Olave is a mid-range WR2 with WR1 upside in Week 8. | Flowers is my WR20 and is a SMASH play as a top 50 option in Week 8. | Rank | Tier | Player | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread | PPG |
| 2 | 3 | Mark Andrews | BAL | TE | ARI | 26.0 | -8.0 | 13.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | T.J. Hockenson | MIN | TE | GB | 21.5 | -1.0 | 10.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 4 | Sam LaPorta | DET | TE | LV | 27.3 | -8.0 | 10.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 4 | George Kittle | SF | TE | CIN | 23.5 | -3.5 | 8.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | Darren Waller | NYG | TE | NYJ | 16.8 | 3.0 | 8.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 5 | Evan Engram | JAC | TE | PIT | 22.3 | 0.0 | 7.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 5 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | TE | WAS | 25.0 | -6.5 | 8.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | 5 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | TE | TB | 26.3 | -9.0 | 5.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | 5 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | TE | TEN | 19.0 | -2.5 | 6.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | 6 | Dalton Schultz | HOU | TE | CAR | 23.3 | -3.0 | 8.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | 6 | Jake Ferguson | DAL | TE | LAR | 25.8 | -6.0 | 5.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | 6 | Trey McBride | ARI | TE | BAL | 18.0 | 8.0 | 3.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | 6 | Taysom Hill | NO | TE | IND | 22.3 | -1.0 | 5.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | 7 | Michael Mayer | LV | TE | DET | 19.3 | 8.0 | 2.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | 7 | Logan Thomas | WAS | TE | PHI | 18.5 | 6.5 | 7.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | 7 | Jonnu Smith | ATL | TE | TEN | 19.0 | -2.5 | 7.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | 7 | Cole Kmet | CHI | TE | LAC | 19.0 | 8.5 | 7.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | 7 | David Njoku | CLE | TE | SEA | 17.0 | 4.0 | 5.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | 8 | Luke Musgrave | GB | TE | MIN | 20.5 | 1.0 | 5.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | 8 | Tyler Conklin | NYJ | TE | NYG | 19.8 | -3.0 | 5.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | 8 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | TE | DAL | 19.8 | 6.0 | 4.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | 8 | Hunter Henry | NE | TE | MIA | 18.5 | 9.5 | 6.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 | 8 | Gerald Everett | LAC | TE | CHI | 27.5 | -8.5 | 6.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 | 8 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN | TE | ATL | 16.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 | 8 | Cade Otton | TB | TE | BUF | 17.3 | 9.0 | 5.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 | 8 | Irv Smith Jr. | CIN | TE | SF | 20.0 | 3.5 | 1.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 | 8 | Noah Fant | SEA | TE | CLE | 21.0 | -4.0 | 4.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 | 8 | Mike Gesicki | NE | TE | MIA | 18.5 | 9.5 | 4.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 | 9 | Donald Parham Jr. | LAC | TE | CHI | 27.5 | -8.5 | 4.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 | 9 | Juwan Johnson | NO | TE | IND | 22.3 | -1.0 | 3.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 32 | 9 | Adam Trautman | DEN | TE | KC | 19.5 | 7.0 | 2.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 33 | 9 | Durham Smythe | MIA | TE | NE | 28.0 | -9.5 | 2.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 34 | 9 | Noah Gray | KC | TE | DEN | 26.5 | -7.0 | 4.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 35 | 9 | Hayden Hurst | CAR | TE | HOU | 20.3 | 3.0 | 4.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 36 | 9 | Connor Heyward | PIT | TE | JAX | 19.8 | 2.5 | 1.7 |
Reminder: I have leveled my tiers across RB, WR and TE to help with flex lineup decisions. Travis Kelce is my highest-rated TE in Week 6, and he is in Tier 2 due to the change in process based on feedback (thanks!).
Tier 5 – Dalton Kincaid
The Bills won’t have Dawson Knox this week due to wrist surgery, and backup TE Quintin Morris is also out. That means we could see Kincaid will be in a full-time role.
Last week, the rookie delivered a season-high 16 fantasy points to finish as the TE7. He saw his second-highest number of routes since Week 1 — something that should climb even higher against the Buccaneers on Thursday night.
The rookie TE has a shot at 35-40 routes this week, putting him in the same range as elite TEs like Travis Kelce. Of course, Kincaid still has to do his part by earning targets. He hasn’t been great this year, with a 16% TPRR, but there are reasons for optimism.
- He has a 21% target share without Dawson Knox on the field
- He had his highest TPRR performance (28%) in Week 8
- The Bills still don’t have an answer behind Stefon Diggs – they need a No. 2
The Buccaneers are stout against the run (assuming Vita Vea plays) and are beatable through the air, allowing the sixth-most passing yards per game (263). Three out of four Tampa Bay interior defenders have been liabilities in pass coverage, meaning Kincaid will see his fair share of mismatches. Look for the Round 1 NFL Draft pick to be a significant component of the Bills game plan.
Kincaid UPGRADES to high-end TE status as my No. 9 option despite zero teams on bye. I am starting him over names like Kyle Pitts, Dalton Schultz, Trey McBride and Jake Ferguson.
Tier 6 – Jake Ferguson
Ferguson’s route participation has been on an upward trajectory since Week 4. He also sports a 20% TPRR, historically good enough for top-12 production.
The fantasy box scores haven’t followed the increased utilization, which can happen over small data samples. However, since 2011, tight ends with usage similar to Ferguson have been low-end to mid-range TE1s.
The Cowboys face off against the Rams, who allow the 10th-fewest passing yards (221) per game. However, the name of the game for TEs is often TDs once we are beyond the top three options, and Dallas offers the seventh-best team total (25.75) on the slate.
Ferguson UPGRADES to low-end TE1 status as my No. 12 option.
