Fantasy Football Week 8 preview: The best plays at each position
BOSTON -- With bye weeks, injuries, and just general ineffectiveness from some usually reliable players, it could be a rough week in the world of fantasy football. That is, if you don't bother to check out the weekly fantasy advice from our friends at CBS Sports.
Chris Towers is back with his weekly positional rankings, helping you pick the best roster each and every week.
Quarterback
Life is good if you have a top quarterback. Otherwise, there's a real deficiency of talent on the waiver wire. And a lot of those free QBs are free for a reason.
"Among quarterbacks who are available in more than half of CBS Fantasy leagues, the pickings are pretty slim, unfortunately. You could try stashing Daniel Jones and hope the signs of life from the Giants offense the last few weeks can translate when he is cleared to play, or you could hope Gardner Minshew continues to do just enough right to overcome everything he's doing wrong -- he has 42.7 points over his past two games despite turning the ball over eight times, which feels like tap dancing on the edge of a knife while balancing flaming chainsaws," writes Towers. "Otherwise, the pickings are awfully slim."
Here are the top plays at quarterback for Week 7:
1. Jalen Hurts @ Washington
2. Patrick Mahomes @ Denver
3. Josh Allen vs. Tampa Bay
4. Lamar Jackson @ Arizona
5. Justin Herbert vs. Chicago
Tua Tagovailoa checks in as the No. 6 quarterback this week as he'll face the New England defense for the second time this season. He was held to just one touchdown and 249 passing yards by the Patriots in Week 2.
Mac Jones, meanwhile, is the 25th-ranked quarterback out of 32 heading into this weekend's tilt in Miami.
Check out Chris Towers' full fantasy football quarterback rankings for Week 8
Running Back
1. Christian McCaffrey vs. Cincinnati
2. Alvin Kamara @ Indianapolis
3. Saquon Barkley vs. New York Jets
4. Tony Pollard vs. L.A. Rams
5. Austin Ekeler vs. Chicago
Raheem Mostert TORCHED the Patriots for 121 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2, but he's only the 14th-ranked running back this weekend after being held to just 45 yards on his nine carries against the Eagles in Week 7. Outside of his 165-yard, two-touchdown game against the Panthers two weeks ago, Mostert has been fairly pedestrian since Week 2.
New England's Rhamondre Stevenson checks in at No. 30, while Ezekiel Elliott is at No. 38 this weekend against Miami.
Check out Chris Towers' full fantasy football running back rankings for Week 8
Wide Receiver
The Patriots will obviously have their hands full this weekend with Tyreek Hill, who is the top-ranked receiver of Week 8:
1. Tyreek Hill vs. New England
2. Cooper Kupp @ Dallas
3. Ja'Marr Chase @ San Francisco
4. Stefon Diggs vs. Tampa Bay
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. Las Vegas
Hill was held to just five catches and 40 yards (one of which was a touchdown) in Week 2, but the Patriots had sensational rookie Chistian Gonzalez to help keep him in check. Gonzalez is out this time around, so Hill could potentially have a monster game for Miami.
Miami's Jaylen Waddle checks in at No. 16, but he could be limited after suffering a back injury during last week's loss to Philly. As for New England, Kendrick Bourne is ranked at No. 39, while DeVante Parker is the 60th-ranked receiver heading into his revenge game against the Dolphins. He takes the whole "revenge is a dish best served cold" thing a little too literal, with only seven catches in his two games against his former squad, but six of those came back in Week 2.
Check out Chris Towers' full fantasy football wide receiver rankings for Week 8
Tight End
1. Travis Kelce @ Denver
2. Mark Andrews @ Arizona
3. T.J. Hockenson @ Green Bay
4. Dallas Goedert @ Washington
5. Sam LaPorta vs. Las Vegas
Hunter Henry had six catches and a touchdown against Miami in Week 2, and is the No. 13 tight end this weekend.
Check out Chris Towers' full fantasy football tight end rankings for Week 8