Fantasy Stat Pack: Week Eight

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed a series of tweets I share on a weekly basis regarding player and team defensive performances, all from a fantasy lens. I’m going to be sharing some of that same information with you here.

I use this each week as I am making my own lineup and waiver wire decisions and thought you might find this valuable as well.

Note: The scoring system used for this data is always PPR with four points for passing touchdowns.

All year to date fantasy ranks are based on total points.

Quarterbacks

Week Eight QB1s (top 12 scorers)

The Giants were in comeback mode during most of their Week Eight game against the Lions, leading to a massive statistical game for rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, finishing as the QB1. The Saints got veteran Drew Brees back on the field and he bounced right back to a high-end QB1. The top-12 scorers also featured some surprises as backup quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill, Matt Schaub and Matt Moore all produced useable fantasy performances, though Schaub and Moore are likely headed back to the bench.

Year to Date QB1s

Week Eight brought a great deal of movement among the quarterback position as his bye week cost Lamar Jackson the top spot with Deshaun Watson taking his place. Aaron Rodgers had another big game after his slow start to the season and jumps from QB7 to QB4. Matt Ryan (QB6 to QB10) and Patrick Mahomes (QB5 to QB7) each missed Week Eight, which obviously caused them to fall, while veterans Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford climbed up the ranks. Kirk Cousins fell out of the group, replaced by rookie Gardner Minshew.

QB1 Games this Season

Most QB1 Games Allowed

There are now a handful of teams to pick on when choosing a fantasy quarterback. The Cardinals, Falcons, Bengals, Lions and Giants have each allowed six QB1 games through eight weeks. With Atlanta and Cincinnati on bye, we are left with the Cardinals (vs. Jimmy Garoppolo), the Lions (vs. Derek Carr) and the Giants (vs. Dak Prescott) to choose from.

Houston (vs. Minshew), Miami (vs. Sam Darnold) and Philadelphia (vs. Mitchell Trubisky) aren’t far behind after allowing five QB1 games, though you’d have to be fairly desperate to use Darnold or Trubisky after what we’ve seen the past two weeks.

The Bears, Broncos and Patriots have now gone half the season without allowing a QB1 game. The Bears face the struggling Carson Wentz and the Eagles, while the Broncos get Baker Mayfield, who is also struggling this year. Finally, the Patriots have the biggest challenge against breakout star Lamar Jackson as the Ravens come off a bye. Jackson will present fantasy players with the most difficult decision of the week against the league’s best defense. (I’ll still be starting him.)

Running Backs

Week Eight RB1s (top 12 scorers)

Packers back Aaron Jones did it again, becoming the first player this year to produce two overall RB1 games. After needing four touchdowns to accomplish the feat a few weeks ago, this time Jones did most of his damage as a receiver, catching seven balls for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Jones is the overall RB1 since Week Two. Tevin Coleman matched Jones’ mark from earlier in the season as he found the paint four times against the Panthers. After just two carries against the Saints in Week Seven, rookie David Montgomery exploded for 135 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come.

Year to Date RB1s

James Conner suffered an injury but played well enough earlier in the game to crack the RB1 range, jumping up to RB9. Denver’s Phillip Lindsay also moved into the top 12 as Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram fell out. Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott swapped spots as Fournette continues to rise.

RB1 Games this Season

Most RB1 Games Allowed

The Bengals held tough against the Rams last week but still stand alone as the worst fantasy rushing defense, having allowed seven RB1 games through eight weeks. This week, the Bengals rest and fantasy owners will be stuck relying on the next best options, which include Detroit and the Chargers. The Lions face rookie Josh Jacobs in a potential blowup spot for him while the Chargers try to contain the smoldering hot Packers backfield led by Aaron Jones. Both Jones and his teammate Jamaal Williams should be in fantasy lineups this weekend.

No surprise, the Patriots have yet to allow an RB1 game. In fact, they haven’t even given up a top-24 scorer at the position as Nick Chubb finished as the RB25 last week. Mark Ingram will try to challenge that defense next, but the Patriots real task will be to contain the rushing of the quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Steelers also have yet to allow an RB1 game, but Colts back Marlon Mack will try to change that in Week Nine.

Wide Receivers

Week Eight WR1s (top 12 scorers)

It was Mike Evans’ turn for a dominant game as his teammate Chris Godwin took a step back. Evans caught 11 passes for 198 yards and a pair of scores to claim the WR1 for the week. After his teammate Brandin Cooks left the game with a concussion, Cooper Kupp became the clear focal point of the offense, setting a new career-high with 220 yards on seven catches. They had to face the Dolphins to finally produce but both Steelers receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson finished as top-twelve scorers for the week.

Year to Date WR1s

There were some major moves among the top wideouts, including Mike Evans using his huge game to move from outside the top twelve all the way to WR6. Stefon Diggs also entered the group, replacing his injured teammate Adam Thielen. Amari Cooper tumbled from WR4 to WR11 as veterans Julio Jones, Julian Edelman and Keenan Allen all moved up.

WR1 Games this Season

Most WR1 Games Allowed

The Dolphins are the worst but that’s no surprise. Miami has allowed six WR1 games, including a pair to the Steelers on Monday Night Football. This week, Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder try to add to that total. Oh, and Miami just lost their top defender in Xavien Howard. The Eagles (vs. Allen Robinson) and Buccaneers (vs. Tyler Lockett) also provide fantasy players with juicy matchups in Week Nine.

Five teams have allowed only one WR1 game this year. These are all obvious matchups to generally avoid but two of them face each other as AFC powers New England and Baltimore square off on Sunday night. Depending on the health of rookie Marquise Brown, it could be easy to pay off the Ravens wideouts but even with this matchup, Julian Edelman has to be in lineups. The Bills (vs. Terry McLaurin), Broncos (vs. Odell Beckham) and Steelers (vs. TY Hilton) could each provide major concerns for their wide receiver opponents.

Tight Ends

Week Eight TE1s (top 12 scorers)

With Chris Herndon still missing time, tight end Ryan Griffin broke out with a two-touchdown game, good enough to make him the TE1 for the week. With Delnaie Walker out of the lineup, Jonnu Smith was a popular “sleeper” pick for the week and he produced with an early touchdown on his way to a TE3 finish. Eagles tight end continued his recent trend of matching or even outproducing his teammate Zach Ertz.

Year to Date TE1s

Darren Fells used another multiple touchdown game to move inside the TE1 range, all the way up to TE8. Hunter Henry missed a month but his strong performances have still been enough to make him the TE12 for the year. Veterans Jason Witten and Jimmy Graham fell out of the top 12.

TE1 Games this Season

Most TE1 Games Allowed

The Cardinals have given up six TE1 games and now face the challenge of slowing down 49ers tight end George Kittle. Good luck! The Buccaneers have matched Arizona’s poor record and now get Seattle’s tight end by committee. Both Luke Willson and Jacob Hollister could be worth dart throws if you’re desperate. Ed Dickson could return to the lineup, but he’s missed the majority of the season. The Lions also struggle to defend the tight end position, which must have Raiders breakout star Darren Waller foaming at the mouth.

The Dolphins (vs. Griffin/Chris Herndon), Patriots (vs. Mark Andrews), Giants (vs. Witten) and 49ers (vs. Charles Clay) all provide difficult matchups this week. The good news is you likely weren’t starting most of these players regardless, though Andrews will require a difficult decision.

Finally, here is the chart summarizing how teams have fared against each position. I’ve also included the schedule for this week for reference.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.

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