Week 8 Rankings (2018): Top 25 Quarterbacks

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

The bye weeks continue, and this week there’s a significant impact on our quarterback rankings with 4 teams on the sidelines (Matt Ryan and Phillip Rivers are among those missing).  Couple that with some of the top quarterbacks drawing some difficult matchups and it’s a somewhat difficult week to try and maneuver through.  Who are the quarterbacks to trust?  Who is a bit too risky?  Let’s take a look at how things shake out for the coming week:

1. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Denver
2. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – at Oakland
3. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – at Minnesota
4. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – at Buffalo
5. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – at Los Angeles Rams
6. Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears – vs. New York Jets
7. Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Cincinnati
8. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – vs. New Orleans
9. Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – at Jacksonville
10. Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams – vs. Green Bay
11. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Tampa Bay
12. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Cleveland
13. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – at Detroit
14. Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns – at Pittsburgh
15. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – vs. Baltimore
16. Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – vs. Miami
17. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens – at Carolina
18. Case Keenum – Denver Broncos – at Kansas City
19. Eli Manning – New York Giants – vs. Washington
20. Sam Darnold – New York Jets – at Chicago
21. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – vs. Seattle
22. Brock Osweiler – Miami Dolphins – at Houston
23. Alex Smith – Washington Redskins – at New York Giants
24. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – vs. Indianapolis
25. Josh Rosen – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco

Thoughts:

• The Bills may appear like a difficult matchup, having allowed the seventh fewest points per week to opposing quarterbacks.  At the same time does anyone really think they can slow down Tom Brady and company?  Considering the latest injury to the backfield, with Sony Michel going down, New England should bring a pass heavy attack and produce big numbers regardless of the defense lining up across from them.
• Over the past four weeks Andrew Luck has thrown for 15 TD, with at least 3 TD in each game.  The recent emergence of Marlon Mack could help to limit the pass attempts, but it also could open things up a little bit more as opposing defenses are going to have to game plan to stop Mack as well as the passing attack.  Taking on an Oakland defense that has allowed 12 TD vs. 4 INT over it’s first six games, Luck is back to being an easy must use option.
• It would be easy to get excited about Andy Dalton and a matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are allowing the most points per week to opposing quarterbacks.  Of course we also would’ve said the same thing entering Week 7 against the Chiefs and Dalton managed just 148 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.  He’s going to be in the conversation as a low-end QB1 due to the bye weeks and matchup questions, but we can’t push him even higher based on his recent performance (248 yards or fewer in three consecutive games).
• The numbers from Week 7 may be a little bit deceiving, but at the end of the day Mitchell Trubisky had 333 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT through the air while adding 81 yards and 1 TD on the ground.  Over his past three games he’s now averaged 334.3 passing yards and 60.3 rushing yards per game while throwing for 11 TD.  He’s quickly emerging and a matchup with the Jets shouldn’t slow him down.
• Carson Wentz has been thriving as of late, with 9 TD vs. 0 INT over the past four weeks (310+ yards in three of the four games).  The matchup with Jacksonville is going to hold his ranking down a little bit, but with a questionable running attack and a strong receiving corps he should be able to continue producing strong numbers and remain on the QB1 spectrum.
• While Jameis Winston didn’t throw for a TD in Week 7, he did manage 365 yards while adding 55 rushing yards and 1 TD (to help save his day).  While he’s thrown 4 INT over his first two starts it’s clear that they are going to be a pass heavy attack with him under center (93 attempts in two games).  With an extremely favorable matchup against the Bengals, who are allowing the fifth most points per week to opposing quarterbacks (15 TD vs. 6 INT), it’s easy to view him as one of the better options for Week 8.
• Baker Mayfield was good, but not great, in a favorable matchup against the Buccaneers (215 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) so it’s impossible to push him too high on the rankings despite another favorable matchup in Week 8.  Obviously a banged up receiving corps doesn’t help and will suppress his value, though it’s possible he does have a bigger day as the Browns are forced to pass early and often in an effort to keep pace with Pittsburgh.

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