In a week where two rookie wide receivers, Josh Downs and Puka Nacua, emerged as the top scorers in PPR format during the Sunday afternoon games, there's plenty of week-to-week unpredictability at the wide receiver position. While this variance makes it difficult to gauge how the upcoming week will unfold, it's worth noting that water tends to find its level over the fantasy football season, which is why the usual suspects sit atop our Week 8 fantasy WR PPR rankings.
That's why there's no need for Davante Adams' owners to panic. Adams' Week 7 fantasy output would have looked much different had he hauled in an easy touchdown reception that he dropped, but the variance monster tends to strike at the least opportune times. Opportunity is everything in fantasy football, and as long as your wideouts consistently have high route participation numbers and receive a respectable number of targets, production will soon follow.
With that in mind, let's highlight those wide receivers who see plenty of opportunities that will hopefully translate into strong fantasy performances during a stacked Week 8.
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Which WRs are on bye in Week 8?
Interestingly enough, zero teams are on bye in Week 8, which means fantasy owners have plenty of wide receivers to round out their starting lineups at their disposal.
WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 8 is the last week no teams are on bye until Week 12, so take advantage of the deep WR pool while you can.
WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Who are the best fantasy WRs Week 8?
It's only fitting that the league's receiving leader, Tyreek Hill (vs. Patriots in Week 8), sits as the overall fantasy WR1 in Week 8 despite matching up against a sound New England secondary. Close behind sits Stefon Diggs (vs. Buccaneers), who continues to thrive despite the Bills offense encountering hiccups the past couple of weeks.
A.J. Brown (@ Commanders) looks to replicate his nine-catch, 175-yard, two-TD effort against the Commanders in Week 4, profiling as a must-start WR1 with boom potential. Ja'Marr Chase (@ 49ers) will be the focal point of the 49ers' defensive game plan but should still see plenty of usage as Joe Burrow's safety blanket.
Cooper Kupp (@ Cowboys) aims to rebound after his worst fantasy day of the season, but we're optimistic he does just as in a potential negative game script in Dallas. Amon Ra-St. Brown (vs. Raiders) thrived in garbage time last week but should help the Lions get back in the win column on Monday night.
WEEK 8 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Who are the best fantasy WR sleepers, waiver pickups Week 8?
In this week's waiver wire piece, we advised fantasy owners to consider picking up Josh Downs (vs. Saints), Kendrick Bourne (@ Dolphins), Jayden Reed (vs. Vikings), Jalin Hyatt (vs. Jets), and Brandin Cooks (vs. Rams).
Sure, Downs was lucky to score a 59-yard TD on a play the Browns thought was blown dead, but the rookie still led the Colts in targets (6) and is seeing increased opportunities each week. Bourne's becoming the Patriots' unquestioned WR1, and while their offense remains one of the league's most inefficient units, there's no reason for Bourne to sit in the free-agent pool anymore.
Reed could see an uptick in usage should fellow WR Christian Watson (knee) miss time with injury, making him a viable flex play against an exploitable Vikings pass defense. Hyatt's another rookie whose stock is soaring towards the back half of the fantasy regular season, while Cooks is starting to find his footing in the Cowboys' offense. Both have tough matchups on paper this week, but they're the type of big-play receivers who can pay off with just one long catch. They have lower floors and ceilings in PPR formats, but they can still have value.
WEEK 8 DFS: DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Who are the biggest potential WR busts Week 8?
We have little to no appetite in starting Curtis Samuel (vs. Eagles), Michael Wilson (vs. Ravens), Rashid Shaheed (@ Colts), and DJ Chark (vs. Texans) this week. While all these wideouts profile as flex plays in 12-team formats, neither wideout sees consistent enough usage to warrant a flier.
In shallower leagues, we'd refrain from rolling out Jerry Jeudy (vs. Chiefs), Tyler Boyd (@ 49ers), and Robert Woods (@ Panthers), as each of these WRs faces a strong coverage unit who ranks within the top half of the league in fewest fantasy points per game allowed to WRs.
What are the biggest WR injuries Week 8?
Leading into Week 7, DK Metcalf (shoulder), Deebo Samuel (shoulder), Zay Jones (knee), and JuJu Smith-Schuster (head) were the most notable injury-related inactives. As for their Week 8 prospects, we know Samuel won't play, but do expect Metcalf, Jones, and Smith-Schuster to return to game action.
Thankfully, just two wideouts, Christian Watson (knee) and Jaylen Waddle (back), got banged up in game action, as we avoided an onslaught of in-game injuries. We'll monitor both closely throughout the week.
The position should get even healthier, as Tank Dell (head) is on track to return from a concussion, profiling as a WR3/flex play.
As usual, we'll update these WR PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.
Fantasy WR PPR Rankings Week 8: Who to start, sit at wide receiver
Rankings based on PPR scoring formats
Rank Player
1 Tyreek Hill, Dolphins vs. Patriots
2 Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. Buccaneers
3 A.J. Brown, Eagles @ Commanders
4 Cooper Kupp, Rams @ Cowboys
5 Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals @ 49ers
6 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. Raiders
7 Keenan Allen, Chargers vs. Bears
8 Davante Adams, Raiders @ Lions
9 Adam Thielen, Panthers vs. Texans
10 CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys vs. Rams
11 Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers vs. Bengals
12 DJ Moore, Bears @ Chargers
13 Puka Nacua, Rams @ Cowboys
14 Garrett Wilson, Jets @ Giants
15 Chris Olave, Saints @ Colts
16 Mike Evans, Buccaneers @ Bills
17 Michael Pittman Jr., Colts vs. Saints
18 Jakobi Meyers, Raiders @ Lions
19 Zay Flowers, Ravens @ Cardinals
20 Christian Kirk, Jaguars @ Steelers
21 George Pickens, Steelers vs. Jaguars
22 DK Metcalf, Seahawks vs. Browns
23 Jordan Addison, Vikings @ Packers
24 Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins vs. Patriots
25 Marquise Brown, Cardinals vs. Ravens
26 Nico Collins, Texans @ Panthers
27 Christian Watson, Packers vs. Vikings
28 Amari Cooper, Browns @ Seahawks
29 DeVonta Smith, Eagles @ Commanders
30 Drake London, Falcons @ Titans
31 Chris Godwin, Buccaneers @ Bills
32 Tee Higgins, Bengals @ 49ers
33 Terry McLaurin, Commanders vs. Eagles
34 Josh Downs, Colts vs. Saints
35 Calvin Ridley, Jaguars @ Steelers
36 Romeo Doubs, Packers vs. Vikings
37 Joshua Palmer, Chargers vs. Bears
38 DeAndre Hopkins, Titans vs. Falcons
39 Kendrick Bourne, Patriots @ Dolphins
40 Michael Thomas, Saints @ Colts
41 Diontae Johnson, Steelers vs. Jaguars
42 Courtland Sutton, Broncos vs. Chiefs
43 Tyler Lockett, Seahawks vs. Browns
44 Jerry Jeudy, Broncos vs. Chiefs
45 Rashee Rice, Chiefs @ Broncos
46 Gabe Davis, Bills vs. Buccaneers
47 K.J. Osborn, Vikings @ Packers
48 Michael Wilson, Cardinals vs. Ravens
49 Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants vs. Jets
50 Curtis Samuel, Commanders vs. Eagles
51 Tank Dell, Texans @ Panthers
52 Jayden Reed, Packers vs. Vikings
53 Jahan Dotson, Commanders vs. Eagles
54 Elijah Moore, Browns @ Seahawks
55 Jameson Williams, Lions vs. Raiders
56 Kadarius Toney, Chiefs @ Broncos
57 Jauan Jennings, 49ers vs. Bengals
58 Rashid Shaheed, Saints @ Colts
59 Tyler Boyd, Bengals @ 49ers
60 DeVante Parker, Patriots @ Dolphins
61 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks vs. Browns
62 Brandin Cooks, Cowboys vs. Rams
63 Odell Beckham Jr., Ravens @ Cardinals
64 Treylon Burks, Titans vs. Falcons
65 Josh Reynolds, Lions vs. Raiders
66 Michael Gallup, Cowboys vs. Rams
67 Darnell Mooney, Bears @ Chargers
68 DJ Chark, Panthers vs. Texans
69 Demario Douglas, Patriots @ Dolphins
70 Jalin Hyatt, Giants vs. Jets
71 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chiefs @ Broncos
72 Darius Slayton, Giants vs. Jets
73 JuJu Smith-Schuster, Patriots @ Raiders
74 Allen Lazard, Jets @ Giants
75 Tutu Atwell, Rams @ Cowboys
76 Alec Pierce, Colts vs. Saints
77 Nelson Agholor, Ravens @ Cardinals
78 Rondale Moore, Cardinals vs. Ravens
79 Jonathan Mingo, Panthers vs. Texans
80 Skyy Moore, Chiefs @ Broncos
81 Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos vs. Chiefs
82 Cedrick Wilson, Dolphins vs. Patriots
83 Quentin Johnston, Chargers vs. Bears
Week 8 WR PPR fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
Draft Sharks projections for the new week will update every Tuesday and be constantly adjusted throughout the week
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