Week 8 Fantasy WR Rankings: Tyreek Hill, Julio Jones remain high despite injured QBs

Matt Lutovsky

Week 8 Fantasy WR Rankings: Tyreek Hill, Julio Jones remain high despite injured QBs image

What's worse: When your wide receiver is hurt or when the quarterback of your wide receiver is hurt? You might think the answer is obvious, but at least when your receiver is out, you can just play a sub. When your WR's QB is out, you don't know what's gonna happen (ask JuJu Smith-Schuster owners). Our Week 9 fantasy WR rankings feature a mix of both, as studs like Adam Thielen and Will Fuller are dealing with injuries and even bigger studs Tyreek Hill and Julio Jones might be without their usual signal-callers. Fantasy football owners should already be looking for potential sleepers on the waiver wire, just in case.

The loss of Patrick Mahomes (knee) and potentially Matt Ryan (ankle) isn't enough to knock Hill and Jones out of the starter tier. For now, we're projecting Ryan to play, so Jones is still safely in the top five. But, again -- just ask Smith-Schuster owners what it's like when even a WR1 is dealing with a backup. Hill scored on a big play with Matt Moore under center last Thursday, which creates a false sense of security. Smith-Schuster did that in Week 3 only to follow it up with 15 yards in Week 4. He hit another long TD in Week 5, then had seven yards in Week 6. You're always playing elite talents, but the floors are a lot lower. 

WEEK 8 NON-PPR RANKINGS
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

The injured WRs are a mixed bag. Initially, we've left Thielen (hamstring) and Fuller (hamstring) out of our rankings, but we've put Davante Adams (toe), Tyrell Williams (foot), Josh Gordon (knee), and a few other "questionable" guys in. Obviously, we'll update as the week goes on, but this should just serve as a reminder that as we get later into the season, there will be more injury uncertainty. 

One star who might be getting his regular QB back is Michael Thomas. He's been just fine with Teddy Bridgewater under center, but with reports indicating Drew Brees (thumb) could be ready to go in Week 8, Thomas would have an even higher ceiling. This is bigger news for secondary Saints receivers like Ted Ginn, who would become a much more interesting boom-or-bust WR3 consideration with Brees back under center.

WEEK 8: Waiver wire | FAAB planner | Trade valuesSnap counts

Regardless of your WR situation, there are several sleepers, some available on the waiver wire, worth considering. Corey Davis and A.J. Brown (vs. Buccaneers) look revitalized with Ryan Tannehill under center, and a favorable matchup could continue to give them life. Kenny Stills (@ Raiders) is in the mix whether Fuller plays or not, but if Fuller is out, Stills is an overqualified WR3. The same goes for Olabisi Johnson (vs. Redskins) if Thielen is out. Cole Beasley (vs. Eagles) and Diontae Johnson (vs. Dolphins) aren't exactly "high-floor" players, but they have the matchups and upside -- Beasley because of volume, Johnson because of big-play ability -- to work as WR3s, too.

WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end

Several usual starters are dropping because of worrisome matchups, including Alshon Jeffery (@ Bills), Tyler Boyd and other Bengals (vs. Rams in UK), D.J. Moore (@ 49ers), and Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry (@ Patriots). You're still playing  OBJ, but consider the rest on the start-or-sit bubble.

Note: We'll continue to update these rankings all week, so check back for the latest and individual player analysis. 

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Week 8 Fantasy WR Rankings

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These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.

Rank Player
1 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU vs. OAK
2 Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. CIN
3 Tyler Lockett, SEA @ ATL
4 Michael Thomas, NO vs. ARZ
5 Stefon Diggs, MIN vs. WAS
6 John Brown, BUF vs. PHI
7 Chris Godwin, TB @ TEN. Jameis Winston looked bad last time we saw him and Tennessee has a tough pass defense, but Godwin is averaging 110 receiving yards per game and leads the league with six touchdown catches. If anything you can argue he should be higher.  
8 Julio Jones, ATL vs. SEA
9 Julian Edelman, NE vs. CLE
10 T.Y. Hilton, IND vs. DEN
11 DJ Chark, JAX vs. NYJ
12 Kenny Golladay, DET vs. NYG. Golladay was merely an spectator to the Marvin Jones Show in Week 4, but with at least eight targets in every game prior to Week 7, you can bet Golladay will get back on track this week in a favorable matchup.
13 Courtland Sutton, DEN @ IND
14 Tyreek Hill, KC vs. GB. Hill proved he didn't "need" Patrick Mahomes to have a good game last week. It will certainly be tougher for Hill this week against a Green Bay defense that's allowed four WR touchdowns this year, but Hill is the definition of an "it-only-takes-one" receiver, so we're not betting against him. 
15 JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT vs. MIA
16 Allen Robinson, CHI vs. LAC
17 Tyrell Williams, OAK @ HOU
18 Terry McLaurin, WAS @ MIN
19 DK Metcalf, SEA @ ATL
20 Odell Beckham Jr., CLE @ NE. We hate the matchup, but, like Hill, Beckham only needs one big play to pay off. He's averaging nine targets per game, so  he'll have opportunities, especially if this game gets into garbage time. 
21 Golden Tate, NYG @ DET
22 Mike Evans, TB @ TEN
23 Robert Woods, LAR vs. CIN. Perhaps surprisingly, the Bengals are allowing the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game (FPPG) to WRs, largely because teams don't have to throw much against them. Either way, teams can throw against them, and knowing what we know about L.A.'s offense, it's reasonable to assume it will. Woods hasn't done much this year outside of a big Week 4 against Tampa, but we know the upside is there for him to explode at any time. Against bad defenses, he's still a safe WR3.
24 Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ @ NO. A dud last week rightfully has owners worried about Fitzgerald, but No. 1 receivers have done well against the Saints this year, with DeAndre Hopkins (111 yards, two TDs), Cooper Kupp (120 yards), Tyler Lockett (154 yards, TD), and Allen Robinson (87 yards, TD) having big games. Chris Godwin (125 yards, two TDs) and Brandin Cooks (74 yards, TD) also posted nice numbers against them, so we're not worried about Fitz.
25 Brandin Cooks, LAR vs. CIN
26 Tyler Boyd, CIN @ LAR
27 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB @ KC. Scantling's big-play potential should be on full display again with Davante Adams (toe) out. 
28 Mike Williams, LAC @ CHI. With Keenan Allen (hamstring) out or limited, Williams should lead all Chargers receivers in targets. 
29 Kenny Stills, HOU vs. OAK. Stills steps into the Will Fuller (hamstring) role, and that should yield good results against Oakland's No. 31 pass defense. Considering Stills still specializes in the big play (4-105 last week, 19.5 yards per catch this year), he won't need much to pay off as a WR3.
30 D.J. Moore, CAR @ SF. Moore has mostly been a steady high-floor, low-ceiling receiver this year, but San Francisco will be his toughest test yet. The Niners give up just 17.2 FPPG to WRs (tied for fifth fewest), and they've been even better as of late, completely shutting down Odell Beckham Jr. (2-27), all three Rams (7-35), and Terry McLaurin (1-11), although that last one was in a rain storm. Either way, Moore will need to make the most of his targets, and considering he gets 8.2 per game, he can still work as a WR3.
31 Marvin Jones, DET vs. NYG. Jones's true talent lies somewhere between his 2-17-0 showing in Week 6 and his 10-93-4 showing in Week 7. Clearly, this is a boom-or-bust receiver, and with the Giants allowing the seventh-most standard FPPG to WRs, we'll lean closer to "boom" this week. 
32 Alshon Jeffery, PHI @ BUF
33 Jamison Crowder, NYJ @ JAX
34 Corey Davis, TEN vs. TB. Tennessee's passing game looked revitalized last week with Ryan Tannehill under center, and he got Davis involved to the tune of six catches (seven targets), 80 yards, and a TD. Tampa's last-ranked pass defense won't pose much of a threat to Davis having another solid game, so it will really come down to wether Tannehill can play well or not. A.J. Brown, who had one more target than Davis last week, could just as easily have a big game, which is why Davis isn't higher. Consider both on the WR3 bubble in this high-ceiling spot. 
35 Emmanuel Sanders, SF vs. CAR. Sanders is fully expected to play after his trade to the 49ers, and while his role is still yet to be defined, he's certainly the most talented wide receiver on the team and should lead the way in targets. 
36 Phillip Dorsett, NE vs. CLE
37 Jarvis Landry, CLE @ NE
38 Geronimo Allison, GB @ KC
39 Olabisi Johnson, MIN vs. WAS. With no Adam Thielen (hamstring) for most Week 7, Johnson hauled in four of eight targets for 40 yards and a score. Washington is allowing over 25 standard FPPG to WRs, so Johnson can pay off along with Stefon Diggs. 
40 Dede Westbrook, JAX vs. NYJ
41 Robby Anderson, NYJ @ JAX
42 Diontae Johnson, PIT vs. MIA. He's shown a good deep-ball connection with Mason Rudolph, catching touchdowns of 39 yards and 43 yards this year. Against Miami, he can do it again. 
43 Christian Kirk, ARZ @ NO
44 Calvin Ridley, ATL vs. SEA. Seattle hasn't allowed much of anything to secondary receivers since John Ross's big Week 1. With Matt Schaub at QB, this will be a boom-or-bust game for the inconsistent Ridley. 
45 Curtis Samuel, CAR @ SF
46 DeVante Parker, MIA @ PIT
47 A.J. Brown, TEN vs. TB
48 DaeSean Hamilton, DEN @ IND. Hamilton averaged over six catches and nine targets per game last year when Emmanuel Sanders was out. That was in a different offensive system, but given Sanders' volume this year (6.3 targets per game), Hamilton could pile up a decent number of catches and help those in PPR leagues. 
49 Preston Williams, MIA @ PIT
50 Cole Beasley, BUF vs. PHI. Beasley scored his first touchdown of the year last week and has other games of eight catches and 83 yards. Against Philadelphia's No. 27 pass defense, he's a solid WR3 in PPR and FLEX in standard leagues. 
51 Darrius Slayton, NYG @ DET
52 Zach Pascal, IND vs. DEN
53 Auden Tate, CIN @ LAR. Tate is more likely to get locked up with Jalen Ramsey than slot-guy Tyler Boyd, so play the big receiver at your own risk. 
54 Marquise Goodwin, SF vs. CAR
55 Duke Williams, BUF vs. PHI
56 Ted Ginn Jr., NO vs. ARZ
57 Keke Coutee, HOU vs. OAK
58 Jaron Brown, SEA @ ATL. Brown has caught six-of-11 targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns since Will Dissly (Achilles') got hurt. Those aren't huge numbers, but it shows he's involved enough in Seattle's offense to merit consideration against an Atlanta defense allowing the fifth-most FPPG to WRs. 
59 Danny Amendola, DET vs. NYG
60 Alex Erickson, CIN @ LAR
61 Mohamed Sanu, NE vs. CLE
62 Justin Hardy, ATL vs. SEA
63 Dante Pettis, SF vs. CAR
64 Taylor Gabriel, CHI vs. LAC
65 Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. GB
66 Adam Humphries, TEN vs. TB
67 Anthony Miller, CHI vs. LAC
68 Nelson Agholor, PHI @ BUF
69 Paul Richardson, WAS vs. MIN
70 Kendrick Bourne, SF vs. CAR
71 Zay Jones, OAK @ HOU
72 Cody Latimer, NYG @ DET
73 Deebo Samuel, SF vs. CAR
74 Demaryius Thomas, NYJ @ JAX
75 Mecole Hardman, KC vs. GB
76 Trey Quinn, WAS @ MIN
77 Chris Conley, JAX vs. NYJ
78 James Washington, PIT vs. MIA
 

Matt Lutovsky

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Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.