What in the name of Peyton Manning’s large forehead is going on with Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons offense? They had a juicy matchup with a hobbled New England secondary and could muster only seven points? What’s up with that Matty Ice? Oh, I know. Your offensive coordinator is a joke. There’s too much talent on this offense to bench Ryan, but this is starting to get worrisome.
This is the first week with six teams on a bye, leaving us with only 26 QBs on the docket for Week 8. Owners in 2-QB leagues or those who like to find low-cost DFS options might have to get a little creative with their selections this week.
On a Bye
Marcus Mariota (TEN), Jared Goff (LAR), Eli Manning (NYG), Blake Bortles (JAC), Brett Hundley (GB), Drew Stanton (ARI).
2017 NFL Team Passing Defense Statistics
Week 8 Quarterback Matchup Report
Favorable Matchups
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Defensive Matchup: San Francisco 49ers (Home)
Welcome to the elite QB club, Mr. Wentz. We’re happy you’re here. Thanks to a ridiculous last three games (794 yards, 11 TD, 1 INT), Wentz has vaulted to the 4th highest scoring QB in fantasy football this season. Yes, even slightly ahead of the G.O.A.T., Tom Brady. If by chance you still have any doubts about Carson Wentz, just stop. He’s an elite QB and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
This week, Wentz looks to continue his recent dominance in a tantalizing matchup with the winless San Francisco 49ers that have given up the 2nd most fantasy points to the QB position this season. They’ve also given up the 6th most passing yards to go along with a 12/4 TD/INT ratio. No matter how you slice it, this 49ers defense is bad. This might not just be a good week through the air for Wentz, either, as San Francisco is allowing a lot of rushing QB points, too. Wentz currently ranks 3rd amongst all QBs in rushing yards, so expect Went to rank up a lot of points on the ground as well. This has the makings of a butt-whooping and a top-3 fantasy day for Wentz.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Defensive Matchup: Indianapolis Colts (Home)
The name of the game here is yardage. This year’s Indianapolis Colts team gives up a whole lot of it. They’ve allowed 295+ passing yards in six of seven games thus far. The one game they didn’t was against DeShone Kizer and the lowly Cleveland Browns. Andy Dalton might not be the most inspiring QB on the planet, but he can rack up the yards in bad matchups like this.
This has been a tale of two seasons through the first six games for Dalton. He threw four interceptions in the first two weeks (all in game one) and averaged only 197 passing yards per game. The four games since then, however, have been a much different story. He went from being the Red Reject back to the Red Rifle. Dalton has thrown for 241.5 YPG with nine touchdowns and only four picks. Even with this week’s plus matchup, Dalton is still not worthy of starting as a QB1, but he makes for a decent QB2 and DFS play.
Phillip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers
Defensive Matchup: New England Patriots (Road)
I’ll admit that I was a little hesitant including Rivers here this week after the injury-riddled Patriots secondary somehow limited Matt Ryan and the Falcons to 233 yards, one touchdown, and just seven total points. But I’m just going to chalk that up to the fact that the Falcons offense is in shambles right now. Even after holding Ryan to 233 yards and one touchdown, the Patriots are still allowing the most points to the QB position.
On the season, Rivers has thrown for 1816 yards (5th), 12 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. His stats over the last four weeks look even better, too, as he’s averaging 264 yards per game with an 8/1 TD/INT ratio. Stephen Gilmore returned to practice this week and is expected to play, but Donta Hightower is now out for the remainder of the season. Hightower is the leader and focal point of this New England defense, and his absence is a huge blow to this unit. Expect some growing pains, and in turn, a big game for Rivers. Fire him up as a back-end QB1 this week.
Unfavorable Matchups
Just wanted to make a quick note here. On paper, the Seattle Seahawks look like a bad matchup for Deshaun Watson, but until the rookie shows me he can be stopped, he’s a high-end QB1 in my book.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Defensive Matchup: Buffalo Bills (Road)
This hasn’t been the smoothest of seasons for Carr and this Oakland offense, but everything started clicking last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, as Carr put up 417 yards and three touchdowns. This week’s matchup won’t nearly be as smooth. Going into Buffalo has been a daunting task for opposing QBs this season. The Bills are allowing the 8th fewest points to QBs and have allowed only five passing touchdowns all season.
On top of that, they’ve already picked off nine passes, which is 2nd in the NFL only behind Jacksonville. The Bills should be able to stack the box and get plenty of pressure on Carr with Marshawn Lynch suspended for Sunday’s tilt. All the QBs on byes this week keeps Carr in the QB1 mix, but only barely. My colleague, Ryan Cook, ranked him 10th this week, and I’m right in that same area with Carr.
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Defensive Matchup: Carolina Panthers (Home)
The Carolina Panthers are one of the oddest passing defenses in the league this season. They give up only 180.7 yards per game but also have picked off only one pass and allowed 10 touchdowns. Only the Oakland Raiders have picked off fewer passes than the Panthers. Those stats are indicative of a strong front seven, which is exactly what Carolina has. Getting pressure on the passer and clogging the run game is how this team has success. Their 24 sacks are tied with Pittsburgh for the 2nd most in the NFL only behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. Winston is going to need to be on high alert all game, and that could be a problem with how little he’s chosen to scramble and run this season. He’s nothing more than a QB2 this week.
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Defensive Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers (Home)
I’ll start this section with a bold prediction that Matthew Stafford will be closer to 20th than 10th in QB scoring this week. All the cards are stacked against him having a good day on Sunday against a stout Pittsburgh passing defense. First, the Steelers have allowed the 2nd fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs this season and are top-5 in nearly every defensive passing statistic outside of interceptions. Like I mentioned with Carolina above, Pittsburgh gets a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and Stafford isn’t exactly what you would consider a running QB.
I haven’t even gotten to the biggest factor in my bold prediction, either. Stafford’s top weapon, Golden Tate, is questionable for Sunday’s game and is much more toward the doubtful side of questionable. Outside of Tate, the receiving options on this team are blah, to say the least. Keep an eye on Tate’s status leading up to game time, but regardless, Stafford is merely only a QB2 this weekend.
Sleeper of the Week
Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings
Defensive Matchup: Cleveland Browns (Road)
With six teams on a bye, this was easily the toughest week to pick a sleeper so far. Two components went into this. First, Case Keenum is facing the Browns. Oh no, it’s the Cleveland Browns! Those are words that have never been uttered by anyone, ever. Once again, Cleveland is pathetic and in a race for the worst record in the NFL. Their strong front seven on defense usually forces their opponents to throw more frequently, and this secondary is not nearly good enough to stop anyone. Secondly, this week looks like that week that Stefon Diggs will make his return to the field. His presence gives Keenum another top-notch target to throw to. Consider Keenum a back-end QB2 and a sneaky low-cost DFS option.
Thank you for reading this week’s quarterback matchup report on Fantrax. I hope you can use this article to your advantage and get a leg up on your fellow league members. Got a question about a player not covered here? Ask in the comments below or follow me on Twitter @EricCross04 and ask there. Make sure you check back in next Friday as we break down quarterbacks for Week 9.