Fantasy football projections, Week 8: Browns vs. Chiefs featuring Josh Gordon, Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles

We break down the Week 8 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Oct 27, 2013, 11:18 AM UTC

Peter Aiken

The Week 8 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs figures to be a defensive battle. We've got all the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

Cleveland Browns

Injuries and inconsistencies at the quarterback position have led the Browns to go with veteran quarterback Jason Campbell against the Chiefs this week. Campbell had ample opportunity to be a starter early in his career with the Washington Redskins and served for a while as the starter in Oakland, but he has been relegated to a backup role. His conservative "game manager" type of style is no doubt a downgrade in the fantasy world for anybody who might consider playing him.

That's especially true when you consider the fact the contest with the Chiefs is at Arrowhead Stadium against a strong defense. Campbell will no doubt need to rely on tight end Jordan Cameron and wide receiver Josh Gordon if the Browns have any chance of putting points on the board. While Cameron caught seven passes last week and was able to find the end zone, the Browns will need more out of Gordon, who only managed two catches for 21 yards against the Green Bay Packers.

Kansas City Chiefs

After starting the season looking like a top-five fantasy quarterback, Alex Smith has slowed down considerably in the last three weeks. Smith has no touchdown passes since throwing three touchdowns in a Week 4 win over the New York Giants. But the fact that Smith completed 67.6 percent of his passes and attempted 34 of them against the Houston Texans last week is an encouraging sign for his fantasy owners.

What Smith has failed to do has only worked to the benefit of running back Jamaal Charles, who has scored four touchdowns in the last three weeks. Charles touched the ball at least 24 times and averaged 90.7 yards on the ground over that stretch. There is no doubt he will get the ball a lot against a very good Browns secondary, so he should continue to pay dividends for his fantasy owners this week.