Fantasy football projections, Week 8: Ravens-Bengals featuring Steve Smith Sr., Giovani Bernard and Mohamed Sanu

The Week 8 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals features one division rival looking to break away from the pack. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

After being held in check almost completely through the first four games of the season, wide receiver Torrey Smith has found the end zone four times in the last four games. Though he's only been targeted a combined 10 times in the last two weeks, the younger Smith on the team has seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns in those contests. Though he isn't likely to continue at that pace moving forward, Smith could be in for another solid showing in Week 8.

That's especially true if the Bengals' defense focuses in on Steve Smith Sr., who has experienced somewhat of a career renaissance in his first year with the Ravens. Smith Sr. only hauled in three catches for 67 yards against the Falcons last week, but it's not much of a cause for concern given that he only saw five targets in the game. If he's up near his season average of nearly nine targets a game against the Bengals in Week 8, Smith Sr. could find himself back in the end zone while his fantasy owners continue to cash in on his success.

While coach Marvin Lewis maintains that star receiver A.J. Green (toe) is making significant strides with his injury, it's likely he'll sit out against the Ravens, which makes Mohamed Sanu the team's go-to guy in the receiving game. Sanu was held to just three catches for 54 yards in the team's Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but given the Bengals didn't score any points in the contest, Sanu did the best he could. He should be in for a much more productive day against the Ravens.

If the passing game struggles to click again though, it likely means a lot more work for running back Giovani Bernard. Bernard turned in a dud performance against the Colts, rushing for just 17 yards on 7 carries. The game was even tougher to swallow considering Bernard actually posted a negative receiving yard total in the game. He'll need to be better against a good Ravens run defense if the team hopes to get back in the win column in Week 8.