Top daily fantasy football quarterback plays for Week 8

Welcome to Week 8 of the Daily Fantasy season. Pricing has stabilized as trends have emerged but there are still bargains to be found and even some higher-priced options that will go under-owned and can make a difference in your lineups. This article looks at some of the projected lesser-owned plays at quarterback who could provide huge boosts to your tournament lineups, as well as some trap plays to avoid.

With so much focus on who would play running back for the depleted Packers last Thursday against the Bears, it was easy to forget that they were even more banged up in the secondary. Against Matt Barkley, it didn’t matter. Against Matt Ryan, it’s going to matter in a big, big way. Ryan is having a terrific season and Julio Jones is back to being Julio Jones. I remember a Monday night game against the Packers two years ago when Jones turned into a living video game. Something similar could happen Sunday, and Ryan will be the big benefactor.

Don’t let last week’s stink-bomb by the Jaguars fool you. The Raiders can be beaten, and beaten badly, through the air. And now that Winston has a reliable running game to keep the defense honest, there is an opening for him to put up some gaudy numbers, especially with Mike Evans to throw to. He has quietly put up three games out of six with three touchdown passes and could easily make it four (games and passes) this week.

These next three selections are not for the queasy. Indeed, I am essentially about to write that the Jets-Browns game could turn into one of the biggest shootouts of the weekend, and that is not a misprint. The Browns have one of the worst pass defenses in the league, allowing a league-leading 18 touchdowns over seven games. The only knock on Fitz is his price, but he’s certain to be low-owned because of it.

There’s one other team that has allowed 18 touchdown passes this season, and the Lions just lost their best cover man, Darius Slay, to injury. The Texans are in dire need of a get-well defense and they’re getting it Sunday. Other than Osweiler’s family members, no one is going to be on him this weekend, and yet he comes at a nice discount. It might only be a one-week wonder, but the Brock Star is set to shine.

The only issue with McCown is getting him on the field and keeping him there. When he plays, he puts up numbers, and at his price, facing a Jets pass defense that’s also among the most charitable in the league, McCown should have no trouble getting right back into the groove. This is the Browns’ best chance to date to get in the win column and McCown will leave it all on the field to make it happen. He’s another terrific bargain play this weekend.

Taylor has put together a couple good weeks in a row, but those were against the 49ers and Dolphins. The Patriots are out for revenge this week after getting shut out by the Bills in the final pre-Brady game, and that is not good news for the Bills this time around. Avoiding pieces of this offense, especially without LeSean McCoy available, is a wise move this week.

Rivers is another quarterback set to face a defense with payback on its mind. Even in the game that the Chargers won against the Broncos at home a few weeks ago, it wasn’t a brilliant offensive performance. It’s hard to imagine the Broncos’ defense allowing Rivers to have free reign in this game, and even though the Chargers are likely to be in catch-up mode, it doesn’t automatically equate to passing success.