Fantasy football projections, Week 8: Washington-Bengals featuring Chris Thompson, A.J. Green, Jeremy Hill, more

The Week 8 matchup between the Washington and the Cincinnati Bengals features teams with interesting running back situations facing off. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Running back Chris Thompson has earned himself more touches in Washington and more lineups in fantasy leagues. He totaled 113 yards on 19 touches against the Detroit Lions in Week 7. Teammate Matt Jones saw his role reduced after fumbling the football. It remains to be seen who has the edge moving forward, but right now fantasy owners are giving it to Thompson. His projections for Week 8 are likely based on the fact he usually plays second fiddle to Jones. It should be easy for Thompson to rise above his expectations in Cincinnati.

Thompson, Jones, and the rest of Washington’s roster will be aided by wide receiver Jamison Crowder in the passing game. DeSean Jackson is no doubt the big name in the receiving corps., but Crowder has outperformed the rest this season. He caught seven passes for 108 yards against Detroit. It’s the first time this season Crowder has surpassed 100 yards. With teammate Jordan Reed likely out a few more weeks thanks to concussion issues, Crowder could see double-digit targets each week heading into mid-November. High volume equals steady production in this case. Crowder should continue to impress in Week 8.

Fantasy owners have been rushing to pick up running back Giovani Bernard lately. They may want to hold their horses. Teammate Jeremy Hill scorched the Cleveland Browns in Week 7. He rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown while also catching two passes for an additional 24 yards. What was most impressive about Hill’s performance is that he needed just 11 touches to provide all of those numbers. That’s equates to a whopping 17.5 yards per touch average. He certainly won’t do that against Washington in Week 8. That said, Washington ranks near the bottom of the league against the run. Hill is a good bet for back-to-back impressive performances this time around.

Perhaps wide receiver A.J. Green also finds a way to keep a good thing going. Green caught all eight of his targets against the Browns for 169 yards and a touchdown. He’s now caught 14 of 18 targets in the last two weeks combined. Washington has given up at least 93 receiving yards to five different receivers this season. Green is likely to be the sixth. Seven catches and 100 yards is not out of the question for a player of his caliber. Green is an elite receiving option in Week 8, as is usually the case most weeks.