Fantasy football rankings 2017: Quarterbacks for NFL Week 8

Six teams on bye are really going to throw a wrench into the fantasy rankings. Derek Carr had his best fantasy game of the season in Week 7. It wasn’t a coincidence that Amari Cooper had his best game as well. If Cooper can play like that consistently, Carr’s fantasy numbers will skyrocket. We’ll be able to see if he can carry us to a championship over the next two weeks. This week, the Raiders travel to Buffalo and next week to Miami. I wouldn’t expect another performance like last week against the Bills’ tough defense, but if Carr can at least pass for two touchdowns and 275 yards, I wouldn’t worry about the stretch run.

Dak Prescott passed for three touchdowns for the third straight game. The Dallas offense will be carried by its running game, but Prescott definitely benefits from that. His passing yardage remains average but might at some point get a bump. If the Ezekiel Elliott suspension ever goes through, Prescott will be asked to shoulder more of the load. It should result in a boost to his passing yardage and rushing yardage. I really like his matchup in Week 8 against Washington.

Arizona, Green Bay, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams, the New York Giants, and Tennessee have their bye weeks this week. The biggest loss would have to be Jared Goff, who lies just outside the top-10 fantasy quarterbacks. The bye week should be able to help Marcus Mariota get healthier. Blake Bortles and Eli Manning won’t really be missed. Arizona and Green Bay have lost their starting quarterbacks, and the bye week can’t fix that for them.

A couple more quarterbacks were injured in Week 7. Carson Palmer broke his non-throwing arm against the Rams. As of Monday, Palmer believes he’ll be able to return in four-to-six weeks. The more realistic timetable is eight weeks, which pretty much ends his fantasy season. Drew Stanton will start in the meantime, and his fantasy value is minimal.

Jay Cutler suffered multiple cracked ribs and is very doubtful for Week 8. He may miss multiple weeks with the injury, but the recovery timetable is unknown at the moment. Matt Moore will start in his place. Moore is efficient but shouldn’t be started in Week 8 against the Ravens.

Andrew Luck, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater remain sidelined. Bridgewater could be the first one to see the field again. If he does, it won’t be until after the Vikings’ bye week next week. Luck will need to start practicing again to have a shot at playing. It’s looking like Luck will either be back for the fantasy playoffs or will miss the whole season.

My sleeper pick for Week 8 is Andy Dalton. Dalton had a rough outing in Pittsburgh and hasn’t been having a great season. I think his matchup against the Colts will provide a nice bounceback opportunity. Indianapolis has given up 300-plus yards passing in five out of their seven games this season. I believe Dalton will pass for at least 280 yards and two touchdowns.

(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; JM: Jason Marcum)