Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Top Players, Sleepers and Positional Guide

Only two teams are on a bye in Week 8 of the 2019 fantasy football season, but this is hardly the time for a breather.

Grips on playoff berths are starting to tighten or loosen based on your trajectory. The injury bug is as much of a nuisance now as it's been all season. The trade market is coming to life, too, which impacts the fantasy stocks of not only the players involved but also those of their teammates, new and old.

Oh, and the two teams sitting this week out are the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys, so there's a decent chance that even the light bye schedule still affects your roster.

Let's try to make sense of it all with a positional guide to the 15-game slate.

Quarterbacks

Top 10

1. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

2. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders

3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots vs. Cleveland Browns

5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles

6. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants

7. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins

8. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

9. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks

10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans

You remember all those preseason recommendations to wait before drafting your quarterback? Well, this will be a week when owners are thrilled they paid up for Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers.

Wilson, this season's second-best scorer at the position, should have a field day against the Falcons. The past five quarterbacks they've faced have all gone for 20-plus fantasy points, including Jacoby Brissett and Marcus Mariota.

Watson, the No. 3 quarterback in fantasy, is surely licking his chops after seeing Rodgers torch the Raiders for 429 passing yards and five touchdowns. Brissett and Chase Daniel have also had multi-score performances against this defense.

And Rodgers, who just shattered his season-high fantasy point total, has an opportunity to keep trending up in Kansas City. The Chiefs aren't as helpless as they've been in recent years, but they have surrendered 250-plus yards and multiple scores to the likes of Gardner Minshew II and Matthew Stafford.

Sleeper: Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals (17 percent owned)

Teddy Bridgewater has thrown for at least 240 yards in each of the last three weeks, and he's tallied seven touchdowns against only one interception over that stretch.

His hot streak should continue against an Arizona defense allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Running Backs

Top 10

1. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins

2. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

3. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants at Detroit Lions

4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals

5. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets

6. Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars

7. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

8. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins

9. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

10. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Christian McCaffrey is this season's top overall fantasy scorer, but he's not our top-ranked rusher⁠—what gives? Well, it's more about what doesn't give up much of anything, and that's this San Francisco defense.

The 49ers have allowed just 10 total points the past three weeks combined. They've given up just one rushing touchdown all season. Only two running backs, Nick Chubb and Ronald Jones, have managed even seven fantasy points against them. McCaffrey doesn't budge from your starting lineup, of course, but maybe don't count on his typical production.

Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley's second game back from injury could be a monster.

He was good in his first game back, posting 80 scrimmage yards and a score against Arizona. He could be great this week against a Detroit defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to the position.

Sleeper: Ty Johnson, Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants (2 percent owned)

With Kerryon Johnson headed to injured reserve, speedy rookie Ty Johnson becomes a priority add and arguably a must-start in Week 8.

The Giants just faced a young understudy last week and watched helplessly as Chase Edmonds erupted for 150 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.

Wide Receivers

Top 10

1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals

2. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders

3. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

4. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks

5. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

6. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

7. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans

8. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers

9. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants

10. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans

While DeAndre Hopkins hasn't been the weekly double-digit scorer he was drafted to be, he has cleared that mark three weeks in a row. In fact, Week 7 delivered his second-highest point total of the season, as he hauled in nine of his 12 targets for 106 yards and a score.

He's an elite wide receiver, and Houston targets him as such (seven-plus targets in each contest). That volume could allow him to go bananas against an Oakland defense allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to the position.

Speaking of pass-catchers set to erupt, Tyler Lockett will get one of his best matchups all season when the Seahawks travel to Atlanta. The Falcons surrender the fifth-most points to wide receivers, and the 27-year-old could be the 10th wideout to put up double digits against them.

Sleeper: Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (41 percent owned)

Tampa's stingy run defense could make Tennessee one-dimensional, and maybe that's not such a bad thing with Ryan Tannehill under center.

If nothing else, at least the quarterback looks in Corey Davis' direction. In Week 7, Tannehill's first start, Davis turned a season-high seven targets into six receptions for 80 yards and a score.

Tight Ends

Top 10

1. Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

2. Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers

4. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers

5. Evan Engram, New York Giants at Detroit Lions

6. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears

7. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills

8. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals

9. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

10. Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Hopefully, you heeded all of our preseason calls (and everyone else's) to board the Darren Waller hype train. Oakland's athletic tight end sits second at the position in scoring, despite the fact his two touchdowns in Week 7 were his first of the season.

But volume has been tough to find at this spot, and Waller has offered a ton of it. He's only been targeted fewer than seven times once. More importantly, he makes those opportunities count. He has hauled in an incredible 44 of the 50 balls sent his way.

Elsewhere, Jared Cook owners have to be hoping for a quick recovery from his ankle injury.

The Cardinals are easily the most generous defense against tight ends. They have already allowed eight touchdowns and three 100-yard efforts to the position in seven games.

Sleeper: Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins (49 percent owned)

Tight end sleepers are usually dart throws at best, but Vance McDonald might be legitimately interesting.

The 29-year-old has had a bye week to get healthy (as has Mason Rudolph) and now he gets a Dolphins team that has only kept one of its first six opponents below 30 points.

Kickers

Top 10

1. Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

2. Wil Lutz, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals

3. Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers

4. Josh Lambo, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets

5. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants

6. Mike Nugent, New England Patriots vs. Cleveland Browns

7. Joey Slye, Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

8. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins

9. Matt Gay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans

10. Zane Gonzalez, Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints

Defense/Special Teams

Top 10

1. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins

2. New England Patriots vs. Cleveland Browns

3. Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

4. Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

5. Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins

6. San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers

7. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets

8. Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants

9. New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals

10. Tennessee Titans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Fantasy stats and ownership percentages used courtesy of NFL.com, Yahoo Sports and FantasyPros.