Fantasy Football Week 8 QB Preview: Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Ryan are both solid starts on Thursday
Both of the quarterbacks playing on Thursday night are solid Fantasy Football starting options.
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2 min read
As long as Julio Jones has been healthy, you've done well to start both Matt Ryan and whoever is facing the Falcons suspect defense. Things should be no different Thursday night.
Ryan has played four full games with Jones this season. He's averaged 358 passing yards and 30 Fantasy points in those four starts. The opposing quarterback has been even better, averaging 363 passing yards and 31.75 Fantasy points per outing. In fairness to Jones, the Falcons defense has been accommodating with or without Jones, surrendering 31.5 Fantasy points per game in games Jones has missed.
What should not get lost in all of this is that, good matchup or not, Teddy Bridgewater has been a very solid starting quarterback. He's fifth in the NFL in passing yards and has multiple touchdown passes in three of his past four games. Bridgewater's passer rating (99.1) mirrors his rating from last year exactly. He's proving that he's an above-average NFL quarterback. Couple that with very good wide receivers and a game against the best matchup in Fantasy this season and that's how Bridgewater ends up inside my top 10, and ahead of Matt Ryan in Week 8.
More Week 8 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Dave Richard's Week 8 Preview | QB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | RB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Waiver Wire | Trade Values | Biggest Questions | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Cut List | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not
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Week 8 QB Preview
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Numbers to know
- 6.6 -- Ben Roethlisberger's 6.6 intended air yards per attempt ranks fourth-worst in the league.
- 2,480 -- Carson Wentz leads the league with nearly 2,500 intended air yards this season.
- 37.6% -- According to Pro Football Reference, barely more than a third of Drew Lock's pass attempts have been on target. That's the worst mark in the league.
- 25 -- Patrick Mahomes has six more scrambles on designed passes than any other quarterback.
- 8.77 -- Deshaun Watson leads the NFL at 8.77 yards per attempt. He's a must-hold through his bye.
- 176 -- Cam Newton has one game with more than 176 yards passing. I don't want to drop him, but you can't start him right now.
- 28.8 -- Justin Herbert's 28.8 Fantasy points per game ranks fourth among quarterbacks.
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Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
Waiver Wire/Streamers
It's weird to think that the first time all year I'm suggesting Mayfield is the week after he loses Odell Beckham. Then again, it's pretty weird that Mayfield has been a much better quarterback when he's playing without Beckham. What's not weird is starting a quarterback against the Raiders, who have allowed 25.67 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year. I'd rather start Derek Carr, but his roster rate (77%) is too high for this section.
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It's been an uneven year for Garoppolo and I'm not enthusiastic about starting him, but I would choose him over Tagovailoa and Drew Brees. He's also a fine replacement for Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson. The Seahawks have given up the second most Fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.
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One To Stash
Don't start him against the Rams, but make sure he's rostered in your league.
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DFS Plays
Top Play
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Wilson is the clear No. 1 in terms of Fantasy points per game this season yet he's still not the most expensive quarterback on the slate. The Seahawks' injuries at running back should ensure they continue to Let Russ Cook against the 49ers.
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Top Contrarian Play
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I don't know for sure that Allen will be contrarian, but his recent struggles and a matchup with the Patriots suggests to me he will be. I actually like an Allen stack with both Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley (assuming John Brown is out). Allen has already played three defenses that rank in the bottom 10 in terms of Fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. He's averaged 27.6 FanDuel points in those three games.
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Heath's projections
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 8 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
