Note:The Rankings were updated Friday evening. The writeups were all written for Thursday.

Week 8 Quarterbacks

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Peyton Manning	at CAR	-
2	Tom Brady	vs. WAS
3	Ben Roethlisberger	at CIN	Moved Up
4	Carson Palmer	vs. PIT	-
5	Donovan McNabb	at MIN	-
6	Derek Anderson	at STL	-
7	Brian Griese	vs. DET	Moved ahead of Kitna
8	Jon Kitna	at CHI	-
9	Eli Manning	at MIA	-
10	Drew Brees	at SF	-
11	Marc Bulger	vs. CLE	Probable(ribs)
12	Philip Rivers	vs. HOU	-
13	Brett Favre	at DEN	-
14	Jay Cutler	vs. GB	-
15	Chad Pennington	vs. BUF	Could be on short leash
16	Matt Schaub	at SD	Game-time decision. Put Rosenfels roughly here if he starts.
17	Cleo Lemon	vs. NYG	-
18	Jeff Garcia	vs. JAC	-
19	Trent Edwards	at NYJ	-
20	Vince Young	vs. OAK	Probable(quadriceps)
21	Alex Smith	vs. NO	Probable(shoulder)
22	Jason Campbell	at NE	-
23	Daunte Culpepper	at TEN	-
24	Vinny Testaverde	vs. IND	-
25	Kelly Holcomb	vs. PHI	-
26	Quinn Gray	at TB	-

Note: For updated projections on every player ranked here, head to our Season Pass package .

QB Notes: It's hard to rank Tom Brady below second for the week, but keep this in mind: his next two opponents are tied for first place in the NFL in yards-per-attempt (YPA) allowed. New England has faced only one better-than-average pass defense. His insane numbers are due for a slowdown. … Donovan McNabb continues to play well between the twenties, but not in the red zone. Look for the Eagles to attack Minnesota's weak pass defense like it's 2005 with 45+ attempts. … Brian Griese's consistency plus the matchup against Detroit makes him nearly a must-start this week. You think Rex Grossman could have directed a game-winning drive with no communication from the sideline?

There's a chance Josh McCown will play for the Raiders this week. I wouldn't touch Daunte Culpepper against the Titans anyway. … Chad Pennington is probably going to get two more starts, assuming he plays well. New York has a bye in a few weeks, then should look to Kellen Clemens. Buffalo's defense is coming off back-to-back excellent outings, so perhaps they have recovered from the onslaught of injuries early in the year. … Trent Edwards was essentially named the Bills starter for the rest of the year. This week's game against the Jets will show if he can put up numbers against weak competition. The odds on a rookie quarterback being better than a low-end QB2 are slim.

Marc Bulger continues to find new lows. This week, he gets a home game against the Browns. If he can't produce decent stats this week, he needs to be put on your fantasy bench for good. … The Bears slowed down Jon Kitna for three quarters last time out, but I'd still have a hard time sitting him against a sluggish defense. … Brett Favre's old defensive coordinator Jim Bates (now in Denver) should know the best ways to make Favre uncomfortable. … The Tampa offensive line could have problems with Jacksonville's massive front seven. Don't expect a lot of points in that game. Alex Smith and Vince Young are expected to return this week, but don't expect much from them in tough matchups. The Oakland pass defense is back after a slow start.

Week 8 Running Backs

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	LaDainian Tomlinson	vs. HOU	-
2	Willie Parker	at CIN	-
3	Adrian Peterson	vs. PHI	-
4	Brian Westbrook	at MIN	-
5	Steven Jackson	vs. CLE
6	Joseph Addai	at CAR	-
7	Brandon Jacobs	at MIA	-
8	Reggie Bush	at SF	-
9	Marshawn Lynch	at NYJ	-
10	LenDale White	vs. OAK	-
11	Frank Gore	vs. NO	Questionable(ankle)
12	Kevin Jones	at CHI	-
13	Thomas Jones	vs. BUF	-
14	Clinton Portis	at NE	-
15	LaMont Jordan	at TEN	-
16	Cedric Benson	vs. DET	-
17	Kenny Watson	vs. PIT	-
18	Laurence Maroney	vs. WAS	-
19	Jesse Chatman	vs. NYG	-
20	Jamal Lewis	at STL	Game-time decision
21	Maurice Jones-Drew	at TB	Questionable(knee)
22	Ahman Green	at SD	Probable(knee)
23	Fred Taylor	at TB	Probable(groin)
24	DeShawn Wynn	at DEN	Expected to start
25	Chester Taylor	vs. PHI	Probable(groin)
26	Travis Henry	vs. GB	Game-time Decision Monday night. Will lose snaps at best.
27	Earnest Graham	vs. JAC	-
28	Kenton Keith	at CAR	-
29	Selvin Young	vs. GB	Chance to start. Monday night game.
30	DeAngelo Williams	vs. IND	Could get more carries than usual
31	DeShaun Foster	vs. IND
32	Adrian Peterson	vs. DET	-
33	Jason Wright	at STL	Move him up ten spots if starting
34	Kevin Faulk	vs. WAS	-
35	Chris Henry	vs. OAK	Chris Brown unlikely to play
36	Michael Robinson	vs. NO	Outside chance to start
37	Najeh Davenport	at CIN	-
38	Reuben Droughns	at MIA	Backup this week
39	Dominic Rhodes	at TEN	-
40	Michael Turner	vs. HOU	-
41	Brian Leonard	vs. CLE	-
42	Ladell Betts	at NE	-
43	Vernand Morency	at DEN	Probable(knee)
44	Michael Bennett	vs. JAC	-
45	Leon Washington	vs. BUF	-
46	Correll Buckhalter	at MIN	-
47	Jerome Harrison	at STL	-
48	Ryan Grant	at DEN	-
49	T.J. Duckett	at CHI	-
50	Pierre Thomas	at SF	-

RB Notes: I expect Kevin Jones to see 20 touches a game moving forward and to become very active in the passing game. Tatum Bell is expected to be inactive this week, so owners can drop him. … Brian Westbrook has a very difficult matchup on paper, but he'll still get his yards in the passing game this week. Westbrook's season low in total yards is 119. … Perhaps Kelly Holcomb will help the Minnesota offense get into scoring position more, but don't expect miracles. Adrian Peterson still probably needs to hit home runs to get in the end zone. I don't expect All Day's job share to end anytime soon because Chester Taylor is quietly playing solid football. He dodged a number of tacklers last week on a few key runs. Fun stat for the Vikings running game: They are 16th in rush attempts, but first in yards. They are averaging almost as many yards-per-carry as they are yards-per-attempt in the passing game.

Earnest Graham's monster afternoon against Detroit should earn him the primary role in Tampa for a few more weeks, but he's been stymied against better defenses. He's still a shaky RB2 option. … If Deshawn Wynn is healthy, this is a week you can consider using him. Green Bay has likely worked on the running game during the bye week and don't want to throw like crazy in Denver. … Brandon Jacobs practiced fully Wednesday and is an every-week starter as long as he remains in the lineup. He's averaging 5.6 yards-per-carry and the Miami rush defense will be in trouble without Zach Thomas. … Joseph Addai owners can't be thrilled with Kenton Keith taking so much work, but 15-20 touches on the Colts is better than 25 on most teams. Indy is averaging 32 rushes a game this season. If I had to guess the split moving forward, I'd give Addai 19 and Keith 13.

Keep an eye on Frank Gore's health throughout the week. Indications are good thus far that he'll play. … Marshawn Lynch has survived a difficult schedule this season and is still the RB11. The schedule gets far easier moving forward with three excellent matchups in a row (Jets, Bengals, Dolphins). He also faces Miami and Cleveland during the fantasy playoffs. I ranked Lynch 13th in my top 21 backs moving forward and I'm beginning to think that's too low. Lynch makes for a great trade target.

Rudi Johnson hasn't practiced yet this week, and I expect Kenny Watson to remain the starter in Cincinnati for a while either way. Watson has a difficult matchup against the Steelers, but he's a great flex option at worst. … Let's see Jesse Chatman put up some numbers against a starting defense before crowning him an every-week option. … Jamal Lewis' status is uncertain. Jason Wright would approximately replace him in the rankings if Lewis is out. … With rumors of Dominic Rhodes possibly being released, don't expect to see a straight committee in Oakland just yet.

Week 8 Wide Receivers

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Randy Moss	vs. WAS	-
2	Reggie Wayne	at CAR	-
3	Braylon Edwards	at STL	-
4	Plaxico Burress	at MIA
5	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	vs. PIT	-
6	Chad Johnson	vs. PIT
7	Steve Smith	vs. IND
8	Torry Holt	vs. CLE
9	Roy Williams	at CHI	-
10	Laveranues Coles	vs. BUF
11	Jerricho Cotchery	vs. BUF	-
12	Santonio Holmes	at CIN	-
13	Bernard Berrian	vs. DET	-
14	Hines Ward	at CIN	-
15	Wes Welker	vs. WAS	-
16	Donald Driver	at DEN	-
17	Kevin Curtis	at MIN	-
18	Brandon Marshall	vs. GB	-
19	Lee Evans	at NYJ	-
20	Joey Galloway	vs. JAC	-
21	Greg Jennings	at DEN	-
22	Kevin Walter	at SD	-
23	Ronald Curry	at TEN	-
24	Calvin Johnson	at CHI	-
25	Vincent Jackson	vs. HOU	-
26	Marvin Harrison	at CAR	Game-time decision
27	Marques Colston	at SF
28	Donte' Stallworth	vs. WAS	-
29	Reggie Brown	at MIN
30	Chris Chambers	vs. HOU	-
31	Andre' Davis	at SD	-
32	Ike Hilliard	vs. JAC	-
33	Santana Moss	at NE	Probable(hamstring)
34	Muhsin Muhammad	vs. DET	-
35	Isaac Bruce	vs. CLE	Probable (hamstring)
36	Mike Furrey	at CHI	-
37	Amani Toomer	at MIA	-
38	Anthony Gonzalez	at CAR	Would move up if Harrison is out
38	Brandon Stokley	vs. GB	-
39	Marty Booker	vs. NYG	-
40	Shaun McDonald	at CHI	-
42	Derek Hagan	vs. NYG	-
43	Joe Jurevicius	at STL
44	Antwaan Randle El	at NE	-
45	James Jones	at DEN	-
46	Jerry Porter	at TEN
47	Roydell Williams	vs. OAK	-
48	Dennis Northcutt	at TB	-
49	Arnaz Battle	vs. NO	-
50	Ashley Lelie	vs. NO	-

WR Notes: Muhsin Muhammad has found new life under Brian Griese. The Bears would be smart to pass like crazy against Detroit, so Muhammad and Bernard Berrian are good options this week. … For all of Donovan McNabb's struggles, he's still tenth in the league in yards-per-game and has only thrown two interceptions all season. This is a cake matchup, so look for Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis to put up solid days.

Steve Smith is going to have to take the short routes this week because Indianapolis is nearly impossible to get deep on. … Santonio Holmes has emerged as one of the more consistent fantasy wideouts. His season-low is 49 yards and he's caught six balls in each of the last two games. Both he and Hines Ward are difficult to bench this week. … Donald Driver is having trouble distancing his numbers from the other Green Bay receivers. He's a riskier-than-usual option this week if Champ Bailey is on him. … Lee Evans had a solid effort against the Jets a few weeks back, and had two big games against them last year. He's a decent play this week with so many teams on a bye.

Kevin Walter has graduated to fantasy starter status, and I'm not sure that the eventual return of Andre Johnson will crush his value. Andre Davis is the one likely to lose snaps. Houston has a top-five passing game thus far in yards and yards-per-attempt. … I'm not ranking Brandon Stokley overly high because he's been getting starter snaps for the last four games, and he has three rough outings out of the four. … Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald are hit-or-miss plays with Jon Kitna throwing less and Calvin Johnson in the starting lineup.

Week 8 Tight Ends

Below are the rankings for Week 08

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QB RB WR TE K DEF TEAM

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Antonio Gates	vs. HOU	-
2	Kellen Winslow	at STL	-
3	Heath Miller	at CIN	-
4	Dallas Clark	at CAR	-
5	Jeremy Shockey	at MIA	-
6	Owen Daniels	at SD	-
7	Chris Cooley	at NE	-
8	Greg Olsen	vs. DET	-
9	Donald Lee	at DEN	-
10	Vernon Davis	vs. NO	Probable(knee)
11	Desmond Clark	vs. DET	-
12	Jeff King	vs. IND	-
13	Eric Johnson	at SF	-
14	Randy McMichael	vs. CLE	-
15	Tony Scheffler	vs. GB	Probable(ankle)
16	L.J. Smith	at MIN	Probable(groin)
17	Marcedes Lewis	at TB	-
18	Bo Scaife	vs. OAK	-
19	Daniel Graham	vs. GB	-
20	Zach Miller	at TEN	-
21	Kyle Brady	vs. WAS	-

Week 8 Team Defense

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Patriots Def/Spec Team	vs. WAS	-
2	Bears Def/Spec Team	vs. DET	-
3	Buccaneers Def/Spec Team	vs. JAC	-
4	Giants Def/Spec Team	at MIA	-
5	Colts Def/Spec Team	at CAR	-
6	Eagles Def/Spec Team	at MIN	-
7	Titans Def/Spec Team	vs. OAK	-
8	Steelers Def/Spec Team	at CIN	-
9	Lions Def/Spec Team	at CHI	-
10	Chargers Def/Spec Team	vs. HOU	-
11	Packers Def/Spec Team	at DEN	-
12	Vikings Def/Spec Team	vs. PHI	-
13	Jaguars Def/Spec Team	at TB	-
14	Bills Def/Spec Team	at NYJ	-
15	Texans Def/Spec Team	at SD	-
16	Browns Def/Spec Team	at STL	-
17	Raiders Def/Spec Team	at TEN	-
18	Saints Def/Spec Team	at SF	-
19	Jets Def/Spec Team	vs. BUF	-
20	Redskins Def/Spec Team	at NE	-
21	Broncos Def/Spec Team	vs. GB	-
22	Fortyniners Def/Spec Team	vs. NO	-
23	Bengals Def/Spec Team	vs. PIT	-
24	Rams Def/Spec Team	vs. CLE	-
25	Panthers Def/Spec Team	vs. IND	-
26	Dolphins Def/Spec Team	vs. NYG	-

Week 8 Kickers

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Adam Vinatieri	at CAR	-
2	Stephen Gostkowski	vs. WAS	-
3	David Akers	at MIN	-
4	Robbie Gould	vs. DET	-
5	Jason Hanson	at CHI	-
6	Kris Brown	at SD	Probable(left foot)
7	Shayne Graham	vs. PIT	-
8	Jeff Reed	at CIN	-
9	Jay Feely	vs. NYG	-
10	Rob Bironas	vs. OAK	-
11	Nate Kaeding	vs. HOU	-
12	Ryan Longwell	vs. PHI	-
13	Jason Elam	vs. GB	-
14	Lawrence Tynes	at MIA	-
15	Mason Crosby	at DEN	-
16	Jeff Wilkins	vs. CLE	-
17	Olindo Mare	at SF	-
18	Phil Dawson	at STL	-
19	Sebastian Janikowski	at TEN	-
20	Matt Bryant	vs. JAC	-
21	Mike Nugent	vs. BUF	-
22	Rian Lindell	at NYJ	-
23	Shaun Suisham	at NE	-
24	John Carney	at TB	-
25	John Kasay	vs. IND	-
26	Joe Nedney	vs. NO	-