Welcome to the Industry Expert Consensus picks for Week 8 of the NFL season. As always, if you want to see how the experts performed last week go check out my Week 7 Industry Expert Grading column and the Industry Expert Standings for all experts. So far this season the Consensus picks are just outside of the top 10 in the overall standings.
Last week there were a lot of obvious chalk plays, many who came through. This week is much more spread out with plenty of good options to choose from, which should result in overall lower ownership percentages and diversified lineups. Another reason for the diversity is due to the Patriots playing Thursday night and the Packers facing a tough Broncos defense, so we have two of the highest scoring offenses with commonly selected players taken out of play this week.
At quarterback, Philip Rivers does lead the way as a strong chalk play given his high volume of pass attempts recently and his reasonable salary, but there are also some other good quarterback plays that can be used if you want to spread out your exposure. Running back has many of the same players on the list such as Todd Gurley and Devonta Freeman, but is much more spread out than last week. Speaking of spread out, take a look at the wide receiver position which features six players receiving between 9 and 12 votes this week. Also notice that most of the wide receivers will cost you quite a bit of your salary cap, looks like it might be a week to pay up at wide receiver and save at other positions if possible. Tight end, with no Rob Gronkowski, opens it up to a wide variety of options, including many that can save you some money to allow you to spend up on wide receivers.
As a reminder the number in the parenthesis is the number of experts that chose that player so you have more context regarding the gaps between players and the tiers. Here are the picks for Week 8…
Quarterbacks
Highly Touted
- Philip Rivers (18) – Rivers is a high volume passer averaging 57 attempts per game over the last 3 games
- Andy Dalton (12) – Dalton has been consistently good and game against the Steelers could turn into a shootout
Recommended
- Matt Ryan (9) – Good matchup for Ryan at home against the Bucs this week
- Cam Newton (8) – One man show for the undefeated Panthers playing on Monday night
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (7) – The most touted cheap QB option this week
Suggested
- Ben Roethlisberger (3) – Big Ben is back and getting picked by a few experts right away
- Aaron Rodgers (3) – Tough matchup for Rodgers against the Broncos defense
- Eli Manning (3) – Giants/Saints is projected to be a high scoring game
Running Backs
Highly Touted
- Todd Gurley (16) – Not quite as hyped as last week, but still leads the RB list again this week
- Justin Forsett (13) – Faces the weak Chargers rush defense
Recommended
- Devonta Freeman (10) – Had a “down” week last week, looking to bounce back against the Bucs
- Chris Johnson (10) – Juicy matchup against the Browns this week, reasonably priced
- Adrian Peterson (9) – Held out of the end zone the last two weeks, Bears could be the cure
- Le’Veon Bell (9) – Bell was still productive without Roethlisberger, could be more productive with him
- Jonathan Stewart (7) – 20+ carries each of the last 2 weeks
Suggested
- Matt Forte (5) – Has a high floor, but hasn’t had a big game in a while
- Doug Martin (5) – Three straight games over 100 rushing yards
- Darren McFadden (3) – Should be the main man in Dallas this week, cheap option
- Danny Woodhead (3) – Came through last week in garbage time
Wide Receivers
Highly Touted
- Keenan Allen (12) – 10+ targets each of the last 3 weeks
- Stefon Diggs (11) – Primary target in Vikings passing game with 9 targets each of the last3 weeks, still reasonably priced
- Julio Jones (11) – High volume of targets, at home, against the Bucs
- AJ Green (11) – Solid option in what could be a high scoring game
- Antonio Brown (10) – Guessing that he is happy Big Ben is back
- Alshon Jeffery (9) – Finally looks healthy and coming off a bye
Recommended
- Brandon Marshall (6) – Looks to get back on track after a “down” week
- DeAndre Hopkins (5) – One disappointing week and the experts move away from him
- Odell Beckham Jr. (5) – Hasn’t looked quite himself the last couple weeks
- Eric Decker (5) – The cheaper Jets WR to target
Suggested
- Demaryius Thomas (4) – He is getting the targets, but just 1 TD this season
- Martavis Bryant (4) – Always has big game upside
- Marvin Jones (3) – Could be a good pivot away from A.J. Green in GPPs
- Mike Evans (3) – Could get all the targets for the Bucs with Vincent Jackson likely out
- Nate Washington (3) – Had 16 targets last week and Cecil Shorts is out again this week
Tight Ends
Highly Touted
- Tyler Eifert (14) – Seems like he gets a TD every week
- Ladarius Green (12) – Cheap TE option with Antonio Gates expected to be out again
Recommended
- Greg Olsen (10) – He has been hit or miss this year, looks like this week could be “hit”
- Martellus Bennett (9) – 11+ targets each of the last 3 weeks
Suggested
- Gary Barnidge (4) – Hard to argue with his every week production
- Benjamin Watson (4) – He has become a bigger part of the Saints offense the last few weeks
- Jason Witten (4) – Faces Seahawks who have struggled to cover the TE this season
- Delanie Walker (4) – Somebody will need to catch passes for Titans against a poor Texans defense
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