The best fantasy QB options to stream for Week 8

Welcome to Week 8 of the 2017 NFL season, where Alex Smith is our top scoring fantasy quarterback on the season.

Meanwhile, several big names continue to disappoint, from Ben Roethlisberger (QB19) to Marcus Mariota (QB23) to Matt Ryan (QB24), among others. On the injury front, one week after Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone, Week 7 saw Carson Palmer go down with a broken arm. Further thinning the QB pool are the six byes slated for Week 8, matching the total of the previous two weeks combined. With six more teams scheduled for a bye in Week 9, now is a good time to plan ahead in order to beat the waiver rush.

As always, before we get into this week’s top QB streaming options, let’s look at how things played out for last week’s recommendations.

Notes:  Derek Carr’s get-right game played out just as expected against a vulnerable Chiefs’ pass defense, with his 30 fantasy points tying for the Week 7 lead entering Monday night. His performance serves as a reminder not to let recency bias overshadow the larger body of work…Tyrod Taylor’s low fantasy floor was once again buoyed by his 53 rushing yards against Tampa Bay, as he was the No. 8 fantasy QB on Sunday…Josh McCown averaged 0.81 fantasy points per dropback, which trailed only Dak Prescott (1.15) on Sunday. Still, don’t overlook his No. 22 PFF passing grade, as McCown maximized his fantasy output with three scores against a suspect Dolphins’ secondary…Blake Bortles also sat inside the top-10 Sunday in terms of total fantasy points (10th) and points per dropback (7th). He completed 80 percent of his aimed throws for 330 yards with one TD and no interceptions.

Below are the most attractive options for QB streaming for Week 8 who are either widely available, on your bench, or priced cheap in daily formats. Each player is listed along with current ownership and start percentages from ESPN leagues as well as FanDuel salary rank.

Week 8

Shallow Leagues (8-10 teams)

Carson Wentz (PHI vs. SF) – 91.2% owned/69.2% started/No. 7 QB salary on FanDuel 

It’s only because Carson Wentz remained benched in 30 percent of ESPN leagues in Week 7 that he’s included here. It will be Wentz’s final appearance in this space, however, as he’s graduated to weekly must-start territory. On the season, he owns the league’s third-best passer rating when kept clean (117.4), with 14 TDs and three INTs. Wentz also threw his conference-leading fifth touchdown of 20-plus air yards on Monday night, one shy of his entire rookie-year total.

The 49ers head east for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Eagles, who opened with an implied game total of 29 points from Las Vegas’ oddsmakers. San Francisco has the very worst PFF pass coverage grade and has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing QBs. Since Week 3, the 49ers are allowing an average of 305 yards and two touchdowns per game through the air. What’s more, opposing QBs have a passer rating north of 100.0 when targeting cornerbacks Dontae Johnson and K’Waun Williams, both of whom rank in the bottom-12 (out of 108 CBs) in yards allowed per coverage snap.

Philip Rivers (LAC @ NE) – 69.6%/24.9%/No. 17 salary

You know the drill by now: the Patriots allow the most fantasy points to quarterbacks. New England did hold Matt Ryan in check this past week, but then again so has every other team that has faced Ryan, who is fantasy’s No. 24 QB entering Week 8. The Patriots own our sixth-worst pass-rush grade, and when given a clean pocket, Rivers sports an 80.1 adjusted completion percentage, seventh-best in the league.

Rivers is coming off a rough outing against Denver, in which he was under pressure on more than half of his dropbacks. Still, he managed a 90.3 passer rating against pressure and finished with a pair of touchdowns. Expanding the sample size a bit, since Week 4, Rivers is fantasy’s QB6, with eight touchdowns against only one interception in that span.

Standard leagues (10-12 teams)

Andy Dalton (CIN vs. IND) – 32.9%/8.5%/No. 15 salary

Coming off a bye, Andy Dalton turned in somewhat of a clunker on the road at Pittsburgh, finishing with 140 yards, two touchdowns and two picks. Before you gloss over Dalton this week, know that not only have the Steelers allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs, they also own PFF’s No. 6 grade in pass coverage along with the No. 11 pass-rush grade. And frankly, Dalton has always struggled against Pittsburgh, as evidenced by his 75.6 passer rating and 3-10 career record against the division rival.

Over his previous three-game stretch leading into Cincinnati’s Week 6 bye, Dalton posted an 81.6 adjusted completion rate and was a top-10 fantasy QB in terms of total points (20.1 per game) and points per dropback (0.58). Dalton is also the league’s most accurate QB when under pressure this season (78.8 percent). As for this week’s opponent, only New England has given up more passing yards than the Colts, who own PFF’s second-worst pass coverage grade. All told, Indianapolis has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs.

Tyrod Taylor (BUF vs. OAK) – 59.3%/36.0%/No. 13 salary

The Raiders are PFF’s No. 23-graded team in pass coverage after getting tagged for 342 yards and three touchdowns at home against Alex Smith. In Week 8, they’ll head east for an early kickoff against Tyrod Taylor and the Bills. On the season, Oakland has allowed 10 passing touchdowns and is the only team without an interception. Cornerback David Amerson has given up a league-worst 2.22 yards per coverage snap to go with a near-perfect 156.3 QB rating, while T.J. Carrie also ranks in the bottom-third with 1.19 yards per coverage snap.

Despite a lack of weapons, Taylor owns the league’s fourth-best adjusted completion percentage on deep passes (46.2) as well as against pressure (73.2). But really, Taylor’s biggest fantasy appeal remains his mobility. He led all QBs with 577 yards and six touchdowns on the ground last season, which equated to six fantasy points per game just as a rusher. And he’s coming off a six-carry, 53-yard effort against Tampa Bay, his fifth game with six-plus carries this season.

Two-QB and deep leagues

Trevor Siemian (DEN @ KC) – 28.5%/9.3%/No. 21 salary

The concern here is that the Broncos are on the road, and Trevor Siemian is markedly better at home than on the road. Still, Kansas City has allowed the third-most passing yards this season, making this a rather inviting matchup when digging into the numbers. Chiefs’ CB Terrance Mitchell has yielded 597 yards and five touchdowns in coverage, while opposing QBs boast a 109.3 passer rating when targeting teammate Phillip Gaines. Both corners are in the bottom-12 in terms of yards allowed per coverage snap, and the Broncos happen to have one of the league’s better WR tandems in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, who has a chance to return from his ankle injury this week.

Siemian was sacked five times against the Chargers in Week 7, finishing just 2-of-7 for 33 yards while under pressure. But it’s important to note that San Diego boasts PFF’s top-graded pass rush, whereas Kansas City is graded second-worst in that department. When kept clean, Siemian’s 103.5 passer rating this season is 11th-best in the league.

Case Keenum (MIN @ CLE) – 10.9%/3.0%/No. 20 salary

The Vikings hope to get both Stefon Diggs (groin) and Michael Floyd (calf) back this week, and that would be a huge boost for Case Keenum. Diggs has missed most of the last three weeks, and Keenum has posted ordinary numbers in his absence. Still, given his 369-yard, three-touchdown effort against Tampa Bay in Week 3, Keenum is certainly capable of beating up on a bad defense when he’s got a full arsenal of receiving weapons.

In terms of the matchup, Cleveland is allowing 7.6 yards per attempt (seventh-worst), and Keenum’s 40.7 adjusted completion rate on deep passes ranks in the top-eight. Browns’ CB Jamar Taylor has been targeted 36 times and given up 26 catches for 391 yards, three TDs, and a 135.3 passer rating. Expect the Vikings to send plenty of targets his way.