Fantasy Football Week 8: Top 5 quarterbacks to start

Week 8 presents some top quarterbacks with a tough matchup. Luckily for some fantasy football owners, there are also some great matchups, whereas others will have to resort to waivers.

Heading into Week 8, this year’s top fantasy football quarterbacks are beginning to emerge. At this point, we know whether or not any specific QB is the real deal.

Some quarterbacks have fallen off while others are beginning to emerge as top dogs. Although this is nothing new, as the league tends to look a little different each and every year; one of many reasons why the NFL is so much fun.

Furthermore, it remains ever so important to play good matchups. For example, no quarterback has scored over 13 fantasy points against the Jaguars, making any quarterback playing them a bad start.

For Week 8, some great quarterbacks will face some not-so-great defenses, which means big fantasy points. For those who aren’t so fortunate to have one of these quarterbacks, they’ll have to hit the waiver wire. But regardless, any of the following quarterbacks will be sure to lead your fantasy team to victory this weekend.

Next: 5. Two waiver wire streamers

5. Two Waiver Wire Streamers: Andy Dalton and Case Keenum

Being as the next four quarterbacks should be owned in all leagues (if they’re available in yours pick them up immediately) so this is a two for one on waiver wire streamers if your quarterback is hurt, on a bye or facing an awful matchup.

Case Keenum and the Vikings have shown their “next man up” mentality by continuing to succeed despite injuries. No matter who they put on the field, the Vikings have continued finding ways to win. This should be less of a challenge this weekend against a struggling Browns team.

The Browns have allowed the 8th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year, averaging 18.9 per game. With the return of Stephon Diggs looking promising, Keenum and the Vikings should be able to capitalize on a weak defense.

The Browns could struggle so much on offense, that it plays into the favor of Keenum from a fantasy standpoint. An important term we hear a lot in fantasy is volume. For a quarterback, this is attempts, carries for a running back and targets for a receiver. A stagnant Browns offense against the Vikings elite defense will result in Keenum spending plenty of time on the field. This makes Keenum a good volume-start for Week 8.

Andy Dalton is the second waiver wire streamer in this two-for-one special. While Dalton has struggled thus far, he has a great opportunity for a big performance in Week 8.

We all know the type A.J. Green poses to a defense, which will of course help Dalton. But he’s also facing the defense which allows the 6th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. To make matters worse for the Colts, their rookie safety Malik Hooker will miss the remainder of the season. Hooker was the one bright spot on the Colts abysmal pass-defense.

Keenum is available in nearly 90 percent of ESPN leagues whereas Dalton is owned in just under half. Therefore, at least one of the two should be available in your league. If you’re in need of a quarterback for Week 8, consider Dalton and Keenum as two waiver wire streamers.

Next: 4. Super Cam is BACK!

4. Cam Newton vs. Buccaneers

After a slow start, it looks like “Super Cam” is back! After a rough first three weeks, Cam Newton strung together three consecutive good performances, followed by a bad one against the Bears. Fans and owners should write-off his last performance against a tough Bears defense, as few quarterbacks have been able to produce against them.

With the exception of his struggles last week, Newton has looked like the Cam of old. He’s been running, passing and dabbing like the 2015 MVP Cam. He’s stepped up as a true leader, which will be essential to Carolina’s success, as he may need to carry the team.

The Buccaneers will be a great matchup for Newton, as they allow an average of 20 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. While this Buc’s defense looked promising at the beginning of the year, they continue to struggle until this point.

Being a Newton fantasy owner is stressful in 2017. Presumably, many owners have started him on bad weeks and sat him on good ones. Although for this week, Cam owners can be at ease, as he’ll be a great start for Week 8.

Next: 3. He's making a case for fantasy MVP

3. Dak Prescott vs. Redskins

It should come as little surprise to find Dak Prescott on this list. Barring any change in consistency, he very well may be on this list all year, and rightfully so.

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Prescott is quietly making a case for “Fantasy MVP” this year, despite the Cowboys’ 3-3 record. While he isn’t the top-scoring fantasy quarterback, he is in the top five and he’s been by far the most consistent. Prescott’s worst fantasy performance came in Week 2 against the Broncos, where he scored 15.9 points. He’s only scored under 20 fantasy points one other time.

Consistency is key in fantasy quarterbacks, considering their general point production. A bad quarterback performance could be the difference between a fantasy win and loss.

After a huge game last week, we can expect Prescott and the Cowboys offense to keep on rolling. Being as this will be a high-scoring game, nearly any player involved will be a good start. This means that Prescott, as always, will be a good start for Week 8.

Next: 2. Dak's opponent will score big points too

2. Kirk Cousins vs. Cowboys

Like Newton, Kirk Cousins came into the season with high expectation, only to get off to a slow start. Although, since a poor Week 2 performance in Los Angeles, Cousins has posted over 20 fantasy points in each game since.

We can see the Redskins like to air the ball out, as Cousins made 40 pass attempts last week. This is a plus for fantasy owners, as he’ll be sure to get the necessary volume.

Considering the Cowboys suspect pass-defense, it is safe to expect Cousins to post some big numbers. The Cowboys have allowed an average of 17.9 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year.

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While some of their receivers have been struggling, the Redskins array of offensive weapons will be a handful for the Cowboys defense. The emergence of Chris Thompson and the comeback of Jordan Reed should only further help cousins against Dallas. This will be a high scoring game with a lot of big plays, which makes Cousins a great start for Week 8.

Next: 1. He's making a case for the actual MVP

1. Carson Wentz vs. 49ers

Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles have been a major surprise this year. Nobody expected the Eagles to be 6-1, nor did they expect Wentz to be in the MVP talks. Although this is where we stand almost halfway through the season.

Although, perhaps we shouldn’t be quite so shocked about the Eagles success. After his hot start during his rookie year, Wentz looked promising. After adding weapons in Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith along with another year’s experience with Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor, it was only a matter of time until we’d see Wentz soar.

Wentz will continue to roll in a favorable matchup against the 49ers. They’ve allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year. In past two weeks, the 49ers have been trampled by fellow NFC East teams (Dallas and Washington). We can expect Wentz and the juggernaut Eagles to overpower the weak 49ers defense.

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There may not be a defense struggling worse than that of the 49ers, whereas the Eagles have one of the hottest offenses in the league. This will ultimately be a recipe for disaster for the 49ers, making Wentz a great start for Week 8.