Fantasy Football Week 8 Projections: QBs
October 24, 2011 by Uzo Ometu
The quarterback position continues to be a very dicey one in the 2011 fantasy football season. We have several guys that have been up-and-down throughout the season, such as Philip Rivers, Matt Hasselbeck and Matthew Stafford. Because of the up-and-down play this season, looking at the matchups is even more important as we enter Fantasy Football Week 8. That said, sometimes knowing the matchup can’t even save you.
Here are our Fantasy Football Week 8 Projections for the quarterback position:
Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
Michael Vick has not had that big break out game that we have been waiting for yet, but I think it’s coming in Fantasy Football Week 8. The Cowboys are a lot better on defense this season, but they have a lot of undisciplined players that tend to give up big plays—both in the secondary and on the defensive line. A truly dual-threat quarterback like Michael Vick will make them pay for that dearly, and I fully expect Vick to pull a couple of unexpected runs and deep throws against this risk-taking defense ran by defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Rivers continues to disappoint. In what was supposed to be an MVP season for the former Pro-Bowl quarterback, Rivers play is the lone thing keeping the Chargers from being one of the elite teams in the NFL. Last week, Rivers got Antonio Gates, and it was still difficult for him to put up the mediocre numbers that he did. While the Chiefs secondary is a lot worse than what Rivers saw against New York, I don’t expect a whole lot more from Rivers than he gave us last week. One can hope, but if you have better options, I don’t know if playing with the mistake-prone Rivers is worth the risk.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks
Dalton is the very reason that the Bengals were finally willing to trade Carson Palmer away, and in Fantasy Football Week 8, the whole fantasy world is going to see why. Dalton’s ability to stretch the field is going to put the hobbled and young Seahawks secondary to the test, and that is a test that this particular secondary has failed time and time again. The Seahawks’ secondary ranks near the bottom of league against the pass, and with Marcus Trufant out for the rest of the season, there’s no reason to believe that it’s getting better any time soon.
Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos vs. Detroit Lions
Tebow did not show off his arm against the Dolphins last week, and if you’re like me, you didn’t really expect him to. However, he did continue to demonstrate his propensity for running the football, and that just happens to be what the Detroit Lions aren’t so good at defending. While having Ndamukong Suh coming after you doesn’t necessarily lend to running the ball, the Lions have struggled maintaining their gaps with the other 6 players in the defensive front. So expect the Broncos to come out with a lot of misdirection that gets Tebow on the edge and outside to the pocket, where I think he will have just enough success to warrant a start on a fantasy football team whose quarterback is on a bye in Week 8.
