Quarterbacks for Fantasy Football Week 8: Bo Nix Rising
Matthew Freedman uncovers the best Quarterbacks for fantasy football in Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season, leading with surprising rookie Bo Nix.
Before we get into my favorite quarterbacks for fantasy football Week 8, let's take a look back at some of the players I liked in Week 7.
Before we get into my favorite running backs for fantasy football Week 8, let's take a look back at some of the players I liked in Week 7.
- Quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels. Good.
- Running Backs: Austin Ekeler. Great.
- Wide Receivers: Tank Dell. Grand.
- Tight Ends: Juwan Johnson. Wonderful.
I'm just trying to set expectations appropriately low.
As of Tuesday evening, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 8 fantasy plays—the guys who (in some combination) …
- Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
- Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
- Must be added if they are on waivers.
- Possess underappreciated upside.
- Have advantageous matchups.
- Should be considered in daily fantasy.
- Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
- Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
- Catch my eye with their player projections.
- Stand out in our Fantasy Life Player Prop Tool.
Some notes.
Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and my projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.
Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players are ordered within position roughly (but maybe not precisely) according to my rankings.
Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.
Bye Week: This week, every team is in action. Why? Nobody knows.
Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 11:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.
Freedman's Favorites: Although we publish this piece as four separate articles broken out by position, I think of it as one cohesive whole and write it as such. With that in mind, please be sure to check out the rest of my favorite Week 8 fantasy football plays in the other positional previews:
- Running Backs for Fantasy Football Week 8
- Wide Receivers for Fantasy Football Week 8
- Tight Ends for Fantasy Football Week 8
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Best QBs for Fantasy Football Week 8
Jordan Love (Packers) at Jaguars
- Packers: -4.5
- O/U: 49.5
- TT: 27
Last week, I successfully bet the over on Love's passing TD prop. The week before, the same. Whenever the sportsbooks post his passing TD prop this week, I'll probably bet it again and log it in our free Fantasy Life Bet Tracker.
In every game this year, he has hit the over on his prop with 2+ TDs. Last year, he went over 1.5 TDs passing in 11 of 14 games after the Week 6 bye.
The last time Love didn't hit the over on his passing TDs prop was Week 14.
On the season, Love is easily No. 1 with an 8.4% TD rate and 3 TDs passing per game.
This week, I have Love projected for a league-high 1.9 TDs passing and a 72.1% chance of going over his prop of 1.5, which translates to odds of -257.9 (per our Fantasy Life Odds Calculator).
Given that I bet Love's prop at -200 two weeks ago and -167 last week, I'm evidently high on him in the betting market—and my enthusiasm naturally extends to fantasy. As the prayer goes, “On earth, as it is in heaven.”
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Love is No. 2 on the year with 270.2 yards passing per game, and the Jaguars are No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to QBs (23.8) and largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+7.2)
Bo Nix (Broncos) vs. Panthers
- Broncos: -9
- O/U: 43.5
- TT: 26.25
We've reached my favorite part of the article: Where I tell you how bad the Panthers are.
Situationally, this is a great spot for the Broncos, who have a three-day rest-and-prep advantage coming off Thursday Night Football and are at home, where they have a true edge thanks to the elevation.
And Nix has been pleasantly not terrible as of late.
In his first month, Nix passed for only 165 yards per game with a 3.6 AY/A and just 1 TD to 4 INTs. But since then the rookie has averaged 195.3 passing yards with a 7.2 AY/A and 4 passing TDs to only 1 INT, to which he has added 24-145-1 rushing.
Nix might not be good … but he might be … and the Panthers are definitely bad, ranking No. 31 in defensive dropback SR (51.5%, per RBs Don't Matter).
On top of that, they're injured. This week, they will definitely be without key players at all three levels in DT Derrick Brown (knee, IR), LB Shaq Green-Thompson (Achilles, IR), and FS Jordan Fuller (hamstring, IR), and they might also be without their top pass rusher in EDGE Jadeveon Clowney (shoulder), top remaining interior lineman in DT A'Shawn Robinson, and top remaining midfield defender in LB Josey Jewell (hamstring), all of whom missed Week 7.
And in case you're wondering: Yeah, I'm betting against the Panthers. I grabbed Broncos -4 on the lookahead line last Thursday and have them projected for -9.75 in our Fantasy Life Game Models.
This year, the Panthers have been one of the league's most profitable teams to bet against: Their opponents are 6-1 ATS (62.7% ROI) and 6-1 ML (21.3% ROI, per Action Network).
In fantasy, as it is in sports betting.
The Dropback
Jalen Hurts (Eagles +2.5, TT: 22.75) at Bengals: In two games since the Week 5 bye—when he got back WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith—Hurts has an 11.2 AY/A and 21-55-2 rushing. The Bengals are No. 4 in largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+2.5).
Caleb Williams (Bears -1.5, TT: 22.75) at Commanders: After a tough first two weeks to the season (2.7 AY/A), Williams was vastly improved in Weeks 3-6 (8.2 AY/A), and he could be even sharper coming off the Week 7 bye. The Commanders are No. 29 in defensive dropback SR (50.4%).
Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins -3, TT: 24.75) vs. Cardinals: The Dolphins have designated Tagovailoa (concussion, IR) to return to action, and I project him to clear protocol and play this weekend. Tagovailoa at home is 18-10 ATS (22.9% ROI) and 21-7 ML (22.8% ROI), and the Cardinals are No. 29 in defensive pass DVOA (24.3%, per FTN).
Drake Maye (Patriots +7, TT: 17.5) vs. Jets: Maye has been a top-10 QB while putting up 20-plus fantasy points in both of his starts, and the Jets secondary is missing SS Chuck Clark (ankle, IR) and could be without CBs Michael Carter (hamstring) and D.J. Reed (groin), SS Ashtyn Davis (head) and FS Tony Adams (hamstring). Where available, Maye should be a waiver priority.
Abbreviations
- Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
- Against the Spread (ATS)
- Over/Under (O/U)
- Team Total (TT)
- Moneyline (ML)
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
- Expected Points Added (EPA)
- Success Rate (SR)
- Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
- Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
- AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
- Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
- Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
- Short Down and Distance (SDD)
- Long Down and Distance (LDD)
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