Week 8 Rankings: Standard | PPR
Earl Campbell. Ricky Williams. O.J. Simpson. These guys ran for over 200 yards in consecutive games. And so has Jay Ajayi.
Yep, the same Jay Ajayi who became a late-round forget-me-not on Draft Day. The same guy we thought would play backup to Arian Foster.
How come it works out this way in Fantasy?! Why can't it be easier?
Ajayi's the right guy in the right place at the right time. There's no coincidence his huge stat lines came with the Dolphins offensive line -- flush with four former first-round picks -- healthy and fresh. It was one thing to push around the Steelers minus two key run stopping defenders, but bullying Buffalo in Week 7 was eye-opening. Ajayi, to his credit, did his part with hard running through four quarters, wearing down his opponents.
Not surprisingly, he has become the hottest name in Fantasy. With a bye in Week 8, people who have him have nearly two weeks to decide to stick with him or trade him for lineup help. On one hand, he's the Dolphins' lead back until further notice now that Foster decided to retire. That should mean at least 20 touches per week. On the other hand, what are the odds the 418 rush yards he's accumulated marks his high point? Have we seen the best from him?
I took a spin through Twitter to see what trades people were considering for Ajayi.
Jay Ajayi for Dez Bryant: You'll see a lot of trades like this from teams who already have good running backs but want a quality receiver. Dez is a wild card -- he could end up being a top-five receiver, or he'll get hurt and be worthless to your squad. But owners who need a starting receiver will gladly take the chance in exchange for a back they probably procured off waivers.
Jay Ajayi for Allen Robinson: Robinson is the only Jaguar with even good trade value, and it's rapidly declining. Not only is he affected by Blake Bortles' struggles, but two straight weeks of bobbled and dropped passes is crushing his stat line. Four of Jacksonville's next five games are on the road, and three are against tougher pass defenses. Ajayi has a rosier outlook.
Jay Ajayi and Kyle Rudolph for Rob Gronkowski: This is the move Ajayi owners should go for -- deal him and a good player at any position for a better player at that position. And it's very close to a square deal on the trade chart.
Jay Ajayi and T.Y. Hilton for Le'Veon Bell and DeAndre Hopkins: If you're trading for Ajayi and Hilton here, you're making a mistake. It's overvaluing the Dolphins' back and buying into Hilton at his highest value -- Colts receiver Donte Moncrief could take a bite out of Hilton's numbers upon his return. Meanwhile, now's the time to trade for Hopkins considering his value is in the dirt. The Bell and Nuk side wins.
Jay Ajayi, Doug Martin and Will Fuller for Le'Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams and Devontae Booker: So just how big of an egghead are you to dump Bell for a running back coming off of his two best games, another running back who's currently hurt and a receiver who's tied to one of the worst starting quarterbacks in football? Again, the Bell side is the winning side.
What are the Trade Values? The chart is designed to help guide you in making fair trades in your standard-scoring or PPR leagues. The values assigned to the players below are a long-term measurement of their Fantasy value. By adding two players' values you could determine what one player you should be able to get in return. This list also works as a "Rest of Season" rankings. Also, any player not on the chart should be considered valued at no more than four points.
Note: The Chart has been updated to reflect Broncos running back C.J. Anderson going on IR.
Running backs
| Player | Stnd | PPR |
| David Johnson, ARI | 42 | 44 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | 39 | 41 |
| Le'Veon Bell, PIT | 38 | 41 |
| DeMarco Murray, TEN | 34 | 37 |
| LeSean McCoy, BUF | 31 | 34 |
| Devonta Freeman, ATL | 25 | 27 |
| Melvin Gordon, SD | 25 | 27 |
| Lamar Miller, HOU | 24 | 26 |
| Carlos Hyde, SF | 23 | 24 |
| Christine Michael, SEA | 21 | 23 |
| Mark Ingram, NO | 19 | 21 |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 19 | 21 |
| LeGarrette Blount, NE | 19 | 19 |
| Devontae Booker, DEN | 18 | 20 |
| Frank Gore, IND | 18 | 20 |
| Spencer Ware, KC | 18 | 20 |
| Jay Ajayi, MIA | 18 | 20 |
| Doug Martin, TB | 15 | 17 |
| Latavius Murray, OAK | 14 | 16 |
| Jonathan Stewart, CAR | 13 | 14 |
| Tevin Coleman, ATL | 12 | 14 |
| Jeremy Hill, CIN | 12 | 12 |
| Jamaal Charles, KC | 11 | 13 |
| Terrance West, BAL | 11 | 12 |
| Isaiah Crowell, CLE | 11 | 11 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers, TB | 10 | 12 |
| Jerick McKinnon, MIN | 10 | 12 |
| Matt Forte, NYJ | 10 | 11 |
| James White, NE | 9 | 12 |
| Giovani Bernard, CIN | 9 | 11 |
| Jordan Howard, CHI | 8 | 10 |
| Matt Jones, WAS | 7 | 8 |
| Ryan Mathews, PHI | 7 | 8 |
| Mike Gillislee, BUF | 7 | 8 |
| Theo Riddick, DET | 6 | 9 |
| T.J. Yeldon, JAC | 5 | 7 |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 5 | 7 |
| Chris Thompson, WAS | 5 | 7 |
| Dwayne Washington, DET | 5 | 6 |
| DeAngelo Williams, PIT | 5 | 6 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | 5 | 5 |
| Wendell Smallwood, PHI | 5 | 5 |
| Rob Kelley, WAS | 5 | 5 |
| Damien Williams, MIA | 5 | 5 |
Wide receivers
| Player | Stnd | PPR |
| Julio Jones, ATL | 43 | 47 |
| A.J. Green, CIN | 38 | 42 |
| Mike Evans, TB | 37 | 41 |
| Antonio Brown, PIT | 37 | 41 |
| T.Y. Hilton, IND | 26 | 29 |
| Odell Beckham, NYG | 24 | 27 |
| Demaryius Thomas, DEN | 24 | 27 |
| Brandon Marshall, NYJ | 19 | 22 |
| Dez Bryant, DAL | 19 | 21 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, HOU | 18 | 21 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, ARI | 18 | 21 |
| Jordy Nelson, GB | 18 | 20 |
| Amari Cooper, OAK | 17 | 20 |
| Randall Cobb, GB | 17 | 20 |
| Kelvin Benjamin, CAR | 17 | 20 |
| Brandin Cooks, NO | 17 | 19 |
| Doug Baldwin, SEA | 16 | 19 |
| Allen Robinson, JAC | 16 | 18 |
| Emmanuel Sanders, DEN | 15 | 18 |
| Alshon Jeffery, CHI | 15 | 18 |
| Michael Crabtree, OAK | 15 | 18 |
| Marvin Jones, DET | 15 | 17 |
| Jarvis Landry, MIA | 13 | 17 |
| Julian Edelman, NE | 12 | 16 |
| Terrelle Pryor, CLE | 12 | 15 |
| Michael Thomas, NO | 12 | 15 |
| Willie Snead, NO | 11 | 14 |
| Davante Adams, GB | 11 | 13 |
| Stefon Diggs, MIN | 10 | 12 |
| Ty Montgomery, GB | 9 | 13 |
| Golden Tate, DET | 8 | 11 |
| Donte Moncrief, IND | 8 | 11 |
| Mike Wallace, BAL | 8 | 10 |
| Will Fuller, HOU | 8 | 10 |
| Tyrell Williams, SD | 8 | 10 |
| Cole Beasley, DAL | 7 | 10 |
| DeSean Jackson, WAS | 7 | 9 |
| Jordan Matthews, PHI | 7 | 9 |
| John Brown, ARI | 7 | 9 |
| Cameron Meredith, CHI | 7 | 9 |
| Kenny Britt, LA | 7 | 9 |
| Travis Benjamin, SD | 7 | 9 |
| Steve Smith, BAL | 7 | 9 |
| Jamison Crowder, WAS | 7 | 9 |
| Robert Woods, BUF | 6 | 8 |
| Jeremy Maclin, KC | 6 | 8 |
| Chris Hogan, NE | 6 | 8 |
| Michael Floyd, ARI | 6 | 7 |
| Quincy Enunwa, NYJ | 5 | 7 |
| Tyler Lockett, SEA | 5 | 7 |
| Brandon LaFell, CIN | 5 | 7 |
Tight ends
| Player | Stnd | PPR |
| Rob Gronkowski, NE | 32 | 35 |
| Greg Olsen, CAR | 18 | 20 |
| Jimmy Graham, SEA | 14 | 16 |
| Hunter Henry, SD | 12 | 15 |
| Kyle Rudolph, MIN | 12 | 14 |
| Jordan Reed, WAS | 12 | 14 |
| Delanie Walker, TEN | 11 | 13 |
| Tyler Eifert, CIN | 10 | 11 |
| Martellus Bennett, NE | 9 | 11 |
| Coby Fleener, NO | 9 | 11 |
| Jack Doyle, IND | 6 | 8 |
| Travis Kelce, KC | 6 | 7 |
| Zach Miller, CHI | 5 | 7 |
| Gary Barnidge, CLE | 5 | 7 |
Quarterbacks
| Player | Stnd | PPR |
| Tom Brady, NE | 22 | 22 |
| Matt Ryan, ATL | 20 | 20 |
| Drew Brees, NO | 19 | 19 |
| Cam Newton, CAR | 18 | 18 |
| Andrew Luck, IND | 18 | 18 |
| Aaron Rodgers, GB | 17 | 17 |
| Matthew Stafford, DET | 16 | 16 |
| Russell Wilson, SEA | 11 | 11 |
| Philip Rivers, SD | 10 | 10 |
| Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | 10 | 10 |
| Derek Carr, OAK | 9 | 9 |
| Marcus Mariota, TEN | 7 | 7 |
| Andy Dalton, CIN | 6 | 6 |
| Kirk Cousins, WAS | 6 | 6 |
| Dak Prescott, DAL | 5 | 5 |
DSTs
| Team | Stnd | PPR |
| Vikings DST | 8 | 8 |
| Seahawks DST | 7 | 7 |
| Broncos DST | 7 | 7 |
